1. iphone 2. Coach Wallet 3. Opi Nail Polish 4. Enjoy Life Candy Bar 5. Truly Natural Deodorant 6. Shobha® Refreshing Water Cloth 7. Lean In, Business Cards & Shobha® Brow Pencil {sand}
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Being able to live both my dreams of having a family and owning a company. It has always been really easy to let my professional life take over when I first started the business and even now. The business demands so much of my time that I am thankful I have been able to prioritize my personal life. Making sure family and my personal life are a priority, a life beyond my business, was actually advice several women who had graduated from Harvard Business School 10 years before me had given me; advice they had wished that someone had shared with them.
What are three books you would recommend to our readers?
- StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath
- Lean In, Women, Work, and the Will to Lead Sheryl Sandberg
- Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service by Ari Weinzweig
What is the biggest lesson you have learned since launching?
You can’t have an ego. You have to be willing to do anything and everything at the beginning to make sure the company is successful. That means one day you are the tech person, one day you are the salesperson, one day you are the cleaning person. You have to be willing to give it your all and be able to get it done. If you want departments and need a lot of structure from the beginning, the business is going to fail. You will be able to get that structure later, but you will have to create it for yourself.
What’s your advice to someone interested in starting their own business?
I don’t think entrepreneurship is for everyone. You have to really figure out what motivates you everyday to go to work. I fell in love working at the tech start-up that I worked for right before I started this company. I got to see the inner workings of a company that I never got to see or be a part of when I worked at larger firms and companies. I was part of a small piece of the process and never could see the whole picture. At the tech start-up that I worked at, I got a chance to see more and do more! This was something I wanted more of.
You also have to have a keen understanding of your strengths and your weaknesses. It doesn’t mean that all entrepreneurs have the same strengths and weaknesses, but you have to be willing to accept that you can’t do everything and you have to fill your team with people that can add to your abilities. To do that effectively you really have to understand what you are not good at and what you are good at. 
You have to be a salesperson no matter what you do. You will have to sell your business, idea, product, service, whatever you are doing to everyone at the beginning. Employees, clients, vendors, landlords to get them to believe in you and your idea. If you are not good at this, your business will fail. This was something I was very worried about at the beginning because I didn’t like to go and sell. Once I committed to this business and knew the business’ success depended on it, I made myself learn it and practice it.
If you could have one famous entrepreneur as your mentor who would it be?
Tony Hsieh, Zappos Founder.
Do you feel your life is balanced between work life + personal life?
It’s a work in progress. This ‘balance’ is like an organic, living thing that constantly changes. There may be one or two days that I pat myself on the back for having balanced it all, but most days I am just trying my best to keep all the balls in the air. There are days that I am a better CEO than a mom and there are days that I am better mom than a CEO. The trick is being at peace with that.
What is your favorite thing about running your own business?
Having the power to change business practices or industry practices when I see something I don’t believe in or that I think is just downright wrong.
Soundbytes:
What is your most indispensable gadget:
iPhone – it entertains my 4 year old in a pinch in addition to keeping me up to the minute about what is happening at work.
What’s your favorite app?
Parkmobile – it allows me to pay for parking without having to worry about change.
What is your favorite account to follow on Twitter:
@honesttoddler – always a guaranteed laugh.
What is your favorite item in your closet:
A pair of army green cargo pants from Old Navy.
To learn more about Shobha Tummla, follow her company on twitter, like them on facebook and if you are in the NY area, book an appointment.
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