Masoom Minawala: "Motherhood is another hat in my closetful of roles, not a complete new wardrobe"

It first happened when I got married, and now again, after I announced my pregnancy—I’m often asked if the next phase of life will mean slowing down or even halting my career. But why should it? Motherhood and pregnancy are phases of life, not ailments. I wish people would understand that. There’s nothing a woman can't do, regardless of which phase of life she’s in. As for me, I plan on balancing my personal and professional life the same way I always have—by giving priority to what needs it the most at the moment. And I will continue honing my entrepreneurial endeavours, offering representation for women in business, and delivering the best to my community.

It is what I’ve learnt from growing up around strong women. As a young girl, I was surrounded by powerful and driven female forces. Whether it was my mother pursuing a career in her late 40s, my grandmother being a pillar of strength for the family, or my sister-in-law founding CAI and working persistently until the very last day of her pregnancy–all these roles instilled an understanding of woman power and the value a woman adds to all aspects of life.

And it is these strong values and zeal that I bring to all facets of my life. 

I’ve spoken about this many times before, but I never tire of talking about my first stint in the fashion world, as an intern at a fashion house. I wasn't sure that I was meant to be a part of this industry, but when I stumbled upon blogging I knew I had found a space I loved, which also allowed me the platform to explore my love for fashion.

That was 11 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed—I've weathered the fall of my e-commerce business, moved continents, started from scratch in a new country, and been deemed irrelevant. Yet, over these years, I have built the best community, scaled my business, expanded my horizons, gotten the chance to represent India internationally, explored diverse career avenues, and built my dream team.
 

But, while many aspects of life have transformed completely, some things remain unchanged. Like the inherent values, I started off with. Values that allowed me to build a successful brand while balancing my personal life.

These are the values that guide me to work hard, be resilient, and take every day as it comes. Whether me and my team are researching, ideating, planning, organising social media content, sourcing or working on brand partnerships, networking or identifying investment opportunities–my zeal is a product of the values I picked up early on in life. And my team shares the same values. Not only have they made work more efficient, but they’ve also given me the bandwidth to diversify, explore new avenues, and expand my horizons.

Including my journey as an investor! Creating content for the past decade has put me in a unique and fortunate position of having a strong consumer audience; being privy to their likes, dislikes, and behavioural patterns; and having an understanding of the Indian consumer market. Its also given me access to brands and an understanding of their needs and their pain points. I can use this knowledge today to build a bridge between the two, and accelerate and ensure mutual success—something that is deeply fulfilling for me—and I have been able to do for brands like The Betel Leaf & Co, One Impression, BlissClub, Kuku FM, All Things Good, FrontRow, and The CAI Store (where I am an equity partner).

And I can’t wait to maximise my footprint as an investor and entrepreneur, all while juggling the other personal roles in my life, including learning to be a mother! 

Lead Image: Still from Emily in Paris

Photo: Masoom Minwalla