“I started my first job when I was still at school, I was in standard 8 when I decided I had to be financially independent,” Ghazal Alagh, the co-founder of Mama Earth and Shark Tank Celebrity Entrepreneur said at We The Women, the flagship festival curated by award-winning journalist Barkha Dutt. “I was sure about wanting to be financially independent soon, but I didn’t know the path. The sense of independence that comes from being financially independent was drilled into me by my mother early on. As a kid, whenever we would talk about a family budget and were told that you have to manage within a budget; that’s when my mother told me – if you want to make your own choices, start earning your own money. That kept me awake till I figured it out. In class 11th, I took my first job doing tuitions to earn my own pocket money. Soon I realized I was not earning enough. When I was still at college but had not graduated yet, I applied for my own job. During my interview I faked the fact that I had completed my degree, though I was still studying. I got selected. It was only later when we had to submit my paperwork that they realized I was still a little young. But I convinced them to give me a chance and then decide .. and that’s how I got my first job.. So you have to take your chances.”
Ghazal Alagh told Barkha Dutt that there were many biases she had to initially battle while building Mama Earth, especially because the manufacturing and production centers are male dominated. Talking about early moments of rejection and anger, she said, “There were plenty of moments. One was within three months of starting up. My son was very young. I needed to travel from Gurgaon to Parvanu to meet the Production guy. I needed to ensure product quality. After taking a six-hour train ride, I was told that the production guys had just left for some other place for a meeting. As a young mother, that situation devastated me. Even after that, I was expecting somebody from the factory to allow me inside. Suddenly a guy came up to ask if a male person was accompanying me. I said, ‘why do I need to get a guy? I’m enough.’ For 15 mins, I had to convince him to allow me inside only because there were many men inside. In the last six years, things have changed.”
Talking about getting an offer from Shark Tank, Ghazal reveals she didn’t take the offer seriously initially because she was six months pregnant with her second child. She says, “…. And from being a two brands company, we were shifting towards a six-brand company. It was a difficult decision to make. But then someone commented, ‘you are pregnant; you need to take it slow.’ And that moment triggered me. At that moment, I felt more motivated to take it up. I took that opportunity, and I went to the show. And that’s when I realized the impact we would be able to make.”
Ghazal Alagah spoke of how her husband, Varun Alagh, “..being my biggest support. Even today my children are unwell and he is looking after them.” Asked how she had dealt with sudden wealth and fame, coming from middle class roots, she said, “ “Aaj bhi spend karte huay, coupons dhoondte hai, 25% discount, 50% discount, we come from that background, we won’t forget our values.”
Asked what she would have done had she not become a business woman she said she would have been an artist, revealing that she has enrolled for a professional course in New York.
