Last month we received an upbeat e-mail from Kriti Mahajan (Class of 2012), who wrote to inform us that she, along with her fiancé, Vinish Vijay, and fellow Commitscion Hana Iqbal,
had started a media company in Bangalore.
Kriti told us that Communique
Culture, which is the name of the company, offers "complete
communication solutions, be it in the fields of PR, social media,
content writing, brand consulting, or media marketing".
That is when it struck us that, over the years, quite a few Commitscions
have decided, after gaining a few years' experience working for others,
that it was time to work for themselves.
Here we learn about the journey
undertaken by not only Kriti and Hana, but also by Barbie Jain (Class of 2012) and Divya Jaising (Class of 2008), as well as Victor Mukherjee (Class of 2007).
Other Commitscions who now manage their own enterprises include the husband-wife team of Kallal Kumar Das and Sanidhi V.J. (both from the Class of 2008), who run a flourishing Bangalore-based event management company, and Nishal Lama (Class of 2009), a well-known wedding photographer. At a later date, we will hear from Gaurav Momaya (Class of 2005), whose private venture is at a nascent stage.
Now it is over to our entrepreneurs:
COMMUNIQUE CULTURE
By Kriti Mahajan
There was a time when, as employees, we used to talk
“media planning”, breathe “radio”, and think “advertising”. At that time
“entrepreneurship” was the last thing on our minds.
Today, looking back, the only reason why it never
dawned on us to strike out on our own was because of the jobs (and job
security) our peers and seniors were ensconced in. We too were in a
comfort zone and we never felt the need to move out of this zone; after
all, we were receiving good appraisals and being offered better
positions.
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| THEY MEAN BUSINESS: HANA IQBAL, KRITI MAHAJAN, AND VINISH VIJAY. |
However, since the three of us (Hana Iqbal, Vinish
Vijay, and I) were good friends who travelled, ate, hung out, partied,
and did practically everything together, I guess it was only a matter of
time before we became business partners.
On a regular working day while we were out meeting
the media and pondering over how else we could become better
professionals, we realised that the only way we can feel more passionate
and be sincere is when we treat this as our own baby — that we do
everything in the best possible way but on our own.
Yes! We were thinking “entrepreneurship”.
When you can reap immediate financial benefits by
working extra hard, why should you wait for a year just to get that
appraisal? Who needs it, when you can work for your own appraisal?
Also, this is the right age to take a risk; if we
fail we can always rely on our degrees and work experience and go back
to our conventional jobs.
It is with these thoughts at the back of our minds
that we decided we were going to take communication to another level.
From meeting over 15 clients on a summery day to working on projects
like the Farhan Akthar show and the Kapil Sharma show, and managing
media functions for a designer in addition to holding on to our regular
jobs, we have done it all.
As professionals we have a combined experience of
more than five-and-a-half years in PR, internal communications, content
management, analyst relations, and social media. We also bring to the
table four years of experience in production and in sectors such as
information technology, retail, education, art, lifestyle, and
hospitality.
So yes, we are entrepreneurs today! All it took was a thought and a little convincing. And now we are raring to go!
*
By Barbie Jain
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| BARBIE JAIN |
When we were scouting around for a name for the marketing
solutions company we wanted to launch, we hit upon “Über”, denoting an
outstanding or supreme example of a particular kind of person or thing.
That was it!
We strive to be “Über” at everything we do —
and we knew we wanted our services to be top-notch. So, after a series
of brainstorming sessions, we finally agreed upon “Über Marketing
Solutions” and here we are now, a fantastic nine months into our
energetic start-up!
After I graduated from Commits, I wasn’t too
sure about what kind of career I wanted. Which company did I want to
join? What kind of growth path did I want to chart out for myself? These
were the questions that were uppermost in my mind. And the answers were
hard to come by. So, like everyone else, I signed up for a stint in the
corporate world.
A 9-to-5 job with big, established companies
is not bad at all; for most people it's an easy choice to make, and so
it was for me.
However, the zeal to do something I never thought I'd be able to do, and then to finish a complex task in less than an hour —
what an adrenaline rush that is! In addition, it is such a
confidence-booster and so satisfying that it becomes a source of great
happiness.
It was in order to experience that adrenaline rush on
a regular basis, and also to fulfil the big dreams we had in terms of
marketing, branding, etc., that my friend Nadir Shah and I decided to
leave our fancy jobs (at SAP and George P. Johnson, respectively) to start this venture of ours.
And
trust me it wasn't easy! Time was of the essence because time is money
to the organisations we wanted to work with, and every second counted.
Next we had to answer our fair share of difficult questions from
prospective clients, mostly focusing on how a start-up like ours could
help a large company like theirs. But then again, this was only till we
got the opportunity to show our mettle!
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| ÜBER IN ACTION. |
Currently we are a team of six people working across
Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi, handling clients such as Mindtree,
Evangelsoft, and many more.
I believe that what I have learnt
over the years has made me what I am today. And with Über Marketing
Solutions, I will progress and grow not only personally but also
professionally, which I reckon will shape what I will be tomorrow.
As
I finish writing this article, it occurs to me that I would not be
completely honest if I said this was a one-person effort. None of what I
have achieved would have been possible if I had not had the support of
the many brilliant teachers at Commits, who have been no less than great
leaders and who helped me in crafting my career. I also owe a great
deal to my beloved parents who have always guided me. It is from them
that I acquired my watchword: Fearlessness.
Wasn’t it Helen
Keller who said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”?
What an apt quote that is for the story of Über!
*
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DIVYA JAISING
|
By Divya Jaising
I’d like to believe I was always cut out to be an
entrepreneur; the truth, however, is that I never really had the courage
to take the plunge. A safe job with a fixed salary at the end of each
month was too comfortable to pass up.
Ultimately, it was a call from a long-time friend who had
a business idea that persuaded me to change my mindset. After a lot of
thought and contemplation, and quite a few convince-me sessions later,
well, here I am: an entrepreneur!
Having
been part of the corporate events industry for close to seven years, I
had gotten to a point where work could be said to have become
akin to “plug-and-play”; it was difficult to get excited about what I was doing.
So when Kirti Samant, who is now my business partner, came to me with a plan
to start a wedding and party planning company, I was thrilled.
I was a bit hesitant at first but the more we discussed
it, and the more I thought things through, I realised this was the first
time in a long while that I had become genuinely enthusiastic about
something. After some serious discussions with various people on how to
go about starting and sustaining a business, we decided to go ahead.
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| A TRADITIONAL STAGE FOR A WEDDING RECEPTION IN COIMBATORE. |
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| A MEHENDI STAGE WITH A PINK, PURPLE AND ORANGE THEME. |
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| A PHOTOBOOTH WITH A PINK BICYCLE AND OTHER PROPS SUCH
AS TURBANS, POTS, FAKE MUSTACHES, SUNGLASSES, ETC. THESE INSTANT PHOTOS
MADE FOR A FUN GIVEAWAY. |
The journey so far has been great! The day we finalised
our company name “Marigold Diaries”, we got our first wedding planning
assignment. Because each is a special occasion and involves personal
relationships, weddings and private celebrations are very different from
corporate events. We have been woken up in the middle of the night for
the most inane things, had some crazy client requests, but we have had a
blast getting it done. After all, what’s life without a little
craziness?
After starting Marigold Diaries, we have gone back to the
basics: we are now part-time strategists, designers, executers,
drivers, office boys, and anything else the company needs, and PROUD OF
IT!
Every step in setting up a business becomes an
accomplishment, whether it is getting the registration done, setting up
the website, bagging a new project, or even creating a Facebook page;
everything is a little celebration. We are still novices, stumbling
along the way to get our bearings, but with a hunger to learn.
Setting up and sustaining a business is no easy task; it
takes a lot of conviction, hard work, and determination to keep the
business going. But when our hard work pays off and we have a happy
client at the end of the day, we realise it’s all worth it.
*
By Victor Mukherjee
The name “Mango People” came to us in July 2009. That was when the film
Love Aaj Kal
was released and we heard the term for the first time. Actually Neha
Anand, the other half of Mango People, insisted that we use this name
for whatever entrepreneurial ventures we started. And that is how, three
years later, once again in July, Mango People Media Network Pvt. Ltd.
came into being.
Why did we launch Mango People? That is a question I have been asked by
many people (including, especially, my mother, and other relatives).
They were wondering why someone would quit a big brand like
Red Chillies, where I was in a position of authority and power, with a paycheck to match, and start again from scratch.
My answer was simple.
I was putting a lot of effort into what I was doing at Red Chillies. I
thought it was time to put that same effort into a company of my own
creation and concentrate on building it and securing my future.
Why a media company? That’s what both Neha and I specialise in. But,
somewhere in the near future, given my interest in cooking and given the
fact that I am a foodie, I will obviously open a restaurant to showcase
my culinary skills. (I may name it “Mango Pickle”, for all you know.)
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| MANGO PEOPLE MEDIA HAS MANY HIGH-PROFILE EVENTS TO ITS CREDIT. |
The journey so far has been a mixed bag.
Starting something from the ground up is never easy. The competition is
ferocious sometimes, but our strengths are our efficiency and
effectiveness, our people skills, our familiarity with the music and
showbiz industry, our insider knowledge, and also the hardworking nature
of the people in our team. That’s why the big names have come to us and
continue to stay with us; big names such as the Marriott Group,
Bacardi, Coca-Cola, Hard Rock Café, Forevermark Diamonds, Durex, and
Group M.
Our motto is “Entertainment for all”. And we are here to keep people entertained in every way possible.
- TO VISIT MANGO PEOPLE MEDIA'S FACEBOOK PAGE, CLICK HERE.
Ramesh Prabhu "What are you doing with these losers?" I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Please don't come after me with that pepper spray!
Sushmita Chatterjee hahahaha sir...ur love story is sooo not true! Please reveal the truth! and btw the additional journalist thingy in the joke was awesomee
