When I connected with Disha Gadhiya over a phone call, we spent the first 10 minutes simply catching up. Former college mates, we were connecting after 13 years! Honestly, it felt like nothing had changed–Disha is still the confident, in-charge woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t mind going that extra mile to chase her dreams. As a new entrepreneur in her ’30s, we sat down to discuss her learnings as a #GirlBoss, things that didn’t work out but taught her invaluable lessons, and her recent solo trip. Excerpts.
Ainee Nizami Ahmedi: Tell us about your career journey so far.
Disha Gadhiya: My journey has been full of ups and downs. I walked on a career path far from what I had planned when I was 19! But not complaining; I am in a happy place today. To summarise, I worked through a hectic but exhilarating job at CNBC TV 18 as a Program Coordinator (in American terms–a guest booker), where I had to deal with the chaos of live television. After working for 2.5 years, when I wanted to go big, I had to take a break and study journalism. But as luck would have it, I completed this Post Grad course in the thick of the Great Economic Recession we all experienced in 2008. No media companies were hiring actively, and the ones who did offered menial salaries, which I wasn’t up for. And so, I forcibly transitioned into our family business in travel and tourism.
It wasn’t the work I chose out of love, but I slowly started enjoying it because I was given a chance to lead my team, implement new ideas and even travel to beautiful places abroad! However, this couldn’t last as my father, and I couldn’t exactly agree on the business decisions I made. And so, with great disappointment, I walked out and returned to the profile that I started with–that of a Program Coordinator at Bloomberg.
However, what happened differently this time was that I was part of the marketing team. That exposed me to a whole new world of events. After two years of working there, I started working in events that spanned two companies, where I worked on some Intellectual Properties, a music festival, and a spree of independent work in destination weddings.
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Ainee: You started The Bow-Tie Collective recently. What has that experience been like? What do you love about being an entrepreneur?
Disha: I started The Bow-Tie Collective on January 1, 2020. The company aimed to offer B2B services like RSVP, guest list management, event hospitality, and logistics management to other planners and event companies and gifting solutions to all clients. I know what you must be thinking—a new business in the jinxed year of 2020 (laughs)! But yes, I was in a good place after working my ass off and had built enough work portfolio and clients to help secure a decent amount of business that would take me to greater heights.
We started on a high note with contracts and projects locked in that would have kept us super busy for the whole year! But as luck would have it, all our plans got shelved, and we were stuck at home banging thalis for Covid Warriors!
But thankfully, the setback of 2020 did not translate into another backup plan for me as it did for many people! I did innovate a little while we were home-bound, and events weren’t happening by launching an e-commerce website that sold wedding and festive supplies to customers at the click of a button. This platform wasn’t available in India back then. However, we realised that it needed a considerable marketing budget which we couldn’t afford at the time, so we couldn’t scale up any higher. We did pass through this challenging time soon enough when larger weddings and events started happening towards the second half of 2021, and we were able to revive our business in the manner we had planned. And I can safely say we did great! From just three events in 2020 to 15 in four months of 2021 alone, I’d say we did a stellar job!
As an entrepreneur, I have learned that you need to have a strong mind and not give up easily. You also need to adapt to the needs and trends of the industry and not be too stubborn in your approach. What I love about being an entrepreneur is the freedom and the joy of calling your own shots. To use your time in the best way possible, strike a balance between home and family life when you can. I don’t have any children of my own, but I have two beautiful dogs who are nothing less than children, so for me, it is a big deal to spend time with them, so I can do that better because I am my boss.
Ainee: Tell us about a day in your life. What gets you out of bed, and what keeps you motivated?
Disha: My day starts a little later than usual. I am a nocturnal being, so I have trouble sleeping until late hours of the night. Hence I wake up late. My work is mainly over the phone and Zoom calls, so I jump right onto them while sipping my morning chai. Since I work in a seasonal business, I end up working for more than 18 hours during busy months. There have been times when I have handled RSVP and guest list management for five weddings at a time–an average of 250 guests per wedding, so 1000 names and people to coordinate with.
My days are also mostly spent travelling in the peak season as we have to travel on event days for projects we work on. Honestly, that’s the best part because we get to see all our efforts come alive and meet the people and families we have worked for, for months.
Ainee: And what about the bad days–the struggles? What are some significant challenges, and how do you deal with them?
Disha: My struggles have spanned two directions—the first is from the client’s side. Our company generates a majority of its revenues from destination weddings, so our clients are mostly wedding planners. Most of them have worked consistently with vendors and companies they have secured for many years. So, since I entered the wedding industry fairly recently, i.e., 2018, it has been a constant struggle and challenge to lock in new clients and gain their trust.
The other challenge is revenue. The wedding industry doesn’t pay its vendors as well as one would imagine, especially their hospitality vendors. So it becomes difficult for us to run a full-blown operation behind the scenes when you don’t have enough cash flow.
Ainee: On days when people are not in your corner, where do you find your strength to keep going?
Disha: Strangely enough, I honestly find my courage from my two fur babies. If I have the luxury to take a break in such challenging times, I take off on a long drive to a pet-friendly place for a quick getaway and return recharged. I also try to look back at all the challenging moments I have been through in the past and all the achievements I had without any Godfather or anyone’s support, and it gives me the confidence to pass through another hurdle with ease.
Ainee: How does following your passion spill out in other areas of your life? Do you feel happier, more driven, and more satisfied?
Disha: Oh, for sure, I haven’t been happier in my professional life as I am now. I was limited in my choices and ambitions when I was married. I am currently doing something that fulfils my passion for travelling, meeting new people, working on events which I genuinely love and also gives me enough time to spend with my family and dogs! I couldn’t have it any other way!
Ainee: You are at the stage where you are actively putting yourself first. What were some of the struggles while getting to this point?
Disha: Aha, this is an intense one. I was hammered to get married from the age of 20 years! I hadn’t even graduated when I was asked to meet a suitor and his family for marriage. I stalled my parents’ constant attempts to get me married for eight years. All my life back then, I was trying to live up to the image of being a good daughter. I tried to accomplish enough for my parents to be proud of me. And after I got married, I ended up in a household that never understood my goals and ambitions.
I was caught up trying to save my marriage by pleasing my in-laws, being present for all family engagements, or doing only things my then-husband could support. I couldn’t travel for work as frequently earlier because my then-husband would throw a fit and refuse to handle the dogs and house alone. Besides, I was in a very consuming marriage where I always had to put his needs before mine. Only after I was out of it could I freely do things that made me happy. Even though I have moved back with my parents, they have changed for the better. They no longer stop me or hold me back. They have helped take care of my dogs during my frequent travels and supported my work.
Ainee: You recently went on a two-week solo trip. Tell us about that experience.
Disha: Oh yes!! It was the best trip ever! I went to Spain for a wedding project and decided to extend my stay because I was at the end of the busy season. This is my second trip to the country, but I decided to see places and do things I hadn’t done the first time! I went to Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Valencia, Malaga, Marbella and Barcelona! The best part about travelling alone is to be flexible with what you want to do! I enjoyed some of the best restaurants and bars, met many interesting people along the way, cherished the little joys of cycling through the hot summer days, stayed on the beaches after long dips in the water, and did absolutely nothing!
Ainee: What are the three things you love about yourself?
Disha: Honestly, I am still on the journey of self-love, so answering this question will be slightly challenging. But I have come around to loving myself for being headstrong, adventurous, and hard-working! These are my three strongest suits! The idea of ‘Work hard, party harder’ fits well for me!
Ainee: If someone came to you for advice on feeling lost in their career and struggling to put themselves first, what would you tell them?
Disha: My advice for someone feeling lost in their career and struggling would be not to be scared to venture into the unknown. We often feel stuck in a place because we fear stepping out of our comfort zone. But if we take that leap, a different world opens up for us that we never thought existed. And so, I always encourage people to be bold and fearless. At the same time, I also urge the young millennials that while it’s one thing to put yourself before work, it’s another to give up and quit easily. I try to tell them to push themselves, which will only make them stronger and wiser in the future.
Ainee: What does the year ahead look like for you. What are your professional and personal plans?
Disha: The year looks promising. Thanks to a successful last season and the after-effects of the pandemic slowly wearing off, I hope to lock in some excellent and exciting projects! I am actively working towards developing our gifting solutions business which took a backseat while our main line of work–RSVP and event hospitality work took precedence.
On the personal front, I intend on buying a new car this year and hopefully contribute more towards animal welfare which has been my passion for the past five years.
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