Women Who Inspire Us! — Swati Nathani
By: Hiral Amar Thaker
Tags: Leadership, Women In Tech, Women In Business

Welcome to the second session of Women Who Inspire Us.

Another Saturday with another amazing woman; Swati Nathani.

For her introduction, we would start by saying that she is a risk taker and a person who dives deep into learning and loves exploring new things.

Q: Welcome Swati, here’s our first question to you: Introduction that justifies your awesomeness?

Swati: I co-founded Team Pumpkin 8 years back with no experience in digital or marketing. But, today, we are a 100+ members team working with some of the top brands in the country across 3 offices and have won multiple awards across various forums.

That’s really amazing, Swati. Kudos to you and your team!

Q: Here’s our next question: Where and how did you start your journey?

Swati: I am an unsettled mind. I like to keep exploring and moving to newer things. So back in 2011, when I had about 5 years of work experience with retail, I came across this tweet giving feedback on a website for a newly started entity. Being an opinionated person, I wrote a “longish” feedback of the website where I was introduced to Ranjeet; co-founder of Team Pumpkin. A year down the line Ranjeet approached me asking if I was interested in becoming a business partner for a new company in Digital Marketing Space. Though the rationale was against me (never had entrepreneurship experience, not much marketing experience too), I still decided to jump into it, and now here we are!

Woww! One Tweet can really do magic.

Q: Going further, what inspires you to move forward in your career?

Swati: Today, the fact that the livelihood of 100+ employees depends on this company, I want to work harder to make all their dreams come true. They trusted us with their hard work, now it’s my responsibility to make them realize their dreams.

That’s beautiful. We really hope to see you and your team grow bigger!

Q: Up next is a question from Roma; What is your vision for your life?

Swati: Before I retire, I definitely want to see a much higher representation of women in leadership roles across Industries and across India. It’s a difficult dream, but I am sure we are slowly getting there.

Absolutely! This is a fight every woman is fighting in the background without even knowing it. The only way to win is to keep doing what we are doing. Every small drop counts. Every day when a woman wakes up and decides to work and speak up against all the odds, she is contributing in the fight for gender equality that has been going on since millenniums.

Q: Who or what inspired you to start your journey?

Swati: Ranjeet Kumar — Team Pumpkin’s Co Founder. Whenever I see his passion and dedication, I can’t help but get inspired.

Yes, dedication and passion to do something is must.

Q: Apart from working hard and being awesome, which simple pleasures in life do you enjoy?

Swati: Love a weekend evening with close friends, board games, and some good food.

Mentioning food, I guess Hiral is already hungry.

Q: Lastly, What is your message to young girls/women trying to achieve their dreams against all odds?

Swati: Don’t ever think you have to give up your career. Put your foot down, fight for it and stay put. There will be multiple forces wanting to bring you down, sometimes, including your family. But fight, not only for yourself, but for millions of women who will eventually get inspired with your example.

Yes, standing up for oneself and our dreams is a must.

Thank you so much Swati for taking out your time to give us meaningful insights into the life of a woman entrepreneur.

Our key takeaway: Never stop learning, exploring new things, and your curiosity. You never know what might change your life course. Preserver! And always stand up for yourself and your opinions. Never shy away or think your opinions don’t matter; because they do!

Speak up your truth and mind.

That’s a wrap for this week! We will be back next week with another inspirational woman and her journey.

Till then let us know your key takeaways from Swati’s journey in the comment section!

Writer’s note: This story is written in collaboration with Roma Amarnani

If you want to share your story with the world, reach out to us at hiralthaker37@gmail.com or romaamarnani@gmail.com! We would love to learn about your story and help you inspire others.