Shilpa Venkat: A Journey of Creativity, Resilience, and Empowerment
Shilpa Venkat is the founder of WOW Women of Wonder Group, and Marketing Manager at BAXY Mobility. Growing up she had two role models, first was her mother, a super independent lady who has always instilled great values, and courage and always supported her creative ideas and has been super supportive, and her second role model is Sudha Murthy for her Never Give Up Attitude and Simplicity. Her passion drives her to explore her independent ventures, starting with handmade jewelry and photography. To promote these, she launched WOW—Women of Wonder in 2015, an online community for women entrepreneurs and buyers. She added, “What began as a small initiative has since blossomed into a thriving platform, empowering women to connect, collaborate, and showcase their talents”. This journey has not only been fueled by her entrepreneurial spirit but also strengthened by her belief in the power of community and creativity. This article tells about Shilpa’s life journey and her entrepreneurial path.
Introduction:
Shilpa Venkat has a very inspiring journey from a young woman brimming with creativity and constantly overflowing with ideas to the founder of WOW and now a Marketing Manager at BAXY Mobility. She has an MA in English Literature and pursued Journalism and Mass Media. From a young age, she was always drawn to creative expression, she said “For me, there’s simply no pause button when it comes to innovative ideas”.
She moved to Mumbai and started her work as a Trainee Correspondent and moved on to become a Senior Editor. Shilpa had a lot of challenging turning points in her life. Soon after starting her career in Mumbai, she shifted to Pune, where she faced a lot of challenges, this relocation was her first turning point as she was forced to rethink her career path and explore new opportunities.
When she moved to Pune instead of giving up, she channeled her energy into starting her ventures. Shilpa’s first venture is for handmade jewellery, she learned to create handmade paper jewellery through online tutorials and went on to design for domestic and overseas clients, receiving repeated bulk orders. This venture taught her the value of self-learning and creative thinking.
Soon she gained experience in her entrepreneurial skills and started exploring new opportunities like Photography. She said, “This marked a significant shift in my career, as I discovered a new talent and a new source of fulfillment”. She learned photography through online tutorials and specialized in outdoor candid baby shoots and pre-wedding photography. She became one of the well-known female photographers in Pune who specialized in baby/toddler shoots, with one of her pictures displayed at a national-level exhibition.
Finally, she created her digital platform to promote her work and connect with like-minded women entrepreneurs. This led to the creation of "WOW - Women of Wonder Group, Pune," a digital platform dedicated to showcasing and supporting small-time women entrepreneurs. This venture allowed her to build a community, share stories of resilience, and inspire others to follow their dreams.
She is started her new career path as Marketing Manager at BAXY an emerging three-wheeler manufacturing brand two and a half years back, this restarted her career journey. She added, “This marked a significant turning point in my life, as I stepped out of my comfort zone and drove me into an unfamiliar industry”. Shilpa also embraced the challenge, committed to learning and growing in this new industry. This opportunity allowed her to apply her entrepreneurial skills in a corporate setting, marking a new chapter in her professional journey.
Challenges and Achievements:
Shilpa has faced many challenges from navigating a career shift after moving from Mumbai, which made finding opportunities in her field difficult. “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful”, Shilpa truly believes in these lines, and every hurdle has brought her closer to her goals, turning struggles into stepping stones for success.
This entrepreneurial journey of her is not an easy task she faced many personal and professional obstacles that only made her stronger. When she started WOW, she managed this growing community while caring for her one-year-old baby. From running online activities to arranging offline exhibition events, it was incredibly exhausting. Balancing the demands of motherhood and entrepreneurship was far from easy, but she never gave up. Also, Organizing and managing Offline exhibitions events, often with her child in tow, was physically and mentally challenging. Yet, she fought through the exhaustion, driven by her passion to build something meaningful.
With all these challenges Shilpa never gives up and keeps fighting against the odds challenges have been a constant theme in Shilpa's life, and she takes every setback as a learning experience. This mindset has allowed her to keep growing, no matter how tough the road gets.
Shilpa Venkat has received many awards for WOW, some are given below:
- Felicitated by the Rotary Club of Pune Magarpatta City, as a part of the Women's Day celebration 2018 for her exemplary work towards building WOW Group.
- Nominated in Inspire Beyond Motherhood awards 2019 in the ‘Making a Difference category’
- Awarded Certificate of Excellence by WEAA Awards 2020
- Nominated for online excellence award 2020 in the Women Empowerment Category by Gtown Society
- The Real Superwoman 2020 certificate from FSIA Forever Star India Awards
- Awarded in the Women of Influence Awards 2021 in the Digital Connect category
- Awarded the Achiever's award in Women Entrepreneurs category
- Awarded the Real Superwoman Award 2020 in the Woman Entrepreneur category and selected as one of the top 25 Women entrepreneurs in Pune
- Felicitated as one of the Awesome Women 2021, by Maan Mahila Ka
- Felicitated by Her Hunar ka in the Women Empowerment category
- Awarded the Women Achiever Award on International Women’s Day, from IIMS Pune, and was invited to a Panel Discussion, on the topic of how can women achieve success in a career managing the home front too?
- The Best New Entrepreneur by Spiritual Konnect in March 2021.
- The International Women Achiever Award 2021 by Women’s World Records
- The Women Victory Award 2021, in the Women Empowerment Category by Star Awards
- Awarded the Women of Influence Award 2021, in Women Empowerment Category by Udgam Foundation
- Awarded the Runner up award in the Women Power and Summit Awards 2021 in the Community Builder category
- Awarded the Pillars of India 2021, in the Women Empowerment category
- Received the OBP and Motivational award in the Women Empowerment category
- Awarded as one of the Iconic Nation Builders of 2021, in excellence in the entrepreneur category by RN Talks
- Award of appreciation in Women Empowerment from Navbharat Gyanpeeth, Pune
- Queen Award in the Women Empowerment category from Eagle Eye Network
- India Star Community Award in the Women Empowerment category
Personal Insights:
As the saying goes, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." This mantra keeps her focused and motivated to keep pushing forward, no matter the obstacles. The power of positivity and the mindset that every day brings new opportunities. She believes in approaching each day as a fresh start, with the determination to learn and grow. Shilpa said “Consistency is key, success doesn't come from procrastination, but from putting in the same hard work every single day, no matter the challenges. I remind myself that dedication and persistence are the true driving forces behind achievement”.
Talking about her work-life balance, she says “Balance is not something you find, it's something you create”. She maintains a balance between her career and personal life by giving dedicated time to both and sticking to a well-structured schedule. Multitasking plays a big role, as does taking short breaks to recharge. She makes sure not to shy away from daily tasks and seek help from family when needed. Prioritizing and staying organized is key to managing everything smoothly, but this is all possible because she has a huge family support and also support from the closest clan in her life.
Impact and Vision:
Currently, Shilpa is focusing on expanding WOW—Women of Wonder, a thriving and rapidly growing digital community for women. She believes that “Empowered women empower women”, this is the driving force behind WOW, and she is committed to making that a reality for as many women as possible. The mission of WOW is to encourage women to think beyond traditional responsibilities and instill the confidence that anything is possible. Through this platform, she strives to give women the wings to soar by providing them with opportunities, resources, and a supportive network. Her goal is to empower more women to embrace independence, take charge of their lives, and realize their true potential. WOW has several exciting initiatives in the pipeline, all aimed at helping women grow, build businesses, and support each other.
Shilpa’s future goals are centered around empowering more women and expanding the WOW community to reach even greater heights. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”, and she is committed to turning this vision into reality. She aspires to create a platform that not only supports women entrepreneurs but also encourages them to break barriers and chase their dreams fearlessly. She wants to inspire women to embrace their independence, take bold steps, and realize that they are capable of achieving anything they set their minds to.
Conclusion:
Shilpa’s advice to young women is to be Consistent, develop a strong work ethic, and set realistic goals. Stand Out from the crowd identify your strengths and passions, and use them to differentiate yourself. Don't let insecurity hold you back, focus on your growth surround yourself with supportive people, and leverage digital marketing Tools to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and tools to build your brand. Maintain a positive attitude, stay curious, adaptable, and open to new ideas and opportunities.
As a leader, she advises “Believe in yourself and your abilities, and don't be afraid to take bold steps towards your goals. Your success is not just about you, but about the positive impact you can have on your community and the world”.
