Entrepreneurial Talks - Veena Deepak's story of Vividha

Last week, I had the opportunity to hear Veena Deepak share her story of entrepreneurship at NITIE's Lakshya. Veena Deepak is the founder of Vividha - a store for the entire range of children's needs. Dancer, teacher, chef, cost accountant and a successful business woman - all describe various phases of her journey so far.

She shared with the audience her entrepreneurial life so far and the moderator Manak Singh (Executive Director, TiE Mumbai) helped bring certain insights that were particularly interesting . One important point she stressed on was 'Overcoming the hump of guilt'. Few thoughts could apply to my current disposition than this one. I'll try to present what I could assimilate from her talk.

Being anybody comes with making a few sacrifices and compromises more so when you are an entrepreneur. Much more for a woman entrepreneur. She stressed on the importance of overcoming the guilt that comes with making those sacrifices.An example she mentioned was - the guilt of not having the time to cook and take care of her kids and family.One can't feel guilty in making important choices. It is about building alternate mechanisms that work in your absence.

At the end, Manak and Veena unraveled certain aspects of the market that children in India make. A few insights into the market:

• India adds an Australia in population terms every year!!
• Parental tend to stretch beyond their means to provide for children

Any product/ service of utility to children has an enormous potential in India. Signing off, Veena dwelt on the lack of facilities to promote experiential learning to kids. Perhaps, one could build a successful business of making and running museums for children!