#TGLife
Jaishree Manchanda
Dr Jaishree Manchanda is the founder and chair-person of the Youthful Secrets clinic which she founded after marriage. She is the pioneer in bringing non surgical methods of slimming, hair and skin treatment to India. She is believes in empowering herself and other women around her which is why she started a school where she taught and shared her expertise. After giving birth to her daughter, she underwent training in different parts of the world including USA, Canada, England, Australia, and Japan, and created a revolution in beauty treatments. “Back in 90’s Shenaz Hussain facepacks were the only beauty treatments available and there was nothing India could offer hence I started my journey to bring India to the International level”, she informs.
Manchanda strives to make every woman independent and thus recruits new staff wherever she opens a new clinic. “Every woman should have her own identity, having your own identity is very important for everyone. Age is just a number. Every woman should have the courage to do something which makes her happy. My children also were very supportive and they never objected to anything I did”. She has been in the business for 32 years now and runs 15 clinics all over India.
Sneha Salgaonkar
A dedicated entreprenuer with a Masters in Food Science & Nutrition, Sneha Salgaonkar is the co-founder of Salmon group of companies with more than a decade of experience. Her company has been instrumental in creating goan food brands like Salmon Fresh and Marc Brown which are household names across Goa today. Salmon is also the franchisee owners for Naturals- Ice cream of Juhu for Goa and Belgavi region.
Speaking about balancing business and career, Salgaonkar stated that balancing both work and family is difficult for any working woman. “The key for me is to focus, plan and get organised to find the right balance between work and parenting. From the beginning, my family has always been supportive. We have always been brought up with the culture to not differentiate between men and women especially when it comes to career choices.” That said, she appears optimistic about prospects of women in business. “I dont think I faced any obstacles being a woman entrepreneur. On the contrary the banking systems, government policies, etc are quite favourable. Woman entrepreneurs have the added ability to be able to better empathize with societal issues. As such they are able to play key roles in the overall development & growth of employees not only in terms of their career but also in terms of their overall well being.” concludes the entrepreneur.
Namita Tripathi
A Post graduate in Economics from Bombay University, Namitha Tripati started a chain of white cloud laundry in Goa which is now one of the most successful laundries in Goa. Being brought up in a family which encourages women to make their mark in the society, Namitha worked with Tata Economic Consultancy Services in Mumbai. “I wanted to begin something that did not exist in Goa which is why I started white cloud in Goa with help and support from my husband”, she shares. She believes women in business are a plus point because women are good in multitasking, patient and also understand their staff and clients better. She hugely credits her husband who is a businessman for giving a kick start to the business which she has been overseeing for past 16 years. She believes that woman should come out of their comfort zones and make something different. “Obstacles are born in the mind. It is we who create them and thus, only we have the power to overcome them.” Further on, she employs only women on the reception because she believes that women are always patient and kind.
Smitha Vijay,
Smitha Vijay began her career as a journalist and worked in renowned media houses such as Economic Times and freelanced for CNBC TV 18 . After seven years in journalism, she got back to her family business which is facility management services and placement consultancy services which launched in 2011, ventured in Holiday Homes and began a restaurant in Calangute called Ripples. Balancing work and family was not easy especially when you head so many businesses at the same time. “One needs to prioritise their time and divide it to their family, work and yourself”, says the entrepreneur, who believes in giving everyone her time without neglecting any field. “My children are very understanding and they know that their mother has to be away and I also have the backing of my parents who take care of my kids when I am away”. She says the support of the family is of utmost importance
The government has helped women start and grow in business, says Vijay. The biggest challenge for her is making time for her health and failing to exercise. She says women need not act like men to get their equal space in the society. Technology, trustworthy maids, and security play an important role in helping a woman grow, says Vijay.
