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Entrepreneurial Story of Riya Sinha & Shraddha Varma who founded FUZIA – (www.fuzia.com) located in United States & India
About:
- Riya Sinha, Founder – 17 year old high school student, based out of Palo Alto, California
- Shraddha Varma, Cofounder- A creative & ambitious person, a passionate & enthusiastic speaker, a thrill-seeker and an experienced marketing professional with more than 5 years of experience. Completed MBA from Mumbai. Based out of Mumbai
When Started: 15/09/2012
Location: United States & India
What motivated you to start your Business?
The founding of Fuzia was very serendipitous. Founder, Riya Sinha, was 11 years old and had written a short book Runaway Twins. After presenting the book in a local bookstore to a small group of children, a 6 year old girl came up to her and told how she was inspired to write a book too, and that Riya had made her realize her dream. This made her [Riya] think what if the girls or women around the country and the world could influence each other through their creative pursuits? And thus, the novel platform Fuzia was born – to bring fusion of cultures and ideas! What started as “Fuzia Writing Club” back in 2012 has now become a global platform helping girls pursue their dreams.
Tell us about your Business
Fuzia – a first of its kind women’s only online social media platform.
It is an endeavour in the global-village, to create an equal, user-friendly and healthy space for women that nurtures and empowers their creativity, and encourages them to express and share their talent and work.
Fuzia is a unique initiative which aims to redefine the meaning of Social Media for women who wish to build their own identity, learn, grow and become independent.
Fuzia is an organization run by a core team of young, talented, driven and ambitious women who are creating a space for women to express themselves without any inhibition or restrictions.
It gives women a stage where they can showcase their creative expressions and their voice, where there is creativity, inspiration, collaboration, compassion and empathy – and most importantly, all within a safe and secure community.
Fuzia is a platform which tries to redefine Feminism, Gender equality and Women empowerment in the 21’st century altogether!
Fuzia has grown to become a community with more than 3.5 million followers from all over the globe. Now we are proud to state that our community has more than 10,000+ girls and women from more than 30 countries. Believe it or not, These girls and women have shared on Fuzia well over 20,000 creative works – art, paintings, writings, poetry, photography, etc..These creative posts are enabling our members to bring out their voice and talent, and get showcased to our vast social media followers of 3.5 million women. Our members are shining and getting empowered – enabling us to bring ideas and cultures together through their voices! That is what Fuzia stands for – fusion of ideas and cultures!
Tell us what an average day in your life looks like.
My day starts with a glass of lemon water and yoga. My planner diary is my partner wherein I jot down tasks and plan for each day. Everyday is something new, challenging and creative for me. Each day I run my thoughts to figure out newer ways and strategies to reach out to maximum women and girls globally who can benefit from Fuzia and who can positively impact their lives.
Each day I wake up, I know that my team and I, will positively touch so many girls and women today – give them a chance – give them a creative voice – showcase their talent – and drive power of feminism and women empowerment. That is so motivating and inspiring to all of us!
One particular skill you got right and gave you best results.
Building relations through empathy and encouragement
What have been your biggest challenges in running your Business so far? How did you overcome these challenges?
We faced many challenges on the way.
One of the biggest challenge was the slow beginning and the struggle to make your mark in the crowded Social Media world. We tried various ways and means to tap new audience and engage them. We experimented with different types of posts, campaigns, contests, activities and what not.
Feedbacks and criticisms from members and followers only helped us improve and become better.
We still have a long way to go, but this journey has definitely taught us many things. We are still learning. Changing and evolving!
It definitely gives a great sense of pride and motivation when we see the support and feedback coming from thousands of people globally.
What have you found the most effective way to get new clients?
According to my experience, the most effective way to get new clients/members is by building strong relation with them through meaningful conversations. Trying to understand them, their situations and needs definitely helps us to communicate in a more convincing manner.
Secondly, genuine appreciation always encourages a person to do better and better. People would always make an effort to improve each day. This can also help in getting new clients if they get this.
Lastly, make the client believe in yourself. This can happen only when you firmly believe in yourself and your ideas.
What advice do you give to other business owners?
I have learnt that, the customers are not really interested in a product/service, but they are more interested in the value/benefit/experience that you offer. Do not focus on pitching/marketing your product/service. In fact, focus on building relationships with your customers , understand them , practice empathy!
How did you keep motivated through difficult times?
I truly believe that one should never give up. Positive thinking, reading inspiring articles, listening podcasts and watching inspiring videos always gave me new hope and ideas. The positive use feedback and support was definitely a big motivation.
What are your Marketing, Funding, and Team Building Strategy?
Currently, Fuzia is a self- funded organisation. Eventually, we would definitely look forward for funding opportunities.
In terms of marketing, currently we are strongly focusing on increasing our reach and engagement on the website. We look forward to expand our user base rapidly. Harnessing the social media to reach out to our potential audience and PR initiatives are something where we are actively involved in.
Spreading the awareness about Fuzia, connecting with maximum women and girls and helping them express their creative voice and connect them with other passionate women globally is what we want. We try to give these women a platform that’ll help amplify their voices so their thoughts reach wider audience on a global scale.
We aim at creating a virtual talent pool of girls and women to inspire each other and improve their learning curve.
Your Achievements?
Riya Sinha was awarded the “Iconic Teen Entrepreneur and Innovator” award in the Women Economic Forum that was held in November 2017 in Canada.
We grew to a huge following base of more than 3.5 million followers on Social media in just a span of 2 years.
We are now a community of more than 15000 creative women and girls from more than 35 countries and still rapidly growing.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do”
Who inspires you?
There are many people who have inspired me in my journey till date. I see inspiration in all those people who have struggled , worked hard and used their talents smartly to leave their mark and a positive impact on the society.
Share your Business Philosophy?
We strongly believe that every person, if given an opportunity to be themselves or live their passions, can do wonders.
Women are the greatest reservoir of untapped talent and through Fuzia, we encourage them to take the stage. Instilling confidence in the female minds is the first step we need to take in order for women to speak up for themselves and that’s what we aim to do. Fuzia embraces women from various backgrounds, be it religious, educational, geographical, socio-political etc. The divides fade completely here because our focus is solely on building and nurturing a mutually empowering community. We believe in the power of appreciation and encouragement.
Our platform is built to bring about a fusion of creativity, inspiration, collaboration, compassion and empathy.
Continuous Improvements is something that we firmly believe in.
