Dharmishtha Dagia is a known name in the entertainment industry and has carved a niche for herself as a journalist, publicist, and Celebrity Manager. Born and brought up in Mumbai, she always wanted to be a Journalist but never had imagined that she could ever run a PR or a Celeb management firm. In this exclusive interview, she shares her journey of 11 and a half years in the entertainment industry, the highs, the lows, the setbacks, the comebacks, some entrepreneurship lessons, and more.
Can you tell us about your company and your journey?
My journey started 11 years back on 26th August 2009 with my job as a Correspondent with GR8! TV Magazine. My entrepreneurial journey couldn’t have commenced without this journey with GR8! ITA Awards and Anu Ranjan Mam, because if I hadn’t had a strong foundation, I couldn’t have achieved all that I have achieved today. My journey as an Entrepreneur began precisely five years back on 19th September 2015, with my first event as an online media partner and celeb partner.
There was no looking back, and ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary’ commenced as an Entertainment website and a YouTube channel. It has gradually expanded into PR & Social Media Consultancy, Managing Celeb YouTube Channels, Celebrity & PR Management for Events & Awards, Curating Photoshoots & Campaign Shoots. We have recently embarked on a new journey with Celeb, Influencer & Brand Management.
During the Lockdown, I saw that many start-ups, especially women entrepreneurs, were struggling to survive, thrive. That’s when I thought of initiating a small campaign #businesstomakeadifference. We are helping brands reach out to Celebrities for social media associations, virtual events and launches, brand ambassadors, and more. In the same way, we are helping celebrities, and new bloggers foray into their journey as Influencers. So, these days we are working on establishing this aspect and already have more than 20 celebs, brands, and influencers on board with ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary.’
How did you come up with this idea, Dharmishtha’s Dairy, and how difficult was it to execute?
Well, honestly, it wasn’t planned at all. After working for six and a half years due to personal issues, I left my first and only job, so it wasn’t a career move. So, the whole planning and execution of what to do next never crossed my mind. Once things stabilized at home, a month and a half later, the reality struck me, and honestly, I was clueless about what to do, where to apply, or whom to approach.
The circumstances didn’t allow me to take up a full-time job, so I was kind of stuck. Many people suggested starting Blogging/Vlogging, but I wasn’t keen on doing that as I wouldn’t say I like coming in front of the camera. A passing thought of starting a website caught my attention. After pondering it, I decided to start up an entertainment website – ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary’ and started working on it in August 2015.
Around the same time, Aarti Notiyal, Founder of Bubble Communications, got in touch with me for a cancer event for an NGO. That was my first event as an online media partner and celebrity partner. I didn’t even have a logo ready, so they just used the name ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary’ for all the hoardings.
I was, of course, elated and was super excited to see the name on the hoardings, but this happiness didn’t last long. The event was on 19th September 2015 (Saturday), and my website was to launch on 20th September on my birthday, but the developer could not complete the design on time.
Thus, I decided to push the launch further and launch it on my mom’s birthday, 10th October. So, at the event, I requested the celebs to give a countdown shout-out video for ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary,’ and we uploaded that on YouTube to create a buzz. Unfortunately, we couldn’t launch the website because of their incompetency, and since I had paid the entire advance, I didn’t have a say at all, and I had to ask them to hand over my website to me. Here is where I learned my first lesson to keep professional and personal associations separate.
So, now because of the shout-out videos, everyone thought that ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary’ is a YouTube channel, and I went ahead with that and thought, why not do video interviews until I find someone to redesign my website. That’s how the journey of Dharmishtha’s Diary commenced on 10th October 2015 officially. But the twist in the tale is that today, both my website and YouTube channel are on standby. We are majorly into PR & Social Media Consultancy, Managing Celeb YouTube Channels, Celebrity & PR Management for Events & Awards, Curating Photoshoots & Campaign Shoots, and Celeb, Influencer & Brand Management.
Again, none of these was planned, and as time went by, I realized my strengths, expertise and started working on them. Touchwood, ‘Dharmishtha’s Diary’ has carved a niche for itself in the entertainment industry and has only flourished since its inception in 2015.
The biggest challenge that you face and how you overcame them?
The Biggest Challenge that most people face, including me, is MY FEARS, MY SELF DOUBTS. I was confident as a journalist, but I lacked the confidence and belief in myself as an entrepreneur. But I always believe in one thing – Every Problem has a Solution, and that’s how I could commence my journey even with all the ups and downs. It took a while for me to stabilize, and things fell in place once I started believing in myself and my potential.
Remember that there is nothing that can stop you other than you, yourself. I vividly remember that Arti Razdan, a renowned tarot reader and a dear friend, told me in 2015 that I should get into PR, I shall be successful in it. My reply to her was – ‘I can never be a PR. I don’t talk a lot or socialize, so it is not my forte, and no one will offer me a job as I don’t have any experience.’ She was so confident about her prediction that she said you would get into PR and be very successful.
I let go of two PR opportunities that came my way because I lacked confidence. Cut to a year later, I was handling PR for Celebrities, and I am still handling it. So, every new entrepreneurship phase will bring new opportunities to grow and new avenues to explore; don’t let your fears stop you from traveling on new roads and unearthing new experiences.
What are the qualities required to be a successful entrepreneur?
The most important quality I feel is, to be honest and transparent with your clients. If you imbibe these two qualities, rest everything will fall in place. The next step – Hard Work, hard work, and hard work, is the only key to success. Many people take it easy after the first phase of success, and that’s a massive mistake because to maintain success also Hard Work is critical.
The next set of qualities that you would need to survive and thrive are Punctuality, Effective Time Management, sticking to and fulfilling your words/promises/deliverables. Lastly, the essential quality is to believe in yourself because you will always face failures, hear words of discouragement, and people will try to pull you down but never give up.
What are the most important factors to consider for a thriving business?
I believe that the most important factors are the 3 Ds – Dedication, Determination, Destiny. Destiny will give you ample opportunities, but to thrive, you need to be dedicated and determined. Remember that you can only be a successful entrepreneur if you are honest in your work and have a team supporting you. So, respect your team (employees or interns), acknowledge their hard work, and appreciate their achievements, whether big or small, as this will encourage others to work hard. Every achievement of theirs adds to the success of your business.
Another thing to remember is that every human being makes mistakes, and your team members will also make mistakes. The key here is to point out their mistakes and flaws in private instead of doing it in front of the entire team. This way, they will understand their blunders and won’t even feel insulted or let down. It might look like a bit of a thing, but it helps strengthen your bond and trust with your team. Appreciate your team member’s efforts in public. Analyze their mistakes in Private.
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is a lifelong commitment, so first, understand your plans and how much you are dedicated to executing them before taking the plunge. An entrepreneur’s passion is the driving force for any business to flourish, so make sure that you aren’t deciding to start up something because that mode of business is trending, a friend is keen on it, or a relative suggested.
You should be content with your work and excited for the following day, and this satisfaction can only come if you are passionate about your work. Another important tip is that Listen to everyone, but always go with your gut instinct. It will always lead you on to the correct path.
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