Meet the Lover of Arts and Crafts - Christina Ranjan

Can you make a small intro about yourself? 

Hi, I am Christina Ranjan. I am a native of Nagercoil (Kanyakumari district) but settled in Chennai since early childhood. My brain child is Christina’s Art Studio (the best place to learn art and craft courses). I am a visiting lecturer by profession. I teach Interior Design in most of the Design schools in Chennai – Loyola college (LIVE), National College of Design (Allagappa University), INIFD Academy of Interiors (Annamalai University), Spaceterior and National School of Design. Since 2014, I am being invited to teach Calligraphy for BDes Fashion Communication at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai. I completed my schooling from C.S.I. Bain School and was the State First Rank Holder of Tamil Nadu for the subject Psychology – Standard XII Board examination. I am a very confident, artistic and an extroverted person.  I love to do anything related to Visual Arts and Crafts, reading Mills and Boon and listening to music. I was a Sax-a-phone player. I love pets; I have two cats (Catty and Brownie) and a dog (Doggy). 

When and how did you discover your fondness for art and creativity? 

Since my childhood, I am very much interested towards anything that involved drawing, colouring, painting and crafts. My parents always motivated me and arranged a qualified and an experienced tutor to take my interest to the next level. It was only during that time (when technology wasn’t available) I started to learn various visual arts in a structured manner which enhanced my creativity. Anything that is handmade also has an emotional attachment. As time progressed, my quest for learning arts and crafts have developed and it has bloomed as my passion for the rest of my life. 

How did you get into this profession of teaching artworks? What is your story? 

Teaching was my ideal profession. I had a strong urge to teach various arts and crafts such as Calligraphy, mixed media, cushion making, terracotta jewellery making, pencil sketching and rendering, pen and ink rendering, glass and fabric painting and other crafts that I had learned since childhood.  Christina’s Art Studio was started to teach arts and crafts in a well-structured manner exclusively to women and children. It offers flexible timing and courses are taught in a short duration with complete hands on practice along with individual attention. Art is for everyone if you are passionate about it.  

How long have you been running Christina's Art Studio successfully? 

Since 2014, I have been running Christina’s Art Studio successfully by the grace of the Almighty God. 

Which woman business person has influenced you? How did they change the way you run your business? Have you met them in person? 

Honestly speaking, I don’t have any business person who has influenced me. I strongly believe that I am unique in my own ways and style of managing my business and taking it to the next step in a steady manner. 

What would be your one important tip/suggestion/ advice that you would like to give to an aspiring creative person?

 “Follow the desires of your heart and listen to your mind”, So that your creativity would follow in the right direction.  


What is the best and worst decisions you have ever made in your professional journey? 

The best decision in my life is Starting "Christina’s Art Studio”. I don’t want to disclose few decisions that had turned out to be the worst. Certainly, I am glad and proud of those decisions too, as it has moulded me to be the person I am.  

Can you share two of your memorable class experiences? 

I learn many things from every student as they learn the art from me because I get people from various walks of life – journalists, doctors, yoga instructors, teachers, IT professionals, architects, teachers, graphic designers to mention a few. All together I get a wonderful and positive experience.

I can mention about my experience with my advanced calligraphy student Mrs Jennifer Arul, a former TV correspondent from Chennai. She is presently a board member of The Media Project, King’s College, New York. She is a diligent student who does all her homework on time. I admire her.

I am so happy that people come all the way from the Union territory of Pondicherry and the district of Erode to learn arts and crafts from my Studio. 

What is the best part of being a woman art studio owner? 

I feel Empowered. I can aid every woman to de-stress themselves from the day to day tensions through art and craft.

What makes you happy?

Job satisfaction coupled with high level of assured quality and dedication makes me happy. 

Where they can find out about your new classes, if any of our readers are interested in joining?

They can visit the Courses menu of my website and choose the art classes of their choice. 

I have given a list here for their ready reference:

Do you conduct any online classes?

Not now. But am planning to start coaching online shortly. I will keep your readers updated about it.

This video was recorded more recently. And I think this is how I can do my online classes.

Christina’s Art Studio

8754407908
http://christinasartstudio.com/

Interview with Varsha Grover of HER CHOICE

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, my name is Varsha Grover. Married and have a son. I have done a diploma in fashion designing. I run a women salwar kameez garment store along with my parents. I always loved clothes and colors. I feel very happy to work in a place surrounded by them.

How did you get into this business of designing clothes for women and not for men?

HER CHOICE was started in the year 1982. That was the time when salwar kameez was introduced in the South Indian market. My parents saw this opportunity and ventured into it as they knew a lot about fabrics. My mom was well versed in stitching ladies garments. So that's how I grew up. My parents taught me a lot about this business. I learned to choose the designs from my dad and learned to stitch from my mom. I didn't do men's garment because I felt there was a lot of scope in women's clothing. I don't mean that it is not there in men's clothing, but with women's clothing, we have a lot of variety and designs to choose from. 

How long have you been helping your parents in this business?

I worked with my parents for 5years before I got married. And after a break of 4yrs, I joined back with a promise to not to quit.

Have you learned all the tricks of the trade to run this business successfully in the future?

Have I learned all the tricks? Well, no. But I am getting there, and soon. I am very confident that I would run this business successfully.

So you mean you are ready to take over the business and give them their retirement?

'Retirement' is not a word that I could associate with my mom. If the decision is left to her then she would make me take retirement and she would continue working. Plus it would be impossible for me to let them go. With me around they find more time to relax and to travel. 

What is the best and worst part of running a family owned business?

The best part of running a family business is that I am allowed to bring in new ideas and experiment with them without any fear of being judged on the outcome of the experiment. I wouldn't say that this is the worst part, but it is very challenging to work in a family business because I have to strive hard to keep up the standard and the reputation of the brand that was built as well as the respect that the family earned from our customers over the years.

How is the support you get from your immediate family members? Can you explain a bit with an example?

My family has always supported me. My strongest pillar is my husband. I am very proud of him. He was the one who urged me to get back in the business. He turned a shy woman into a confident one. His trust and belief in me made it easier for me to start working again. I feel so grateful about that. Not all aspiring business women get this kind of support from her better half. 

Which woman business person has influenced you?

There is only one business woman who has always influenced me and that is my 'MOM'. I always look up at her with great respect. Today I am so happy that I get to learn and work beside the woman I idolize. When a customer tells me that I do business just like my Mom, I feel that it is the best compliment.

Which part of the year is your busiest? why?

Our busiest year is from August to January, as it is the festival season.  Also, we have our annual sale that we put up just 20 days before Diwali.

What is the specialty of "Her Choice" that women don't find in any other women's clothing store?

At Her Choice, we believe in valuing our customers. We try to give the best of everything. We never compromise on the quality of our fabric, the stitching of a dress, the before and after-sales service to our customers. We don't leave any stone unturned to make our customers comfortable and satisfied.

We even do facetime to our customers who live abroad. They choose their stuff and do an online transaction of payment. Then we courier their clothes to them.

Our designs cater to all age groups. We have traditional as well as contemporary stuff. We have wedding wear, evening gowns, and casual wear. If our customers come to us with a picture in their mind then we try our level best to bring the picture into reality. :)

Our staffs are like a part of our family. They have been with us for as long as I can remember.

Where are you located and how can a customer contact you?

We are located at the below address:

HER CHOICE

SHOP NO.1-B, 

K.G.BUSINESS CENTER,

65,T.T.K ROAD, OPP. SHANKARA HALL,

ALWARPET,

CHENNAI-600018

Our contact numbers are (044)-24983023, 42108363, 7358048012

We are open from 10.30am to 8.30pm 7 days a week.

Photographs shared in this post are the property of HER CHOICE.

Successful Woman Entrepreneur - 17 Years and Going Great Guns

Can you give a small intro about yourself?

A woman entrepreneur, engaged in the business of air-conditioning, we are channel partners for Daikin Air Conditioning (I) Ltd., engaged in projects of VRV, Ductables and Room air-conditioners.  We offer complete cooling solutions and have been in the business for the last 17 years.  My name is Sukanya Sriram, and I am one among the few thousand women entrepreneurs chosen and trained by Goldman Sachs at the Indian School of Business and awarded a certificate    

How did you get into this profession? What is YOUR story?

My entry into the business was more out of a necessity.  My husband Sriram is an engineer and had a unit that was making room air-conditioners in Pondicherry.  As an offshoot there was a need for a service set up in Chennai and so I started at home, moved to a small office, and started to cater to the servicing and maintenance of the air-conditioners that his company had sold.  We started taking up AMCs and once we were successful we moved on to the business of sales and service, providing complete cooling solutions for the customer. 

How long have you been running this business successfully?

Have been in the industry close to 17 years, and we are still growing.  Our success is measured more in terms of our clients rather than the money we make. 

Can a woman who is interested in doing ANY business enter into this business of selling air-conditioners?

I think women are extremely smart species in the universe.  They are doing the most difficult job of nurturing a family and therefore anything else is just simple for them.  I was a novice when I got into the business.  If we can learn the trick of the trade, I think it becomes easy, especially when we are committed to work hard.

Is this a man’s world? If it’s not can you provide some references?

Personally, I think it is a world where we have equal opportunities.  Women are capable of doing things better than most men.  But there is still a gender bias where we ourselves restrain our mind more that we are not capable of doing things that men are capable of doing.  Women are in the army, the air force, women have reached Mount Everest, and women are everywhere! Women are world leaders, and are simply capable of doing almost anything. This is my view.

Which woman business person has influenced you? How did they change the way you run your business? Have you met them in person?

I am always at awe when I see women entrepreneurs.  From small to big, every woman entrepreneur is a wonder.  My first was my mother, she was a retired principal and when my father retired, they moved to Hyderabad and she started selling sarees. She very soon added value with embroidery and prints on it.  It was a small business, but her commitment was simply awesome. 

Others are my friends in the Indian School of Business, entrepreneurs who juggle home and work extremely efficiently. Be it online businesses, garments, flowers, or restaurants, they do it so well.  These people are my role models, each one for a different reason!

What would be your one important tip/suggestion/ advise that you would like to give to an aspiring business woman?

Simply don’t let go! Just do it! You may have so many to discourage you but you should never give up!

What is the best and worst decisions you have ever made in your professional journey?

There are no best or worst decisions.  We learn each time, sometimes we make mistakes, but more often they are not very big that has affected anything too badly.

Best decision was to expand, and that opened up a lot of new opportunities.

Can you share two of your funny customer experiences?

One was when one of my customers insisted her room was full of water because water was dripping from the air-conditioner indoor unit even when the aircon was off.  This baffled me and finally after a lot of inspection, we realized it was a room below the water tank and water was dripping from the ceiling in one corner very minutely. It took an entire day to find and finally we managed to prove we were not responsible for the water leak.  The customer was a light hearted person and even told me that she was happy that my unit was generating water out of nothing and it could be a wonder!

Other than that we have had customers who have been rough in the beginning but once they see our work, they become customers for life.

  

What is the best part of being a woman business owner?

I’m truly proud.  For my boys I am like a mother taking care of them, they all stay in-house and it’s more like an extended family.  My time is never fixed, I can manage to take off from work if I want to, attend family get-togethers or my social functions.  My time is very flexible.  Being economically independent is a blessing. 

What makes you happy?

My work, my family everything makes me happy. 

Technocrat Engineers
Plot No. 29, II Street
Ganesh Nagar
GK Industrial Estate
Alapakkam
Chennai 600 116.

Ph: 044 4769490 Mobile:+919841827361 

An Interview with Durga Devi, Chithoo Jewels

Can you give a small intro about yourself?

I am an engineering graduate and a budding online retailer. I make and sell my own handmade jewelries online. Brand name is "Chithoo Jewels".  My name is S. Durga Devi. I am a music lover. I am a very confident and a brave girl. :)

How did you get into this profession? What is YOUR story?

Mine is a very simple story. Just like any engineering graduate I was searching for a job. Later I thought to become my own boss, instead of searching for one to work with. LOL!  

How long have you been running this business successfully?

I started this business last year in the month of April. I am going to celebrate the anniversary of my business soon.

And am proud of it. :)

Can a woman who is interested in doing ANY business enter into this business of selling jewelries?

Yes, if she has perseverance and determination.

Which woman business person has influenced you? How did they change the way you run your business? Have you met them in person?

To be frank am not influenced by anybody.

Would you like to share your words of wisdom to an aspiring business woman?

My important tip is to have your own pricing and creativity. Do not compare with others and if a customer does it drop that order. You can negotiate with customers but should not compromise on the price of your products. Don't feel bad when the market goes down. If you have creativity and innovation your market never goes down. Keep thinking of new designs and you will eventually end up being a successful business owner. I am still learning the tricks of the trade. :)

When I was jobless many people, including my parents and siblings taunted me, insulted me by saying,"You are useless". I always wanted to prove them wrong. If you are an Indian girl from a middle class family, you would know how others treat you when you don't find a job after the completion of your studies. Even now, they are not happy with my little business. Because this is not an IT or a government job. But I love doing what I am doing now. I am confident that some day, very soon, I will reach new heights. And that is the day they all would regret. 

What is the best and worst decisions you have ever made in your professional journey?

Best decision is to never compare with others. Am yet to make any worst decisions.

Can you share two of your funny customer experiences?

I spend a lot of time and energy on creating a new design. Its quite natural that I expect appreciation from my customers for the new design. But when I send the new design to the customer all I get is "NICE" :)

So, I would think,"Ahh! This is not so attractive. I have to improve my creativity." When I share the same product in my FB Business Page, I get more comments like "Excellent, beautiful!". LOL!

  

What is the best part of being a woman business owner?

I am financially independent now, though am yet to become a millionaire. I would be one soon. I battle it all alone in my business, right from buying stock to delivering the products to customers. I am proud of myself.

What are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, in your opinion?

Patience, Honesty and Optimism

Chithoo Jewels
11 Ambal Nagar,
Hasthinapuram, 
Chennai 600064
chithoojewels24@gmail.com