Shalini is one of those one-person army who entered the entrepreneurship arena with a dream in mind to make it big in the fashion industry. She has an MBA in finance and she used her skills along with her passion in fashion to launch her own startup. La Elegante is an online fashion store where people can buy fashion products and accessories. Her aim is to keep her customers updated with the latest happenings in the world of stylish accessorizing with an interactive platform.
This is what she believes and to be able to do that she spends most of her time nurturing her venture.From procurement to website coding, accounting, and marketing, she handles each and every aspect of la elegante by herself.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
LaElegante has a simple mantra, to provide affordable fashion accessories and traditional ethnic jewellery for the today’s women. Helping women all over celebrate womanhood in all its glory is what we attain to do. Every woman loves to look their best, deserves to feel her best, and should do that without having to feel guilty off spending loads of money. La Elegante strives to do just that.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
My passion…always been fascinated by fashion accessories.
What is your life mantra?
Live life queen size…after its just one life!
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
To find the perfect balance between home and work .Especially having taken a sabbatical from work for almost 12 years and being around for all the needs of my family, It was a challenge to get them to accept am a working professional now and a even bigger challenge to stay put and work while they keep calling out for every simple thing.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now
None … started with a hand loan from my hubby and have been reinvesting after that.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
Do not face that, since its one-woman show. I am the boss and the employee.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Hard work, Commitment, and Integrity .There are no shortcuts to success. It is a combination of hard work, commitment and being true to yourself and to your clients. Especially in online business,it is a sale happening on trust gained by word of mouth or thanks to our reviews. That trust is the biggest investment, there is to any business. An added advantage is to read up and keep abreast with the latest trends in the fashion world.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
Facebook and Gmail. Launching my Website soon. Facebook is good to start up initially, but as your volumes grow,it is highly unreliable.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
My organization skills and the fact that I can never procrastinate.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Wish I could become a morning person …for the life of me cannot get up early!
Answer in less than 50 words
Hard work … there is just no substitute for it. My working hours are between 12-15 hours every day! This involves running all aspect of the business along with taking care of my home. The minute you stop loving what you do, just stop your work. No point doing it after that.
- One mistake you believe every individual must avoid
Never rest on your success / laurels. Once successful, try that much harder to sustain that …the world is watching and will be quick to dismiss it all off as luck if the success is not maintained.
- One most important lesson that you have learnt till now
Never depend on anyone. Read / take classes, but empower yourself. Being depended on someone makes us frustrated, leading to dip in productivity.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
To launch my website and successful migrate all of my clients smoothly into the new platform. To introduce international shipping and take La Elegante’ global.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
I will get empowered technologically and then launch…thus saving valuable time
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Goa, Chennai and Singapore
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
There are two actually: The only way to do a great Job is to love what you do – Steve Jobs and, you can always do more than you think you can …John Wooden