Moving out of my own comfort zone and finding similarities in unfamiliar territories, was a truly inspiring experience.
It was Buddha who said, “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
History demonstrates effectively that individuals who took their own path, who listened to their inner callings despite the current norms of society, were empowered with the ability to affect real change around them. These were the people who did not take no for an answer, who were compelled to find new answers to old questions.
We might not all be able to go down in history and become prolific game-changers, but we can all certainly learn the value of listening to our own, inner voices.
In 2008, I was finishing my Masters in Finance and Economics from the University of Warwick and had three months to complete my dissertation. A strong need to deviate from the norm got me thinking about travelling to a country I had never been to and exploring my education in a completely new context.
In 2008, I was finishing my Masters in Finance and Economics from the University of Warwick and had three months to complete my dissertation. A strong need to deviate from the norm got me thinking about travelling to a country I had never been to and exploring my education in a completely new context.
My research on the Success of Microcredit Provision led me to an internship with a small NGO in Trujillo, Peru. Coming from India, I had plenty of reasons to find an equally compelling town or village back home. It would have been cheaper, my family’s collective blood pressure wouldn’t have gone up in worry, and I would have had more than adequate research material for my dissertation.
The decision was burdened by the apprehensions of my parents and relatives, by financial constraints, and a general lack of confidence in my ability to pull it off. After a few sessions with my academic counsellor, I made a fundraising page online and raised enough money to buy my ticket to Peru.
Moving out of my own comfort zone and finding similarities in unfamiliar territories, was a truly inspiring experience.
After this unique experience, I knew I wanted to keep the rush of what I had done alive and affect true change in India as well. The typical sequential lifestyle we lead pressured me into a job with a Bank. Increasingly numbed by the monotony of an Investment Banking job, I quit to finally move to what really tickled my fancy.
After this unique experience, I knew I wanted to keep the rush of what I had done alive and affect true change in India as well. The typical sequential lifestyle we lead pressured me into a job with a Bank. Increasingly numbed by the monotony of an Investment Banking job, I quit to finally move to what really tickled my fancy.
Questions were raised before I decided to distance myself from the Corporate World and move to a more disciplinary field; the answers were not simple, but possibly a representation of the type of person I like to think I am. The birth of Skilled Samaritan was my personal “Aha” moment and from conception to launch, my passion for its intent has never wavered.
Skilled Samaritan’s initial projects focused on lighting villages using solar power, where we lit almost 3 villages and 10 schools in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. During my time in these villages, I noticed that the charpoy they were sitting on was made from candy and chocolate wrappers and soon realised there was an opportunity there.
Skilled Samaritan’s initial projects focused on lighting villages using solar power, where we lit almost 3 villages and 10 schools in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. During my time in these villages, I noticed that the charpoy they were sitting on was made from candy and chocolate wrappers and soon realised there was an opportunity there.
Our focus in 2018 moved to working with women from the same communities to use existing skill-sets to provide employment using their existing skill-sets of charpoy weaving while promoting a circular economy.
Just recently, we launched Sirohi, our next phase in the Skilled Samaritan project. Sirohi is a luxury sustainable brand that propagates a slow and simple lifestyle. It houses a range of upcycled sustainable products that are handwoven with the intent of bringing the freshness and beauty of nature or the ‘outdoors’, indoors.
2. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?
Our biggest challenge was tackling social barriers in the villages where we started our work. In those communities, women are discouraged to work and so we had to start our work with only one woman, Gauhar Fatma because the rest of them refused.
Just recently, we launched Sirohi, our next phase in the Skilled Samaritan project. Sirohi is a luxury sustainable brand that propagates a slow and simple lifestyle. It houses a range of upcycled sustainable products that are handwoven with the intent of bringing the freshness and beauty of nature or the ‘outdoors’, indoors.
2. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?
Our biggest challenge was tackling social barriers in the villages where we started our work. In those communities, women are discouraged to work and so we had to start our work with only one woman, Gauhar Fatma because the rest of them refused.
It was challenging to help them understand things from a different perspective since such traditions and norms run deep in Indian societies. However, once they realised that this was a legitimate source of income, more and more women joined.
Today, we have a stronghold of over 200 women artisans working with us from 3 different villages in Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
3. What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur?
4. What are some of the most important factors for running a successful business?
5. What are your tips for the first time and aspiring entrepreneurs?
You will either win or you will learn so go do the do!
6. How can one overcome a hurdle of lack of funds when starting up?
Focus on your product/service the most vs the glam and glamour of being an entrepreneur, and build on strategic partnerships and collaborations vs having big marketing spends. Define your monthly budgets and allocate funds based on priorities.
- Gauri Gopal (Entrepreneur)
Website: https://sirohi.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sirohi.org/?ref=page_internal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skilled-samaritan-foundation/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirohi.in/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFug2LDKgn7TFtSpFl-4vA
Interviewed By Akshaya Rathinavadivel
3. What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful entrepreneur?
- Persistence /resilience
- Courage
- Ability to fall and get back up
- Wake up with a smile every day!
4. What are some of the most important factors for running a successful business?
- Building a team culture
- Understanding your finances and defining metrics to measure costs, performance regularly
- Have a long term vision and defining short term goals
5. What are your tips for the first time and aspiring entrepreneurs?
You will either win or you will learn so go do the do!
6. How can one overcome a hurdle of lack of funds when starting up?
Focus on your product/service the most vs the glam and glamour of being an entrepreneur, and build on strategic partnerships and collaborations vs having big marketing spends. Define your monthly budgets and allocate funds based on priorities.
- Gauri Gopal (Entrepreneur)
Website: https://sirohi.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sirohi.org/?ref=page_internal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skilled-samaritan-foundation/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirohi.in/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFug2LDKgn7TFtSpFl-4vA
Interviewed By Akshaya Rathinavadivel
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