In the past three years, the startup scene in India has seen tremendous growth and has become a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurial activity. With a young and tech-savvy population, India has become one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, with over 50,000 startups and a growing number of unicorns. In 2021 alone, India added over 12 new unicorns, taking the total count to more than 50. The Indian government’s push for digitalisation and entrepreneurship through initiatives like Startup India, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat has played a significant role in the growth of the startup ecosystem. This has created a fertile ground for innumerable ideas to flourish and has opened up opportunities for startups to solve real-world problems and create jobs. This is the story of Dr. Shweta Tewari, who went from being an MBA aspirant to the CEO of an upcoming startup in the marketing & branding domain.
Born and brought up in Calcutta, Dr. Shweta Tewari is a successful CEO and educator with a wide range of experience and expertise. She is also among those who applied her skills to build a startup in the Digital Marketing space. Her startup Amitiel Consultants, has provided online marketing solutions for over five years. Dr Shweta holds a doctorate in business administration from SP Jain Global School of Management and has been teaching management at Dayananda Sagar University as a visiting faculty member. As the founder of Amitiel Consultants, she leads a team dedicated to helping clients establish a strong online presence through various services, such as content creation, SEO, website design, hosting, and graphic design.
Before starting Amitiel Consultants, Dr. Tewari was a key accounts manager with Enigma Global Resourcing India (EnigmaGR), a recruitment consultant with Xpheno. In our recent interview with Dr Shweta Tiwari, she talks about her journey and her transition from studying MBA to now having her own business. The interview outlines takes you through how she capitalised on her MBA skills and successfully built her own business through her accumulated experiences.
What inspired you to start Amitiel Consultants, and what challenges did you face initially?
I was working for a startup back in 2016, and that was where I drew my inspiration from. Seeing that startup being built up from scratch gave me the push that I could do something of my own as well. It was never in my mind, but over time when the startup biz became ongoing, that was when I had the feeling of why not. The most challenging part was the initial recruitment and marketing. Recruitment was primary since the turnaround time was very high, and it posed many challenges.
How has the digital marketing industry evolved over the past few years, and what are some of the trends that you see shaping the industry in the future?
Digital is the future, and it is here to stay. Most businesses are going virtual, and organisations are getting used to the virtual remote working style. Digital has indeed taken over the business sphere. Digital Marketing is crucial to capitalise upon. People are becoming more open and accepting of these online business models. In terms of sharing content that’s in customer interest, short-form video content, adoption of ChatBot, Data Analytics, and the concept of social media listing – all these digital transitions are here to stay and create an impact. 4.26 Billion people use social media, which is expected to keep growing and reach 6 billion by 2027. So we will experience the significance of Digital Marketing in the future.
What are some of the key skills that you believe are essential for success in the digital marketing industry, and how do you cultivate those skills in your team?
I believe data analysis, content creation, basic designing skills, and social listening are some very crucial skills. There is unending information around us. Relying on some blogs can help you get a glimpse into digital marketing. There’s no need to be a pro in everything, but the basics are more than enough.
As someone with a doctorate in business administration, what advice would you give to MBA aspirants who are just starting their journey?
If you’re someone who is just starting, you need to start early with your research information. I was the youngest in my batch during the MBA batch, so I had an edge and worked to my advantage. If you’re unsure, you need to be clear about what you wish to do. Being transparent and relevant is extremely important to have a stable career. My entire curriculum was based on virtual work. It wasn’t a buzzword back then, and thus MBA course was more of a theory accompanied by practical aspects of business works.
My advice would be not to be stuck on ambiguity. You need to make a decision and then not look back. Parallelly building leadership and management skills will keep you sustainable. Being bold and ensuring that you learn and adapt yourself as per the role will go a long way in helping you with your career.
How do you balance innovation and risk-taking with practicality and sound business decision-making?
When I started, it was very new to go digital. Even though it was an age-old concept, it was relatively new in practice and worked out pretty well for me. But identifying and knowing the pain points in the market and working towards practical solutions. Just innovating on your idea won’t help; there needs to be a solution to a problem, and only then will it work.
Could you share with us your life philosophy?
I strongly believe in taking and living one step at a time. That’s how I go about everything.
The journey of Shweta Tewari is a significant example of how one uses their skills and theory and brings them to practicality by investing the experience in something one loves. It amplifies the importance of being aquatinted with what you wish to do and sticking with the decision to make the odds work in your favour to excel in your chosen goals.
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