In our latest interview, we spoke to Ani Mukundan. She is one of India’s finest and probably the first ‘New Mom’s CareerPreneur Mentor’. She has transformed the lives of hundreds of professionals through her effective and exclusive coaching methodologies. Let’s read more about her journey as a womenpreneur.
Excerpts from our Interview with Ani Mukundan:
Talk us a little about yourself please:
I am “New Mom’s Careerpreneur Mentor” – a mentor to New Moms ( and moms ) who are passionate to build a successful career or business. I help Moms find clarity about their values, goals, priorities, how to manage time and help chalk out a clear road map for a successful professional journey.
I am a mom to 2 boys, 9 yr and 3 yr old and a certified coach with 12 years of corporate experience in Coaching, Human Resources Consulting, Talent Management, Learning & Development. and have coached 300+ professionals with 600+ hours of coaching.
Managing motherhood and career is demanding and exhausting. As challenging as motherhood is, it doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love as a sacrifice for loving your kids. You can be a good mother and still follow your dreams, only if YOU desire.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I would like to call myself the “Accidental Entrepreneur”. When life throws a curve ball at you, it may be an opportunity in disguise. I made some career choices that I wasn’t quite happy with. That situation helped me reflect on what I truly wanted in life and helped me discover my mission and purpose of life.
I then decided to embark on a mission to transform lives of over a million women by empowering them to identify their true purpose in life, achieve their goals and live a life of fulfilment.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
The value that I am able to add to other people’s life is my fuel to strive for more.
I have realized that my key to happiness is helping others by sharing value. When people write to me with their challenges and after a discussion with me walk out with clarity, feeling positive and commit to taking actions, I feel I am getting closer to my mission.
I am constantly striving to touch as many lives as possible by sharing my ideas, thoughts, experiences and knowledge through my posts, videos and articles (LinkedIn, YouTube, FB, Instagram)
Why should people choose your products/services?
I specialize in working with mothers who are passionate about following their dreams, even after motherhood. I am living the journey myself and hence I am aware of the challenges a mother faces when she steps out to work, be it challenges at home, challenges in the corporate environment or challenges as an entrepreneur. I help woman and mothers get their priorities straight and simplify life so they can find more time for things they love to do, enjoy life and follow their dreams and become self-reliant.
What’s your competitive advantage and why can’t it be copied?
Today, everything is a Google away. You can find tons of motivational videos and information on mindset, coaching etc.
I am not a motivational coach because I believe that no one except YOU can motivate YOU.
I believe in TRANSFORMATION and Transformation is a journey which requires effort, massive actions and a positive mindset. My competitive advantage is the value that I share with my mentees, sharing my journey, my imperfections, my failures, my learning that helps them connect with me instantly.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
I don’t like calling anything as an obstacle or a challenge, simply because I look at every problem as an opportunity. One of the first things I teach my mentees is that when you complain you are being a victim and you can only win if you have a mindset of a Champion.
That being said, I don’t see myself any different from a person who is good at something and decides to start an entrepreneurial journey. Sales/marketing skills is a crucial element of the success of any business including Mentoring and Coaching industry.
So I think, I need to focus on marketing my brand for people to know who I am and what services I offer.
It’s not enough to be good at what you do if no one knows that you’re doing it.
Tell our audience more about your failures? How should one bounce back?
Failure is inevitable. I have made wrong choices. Those choices seemed so right at that moment.
My learning – It’s human to make mistakes. We all have made mistakes and will continue making it in future too.
But through those failures, I have learnt an important lesson Don’t react, instead RESPOND – It’s human to react to failures. But the key is to RESPOND by owning your failure and not dwelling in the past and focusing on the way forward. Just remember to Own your decisions and Focus on solutions.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. ~ Theodore Roosevelt
As a Mentor to moms, I deal with emotions. The greatest ability in any profession is the ability to get along with others and influence their actions and this can only be achieved if one can connect with the heart. So for me, emotions come first. If I deliver value consistently, the money will follow.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
To be able to fill in other’s cup, one needs to fill in their own cup first.
I draw my energy from my morning rituals which include, visualization, affirmations and gratitude journaling.
Being a Mentor myself, I know the power of a Mentor in life. I look up to my mentors who help me challenge conventional wisdom and help me think out of the box.
What advice would you give to someone starting out, particularly to women entrepreneurs?
1) It is important to define your micro niche. Don’t be a generalist, be a specialist.
2) Share Value and you will get value. If you focus on value creation money will automatically follow.
If you are a generous giver you will be an excellent receiver.
Feel free to connect with me if you need someone to guide you through your entrepreneurial or career journey.
Also, subscribe to my Youtube channel where I post videos regularly.
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.
