GETTING IT RIGHT
In a chat, Food & Beverage entrepreneur Sakshi Sagaraju shares insights into how she cracked the code and what makes the journey worthwhile
As much as go-getters may detest, truth be told, you can’t really outplay divine will. The rule applies to pretty much everything in our lives. Entrepreneur Sakshi Sagaraju’s success story testifies the same. One of the few female entrepreneurs in the
hospitality industry, Sakshi plunged into a dicey territory with absolute faith in her pursuit of her passion.
“Certain things don’t go as planned. Life takes its own form. I’d like to believe that I had it in me to become an entrepreneur. Even as a 24-year-old finding her way through the big, bad corporate world, I was often lauded for my people management and problem-solving skills, which helped me grow in my career,” shares the 38-year-old mother of one, who’s also an alumnus of the University of Leeds. “That aside, finding a partner who shared a common love for clubbing, food and beverages only helped me shift gears and take the risk and venture out with Bengaluru brew works and Kaze.”
A Punjabi by nature, a Delhi girl for the most part but a true blue Bengalurean at heart, Sakshi believes her ventures are an amalgamation of all things she has a penchant for: food, good drinks and her love for great weather. “Starting-up and wanting to do something around good food and great beverages in the microbrewery arena are something I’ve always wanted to do. But, things came organically to me; I never felt it was deliberating. Plus, having a clear-cut idea of your patrons and surrounding yourself with the right people really helps.”
But, has she ever felt the pinch of being in a male-dominated industry? “In all honesty, it is indeed daunting sometimes to hear things like ‘beer's a man's thing’. I won’t want to share the sexist remarks I often get to hear, but I really believe that you have to look at things more pragmatically. And an entrepreneur is a unisex term. People should stop thinking, ‘Oh she's a woman and she's running a microbrewery. I am grateful to be in the F&B space and it is incredibly interesting because you get to innovate every single day.”
It's never been easy for Sakshi to keep up with the screen-lit bustle, given her schedule. And, she's clearly not in for the rat race. "I feel women (on social media or otherwise) try to bring women down. Not many can digest a successful marriage, business or even a career of another. Very fortunately, I have known how to draw a line. I don't let people affect my vibe beyond a point. I'm so happy and proud of the inner circle I have grown up with. They are my strength. We support each other's businesses. But, coming to the social media craze, I honestly feel people should stop drawing parallels to someone else's life. Social media promotes that. It's so important to sift out the influence."
Hailing from a business family, Sakshi learned the knacks from her dad, who’s a self-made entrepreneur himself. “The reason we shifted from Delhi was that dad quit and decided to start up. While I don’t really run to him at the sight of danger, the fact that my father is a self-made man has inspired me on multiple levels. I've seen him try to improvise and innovate in whatever way he can. He’s going to be 70 this year, yet he takes his work and customers so seriously. From him, I learned that keeping your integrity is the secret to success.”
“From a Monday to a Friday, I'm at the luxury of waking at leisure. I like walking in the park with my son. The restaurants open by noon, so I have time to do some reading before the customers storm in. I've been wanting to play golf, but my laziness has often got the better of me. So yeah, aside from an occasional swim once in a while, considering I’m a water baby, I really haven’t done many sporting activities. I hope to change that soon!” she signs off.
‘Certain things don’t go as planned. Life takes its own form. I’d like to believe that I had it in me to become an entrepreneur’