The Brand Called You

Starting a business requires a lot of effort and commitment. It’s important to know what's involved and if you're suited to business and self-employment. We recommend you take some time to critically evaluate yourself and the challenges of owning a business. See if you're ready to start a business. Today we have Mahavir Sharma, a serial entrepreneur who is part of umpteen businesses and social organizations and exudes a passion for angel investing, leadership, and mentoring. About Mahavir Sharma, Past Chairman, TiE Global Board of Trustees Past Chair of TiE Global Board of Trustees for the year 2020, past Vice-Chair for the year 2019, and Trustee for the past 8 years (2011-14, 2017-2020) Chairman, Carpet Export Promotion Council, the apex body of the Handmade carpet industry in India under the aegis of The Textile Ministry, GOI. From 2017-19. If you’re interested in building a business, the challenges of starting a new business, and the importance of having a partner, don’t miss this episode!

With social media gaining a larger part of our lives, businesses have resorted to them for marketing their brands. A business branch, which was earlier seldom seen to be a cost is not an investment, trying to gain maximum eyeballs and attraction to a brand for its success. But with the advent of technology in every field, the crux of a process remains the same. What is marketing? Why is it important? How to approach it? We have all your questions answered in our conversation with a leading marketing specialist, Mike Moll. Mike Moll is the founder of Market Me Consulting, a marketing organisation helping businesses with their strategy building and marketing activities. Mike works to enable the companies to choose their strong points and focus on those, instead of doing everything and losing their focus. Tune in to listen to an engaging conversation.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are vital to creating and maintaining a successful workplace; one founded on the principle that all people can thrive personally and professionally. Before you begin to reevaluate your efforts and implement new practices, it’s important that you fully understand each component, both individually and how they work together. Judith Katz, Co-Owner, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Author is here to explain these terms in detail. Judith brings over 4 decades of experience focusing on culture change to create higher-performing, inclusive organizations that leverage diversity. She is the author of 6 books and is widely recognized for her contributions to the field. If you’re interested in diversity, equity, as well as inclusion, don’t miss this episode!

We often hear about the importance of IQ and EQ. But how often do we wonder about one’s CQ? CQ stands for creative quotient, an important parameter for any innovation. CQ plays an equally important role in building an organisation as IQ and EQ do. But as we grow old and tend to become slaves to processes, we keep losing our creative abilities. What are the attributes that make one creative? How does one build it? Why is it important? In today's conversation with an innovation specialist, Mr. Andrew Grant, we answer your questions. Andrew Grant is the founder and director of Tirian, an organisation specialising in building innovative leadership and culture. An innovation and transformation specialist, Andrew Grant is also a co-author of two books on innovation and creativity. He talks about creative intelligence, which, unlike IQ and EQ, is a very fluid thing to measure. He describes creativity as bringing two unrelated things together to make something better.

Anu is the founder and CEO of India leaders for social sector ILSS. She is a founding member of Ashoka University. She is the earlier founding Deputy Dean of the Young India Fellowship. Not only that, but she has worked earlier for American Express and TNT. I've had, six career transitions from the corporate to where I am today, including a stint being a stay-at-home mom which was also a career in itself. Careers are no longer ladders, they're like jungle gyms you sort of find your way in this world. India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) is a learning and development organization that aims to build capacity and leadership talent in the Indian social sector.

As Indians, we are exposed to a diversity of cultures from our childhood. We grow up to respect and interact with different cultures respectfully. With globalisation, the global cultures have come to work together, and it is critical to learn to understand the behaviour patterns of different cultures for a successful culmination of the projects at hand. Our today’s guest delves into the importance of learning how to work in a cross-cultural environment. Nitin Govila is the Global Senior Vice President with Serge Ferrari, a construction business. He is a cross-cultural expert and a certified meditation trainer. In today’s episode, he shares the benefits that come with working across cultures. Nitin talks about his global journey, which he initiated after taking a leap of faith by quitting his job. He moved to France to pursue an MBA and shares his perspective-changing experiences.

Studying abroad is one of the most powerful ways to advance academically, improve your resume, and connect with the world (and yourself) on a deeper level. Rahul Subramaniam, MD, Athena Education talks to us about helping students to become best versions of themselves and getting admissions in top universities around the world. Vision of Athena Education- Athena’s vision is simple: We want to work with the most promising Indian high-school students and mentor them to obtain admission into the world’s best universities, and to become the best versions of themselves in the process. We believe in holistic coaching, which embraces both depth and breadth, science and the humanities, and encourages students not only to deepen their theoretical knowledge, but also to apply that knowledge to address practical issues confronting society, both locally and globally. If you’re interested in studying overseas, learning about education, and want to become the best version of yourself, don’t miss this episode!

In today’s episode of The Brand Called You, we discuss the aspects of weaving engaging content, ranging from written stories to conducting conversational events. We will also discuss the diverse roles that we play in society. Our guest of the day is an exceptionally great media professional who also uses his talent and time in contributing back to society. Michael Switow is the founder of Switow Media. He dons several hats. He is a writer, producer, editor, and emcee. Also, as a media coach, he helps people bring out their hidden stories. Michael Switow is also an active anti-poverty campaigner. Tune in to listen to the stories of this multi-faceted personality. Michael talks about the work that Switow Media is doing in producing engaging content. He shares how in live events, the audience dozes off because of the lack of thought that went into preparing the content. He also talks about his role as a media coach.

After more than four decades of displacement, Afghan refugees constitute one of the largest protracted refugee situations in the world. There are nearly 6 million Afghans who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Of those, 3.5 million are displaced within Afghanistan; 2.6 million are Afghan refugees living in other countries. We have Narges Meraj, Refugee from Afghanistan, Contract specialist, Lyondellbasel, with us to share her story as a refugee from Afghanistan. “I was born in Afghanistan in 1991, in the middle of the Civil War. It was not safe to stay in Afghanistan. Many people were leaving, and it was already 13-14 years later after the Soviet Invasion, so we left for Pakistan. We lived there for a year and then decided to move further away. Afghan people who had the means fled the country. My parents decided to move to Moscow as refugees for five years. But due to racism, we had to leave.” If you’re interested in understanding the hardships of refugees living in camps, don’t miss this episode!

India is the second-largest populated country in the world. Yet, sex is considered to be taboo. A practice, that is a part of every human being, is supposed to be discussed only behind closed doors or with medical professionals. Pleasure is mostly considered to be a sin by many. However, what one fails to realize is how it might boost relationships. Also, the tight scrutiny over it leads to several crimes. Today, we discuss the issue with our guest, who is the founder of an adult web store. Raj Armani is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Besharam, an adult web store, and adult wellness brand. Besharam is a Hindi word that translates to “shameless” in English. Raj Armani has worked in fashion, advertising, food and beverage, and telecom industry before starting his entrepreneurial journey.