Her open-ended wooden toys are also available in the shop section of this blog HERE.
K : Think back to five years ago. Did you envision this is where you would be?
SJ : No, I didn’t think of doing exactly what I am doing right now but yes I wished to do something in early childhood development.
K : What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?
SJ : I always eyed on couple of toys for my children. But because of their unavailability in India or the cost factor, I was unable buy them. Considering the benefits of toys, I thought of giving it a try to make some toys myself and it worked out pretty well! Further, I thought of selling them so that parents in India can buy them at affordable prices. This gave birth to
My Dream Shop – handcrafted wooden toys.
K : Describe/outline your typical day.
SJ : This question is really hard to answer. I start my day before my family members wake up so that I can get some me-time. I do some exercises / yoga and then start with routine chores. But yes, before I start working on my business, in most cases, I try to spend time with my children. We are a homeschooling family and I try to involve my children in work, whether its business or house work. They are keen learners and support me to best of their abilities.
K : How many hours do you work a day on average?
SJ : Now this is yet another difficult question to answer. As I am momprenuer, I work at even and odd times. Some days I work more, and on some days, I don’t work at all. I just spend time with my family. It really depends of business work load. But I really wish I could have more than 24 hours.
K : Tell me about a recent setback and how you recovered?
SJ : Till now I haven’t gone through any major setback. Everything is working out smoothly. I am trying to move ahead slowly with minimal risk. But if in future I get any setback, I will consider it as a learning opportunity and change my directions accordingly.
You can check out all the interviews in this “Women Who Inspire” series HERE.
K : What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
SJ : Satisfying moments have become a part of life now. Every other day, a toy reaches to a new home and feedback of those parents makes all our efforts worth it! On personal note, my family loves to see me as a working woman. We have small celebrations for every small victory. So these small and sweet moments satisfy me a lot and give me immense energy to work harder.
K : Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
SJ : No business or company as such but I admire the work of a software engineer. I love doing programming whenever I get some me-time.
K : Where you see yourself and your business in 10 years? 20 years?
SJ : Actually I haven’t thought about it. I believe that I have to work honestly and creatively. I trust my hard work which will definitely pay off.
K : If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
SJ : You have penned down all the questions appropriately. I don’t think there is anything left!
Thank you so much Surekha for taking out time for this chit chat! It was a wonderful talk session and I wish you good health, peace, happiness & success in your business venture!
You can check out all the interviews in this “Women Who Inspire” series HERE.