At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited seasoned entrepreneur Madhura Samarth to know more about her inspiring journey and the way forward. She is a Mentor, Thought Leader, Angel Investor and the Co-founder & CEO of Ripple Animation and Ripple Media. Let’s learn more about her!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Madhura:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I currently run Ripple Animation, a company I co-founded 5 years ago to create explainer videos for businesses. We create video content for several global brands including Amazon, Vodafone, Ernst & Young, Hewlett Packard, National Airlines, Johnson Controls, ICICI, SBI, HDFC and many more.
In a short span of 5 years, Ripple Animation has become the leading explainer video company in the country. We also have offices in New York and Israel now.
Prior to starting Ripple, I had a joint venture with the WPP group, the largest media group in the world. The company was called Sharp Shooter Films and we specialized in creating TV commercials.
I began my career as an investment banker on Wall Street in New York where I worked for several years, before moving back to India and joining my family business, Pincer Communications, which focused on producing ad films.”
I completed my BA in Economics from Lawrence University, a leading Liberal Arts college in the US and my schooling was at Cathedral & John Connon School in South Bombay.
Apart from running Ripple Animation, I also make angel investments and am part of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I had no interest in being a cog in the wheel. It was very clear to me from my days in investment banking that I wanted to create my own company.
I always had a high appetite for risk and was not afraid to give up the security of a good job to follow my dream.”
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
The industry is highly fragmented but growing exponentially – and that’s where the opportunity lies. There are many small players which are either animation studios or agencies who outsource the animation and do 20 other things like social media etc.
We have created a niche where we focus on one thing and one thing only – creating animated and stock footage videos that drive business results. Our teams are trained to understand briefs, write strong scripts, visualize, animate and do all the post-production. All this happens collaboratively and in-house.
We’ve also developed a proprietary streamlined approval based process that ensures that we deliver the sort of films the clients expect within timelines and at scale.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
The idea that I have to create and implement new strategies that will help us stay ahead of the curve excites me. I’m always thinking of how we can automate repetitive functions, how we can still have hyper-personalization, how we can serve our clients better and win big in this fragmented market by leveraging our IP, our talent and technology. I’m always making many small bets to see what strikes a chord.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
It’s quite scary to start your own business and be responsible for the livelihoods of your teams. There were several times when cash flow became an issue, there were times that key people quit, times when we had issues with big clients…but in each instance, there was new learning that I could take away to ensure that we came out stronger.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I feel that if you do the right thing with clients, employees, partners and suppliers, money takes care of itself. It’s very important to have a high emotional quotient and really connect with people that you deal with on a regular basis.
A human connect leads to people going beyond the call of duty for your company.”
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I rarely need to manage stress as I rarely allow it to creep in. I have a daily practice of pranayama, yoga, meditation and one sport. I wake up at 5 am and my practice lasts 3 hours. I play tennis or run most evenings. I also spend quality time with my family every day. I leave work at 5 pm, no matter what.
I also truly believe that everything happens for the best, so I try not to judge a situation as good or bad. If you look at everything by putting a little distance between yourself and the problem, you can respond rather than react. And if you respond thoughtfully, you can avoid stress.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?
Look beyond the obvious. Pay attention to what your customers are feeling, to what’s going on in the market, to what your employees are saying. Pick up on what could help customers, partners and employees to succeed and create offerings that help clients achieve business results.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Be the best at what you do, treat people fairly and make the right decisions in every situation.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
Don’t think of yourself as a woman entrepreneur as there’s no glory in that. No customer cares whether you’re a man or a woman. Focus on creating the best offerings, the best processes, the best work environment, the best customer service.
Keep your foot on the accelerator when it comes to sales growth, be persistent, go after the right clients, land and expand within your client base and look at new horizons. Keep your costs in check and never take your eye off the cash flow.
Don’t kill your self by working long hours. Work smart. Be present fully when you’re at work but switch off completely when you’re not.
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.
