At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited a passionate entrepreneur – Suruchi Kejriwal for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Mentor, Trainer, Image Consultant, and Coach. Let’s learn more about her exciting journey, her background and her advice for our growing community.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Suruchi:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
Post completing my B.Tech in Information Technology, I landed my dream job at Deloitte Consulting, USI.
I was performing well, got great opportunities, the work culture was awesome, and had the most amazing colleagues; still, I felt something was missing. That drive, that excitement was missing from my end.
While exploring other fields of my interest, I stumbled upon Image Consulting. It just felt perfect as it was an amalgamation of most of the things I was passionate about. After much contemplation, I finally took that plunge.
Through this profession, I have got a chance to bring about a positive change in other people’s life by doing something I love.
How did you discover your passion?
I would often help my friends who were unable to express themselves due to low self-esteem and lack of confidence or would need suggestions to navigate through tough situations in life.
They would find a safe space, and comfort in discussing and sharing their insecurities and problem areas with me. They would often seek my advice and helping them gave me immense satisfaction.
Also, my friends and family would often take my opinion in putting together outfits for them or suggesting what would suit them the best. They would often tell me how many compliments they received, for the look curated with my help and I would love it.
I would often feel that I should take up something on these lines as my profession.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The entrepreneurship journey is definitely not a cakewalk, it has its fair share of ups and downs.
However, the fact that I love what I do and the positive changes my work brings in my clients’ life is what brings an inexplicable satisfaction to me and keeps me going.
What is the one mantra that you believed in?
“Don’t stop until you and your parents are extremely proud of you”
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My biggest source of motivation has been my family- my parents and siblings. Their unwavering support and the immense belief they have in my abilities is what inspires and motivates me to give my best on a daily basis.
It is also the urge to accomplish the goals I have set for myself.”
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
Some of the strategies that helped me grow as a person would be:
(1) Being able to step out of my comfort zone
(2) Worrying less about what other people would think (Still trying to improve on that)
(3) Being patient and trusting the process
(4) Not comparing my journey to others
(5) Being empathetic
(6) Being open to learning new things
(7) Journaling – Be it my achievements, my goals, failures and top learnings
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
It would be untrue if I say that I am always positive and motivated. There are days I feel de-motivated, lost and full of self-doubts.
However, I believe that being disciplined and consistent is what keeps me going on the days I lack motivation. This makes a whole lot of difference.
The fact that I love what I do and the positive changes my work brings in my clients’ life is what brings an inexplicable satisfaction and keeps me going.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, the keys to success are:
> Not stopping when you fail, instead, reflecting back on your journey and treating your failures as learning opportunities. You can definitely give yourself a couple of days to feel your emotions but getting back stronger is what matters the most.
> Striving for excellence instead of perfection because perfection is a myth
> Adapting to the ever-changing world
> Discipline and consistency even on days you feel de-motivated
> Having an attitude of gratitude
> Stepping out of your comfort zone
> Focusing not only on the financial and career goals but also on other aspect of your life, be it personal development goals, relational or spiritual goals for a fulfilling life
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
You might not get everything like you have imagined in the first go, there will be times when you will feel lost in the crowd. Remember to give your best and trust the process.
If you are really passionate about something, give it a shot. Having regrets in a later phase of your life is worse than trying and failing.
Don’t compare yourself to others because your journey, your timelines, your story will be different from others. That’s what makes you- ‘YOU’
Apart from hard skills also concentrate on people’s skills as those will be the true differentiators as you grow in your career.
Learn to be happy for others. Being kind and empathetic never goes out of style
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.
