What is the mantra for success? These intrepid women entrepreneurs tell us

Don’t all of us wish someone would give us a secret formula to success? On Women’s Entrepreneurship day, HerStory posed the question to 5 successful entrepreneurs.

We asked them what is that one quality that is required to build a successful business and here is what we discovered:

Swati Bhargava is the Co-founder of CashKaro, a company that just two days ago announced its funding. The company has raised 25 crore in Series A from Kalaari Capital. Swati believes that the recipe for success is multi-tasking. She says, “Women have various responsibilities on the home and family front which one cannot shy away from, regardless of how powerful you become in your career! Startups need 200% of one’s time so to manage that along with all the other things that demand a woman’s time and attention is the key challenge. I believe most women are great multi-taskers actually, often better than men!”

Swati Bedekar through her Vatsalya Foundation has been working towards creating a hygienic eco-system for menstruating women in rural areas. According to Swati, “A woman entrepreneur has to have confidence in herself, in her vision, capacity and knowledge. Also loads of perseverance is important.”

BitGiving’s 26-year-old Co-founder and CEO Ishita Anand, says it’s perseverance and being thick skinned. “More often than not, women tend to be too hard on their selves and as grueling as an entrepreneur’s journey is, it’s important not to lose your confidence and doubt your abilities. It’s the worst you can do as an entrepreneur,” she cautions.

“They say that the only limitations in life are the ones you set. And this is painfully applicable with women entrepreneurs who stop themselves from investing deeply, scaling up and dreaming big. Thus, believing in our abilities to succeed is the most important quality that women entrepreneurs need to run a successful startup. We need to stop confining ourselves within the walls set by our upbringing and society, and instead step outside our boundaries to claim our rightful success,” says Neha Bagaria, the Founder of JobsForHer. The venture enables women to restart their careers post breaks for marriage, motherhood, elderly-care etc. by connecting them with suitable job opportunities.

Priyanka Jain, the Co-founder of Hygiene and You, says that one quality that a woman entrepreneur must possess is ‘commitment to her vision’ as it is very easy to get deviated during the journey in the face of multiple challenges.”

So tell us what is your recipe for success?