Prerna Goel: An inspiration to many women

Prerna Goel, the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at WhizCo, is a young and spirited individual with an entrepreneurial mindset. She co-founded WhizCo along with Aastha Goel and Keshav Jindal in a bid to redefine the digital marketing space in the country, which has conventionally relied on the modus operandi of uploading content across different social media boards. A DU graduate and MBA by education, it was her penchant for new-age technology that persuaded her to disrupt the marketing and influencer engagement ecosystem.

Before the inception of the brand, Prerna began her tryst with the world of social/digital media by managing a few Instagram communities, which resulted in several promotion offers coming their way. With multiple inbound queries flowing in, she realized the need of moving a notch up to launch a full-fledged digital marketing hub and thus joined hands with some like-minded people to come up with WhizCo.

Her philosophy in life is to pursue any endeavour that brings happiness in life and believes in extending a helping hand to those who are less privileged. If she gets a chance in future, she would like to do something exceptional to make a considerable difference in their lives.

In an exclusive conversation with 'The Hans India', Prerna shares about her journey. Let's have a look into it.

What inspired you to start WhizCo?

It all started with our Co-Founder and my sister Aastha Goel starting an online community of content creators on Instagram. We named it "TalentSwag" and as the Indian creator economy grew, so did our community. Soon we started getting some business inquiries on the page and we realized that content creation in India is growing, it is here to stay, and is no way on its way out. The number of content creators is on the rise and the short-video industry is showing no signs of slowing down. So, this inspired us to start our business-WhizCo through which we aimed at working with content creators across India.

Who is a female role model who inspires you?

One of my female role models is Falguni Nayar, founder, and CEO of one of India's leading e-commerce platforms Nykaa. Falguni Nayar is the perfect example for those who think, Entrepreneurship is only for people in their 20s. She started Nykaa from her father's office when she was 49 years old and is now not just the wealthiest female Indian billionaire, but also India's second self-made female billionaire. She inspires me so much and tells us that there is absolutely no bar on age for that "entrepreneur life". It's more about how much you believe in your dreams than your age. Truly an inspiration!

What has made you successful as an entrepreneur?

I believe that my sincerity, hard work, and commitment to what I do has made me a successful entrepreneur. I was never afraid to take any risks and have always been up for the challenge. I believe in putting my 100% into whatever I do and I always try to learn from my mistakes. I always aim at maintaining a sound balance between my personal and professional life, and these are some of the skills that have made me successful as an entrepreneur.

How would you define true entrepreneurship?

For me, true entrepreneurship is not just starting a business, but leading it to success and prosperity. And not just a business, but I also believe that entrepreneurship is about leading your employees and helping them grow. No one can develop and grow in isolation. True entrepreneur is a leader and they have a vision that they can inculcate in everything that they do. They learn and they grow, and they help others around them learn and grow. I believe this is what true entrepreneurship is all about.

How are entrepreneurship and working women important for India as a whole?

India's entrepreneurial ecosystem is currently booming and is very important for India as a whole. Our country is slowly becoming a hub for start-ups and I firmly believe that this number is likely to increase in the future. I support the idea that instead of seeking jobs, we should also strive to become job creators. With more entrepreneurs and start-ups come more job opportunities, which ultimately help our country by contributing to solving the problem of unemployment. I also believe that working women are equally important in India. When women work, they become more financially independent which helps them not only contribute to their families, but also to society and solve a lot of their problems. It gives them respect and a much-needed confidence boost.

What advice would you give to women who want to start a business?

The biggest advice that I would want to give to women who want to start a business is never to stop believing, working hard, and listening to yourself. You will meet people that will tell you that it's stupid, that it's impossible, that you should stick to what a woman is supposed to do, and that this business life is not for you. But trust me, nobody can stop you from achieving success if you believe it is possible. Just listen to yourself, avoid any self-doubt and negative self-talk, and work hard to prove everyone wrong. It's always worth it in the end.

How difficult is it for a woman to start a company?

Starting a company is difficult for everyone. However, I do believe that starting a company is more difficult for a woman than it is for a man. There are so many challenges women encounter when they start their businesses, but there are also many inspirational women entrepreneurs who overcame them and teach us how to do the same. In male-dominated industries, at one time or another, most businesswomen find themselves struggling to be taken seriously because some men don't even try to acknowledge a woman's leadership role.

In societies like that of India, many people still prefer women to stay at home and take care of their families. This is a very common stereotype due to which many women are looked down upon and take more time to gain trust and recognition while starting a business. Then, there are also financial barriers such as lack of funds and investment. People, and even family members, just do not take encourage women entrepreneurs and take them seriously. Even many banks and financial institutions hesitate to invest money in a business venture by a woman. Therefore, I believe that it is more difficult for a woman to start a business.

Would you like to share your secret success mantra with our readers?

I don't follow any specific success mantra because I don't think there is one. We all are different and so is our approach to work and life and how we deal with them. But I do believe that hard work and consistency is the key to success. Combine this consistency with intensity and always believe in yourself. If your heart is in the right place, and you put in the hard work then you can achieve success.