At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the start-up ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Tanjina Ashraf Khan for an exclusive interview with us. Tanjina is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Mental Health Coach, Mentor and Author. She is the Chairperson and CEO of Mentcouch International Psychology Centre. Let’s learn more about her inspirational journey and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Tanjina:
We are aware of your contribution to the field, talk us through your journey as an entrepreneur and the year 2020, please;
As an entrepreneur, I know how hard it can be to start from nothing, having no prior experience and trying to prove yourself and survive in a fast-paced, competitive business world.
Now, I am not here to write about the problems that I have faced while building my dream company during the pandemic, rather I would want to shed light on how all the obstacles brought by the year 2020, helped me to grow as a person and as a businesswoman.
The most important thing that the year 2020 has taught me is to consider the value of time. This year enabled me to take some time off and ask myself, “Is there something I can be doing that is a more valuable use of my time?”. This thought alone has changed a lot of things for me. Some of my life-changing decisions were brought about solely by this thought.”
This is the year I wrote my first book and got it published. Even though it was just a simple book of poetry, it is something valuable to me and very close to my heart. I have been wanting to share my poems with the world since as long as I can remember.
2020 is also the year I started my own company MentCouch International Psychology Centre, which is now among the most popular psychology centres in Kuala Lumpur. I remember back in mid-2020, when the whole world was in complete lockdown, I sat in my room wondering what I would do if my startup failed. During that time it made the most sense for me to look at other areas to make money.
And that is when I launched my second venture, a Digital Wellbeing Magazine called “The MentCouch Magazine”. The response has been applaudable so far. Now the reason I am sharing all this is to simply give out the message that we can achieve great things when we set our mind to it and the only thing stopping us would be our own thoughts.
In the year 2020, I gave my very first public interview and was featured in India’s renowned Newspaper The New Indian Express. Also, my first ever article on mental health was featured in Malaysia’s No.1 Expat Magazine. The joy of sharing my views with people from different parts of the world was profound. I received the title of MBPsS after my name in the same year and this is something most of us in the field of psychology look forward to. Indeed another joyous moment!
Other than professional achievements, 2020 has also been a year of personal growth. I’ve learnt that one of the best protection against being overwhelmed by all the negativity brought to us by 2020 is to actively generate positive emotions in our life. To be honest, it is very difficult to find positive emotions in the miasma. Yet there are many if you look closely enough, your family, your friend(s), your commitment to your career and your efforts toward a better self. All of these are ripe for harvesting good feelings that we can use to counteract the bad feelings.”
I have become a much more resilient person and after a long time, I was able to put myself first without feeling guilty. This year has taught me to let go of the toxicity and embrace positivity in all areas of life. To everyone reading this, I encourage you to find contentment in your daily activities, your work and within yourself. And, finally, appreciate your efforts and take pride in your progress and accomplishments as you continue to strive and flourish to your better self.
Would you say entrepreneurship is better than a corporate career?
Everyone hates the thought of doing a conventional 9-5 job in a 5X5 cubicle writing emails, reports etc. all day long and everyone is excited about being a billionaire. But life does not work that way. Entrepreneurship is a way of life for me, not an alternative to any fixed-income job. For some of us, corporate jobs might have paid us more.
All I would want to say is, whether a corporate job or entrepreneurship, do what excites you and makes you happy. That is the sole reason why I quit my job to start a company of my own. I chose entrepreneurship because I think it’s fascinating building something from the scratch with love and passion and seeing it grow.”
Also, because of the simple fact that our work is going to fill a large part of our lives, and the only way to be truly satisfied with it is to do something we love and something that we are good at. You will not be able to sustain something that you don’t like, you will just give up at one point. Entrepreneurship takes a lot of resilience, planning, perseverance, hard work, teamwork, combined with good strategy & execution skills. But so does corporate jobs. You do what you love and you’ll do good!
‘Mentcouch International’ is such a unique name; what inspired it?
The name was inspired by Sigmund Freud’s famous psychoanalytic couch. It is the prime symbol of psychoanalysis, and I was lucky enough to see it in person back in 2019.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
Our centre was born during COVID-19 crisis, hence every policy has been curated by keeping the pandemic scenario in mind. We continuously ensure that our business model aligns with the challenges of the pandemic.
a) We have introduced work from home facilities for our full-time staff members who insist on it.
b) We have introduced mental health off days for team members, keeping in mind the isolation scenario and the wellbeing of our employees.
c) Most of our team interaction can be done remotely, where we don’t need to do constant physical meetings.
d) We are among the very few centres that offer extensive mental health screening online and in current times a full mental health evaluation conducted by an expert, that too at the comfort of our home is something all of us need. All of our services/therapies including yoga is offered online to clients from various parts of the world.
What are the challenges you faced as a woman entrepreneur?
There are four lessons I learned as a female entrepreneur:
First up, it’s surprisingly lonely. You will be surrounded by people who tell you that what you are trying to achieve isn’t possible. Also, in our Asian society, a lot of people from the opposite gender will look down upon you and not take you seriously.
My personal relationships were affected greatly when I stepped into this career where most men (and women) were not happy to see a girl soar in success in such a short span of time and that’s ultimately a lonely place to be. I guess, feeling isolated is a natural price you pay as an entrepreneur. However, the good part about this is, because of this I learnt to rely on myself. My relationship with my own self has gotten better and that is the single most important thing.
Secondly, I have come to realize that even though women are considered comparatively emotional beings, it is a taboo for a businesswoman to show emotions. Vulnerability is a trait you give up when you wear the shoes of an entrepreneur.
As a woman independent and confident enough to blaze a trail for your own business, you may well exhibit lots of alpha qualities. You’re strong-headed, capable, and you don’t actually need a man to take care of your responsibilities. But you’re still human and want affection and warmth. An alpha male might see you as a competition or threat jeopardizing their masculinity. A beta male then? They might not be in a contest with you but they may feel you are not giving them enough time and prioritizing work over the relationship.
So what’s a strong, capable woman to do?
Instead of trying to put your unstoppable wave of ambition in the same room with another man’s raging storm of testosterone, it is best to seek someone who ebbs and flows with you in natural balance. Someone who is supportive of your dreams alongside his own, isn’t emotionally or financially needy, and won’t be threatened by what you achieve.
Lastly, Trying to navigate the murky waters of your personal, social, professional and love lives is no picnic on its own. And it’s especially tough for a businesswoman who has to deal with the expectation that she needs to have it all, all the time, or else she has nothing.
Women need to put extra effort into maintaining all of this and there is honestly no room for error for us. But the truth is, there will be days when you’ll have to give up one side to prioritize the other, the trick to not feel guilty about it is to prioritize your own self.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
~ Be flexible and adaptable – the only way to turn a crisis into a new opportunity.
~ Present yourself as a brand. I prepare myself to give in my best shot at each and every opportunity that comes my way because only when I present myself as a brand, I become a brand.
In your opinion – what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
A good team! I strongly believe you are only as good as your team.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
One thing I would say that helped me and my company grow is our willingness to listen to our clients. The more we listen to what our clients want, the better we are able to guide them and serve them, and the more efficiently and effectively we can resolve their concerns by providing suitable services.
And in return, they place strong trust in our brand name. We believe that is the only reason for the rapid growth of MentCouch.
You are always so positive and motivated, what keeps Tanjina going?
If you think you need the motivation to do your work, that only means you are in the wrong line of work. I love what I do but yes, there are times when I feel overworked. A good support system and practice of resiliency are the things that keep me fueled.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
1) You must Love what you do!
2) You must be courageous, fast and good at what you do (or at least possess the basic skillsets to excel at it with time).
3) Make sure you have enough money to work for 2 years without pay.
4) Do not lose your femininity, charm, and persona and do not try to become a man.
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.
