Time to change, innovate and think differently

Author Somdutta Singh talks about how she juggles her passions — business and writing

Serial entrepreneur, author, speaker and investor Somdutta Singh has many firsts to her credit. She is the first woman entrepreneur to launch a made-in-India covid protection merchandise line and she is also the founder of IRA, the country’s first crowd-sourced fashion label.

Her latest book, ‘Decoding Digital: Unlocking Digital Barriers’ is an effort to understand the correlation between macro and micro digital marketing. It also offers insights into how design, Facebook, PR and other aspects are interwoven and influence one another. Her book is currently among the top 12 global best sellers. She talks to Metrolife about the making of the book and more.

Can you tell us about your book, ‘Decoding Digital’?

It blends theory with practice and encompasses all important topics under the purview of digital and e-marketing. It provides a detailed explanation to different marketing platforms and imparts know-how and suitability of different marketing tools with respect to customer needs, tastes and behavioral patterns. It also presents innovative methodologies for successful digital marketing.

What made you take the decision to become an author?

It checks one ambition off my bucket list. As a businesswoman, I work with my associates and in groups because many brains are better than one. We bounce ideas off each other, creating superior experiences and outcomes. As a writer, I spend a lot of time in my own head, so I love working independently. I can control the timeline, focus, and be sure the work is done well. Reading made me explore writing.

What do you think of digital India from a perspective of an entrepreneur?

While 85 per cent of India’s population has a mobile phone, most of them are not digitally literate.

Digital skills unleash creativity, innovation and boundless imagination of the most productive segment of our society – the rural youth. More than a lakh jobs have been predicted by the end of 2020, but not enough digital professionals to fill them. India can prosper only when it moves from a services-centric economy to a self-sustainable economy and this can be possible only when the youth are self-sustainable.

In one of your Ted talks you said “Gender barriers are good and you must embrace it”. What did you mean by that?

I have encountered gender roadblocks all my life, but rarely has affected me. I have encountered several non-believers, people who have criticized me, constantly found faults in me, condemned me and thought I wasn’t good enough. But then, like they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! I was rather grateful to those people who belittled me. My resolve to approach life with the belief that I could achieve anything I wanted was fierce than ever.

What’s your message to the young generation?

Our government, major business conglomerates, corporates and workspaces have come together to create tremendous opportunities in the field of empowerment, both for men and women.

It’s about time we innovate, disrupt and think differently. Hence, more sectors and industries need to come forward to support entrepreneurs.