" Start Small, and Build From There."

Want to become a writer at Eat My News? Here is an opportunity to join the Board of Young Leaders Program by Eat My News. Click here to know more: bit.ly/boardofyoungleaders

1. Tell us more about your company and your journey.

My agency is called Pop Communications.

We’re a marketing communications agency and a young enthusiastic production house. We help tell our client’s brand story and make sure it Pops!

We do everything from brand identity, strategy, creative designs, copywriting, advertising, online-offline marketing, photoshoots, video productions and merchandising, packaging, and gifting solutions.

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

I worked as a copywriter and brand director for mainline and digital agencies in my initial years. With all the learnings from offline as well as online advertising, I wanted to create an agency that brings both to the table and I am able to offer my collective experience from both worlds under one roof. POP was honestly the first name that popped in my head. And I just went with my gut. No second-guessing.

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

The biggest challenge I faced was breaking in. It’s a very cluttered industry. You can find multiple agencies, offering the same service at the drop of a hat. I believe what’s helped me overcome that is the quality of our work and the relationships we have created professionally.

We don’t think about what's good for us when we’re doing business, we think about what's good for the client. We always put the brand first. That’s the order of priorities.

A particular strategy may be very beneficial to my agency in terms of monetary compensation but it may not be as good for the brand. In such cases, we’re transparent, candid and always, always go with what’s good for the brand. In the long run, our clients appreciate that and stay with us as long term partners.

4. What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur?

The most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur I believe are being resilient, being focused, being driven, and paying attention to interpersonal relationships. You have to learn to pick yourself up and not give up when things don’t go your way. You can’t let failure bog you down, being successful is a journey and you have to be on that road driving ahead every day.

No matter how many roadblocks you face or wrong turns you take. You need to stay focused on your destination and keep going. Everyone you work with, your clients, your employees, your associates are passengers in your car, along for the ride. You must make meaningful connections and care about their interests since they’ve hopped on your vehicle.

Their destination and yours are the way you are leading them to go. And as an entrepreneur, it’s your job to lead them there and make sure it's a pleasant, satisfying trip for all of them.

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

The most important factors for running a successful business are management skills. Managing people and managing yourself. Your business is only as good as your team. Always remember that.

The other crucial elements are developing the ability to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. It’s very easy to get lost in the day-to-day operations and issues that arise. You must be able to get a bird’s eye view of your long term goals, have a vision in mind, and keep at it till you achieve it.

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

Think well and hard before you decide to start your own business. For every 10 that succeed,1000 fail. Running your business is more than just a passion project.

There are lows and there are highs. You need to learn not to get carried away by either. Take life with a pinch of salt.

Take care of your finances, save for a rainy day, or rather lockdown days like these, keeping in mind the current situation. And make sure you are disciplined enough to work when you have no one but yourself to report to.

It looks very glamorous, the life of an entrepreneur, but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it. Make sure you’re ready to give it you're all.

7. How can one overcome a hurdle of lack of funds when starting up?

Honestly, I really do believe in the saying “Where there’s a will, there’s away.” If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen. Even if you don’t have the capital to start something, there are multiple ways of generating capital. Loans from banks, loans from your family, raising funds with investors, it could be small funds from small investors.

But there are many ways that you can make it happen. ou don’t have to set up operations on a large scale as soon as you start. Even if your dream is to build an empire, no empire was built in a day. Start small, start with the bare minimum, and build from there.

- Geetika Khurana, Founder at Pop Communications

- Interviewed by Shilpy Sharan