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 passionate entrepreneur Aastha Jha to know more about her interesting entrepreneurial journey and the way forward. She is the Founder & CEO of Kraftstar Management, The Wedding Journals And Gathbandhan Vivah. Let’s learn more about how she is adding value to the startup ecosystem!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with her;
Talk us through your background and your inspirational journey as a women entrepreneur so far, please;
I am from Patna and I have done my schooling from Krishna Niketan, Patna. Then, I pursued engineering from PESIT, Bangalore. After graduation, I started working as a risk engineer in AIG. While I was in the training period there, one of my managers put me in the cultural team.
After handling all the fun and cultural activities at My office, I got to know that I was good at managing events.”
My younger brother who is my business partner had already done a lot of events in Patna. Since I always thought of starting something of my own, so I shared my thought with him about starting my own event management company in BANGALORE. He was also up for it. Then he came to BANGALORE and we started the firm.
I couldn’t leave my job as I never wanted to take any monetary help from parents and we also needed financial support. I had a great manager and team lead in my office who understood my dream and passion. They always supported me.
It was never easy for me to work at two places but I knew I can do it. I used to work for 15-16 hours per day during my initial days. Because of this tireless effort, we started getting lots of wedding events including destination ones within 6 months of startup. So, I quit my job and started working full time for my dream.”
Kraftstar Management has grown considerably in the past few years and now boasts of locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, and Udaipur as well. All this has been made possible with the unrelenting efforts of my team.
Now, I have started to expand my business in other verticals as well. I have started an online wedding blogging website and also an offline saloon. Many more are lined up as well.
I need to thank all my team members, my vendors, my client, and my XTL and manager for the success I have achieved till now.
Why entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
I chose entrepreneurship because I always wanted to start something from scratch and be my own boss. I have the freedom to choose my work and resources. I am also following my passion for managing the events at a very intricate level. However, I hardly get time for myself but I love what I do.
How is your startup different from traditional ones? Tell us more about your product and your startup’s journey this far?
Having a background in engineering coupled with a valuable work ethic made my gravitate towards event management. Having an experience of risk engineer for AIG has made me a detail-oriented person and rational planner who takes all the challenges of planning a wedding head-on. One of the main reasons why Kraftstar Management has been so successful at event and wedding management is because of the valuable contacts we have with suppliers and other vendors. My team has spent a lot of time and resources in curating and examining them and we make sure that the newlyweds experience only the best on their wedding day.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
There have been many challenges until now. Leaving a stable job with a good salary and starting something new was not an easy task. Also, being a girl and working on-field for many days during an event is really tiring and difficult. During an event, there needs a wholesome satisfaction of clients and vendors. It poses a real challenge to deliver the best at the optimum price and effort.
In the initial days, my parents were not happy with my decision of startup as I had quit my stable job and had to be on-field for late nights as well.”
Despite all odds, I still chose the path as I wanted to make a difference in the societal mentality. Now, my family is proud of me because I have done something no one in my whole family has ever tried.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
Business is mostly about profit. However, a Wedding is all about emotions. And being a girl I know what a bride wants and feels on her big day. When I plan a wedding I do it by my heart. My clients always say I work as a family member and do the wedding planning very responsibly. I also believe in the saying “Karam Karo Fal Ki Chinta Mat Karo”. So, I work hard with an emotional touch, and money eventually follows.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Owning a business is very stressful, and you can’t really escape that.”
But when you have a good team, then you can do it with ease. During the execution of any event, many times we have to work straight for 30-35 hours without any rest. I do Yoga, listen to soft music, and do a video call with family. This eases the pressure and stress.
What has worked well for you so far?
I always believe in – “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Motivation is the key to success. I am always motivated towards giving my best and hence various pieces have fallen in the right places.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
It’s too early for me to define success in general but I know one thing for sure that the true path to success is through the fear of failure. When you are scared that you might lose, then you are one step closer to success. Passion, hard work, and dedication towards a goal may lead to the path of success. I feel a person can be said successful when he no longer requires an introduction.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
Believe in yourself and work hard. People will say many bad things. But I promise you, there will come a time when these people will congratulate it for setting an example for future generations. Dream bigger and just do it.
Follow Kraftstar Management At:
Website – www.kraftstarmanagement.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kraftstars/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kraftstar_management_/
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