"I Always Wanted to Be an Entrepreneur and I Was Sure I Had It in Me" - Mona Jaswani

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1. Tell us about your company and your journey.

Before starting my own Public Relations (PR) firm in April, 2018, I worked with a leading one in Mumbai and managed big artistes like R Madhavan, Ali Zafar, Sonu Sood, Maniesh Paul, Ileana D’cruz, Harshvardhan Rane and Jackky Bhagnani, as a publicist and celebrity image reputation manager. 

Having gained substantial experience, I felt it was time to start something of my own. The idea behind starting a new firm was to add a new dimension to the world of PR, something I strongly felt for. My company has managed several coveted personalities from film, TV and music industries, including the likes of Satish Kaushik, Pen India Ltd. Freddy Daruwala, Darshan Kumar, composer Vishal Mishra, Sharad Kelkar, Aahana Kumra, Gautam Gulati, Amol Parashar, Anupriya Goenka, Sonnali Sehgall, Meera Chopra, Lyricist Kaushal Kishore and actor Manjot Singh, among others.

2. How did you come up with the idea and go about executing it?

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and I was sure I had it in me. In all the experience I gathered before starting my Focus PR, I managed to understand the do’s and don’ts of the business. I had all the plans for the next two years roughly charted out before I officially started my company. And when that happened, I was sure that I could add value to the business by introducing empathy and care along with sharpness and objectivity when it came to client management.

3. What has been the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome that?

When you step out of a big firm, it becomes a challenge to live up to the image and manage things single-handedly. It’s only your goodwill and name that earns you business. For me, the greatest challenge was to get a good and credible clientele, which I knew wouldn’t be possible without a great team. I was lucky that things kept falling in place and whoever came on board was satisfied with what we offered.

4. What do you think are the most important qualities for an entrepreneur?

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. I think perseverance and honesty have been my key mantras. Also one imp thing I believe in is never to stop learning . One should never think that I have learnt enough because that’s never ending . I strongly believe in being honest about informing my clients where they stand and then work out a PR strategy for them. For me, PR is not just about getting articles/interviews published; it’s branding and upscaling the image of an artiste, bringing him/her closer to their fans and ensuring that they promote social causes and work towards the betterment of society. I want to prove that empathy and care is as important in this line of business as sharpness and objectivity.

5. What are some of the most important factors for running a successful business?

I feel that more than experience and contacts, you need to have the perseverance and confidence in your abilities to soar high if you want to make a mark as an entrepreneur. This profession has taught me a lot at a young age. There will be really good days when you will be flooded with work and there will be terrible lows, when meeting ends might seem difficult, but the character of a successful entrepreneur is to hang on and find a way out during difficult times.

6. What are your tips for first-time and aspiring entrepreneurs?

Reality check is the key. Firstly, you need to ask yourself if you really are capable of running a business or you’re being unrealistic. And once you are certain, there should be no looking back, come what may. You need to keep reinventing yourself to stay relevant with the changing times.

7. How can one overcome the hurdle of lack of funds while starting a business?

Funds are a pre-requisite. Hence, make sure you accumulate some - either by your own efforts or by borrowing from family and friends - before you start out or collaborate with someone whom you can trust . When you start a business, image creation becomes a must to ensure that your clients take you seriously.

- Mona Jaswani

Interview by - Mayuresh Sangale