At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited a passionate entrepreneur – Lakshita Gupta for an exclusive interview with us. She is the Founder and Director of Gradeffects. Let’s learn more about her exciting journey, background and advice for our growing community.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Lakshita:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I did my schooling at St. Joseph’s Convent School and completed my high school at M.G.N. Public School. I further pursued a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the prestigious university; Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology. I have been an all-rounder personality throughout. I am diligent and have a dynamic outlook on my life. I always have an optimistic vision. I was a passionate individual from the beginning and always aspired to be one of the youngest achievers by delivering high performance in all walks of life.
To add to my skills and knowledge, I also completed a course in Architecture and Interior Designing and various core software of Civil Engineering. I am currently volunteering in a Non-Government Organization as a core member of the Junior Wing. I represented the school in various district and state-level competitions in domains of dance, fine arts, and sports.
During my college days, I took part in major contests and competitions since I was an all-rounder in studies & cultural activities. Apart from it, I was active in many backstage activities and also in the management & organizing team of college fest and events. A few of the best projects that I delivered successfully were related to innovative technology that uses solar power to run a sports car, waste products to be made useful to construction material, safe & economic construction for a massive building of a clubhouse.
I have always been very keen and passionate about working on something on my own that can solve major problems of general citizens on a daily basis. I also scored a 10 pointer in an entrepreneur project in college which was highly appreciated by my mentors and associated faculty. It was not only challenging but a fresh idea in the market too.
Apart from this, I have an interest in mythology and ancient history. I have also done a lot of research work in these spaces. Talking about my sidekicks; those are dancing, skating, playing drums/guitar/piano, travelling & exploring nature, nature photography, freehand painting, and a lot more.
So as soon as I graduated from college, I successfully established my first company under the name of GRADEFFECTS which provides a one-stop solution for a complete branding, media, events, and production design in all domains of advertising and marketing solutions. It’s a registered firm by trademark GRADEFFECTS- Your Dreams Our Passion.
With the success of my firm, I launched my studio named GRAD STUDIOS under this company. Thereafter, launched a few sub-firms under Gradeffects named Grad Events & Wedding Planners, Grad Films & Studios, Gradphix (Design, Print & IT Cell). This business is run completely under my sole ownership and also built upon bootstrap.
I also wanted to do something in my core field as well and started a Design & Construction firm. Upon a good response from the market, I established this firm as well.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
Thanks to a few people who came into my life and unknowingly gave me valuable inputs to make the journey a lot easier for me. During college, I chose Civil Engineering because I was very much interested in fieldwork and the vast domains that it offers. I always wanted to make such a product that is eco-friendly and could be helpful in the field of engineering and help the clients with easy, economical, and speedy construction.
During my engineering, I came across so many things and explored my different sides which pushed me into entrepreneurship. I did internships in so many firms in different departments and realized my true calling and took a strong stance to start with something of my own.
‘Gradeffects’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving?
‘GRADEFFECTS’ comes from two words “Gradient” + “Effects”. Gradient shows how one colour blended with so many shades impacts a basic design and makes it effective and fascinating to look at. Similarly, our company’s motto is to bring all kinds of services under one roof to effectively solve our clients’ problems.
As one has to look for different vendors for a single work and faces a management problem, our company aims to bring and cater all needs of our customers at one place. Also, we cater to micro, small and medium level enterprises who wish to scale themselves but are unable to find the best economical solutions; so we do it by helping them to manage and execute ideas according to their needs.
What does your company specialize in?
Gradeffects is a design-centric company pioneering your dreams into our passion– in India. We identify latent needs and envision new lifestyles. We have companies and people who specialize in various aspects of the advertising industry.
We have so many USPs which make us stand out in the Indian market. Our distribution platform is both for D2C (Direct to Consumer) and B2B (Business to Business). We have a design company at the heart of the organization. We offer design services in all the vast domains like graphics, animation, merchandise, events, advertisements, marketing campaigns, tv commercials, shows & short movies, portfolios, packaging, etc.
We also offer Architectural & Interior Design, and Brand strategies. We offer civil and construction contracting services as well. Currently, GRADEFFECTS comprises 3 sub-firms and a new parallel sub-firm. A little about what they comprise of is stated below:
Films | Media | Shoots | Movies | Web Shows | Music Ad Films | Fashion Shows | Influencer & Blogger Contracts | Promotions | Advertisements | TV Commercials | Musical Short Movies | Theme Shoots | Brandings | Photography | Media Coverage | Professional Shoot Portfolios | Cinematography | Story Writing | Direction | Training & Workshops | Acting & Modelling Sessions | Rental Studios & Team and much more
GRADPHIX
All type of Graphic Design Solutions | IT Solutions | Digital Marketing | Animation Studio | 3d Works & VFX | Motion Graphics | Cinematic Videos | Video Editing Works | Label & Packaging | Merchandise | Web and Application Development | Complete Indoor/Outdoor Publicity & Marketing Solutions | Complete Printing Solutions | Corporate Branding & Personalized Branding | Complete Business Consultancy Services and much more
CIVIL CELL
Architectural Designs | Interior Designs | 2D/3D Renders | Structural Designs | Construction Contracts | Labor Contracts | Material Contracts | BIM | Real Estate | Residential works | Personalized works
We have an upcoming brand ADHL which will have luxurious products in fashion with a unique formula. We also have a Merch Station which focuses on the personalized branding of a firm or an individual.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Empowering and challenging the myths, stereotypes about wellness journey to have self-awareness and courage to do their therapy to live a life of respect, dignity and treat others with the same ethical principles is my drive to work in this field.
I believe in sharing Joy. I believe all people are capable of change. It is important to understand people are shaped by their experiences and circumstances. We envision a world in which all people have access to treatment that can help them improve their work mentally and emotionally.
This kicks me to keep going despite having ups and downs in my path. Some say it’s easy, some say it’s difficult but I believe it’s all on us what we assume it to be.
I faced a lot of negative responses first from the family and relatives saying things like “it’s not a cup of tea for a female to run a self business”, “it’s not a cakewalk you think”, “look for a government job not this”, etc and whatnot. But my younger sister stood by me always in my decisions and she being with me was enough for me to keep going ahead. A few of my friends were very supportive and kept encouraging me for my decisions.
I stood like a wall in my tough times and to all the harsh tones which kept coming towards me for the path I took. It isn’t easy still but it feels very good as I step onto a new phase of challenge in my journey.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My life changed around my pillars; my younger sister stood by me always in my decisions and that was enough for me to keep going ahead. A few of my friends were very supportive and kept encouraging me for my decisions.
Later my parents too joined me in my journey and helped me in my downfalls. There are a lot of successful leaders, speakers and great business venturers who prove to be a daily life motivation for me. I have learned more from the failures of others than their success stories which remind me not to fall in gloomy times or any loss deals.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
My business mantra is “Do not settle for less; the more you settle for less, the least you grow”. For me, growth is very important to be consistent in a tough journey. If growth stuns then we as an individual development also stuns.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
(1) Being mindful and optimistic
(2) Being resourceful and aware
(3) Taking complete responsibility for my actions.
(4) Courage & Curiosity
(5) Ability to take risks & venture into uncharted territories.
(6) Accepting myself as I’m
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
I learned that losses and tough clients in a business play a very deep role for us to learn a few things and make decisions the harder way which is necessary for the smooth functioning of a startup.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
I will say it straight that there are many factors but according to me, If one learns their true calling then do not settle for less in life. Success automatically comes in our way if we stop following it. I believe that exploring new things keeps us going and curiosity to explore them leads us to one step closer to success.
Also, Success is not about how rich we become or how much fame we gain, it’s about what changes it brings in your journey as well as the change it brings in others’ life.
I would like to give a brief message, especially to all the females out there that do not take a back seat in your life. I learned it the hard way in my life. Take the steering of your life in your hand and learn to drive it rather than being dependent on males for even small tasks. Know the basics about your finances and take a hold on being independent.
Do not let anybody tell you that you cannot do it, instead show them nobody could have done it better than you. Be it any domain or any skill, nothing is big or small, it’s on us how we show that to the world. The biggest key to success is admitting our mistakes and working on them. Life is short so try to learn from others’ experiences as much as you can.
Marketing is not just a job function, but a collective domain comprising several job roles. You should be able to identify the key skills and personality traits required to succeed in brand, media, digital, influencer, product, or any other area of marketing. Career decisions require a long view of what comes after and a good understanding of personal skills and ambitions. Make informed choices and build a professional life that empowers your lifestyle.
There is so much to be shared, but this conversation limits how much I can communicate on this platform. Students and young professionals regularly reach out to me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or emails with their specific queries and I make sure to answer them all.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
