My mother was a primary teacher, and my father was a banker. I saw my mother managing both motherhood and Career. I saw her doing all household work, child care, and her job so well. So, I am a child of working parents. I develop the values of Career, ambition, independence, and self-respect from childhood.
I did my master’s in computer application and started my job. My dream was to become an independent lady and get fame through my work. I got married to my love and started my family. I was doing a job after marriage. I thought I would reach that place where I belonged too. After two years of my marriage, my daughter came into our life. It was a precious moment in our life. I was too attached to my tiny girl.
When she was one year old, I started my work again. As I said, I am an ambitious girl and want to live my dream. I was juggling to keep her in daycare or Nany and start my Career again, or should I forget my dream of independence and focus on my child and take care of her and household work? That period was very depressive. I know many Indian women faced that situation. Many of us leave careers after marriage or after childbirth even though they are skilled and talented.
Motherhood or Career – I opted for both.
Being a mother, I couldn’t leave my child to unknown hands, and being a woman, I couldn’t leave my dream, so I was constantly finding how I should balance both? Because I have seen my mother was managing both duties so well.
Being a digital marketer, I knew the power of the internet, and at the time when I was pregnant, I tried my hands on handicrafts, so I thought of starting a small business of handmade jewelry, and I started it in 2015. I never thought that I would do business from home, but you know destiny is always powerful. I clubbed my skill of social media marketing, started making handmade jewelry, and started marketing online. I was getting a good response from my business as that handmade jewelry was unique at that time.
I was the one-person army for the business, handling purchasing, production, marketing, sales, invoicing, delivery, and networking. It was a small business, but I had to perform all the functionality. Trust me. It was very hectic for me to do all the things with my small daughter. I remembered working late at night to complete my orders and was available 24/7 hrs. for this business. Still, I was not tired as my inner force was working behind me.
When I was doing the jewelry business, I met so many small women entrepreneurs who were too good at making handmade products but had no skill in digital marketing. So, I decided to start my digital marketing agency to help small businesses, startups, and women entrepreneurs.
In 2019 I started my virtual digital marketing agency named Next-Gen Digital services. I kept my business virtual as I said I wanted to cherish motherhood and my career. My daughter also started schooling, so I started getting more time to flourish my agency. My motive behind the agency is to help local businesses, startups, and women entrepreneurs with reasonable marketing charges. I started getting business within two months and helping some women who have a home-based business. I started helping some startups who were struggling with starting their business. I started consulting the small business and helping them to create a marketing plan.
We all know in 2020, we had an accident with the pandemic of Covid. Due to that, many businesses went down due to lockdown and economic crisis. Digitization increased in that period. I decided to help those businesses struggling because of their offline business and start helping them digitally grow. Trust me; I got more business in 2020. With my skill, I started helping to change their mode of marketing, sales and educating them on the power of the “Digital platform.”
I got diverse business from different industries like Industrial Automation, Health care, Fashion industry, Software and hardware companies, etc. Due to many projects, I hired two more people to manage projects as I am committed to my family, especially my daughter.
In Corona, I also understood one thing, and that was “Mental Health.” If your mental health is good, you can find a way in any adverse situation. At that time, we heard lots of negative news from the media, newspapers, and society, leading people to depression. So, at that time, I adopted the Art therapy called Mandala Art. I started practicing Mandala along with my business. Trust me; it helps magically to improve my overall life. When you run the agency from home, you must be multitasking, and it leads to stress and restlessness, so when I start practicing Mandala, it makes me relaxed and calm. It helps me to make the right decision.
I started my page called “Aangi Craft Studio” to showcase my mandala artwork. I am a person who wants to help society with my skills. So, with my digital skill, I started a small business, and with mandala art therapy, I started helping people of all ages develop mental health.
Right now, I am a Digital marketer who helps small businesses to grow digitally. I am a social media trainer and take online workshops on Social media marketing to educate people on digitization, which helps them grow their businesses. I am a mandala art therapist who takes online workshops to spread mental health awareness through art therapy. As mandala art is spiritual, I teach them how to do mediation through this beautiful art.
To date, I taught Mandala to over 1000 people. I am earning, which makes me independent. I am helping people, which satisfies me to work for society. I am making mandala artwork that keeps alive my creativity. I am also helping my daughter with her studies. I cook delicious food for the family as we all are foodies.
See! When I was in postpartum depression after my girl’s childbirth, I had no clue what to do, how to do it, and when to do but over the six years of the span where I am. There are so many things on my platter to do. In life, it is not true that we have only two choices. Either this or that. Sometimes there is also the 3rd choice, and we can cherish both. I didn’t want to choose one as both were so important for my life. So I found the 3rd way and enjoyed both. I spend a good time with my kid and family and also enjoy my Career.
I would say I have just started my journey. I am on a mission to help local businesses, small and startup businesses, especially women entrepreneurs, by helping them with my marketing skills. And also on a mission to help people be strong mentally to achieve peace and success in their lives.
The last message is to all, especially to all the women who are reading this. If you are also in this dilemma about how to start a career after marriage or childbirth, talk with yourself, ask yourself what skills you have, how you can leverage the power of digitization, and how you can showcase your talent to the world. Trust me, through the internet you can reach the world even though you live in a small town or village because you can’t hide your talent. It will always flourish one day. It would help if you had confidence within you. You must learn time management and prioritizing things in life. Trust me; no one can stop you from getting successful.
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Awesome
Truly motivational.
Thank you!