Who doesn’t wish to be successful? I definitely do. We all dream of becoming a highly influential, important and successful person.
Being successful in life is definitely not a cake walk. The path to success, to the fulfilment of every goal that you have set for yourself, is definitely not all roses. What should I do to be successful you might ask? Well, you’ll get a clear picture when you read about the lives of these four successful entrepreneurs who have definitely owned life! I had no idea about what success meant until I read about these wonderful women.
Being an entrepreneur is tough and being a female at the same time makes it more difficult. This is exactly why the lives of these self-made successful business women will inspire you to do great things in life. Now, this is not just for those who want to be entrepreneurs or business owners, this is for all those who are determined to do well in life.
One common characteristic shared by all successful person is that they don’t follow the herd. It takes courage to be different and to believe in oneself. Let’s plunge into the lives of these four famous Indian women and see what they have to teach us.
Indu Jain
Indu Jain a 72-year-old entrepreneur whose net worth is whooping $3.1 billion (whoa…) is the chairman of one of the largest media firms in India Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. The firm was handed over to her by her father. But it’s not this firm that proved her true entrepreneurial skills.
You might have heard of the Times Foundation. No? Then you definitely have heard about the Times of India Newspaper. Exactly! One of the most popular newspapers in India. Believe it or not, this newspaper is actually the brainchild of none other than Indu Jain herself. Not just Times of India, the foundation runs several large newspapers and magazines- all ideas of Indu Jain.
So, what makes her different than rest of us? And what made her enterprise so successful? Well, a lesser known fact is that Indu is a Hindi poet and a HUGE literature and writing enthusiast. In fact, she has even received the reputed Jnanpith award for her work.
So, what she actually did? She turned her love for literature into something that would reach a huge audience. Thus, she set up the Times Foundation.
It can be said the TOI newspaper is actually a manifestation of her love for literature & writing. Since she had converted something that she adored into her business, spending time for it seemed less tiring and more enjoyable. This is exactly the lesson that we get to learn from her. Doing what we love and converting it into something beneficial for others as well as for ourselves is sure to bring success.
We all have a passion for something, so without killing it, let’s turn it into the path of our success. When passion meets profession is where true legends are born.
Indra Nooyi
The next woman that we just HAVE to talk about is Indra Nooyi. She’s an Indian-American with a net worth of $144 million! She’s the President and CFO of PepsiCo and has increased the company’s profits by 72% since when she joined. If she’s not successful, then I don’t know who is.
Indra Nooyi is among the most powerful and influential women on this planet. It takes serious skills, to be who she is. If you read more about this wonderful woman you’ll get to know that her biggest strength is the way she deals with people. Indra has thousands of employees working under her and the bond that she shares with them is what helps her accomplish her goals. She writes to her employees, gives them tips and helps them in difficult business situations and what not.
Now, obviously, not all of us have thousands of employees. But, we all have a lot of people around us who directly or indirectly influence our work. What we must do is to maintain a friendly and healthy relationship with the people surrounding us. Our success is often measured by those around us, so maintaining good terms will help us a lot.
Another thing that she inspires us to do in her words is to have a “hip-pocket” talent. This means that you must be so proficient at what you do that you must be the first person that people approach when the particular skill is needed.
So, all you have to do is be nice to people and work on your strengths. Then, my friend, success is yours!
Vandana Luthra
Let’s now talk about Vandana Luthra. You sure must have heard about the beauty and wellness brand called VLCC. Vandana Luthra owns the brand with almost 4000 employees and her net worth is $131 million! It’s a huge empire if you ask me. VLCC is a huge brand and it has reached the top due to the contributions by Vandana Luthra. She is an entrepreneur who started work with a small loan and turned her venture into one of the most reputed brand.
What is the secret behind Vandana’s success? Well, she did something that sounds very simple: she believed in herself and do what motivates you. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? The truth is that believing in oneself is actually one of the most difficult things to do.
Since beauty wasn’t a very popular career in India at the time she started off, there were a lot of comments made. But none of that stopped Vandana. She held on to her decision and today she’s one of the most successful women entrepreneurs our generation has seen.
A lot of times we tend to back out from things because other people don’t want us to do them. Well since we now have her example let’s all try and be confident in whatever we do. If you don’t trust yourself, no one ever will.
Yet another thing that caused Vandana’s success is the research that she put into her work. During the period when she had started, no one except her involved doctors in the beauty field. She decided to consult dermatologists before designing the procedures at her parlor. So naturally, this made her procedures and treatments a lot more reliable and brought in plenty of clients. A good research helps you find something different from what others do and also help us in a long run. Uniqueness is the true key to success, always strive to be unique.
Chanda Kochhar
“The most successful business person is the one who holds onto the old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new as soon as it is better.” This is Chanda Kochhar’s message for everyone who wants to succeed in their business. She’s the chairman of the reputed ICICI bank and is the primary reason for the bank’s growth and success. Her advice is definitely trustworthy!
Now, what does she mean when she says “hold on to the old and grab the new”? Seems confusing, doesn’t it?
Her advice is true for every field no matter what it is. When we talk about holding on to the old, it simply means to believe in your roots, in the basics of whatever you do. You might have heard the saying that if the foundation is weak the building turns out to be weak. This is exactly what she means; as long as the basics remain relevant we must hold on to them. What about development then? The development comes with new ideas and thoughts. If the base is strong newness comes naturally. So like she says, grab on to the new!
Since we all wish to be successful, let’s follow Chanda’s advice. Let’s strengthen the basics and develop new ideas at the same time. As soon as the new ideas become reliable let’s make sure that we put them into good use.
Things we can learn from these successful women entrepreneurs.
- “Do what you love and be confident in it” is what Indu has to teach us.
- While Indra believes in maintaining good relations and having a “hip-pocket” skill.
- Vandana Luthra is the true example of following one’s dreams and ignoring criticism. Good research is yet another thing that we must learn.
- Finally, from Chanda, we learned a lesson of having a strong base and using it to experiment further. The decision to make a transition from the old to the new is what is important. It must be done with care.
All these four successful Indian women are extremely talented and inspiring. There’s a LOT that we can learn from them. I’m sure that all of us are capable of creating such success stories if we try and put in the effort. But believe me, the most important thing is confidence- confidence that you are destined for great things in life.
