The word entrepreneur frequently draws up pictures of seasoned, accomplished people who have reached a point in their lives when they feel comfortable taking new risks and tackling new challenges. Even studies support the 40-yearold average age of today's entrepreneurs. Success, though, can occur at any age. And many ambitious young people are going against the norm to establish their own businesses in their 20s and 30s. Ideas always win, age is just a number, and hard effort brings success, these are some of the sayings that bright and young minds have brought to light through their work and the start-ups they have created, which have become immensely successful.

Aashna Narula is one such exemplary psychology professional who at the age of 23 defied the odds and started her own organization, Psychopedia in 2015. Aashna is a very positive and hardworking person. Her ability to put others first, exhibit empathy, and show sensitivity to others' needs and emotions are some of her strongest traits. AashnaNarula adds “For me, Psychology & Entrepreneurship go hand in hand. Psychology makes me empathic and entrepreneurship makes me visionary. As a psychology professional, I am into Teaching & Training. As an entrepreneur, taking care of what we have built, growing it, and creating an upward spiral of more empathic women leaders, is my vision. Psychology has been my passion & I carried my passion into Entrepreneurship.” In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, AashnaNarula enlightens us more about her professional journey and Psychopedia.

Take us through your early educational journey and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I studied commerce in high school and went on to complete my bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology. Shortly after my Master's in Psychology in 2015, I stepped into an entrepreneurship role & established Psychopedia. Despite the fact that I come from a business family, I always sought to build my own legacy, so I decided to establish something of my own.

But there comes a time in everyone's life when we become restless and want to grow as entrepreneurs, and that's when I decided to invest in  my own learning and enrolled in Transitioning Women into Leadership at IIM Calcutta to grow as a leader, learn more about leadership, and become a better leader.

What motivated you to establish Psychopedia? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the platform, The Mental Health World. What are some of its most unique features?

I was 23 years old when I Post-Graduated in 2015. I had just finished my Masters in Psychology and had applied for several interviews, but when none came through, I realized I couldn't just stay at home. So, after finishing my final exam in May 2015, I established my own organization, Psychopedia, a Psychology Coaching Institute in July of that same year. We started on three main objectives, Learn, Train, and Heal. Learn (Coachings) Train (Psychology & Research Trainings) & finally Heal (TheMentalHealthWorld).

With TheMentalHealthWorld, the main objective is to raise mental health awareness. We have conducted webinars on mental health and are gradually bringing content in regional languages as well, so that awareness reaches the broadest possible audience. The blogs cover topics such as mental health, relationships, self-growth, work life, and positive news from across the globe. We have been working on Mental Health since 2015, but we thought about establishing another company altogether that is solely dedicated to Mental Health.

Tell us about the various roles and responsibilities you shoulder as the Director of the company. What are your primary focus areas as one of the primary leaders at the firm?

The role & responsibility of a Founder & Director, foremost is to be an Emotionally Intelligent & Empathic Director. The Companies Act of 2006 outlines a plethora of duties that a Director must fulfill, but aside from the book language, my role & responsibility is to take care of everything from the minute to making significant decisions on a daily basis. The main priorities for me as the leader are definitely keeping my team together, working on client relationships, maintaining the business foundation strong, and finally empowering everyone that comes in contact with us.

“As an individual i have always felt, “good intention leads to abundance”, being ethical & having good intentions that’s what makes us”

What are some of the most pressing business challenges that you face in your current role and how do you mitigate these challenges?

Honestly, every day is a challenge when you are an entrepreneur. When we start our start-ups the challenge is to survive every day enough to not have it shut down. When we start to grow in our business, the challenge is to do enough to make it thrive. As an entrepreneur, I never had a 5-year plan, I just had a next-day plan, a plan enough to not give up when the times become challenging.

We may be on the verge of giving up at times, but staying on to your vision is what gives you courage. The pandemic pushed us beyond our comfort zones and tested us and our faith in our company. Taking it day by day, counting what is working as of now, and leveraging both your personal and your team's abilities really helps to navigate through the challenges.

In your opinion what are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved in your professional journey? What has been the driving force behind your success as a business leader?

From being this close to giving up in 2015 to soon be turning 7 years old as a business is the most significant milestone. As an entrepreneur, I am grateful for all the day-to-day milestones we achieved that brought us here. Back then, paying rent & electricity bills every month was a milestone I achieved & looked forward to achieving it every month.

The driving force behind our success is everyone’s trust & faith in us to provide them with the finest of everything. As an individual I have always felt, "Good intention leads to Abundance", being ethical & having good intentions that's what makes us.

Drawing from your experience as an entrepreneur, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

I started when I was just 23 years old, therefore I am aware that it is a false narrative when those around us tell us that we are too young or inexperienced to operate our own businesses. So I would tell the young girls that your vision is possible. The journey might not be easy but it isn’t impossible. According to society, we have a clock hanging on our heads, to be or to do certain things at a particular age, but just remember your dream doesn't start or end at a given age; it starts and ends with you. I hope to see every girl, irrespective of where they come from, become financially independent, believe in themselves, listen to their own voice, and shut down the outside noise.