The entrepreneurial journey, often compared to navigating uncharted waters along with braving storms is a complex path that involves balancing various aspects of life and work.
The journey is doubly difficult for women who also have to master motherhood while trying to master entrepreneurship. For many women, this is a courageous leap of faith, requiring multitasking and prioritization. Despite the challenges, a sense of purpose and fulfillment drives them to push boundaries and defy stereotypes. Examples of successful mompreneurs include high-powered executives like Indra Nooyi and grassroots entrepreneurs such as Kiran Majumdar Shaw and Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO, of Edelweiss Asset Management who build businesses while nurturing their children.
Being a mompreneur is often seen as a challenging but rewarding journey. However, these remarkable women have successfully navigated this balance. Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, has emphasized the importance of prioritization and delegation in her career whereas Kiran MS has talked about embracing motherhood with open arms, sharing her experiences of coding sessions interrupted by her children and strategy meetings fueled by familial love.
Women such as these serve as role models for aspiring women entrepreneurs, highlighting that success is not linear. It’s a roller-coaster ride that is impacted by various life stages as well.
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, Women Entrepreneurs Review brings to you 7 such new-age mompreneurs who are acing the complex tapestry of modern motherhood and entrepreneurship with aplomb. Hear their take on motherhood.
Vineeta Singh
Vineeta Singh is the CEO and co-founder of Sugar Cosmetics, a leading Indian cosmetic company that offers personal care products catering to women with diverse skin tones. Vineeta is a trailblazer in the Indian cosmetics industry and founded two more successful startups namely Quetzal and Fab-Bag.
Sugar Cosmetics, catering to women with diverse skin tones, secured a $50 million deal with L Catterton. Bollywood star Ranveer Singh invested in 2022. Forbes India predicts Sugar Cosmetics' net worth to reach INR 500 crores by 2023, with $87.5M in funding raised in six rounds as of September 2022.
Vineeta also appears as a Shark on the reality TV show, Shark Tank. Being an exceptional business tycoon, she is also an admirable mother. On becoming a parent of two, she has said, "Having done this twice over, all I can say is that sometimes the voices in your head judge you more than what an external person will. That question of what is enough? To be a good new parent or to become a good new returnee from a maternity break professional. The answers lie within ourselves and we need to remember that too."
Ghazal Alagh
Ghazal Alagh is an Indian businesswoman and corporate trainer who co-founded Mamaearth and TheDermaCo. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Applications and is married to Varun Alagh, who co-founded Mamaearth. The duo founded the company in 2011 and Dietexpert.com in 2012. In 2015, they founded Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd (Mamaearth), which is a public entity today with a market cap of 138.78 billion.
Ghazal appeared as a Shark on the Indian business reality show Shark Tank India in 2021. Speaking about her journey being a new mother and managing a venture she has said, "Babies don't come with a manual, hence I had to figure out everything on my own. I think first-time moms are the best managers and leaders as they must learn everything on the job, ways to multitask and get stuff done."
Suruchi Wagh
Suruchi Wagh is the founder and CEO of Jombay, an Indian leadership development company that has created the ‘1000 Women Leaders Program to help women managers and leaders overcome self-imposed barriers and achieve success. The program focuses on cultivating a "protagonist mindset" and other mindsets, such as a Warrior, Maverick, Campaigner, and Enterprising mindset, to help women succeed in their careers. Suruchi is a computer science graduate, specializing in talent assessment and capability development, aiming to enhance user experience in enterprise solutions.
Talking about motherhood, she has said, "The biggest challenge is to constantly keep reminding myself that when at work I am not letting the mother influence the entrepreneur, and vice versa when at home."
Neeta Maxen
Neeta Maxen, a 15+ year MBA-Marketing professional with expertise in Marketing Management, Sales, CRM, Loyalty Programs, and Market Research, has experience in B2B, B2C segments, and Enterprise Sales. Being a corporate dropout mom, she started two startups Kraftd-Memories which is a boutique company specializing in customized events and parties. They create personalized banquets and celebrations, adding a unique touch to special occasions, and My Playdate Cafe, which she envisions as a kids’ social media platform.
Neeta, a mompreneur, successfully balanced her family responsibilities and entrepreneurial pursuits since 2013, demonstrating resilience, creativity, and the ability to balance multiple roles, proving that a successful business requires successful family management.
Neeta said, "Before motherhood settled in, I believe that the best time to start a business must precede pregnancy. Ironically, I never felt ready for the entrepreneurial journey until my maternity leave. The moment my toddler turned two, I leaped out of my corporate job and gave birth to my first startup. It turns out that motherhood offered the best preparation for entrepreneurship."
Suchi Mukherjee
Suchi Mukherjee, Founder & CEO of LimeRoad, is an influential online shopping platform for women. Born in Haryana, India, she studied at St. Stephen's College and the University of Cambridge, earning a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar & Fellow and a Chadburn Scholar. She holds a Development Economics graduate, was elected as a Member of Newnham Associates, and earned an MSc in Finance and Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Suchi co-founded LimeRoad in 2012, India's first women's social shopping website. The platform has experienced rapid growth, reaching 150% in revenue and traffic by 2017. Suchi has been recognized for her contributions to business and consumer technology.
In 2012, she gave birth to her venture and also her second child. Talking about motherhood she has said, "You need the fighter gene to succeed," as she utilized her maternity leave to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams despite relaxing.
Shilpi Sharma Bedi
Being a mother, Shilpa Sharma Bedi was on a mission to find the best products for her child, and that's where she along with her best friend, Satya Nagarajan established Indie Project Store (IPS) in 2016. The venture combines children's clothing, community building, and support for local artisans. IPS offers contemporary designs using traditional Indian fabrics and collaborates with local brands and businesses. It curates products across children's fashion, bedding, education, health, and nutrition, employing local craftsmen and NGOs.
Being a new mom and running a startup is not easy as she says, "I'm a work-from-home mum, so it's a day full of adventures, juggling personal and professional commitments simultaneously."
Manvi Pavitra
Dr. Mani Pavitra, an orthodontist, and founder of PamperedMoms, a mother-focused business, manages multiple businesses in healthcare, hospitality, and event spaces. She also contributes to her YouTube channel, "Million Moms," and is an author with her upcoming book, "Move Mom Move." Her journey demonstrates resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurship power. Being a doctor and serial entrepreneur, she partnered with her husband during the lockdown to educate people about investments.
Dr Mani believes that marriage should be "until death does you part," and being a mother to 2 kids, she successfully runs five businesses along with managing time for her family and children. She mentions, "Unless you are successful running your own family, your business will not work."
These women leaders are shining testament to the magical abilities possessed by women to ‘do it all’. We urge that women be given the support structures at home and work so that they can excel in every role in life.
