businesswomen-from-india

"Don't be afraid to take risks along the way. You are blessed to be entering a world that is now increasingly risk-friendly. Spend the early years of your career taking the right risks and make some bold bets on yourself. Test what you like and what you don't. Take on roles that put you outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself"

"Since then, consumers from the old age group are also buying beauty products, but the initial success was from millennials"

"Nykaa is well positioned for success as we are operating in this high growth environment where BPC and Fashion are the fastest-growing categories in discretionary consumption. The online BPC market alone is projected to grow threefold from FY25 to FY30, reaching $15 billion. Similarly, the online fashion market is projected to more than triple in the same period, reaching $60 billion"

"I really like the beauty industry. It's a fantastic industry. I know most of the big players in the industry, the CEOs and their senior management teams....And it's a good business. I really love the brand-building aspect of the business. Happy place, I would say, definitely"

"Decision-making will not always be easy, and often there will be no straightforward answer. So, trust your gut to an extent, it will guide you well"

"Sense the opportunity"

"Be intentional and focused"

"We launched Nykaa Fashion to meet two key market needs: the vast potential of the fashion industry and a growing consumer desire for a trend-focused, premium shopping experience. We've stayed true to this vision, focusing on curating a high-quality assortment and enabling discovery"

"I think what business you choose to build should be based on conviction; it doesn't have to be your favourite product or anything like that. I saw a business case and a business need for beauty. And that's what I chose"

"And today I think Nykaa's 'brand reality' is ahead of its 'commercial reality," she said. "I go to the smallest towns, like two hours away from Manali, and the little girls know Nykaa. So I think the brand is what I really value the most"

"What I really appreciate is people who build brands. And that also is something I am a very keen observer of. What I'm really proud of is the brand Nykaa and how we built that. And it was a very conscious attempt to really build a very consumer-loved brand. And I put in a lot of effort, both organisational and personal effort towards building the brand"

"And remember, no matter what anyone says, it is never too late to start all over again"

"We've spent the last decade building a truly omnichannel beauty ecosystem, one that spans across all channels to serve the modern Indian consumer. We believe that focus on both online and offline retail — is critical for both beauty brands and beauty consumers. Today, we are proud to announce that we have crossed the 250 stores milestone. This makes us the largest network of beauty specialty stores in India, with a presence in 82 cities. Our physical retail business is not only expanding its footprint, but it is also doing so profitably"

"For women there are no glass ceilings. Women need to dream for themselves. The empowerment and support has to come from home. From family, you need to be empowered to pursue your dreams than what companies do. I am a big believer that women empowerment has to begin at home"

"I have always said there are no glass ceilings. I don’t think men are waiting to not allow women to do what they want. I think women have to want it for themselves. And if they want it for themselves, they will have it"

"Today, there is a generational shift happening. When I started, there were only nine women in a class of 150 students in our MBA school. When it came to their life journeys, a lot of women used to give up. But today’s new generation of women are not giving up. It is important to be able to juggle between personal life and work at that point of time (when you are getting married, becoming parents) because I feel you should continue working even if you take a break for some time."

"Let the spotlight of your life be on you. For too long women have been afraid to dream about themselves. We have given them chance to be born, lets give them the chance to dream"

"We are a very open organisation. We listen to our customers and all the ideas come from them. They tell us to bring this particular brand or open a store here. We have been very active on social media"

"I wish I had a co-founder from the technology field, that would have given me a great start"

"I was aware of the e-commerce in US so we thought if we could marry e-commerce with the problems of Indian beauty industry and come up with a multi-brand retailer having a focus to deliver beauty experience to e-commerce will be the right way to go ahead"

"Age is no bar"

"Keeping the ship at an even keel can help weather the travails of running an enterprise through the highs and lows"

"Active women need 2x body weight protein in gms. For 57.5 kg, my number is 115gm & this amount of protein is extremely hard to consume! For me it’s 30g as whey + 6 eggs (3 w/o yellow) + lentils/ yoghurt/ nuts. And please don’t skip the scoop on rest days like I used to"

"Lifting weights reverses sarcopenia (muscle loss with age) and improves bone mass"

"Ageing made me stop taking my body for granted"

"I have had various types of sexist encounters starting with the fact that I was told we don’t invest in women founded companies. So only when your husband joins the business, we will give you the cheque"

"So what I was very clear about is the fact that women were becoming more confident and independent in their decision making was going to change many industries that revolve around them. And I really wanted to be a part of that"

"Since my youth, I held the ambition to become an entrepreneur, with the only question being when and how"

"As somebody who's not a very ardent makeup user growing up, fashion was never on the mind. However, I always knew that I wanted to create something where women are the consumers because I just felt that the world was changing fast, but for women, it was changing even faster. For instance, women were beginning to work or study and had access to their own income and access to the internet"

"We had this female founder and when she had a family, she decided to not prioritise this and the business sort of drifted away"

"There are still times that when some venture capitalists would shake my husband's hand, but not mine"

"When I get my chance, I will pay forward and I will ensure that when I have some money I fund a lot of woman-led companies but I will not take panga with them (investors)"

"Early on in our journey, we were so desperate for capital and it was so hard for Kaushik (husband) and me to raise funding all the way up till 2018-19 when B2C (business to consumer) became cool"

"In my head, I was like 'Wow! Sample size n=1 and you've decided to label our entire gender saying that you'll never invest in women founders and you're openly talking about it"

"In 2012-13, when Kaushik was still with Mckinsey and I've had an investor say 'We don't invest in solo women founders so, until Kaushik quits Mckinsey and joins full time, we can't give you a cheque"

"When you are in your 20s, you are so idealistic that you sometimes don't understand that succeeding in business is very different from succeeding in college. And I was also very overconfident, but I'm very glad today that I did take up entrepreneurship. Although the journey was very painful in the beginning, now that I have been an entrepreneur for almost 15 years, I'm glad I have built something that is right"

"IIMA taught me the importance of taking risks and showed me how aiming high can significantly impact your entire career path"

"If you're looking at a young woman as your core customer, how much in the next 10-20 years she will evolve"

"I truly believe in benevolence, kindness, compassion, and empathy."

"I’m not allowed to say I’m a lousy engineer because the founders I met this morning who are in the audience, and thank you, StartX founders told me."

"You have to do tough things in business, but doing them compassionately is very important to me."

"I can’t change the world around you, but I’ll educate you."

"I will educate you, but I can’t promise that you will have a career because I don’t know if attitudes are gonna change."

"I didn’t enjoy it as much."

"It's about doing it properly, keeping the person in mind."

"How do I make it easier always?‎*I’m absolute believer in affirmations."

"I often joke about it that I have a thick skin."

"I’m constantly affirming."

"I remember my mom saying, “oh my God, you’re so ambitious."

"That was like the number one concern, how is this girl ever gonna find her husband."