At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Rouchelle Dabral for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Change Enabler and Influencer. Rouchelle Dabral is the Founder and CEO of Rouvolution. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Rouchelle:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
Growing up, I always wanted to invent something and be of good service to society with my talents and skills. I did not know back then that it can also be called ‘entrepreneurship’ In any case, I always actively participated in singing and public speaking renditions throughout my school and college.
In 8th grade, I knew I would like to go into the field of media as it suited my interests and personality. By the 11th, I started my first blog and began treating my passion for writing more seriously.
The open mic and slam poetry culture really helped me brush up my skills in a more presentable way. Finally moving over to my first internship where I learned about my liking towards marketing, media and digital communications.”
With the help of my mentors, parents and encouraging friends around me, I finally gathered the courage to start my business in 2020. It was during the pandemic where I had just started my first real job which was WFH, after which I decided to start my own business. There was no looking back.
I have been learning ever since and pleasantly surprised that as a female entrepreneur, I’ve had a good journey and the pleasure to see fellow women in the business flourish.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
Entrepreneurship is challenging and very rewarding when it comes to making a change and creating an impact.
I am not at all against a corporate career and in fact loved my own experience when I was working in a corporate environment. It gives great security and quality of life. However, In my case, I knew that my personal calling was entrepreneurship as it would be a good medium for me to achieve my purpose in life.
The freedom that comes with entrepreneurship has given me the liberty to help other businesses in our Indian startup ecosystem grow and I aim at multiplying these efforts through my most dedicated team.”
Entrepreneurship is not just being a business owner but it demands one to be a leader, take risks and display leadership qualities. Being a leader in many ways comes naturally to me as I have always liked being in charge and taking on responsibilities. I realize that I have to truly care for the field that I work in and choose collaboration over competition. This has made me excel in my endeavours.
‘Rouvolution’ 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?
We help authors, content creators grow their businesses and help them delegate some tasks to us so that they can concentrate on their own expertise.
It has been a revolution that involves YOU to choose a path that helps you grow best with us. Thus the name ‘Rouvolution’ came into existence.
I wanted my brand to have a unique name and there it was and with good meaning.
Our motto is “You are your own revolution” As there is a ‘you’ in ‘revolution’ which makes up for the Rouvolution.
What does your company specialize in?
Rouvolution specializes in not just providing but also creating opportunities for the authors and content creators.
We are actively a part of the ongoing digital revolution which only got stronger at the onset of the pandemic when the inception of Rouvolution took place.
I believe that we came to existence exactly at the right time and have been encouraging brands as well as the personal brands to scale up through PR.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
As the business is born during COVID, each measure is taken to ensure that the model aligns with the challenges of the pandemic.
~ Our business model consists of a team of initiators. They are all trained to be effective communicators according to our company culture. We choose people who are ready to take action and solve all hurdles through effective communication.
~ The digital backing helps the entire team work from home and even travel while still working remotely.
~ Every aspect of the business is online and tech-enabled to ensure automation as much as possible.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I go by the tried and tested method of ‘take one day at a time’ and at the face of any challenge, I try my capabilities.
With every strategy at my hand, I know that panicking or the lack of planning is not the solution and therefore I switch between a tunnel vision and the big picture to compare my actions and future implications of all decisions that have and shall be made. This way of looking at a thing from all perspectives has made me an observant and solution-oriented person.
It also keeps my life interesting as there is a constant movement in it as overcoming challenges empowers me and helps me with character-building wins!
The one thing that keeps driving me is my willingness to keep persisting and that has truly come from observing my parents, grandparents and other creative-versatile individuals of my family.”
Above all, my mentors have been my guiding light and have given me moral support whenever I needed it in life.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
(1) I have learnt that even if you want to, you can not do everything on your own. You should ask for help from people around you and know that you will always get help from someone or the other.
(2) Strike a balance. Especially when it comes to work and life balance you need to know how to align yourself with your goals and the joys of life. Both are equally important.
(3) Take risks. It is what makes you evolve as a person and gives you strength. Though it’s always better to take the calculated ones!
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Take an hour of power: A concept that I learnt from the book written by Napoleon Hill ‘Think and grow rich’ which says that a working individual takes at least one hour from their day doing what they like and it helps. Generally, when I take that time, I like to read and meditate.
That book and many from Dale Carnegie have taught me little daily hacks that after adopting in my daily life, I have been able to overcome many challenges and grow even under a lot of pressure. Moreover, loving what I do really does help!”
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My family is very supportive. Even those younger than me are immensely caring and have golden values. Seeing that really motivates me in my daily life.
The other startup founders and even the great personalities-entrepreneurs from the past motivate me. My colleagues in my circle keep sharing bits from their journey and making our ecosystem better through their innovation and inventive contributions. They act as an inspiration to me each day and seeing them grow has also helped me see mine.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> Being alert
> Ensure security for the future
> Document everything important so that trust is established
> Make at least a few strategies to be more resourceful
> Invest in continuous learning and brushing up your skills.
> Be willing to take ownership
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
Being tech-savvy is very important. Any future leader should be well versed with web development and SEO at the least if they want to succeed. We are entering the era of a digitally driven world and virtual realities.
Thus it is great to be able to adapt and be willing to learn things you’d have never considered before.
Please share with us, what has worked well for you so far?
We have always been service oriented which means that we believe that we can serve our customers well and according to their requirements. My team is usually one which believes in brainstorming and I always make it a point to listen to them and take their suggestions too.
Innovation and thinking out of the box have made us collectively realise that there was no box in the first place. We are and always have been limitless. It’s just most often we need to identify the opportunity being provided under each circumstance.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Identify your purpose, be observant, take all possible challenges into account and cater for a rainy day.
Keep moving and growing with everything that goes on in your personal and professional life.
All these methods help you be a good learner in life. You also learn how to strike the perfect balance!
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
I have two: –
Skills: There are some basic skills in the professional world that are mandatory to master. Therefore, spend some time and money learning them and growing in all spheres of life.
I urge young students and professionals who are just starting off to be more patient, tolerant and learn. Be ready to take initiative and be careful of how you communicate with those around you.
Secondly, treat failure as an opportunity and not a downfall. Failing means that you have not achieved the desired results somewhere, and not that all your strengths and skills are useless. Identify what did not work and change your strategy. With persistence and the correct steps learnt from your failures, you will surely learn.
Just don’t be afraid to progress and start. This is the most important advice of all.
Last but not least, where do you see yourself going in the future?
I see Rouvolution participate in a VR-empowered world. We would like to launch many initiatives that help new-age creators excel in two worlds.
I have always seen Rouvolution as a futuristic company ready to synergise with changing technology through the years.
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.
