Nikita secretly wishes that she was 32 years of age rather than being in the 20s as of now, as it's easier to convince and negotiate with clients then. They seem to believe and trust a founder cum business head, who has grey hair, more than a young person, even though they are successful and exceptional.
Nikita Burman, 24 years, is your archetypal millennial entrepreneur. She started The Blue Beans, a marketing firm for restaurants, with her friend Bhavishya Bhan, 27 years, in 2015.
Millennials are known for their sense of collaboration, zeal to deal with high pressure work and cohesively work in groups together with other people.
Follow Your Dreams
After finishing her schooling from DPS RK Puram, she then completed her graduation from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.
Food has always made her happy - exploring new restaurants and trying different food has always given her a kick. When she was in college, she wanted to and dreamt of working with Zomato. She followed up on her dream and did just that, right out of college. Her experience of working with Zomato for 1.5 years, introduced her to the world of 'Food & Beverage' industry.
This gave her clarity and made her convinced about her own passion and interest in this area. Her love of food was her inspiration behind her own venture. She believes, “The Blue Beans helps customers really discover good quality food.”
Strive To Thrive
Within 2 years of its starting, The Blue Beans is now operational in 2 countries with over 55 clients. They had touched an annual turnover of 1 crore last year. She reaffirms, “From content to marketing strategy and PR to events, we have grown to serve our clients with bespoke solutions for all things digital. On days, when we seek inspiration for ideas, a chai break is still our best bet.” Social media marketing, digital PR, strategy and marketing tie-ups, design and content are their forte.
Execution Is Key
Her motto at work is,
“The only thing that has helped me be here is my strong will for execution. Execute, execute now! To me, errors are preferable to delays.”
Since then, she derives her inspiration from the young, enthusiastic and passionate restaurateur clients their company caters to and works with. It is their infectious, motivated fervour, ardour and spirit for their own business which spurs and stimulates her in return. This is what encourages her to further work and make the brand bigger and better.
When a Blue Bean campaign works out for her client, that is what drives her to go further ahead with more vigour and zeal, to cover new territories and traverse through larger landscapes at work.
Facing Challenges Head-On
Even though Nikita and Bhavishya are charting new terrains triumphantly and steering their company forward to achieve new heights at such a young age, they were still two women founders and entrepreneurs who were not welcome and received well by the market initially.
Clients even asked them, “What happens to our brand once you guys get married?” They ignored and kept all that sexism aside and just went about their business in the best way. This just upped their game up to a different level. With their kind of success, all that initial verbatim is history now. The same clients are their biggest good PR for the business.
Challenges are a part of all businesses. There are days when they are stressed and worried, but then in the next few moments, they are goaded enough to tackle the problem head-on. This kind of willpower aides them to move ahead. Managing the team is always very tricky, as handling young energy requires a lot of patience. With that, dealing with operational costs and at the same time, hiring the right resources is a tough balancing act.
Have 100% Conviction In Your Ideas
When asked, how would Nikita like to encourage other young and budding entrepreneurs? She says, “Be very sure of the idea that you are working on, and once you are sure that it's indeed solving a problem, then do it with 100% conviction.”
As young and flourishing entrepreneurs, they were invited as keynote speakers at Hansraj College, Delhi University to encourage other budding talented students. They have been felicitated with an achievement award from Dayal Singh College, Delhi University. Both of them had been featured and nominated for “The 100 Young Indian Woman Achievers 2016,” chosen by Consumers and Industry, Process, reviewed by one of the big 4 auditing firms. The Blue Beans found and researched that there is a flourishing F & B industry in Dubai, so they scaled up their business and service clients in Dubai too.
These two young ladies are showing you how to follow your dreams and turn it into a booming business.
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