Let’s hear from Piyali Chatterjee, a mompreneur hailing from Kolkata and now settled in Bangalore with her husband and 5 year old daughter. Her passion for art and crafts motivated her to create Mirage Colour, an event planner & management agency specialized in Social events.
How did you got the idea of Mirage Colour?
Although I have studies Computer Applications, I used to love creating handmade crafts. And I always used to think how I can modify things and give them a new look. This is something I got from my mom who used to do the same. I started with decorating in marriage celebrations and birthday parties of my friends just for time pass. Previously I have been in marketing working for one of the Italian companies, but when my daughter was born I had to leave my job.
Then I thought I should start something which I love to do to keep myself busy and give direction to my creative mind. One of my friends and my husband supported me. Infact they literally pushed me to start event planning. MIRAGE COLOUR name is the name given by my Husband. And today by god grace we have a small team, working on a lot of events in and around Bangalore.
What were the challenges you faced while being an entrepreneur mom?
Oh god! I was alone and working from home with a naughty 5yrs old kid. So it was really difficult to manage daughter’s school, husband’s office and my work. And as my work is art related it needs lots of time, attention and imagination. At times I sued to work continuously for 40hrs. But trust me I never felt tired working on my passion, to create new things and to see smile on the faces of my clients.
I was afraid how people will react but I got always love from my client. Most exciting thing is to create new things and some time to fit in clients’ budget without compromising the look of the decoration.
My daughter, my husband and my friends helped me through thick and thin.
What do you think is the most difficult thing about being an event planner?
Envisioning an event to be a certain way, then having your client have a completely different vision. Part of the reason that my clients appreciate me so much is because I am creative and come up with ideas that they may have never thought of. However, I sometimes want something and am so set on it being great for the event… then, my client wants something completely different. Of course, it’s all about what the client wants, so there is never an issue. BUT, it’s definitely hard to let go of an idea that I believed would be amazing.
How you manage work life balance?
I don’t manage, my family manages every situation together. They never complain about anything and they always support me. My daughter respects the hard work I am putting into my company. Everyday we try to have meals together and they wait for me to join them.
What advice do you have for moms who wants to establish their own business?
I always wanted to establish my name, to do something of my own so that people know me for my work. And I will have my own identity. So if you really want to establish your identity, start working towards your passion and you will get success. It might take some time. But important thing is to start doing something and now wait for something good to happen to you.
Work towards your dream and trust yourself if it’s a wrong decision, accept it and try to make it right.