Originally Published at SHEROES.
Written By Kanika Gautam.
The odds were stacked against her, but this ‘entrepreneur in making’ had already decided to script her own success story and won’t stop at any cost, this is how it started:
In Garhi Malehara, a small town near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, a girl named Aditi Chaurasia was born. A rebel at heart since her early days, she opted for an English medium Co-Ed school even if it came with a wave of resentment and criticism from relatives and neighbors alike. After finishing school, Aditi tried her luck in medicine, but luck didn’t favor her and she lagged behind by a small margin.
Dreams Taking Shape
With the dawn of 2009 things started looking up for Aditi. She met her then friend, now a business partner and soon to be life partner Mayank. Mayank encouraged her to follow her heart and pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and soon began her first venture – Titliyan Creation, a handmade cards portal.
Unfortunately, despite the tremendous success of her first project she had to give it up when it was at its peak. Success was kissing her feet, yet Aditi had to shut down Titliyan Creation due to certain personal reasons and the butterfly withered back to her cocoon.
Reminiscing about that difficult phase Aditi said,
“I encountered the typical Indian mentality of our society. If I was not doing a job or getting married then my life was not on the right path.”
Saying NO to NO
Feeling stonewalled, Aditi succumbed to the societal pressure. In the days that followed Aditi juggled between jobs yet, her heart was set on the much-coveted entrepreneurial path. The teaching gig she undertook became a source of constant dissatisfaction and dejection. She knew she had to do something, as giving up wasn’t an option for this fearless rebel.
With Mayank’s technical skills and support by her side, she decided it was time to charterer unexplored territories and thus the dynamic-duo conceptualized ‘EngineerBabu’. EngineerBabu is an IT services company that develops websites and mobile applications.
In the early days of EngineerBabu Aditi kept her work under wraps. However, soon the company launched by 2 founders blossomed into a team of 50. Aditi’s name echoed in renowned platforms including but not limited to Rajasthan Startup Fest, Startup Conclave (Nepal), Women Tech Makers by Google. She was written about in popular online as well as offline portals like The Cosmopolitan, Asian Entrepreneur and many more.
Amidst all the success and fame she still longed for support from her near & dear one’s. The newspapers were talking about her accomplishments and she was presented the Leadership award of excellence By DAVV University. As luck would have it her parents saw an article in a popular magazine featuring their daughter. The conservative mindset was challenged and they began to realize that their daughter was spirited, fearless and above all a SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR.
Words of Encouragement for Budding Women Entrepreneurs
With their brainchild EngineerBabu thriving, Aditi is often asked for her opinion on entrepreneurship and the disparity it entails. On this delicate subject, this is her answer –
“If a woman decides to pursue something different then she is judged. As women, we are expected to get married, have children and look after the household. Our wings are cut at every step. I encourage women to stand up for themselves in every aspect of life. The society needs to accept that a woman can succeed in any field of work. When the world changes its outlook towards women, I’ll call it the best day of my life.”
– said Aditi.
From medicine to MBA she shuffled through many streams, but in the end, she listened to her heart and today she’s counted amongst the top 100 women entrepreneurs and top 25 Women Influencer by popular online platforms. To steer women towards a career in technology Aditi has come up with another remarkable venture called SheConnect that trains and encourages women through workshops and training sessions in IT and tech domain.
Aditi’s road to success wasn’t a runaway victory. She moved forward with gumption and gusto and defied all odds to realize her dreams. Her advice to budding women entrepreneurs is “Be persistent and remember you can achieve any goal with perseverance and tenacity.”
Ellen J. Barrier’s famous quote – “Her power of perseverance is as that of an eagle. She soars above her challengers.” rings true when we see it through the eyes of entrepreneur extraordinaire – Aditi Chaurasia.
Also, if you are from Indore, that’s where SHEROES will be hosting its first Summit to celebrate #takecharge women and the joys attached to taking charge.