"Venture out on your own when there is no limit to how much you can grow," says Shweta Mandhana, the founder of Bloom iLearning, an Edu-Tech platform that provides end-to-end solutions for learning and training organizations.
With a commerce graduate background and ten years of non-profit work, Shweta has spent 15 years in IT businesses. Her entrepreneurial journey began in 2019 when she founded Bloom iLearning, a team of eight people with offices in Mumbai and Kolkata. It initially started as a B2B learning platform for trainers, but it quickly evolved into an IT recruitment solution due to high demand in the market.
The motivation behind Bloom iLearning is to make education and training accessible to everyone. Shweta is proud of her achievements but has also faced many everyday pleasures and pains of being a founder. She understands that business doesn't come easy, especially the pain part. People want years of credibility as a startup, even though she has worked for a very long time as an individual. The same people then become a little skeptical about giving you large-ticket businesses. However, the creativity and room to grow to provide the most important part, which drives her to move forward.
Shweta always felt restricted in her previous roles, leading her to venture out independently. She was always ambitious and wanted to do more, and when she met with clients, she realized there were many requirements she could cater to. The startup life comes with both pleasure and pain. Creativity and room to grow are the most important aspects of being a founder, but gaining credibility and receiving large-ticket businesses can be challenging.
Despite the struggles, Shweta's strength lies in her creativity and business mindset. She knows how to convert an opportunity into a business. However, her weakness has been expanding the company and getting funding. Shweta remains optimistic and confident as she continues to drive her business forward.
Shweta's motivation comes from her ambition and achievement. She finds it fulfilling to see her business grow and succeed. Shewta’s family has always been very supportive because, in her initial years, she worked with a lot of non-profits and was fulfilled. Still, she eventually realized that money had to be a part of her ambition, so she started her own venture.
Her advice to young entrepreneurs is to stay focused. She knows that entrepreneurs get very creative, and they see a lot of opportunities out there in the market. Still, they need to hold their horses and impulses. Sometimes they have to be impulsive, but sometimes they have to hold their pulses and concentrate on areas of 100% to 90% expertise rather than thinking they'll learn along the way and can still do it. So, she suggests focusing their efforts and creativity on areas that will definitely yield business rather than diversifying too much.
Shweta's family has supported her throughout her journey, encouraging her to pursue her dreams. Shweta believes that entrepreneurship is not a skill but a knack and intuition. You either have it, or you don't; if you have the risk-bearing skill, then you have an entrepreneurial skill.
Ms. Shweta Mandhana is an inspiring example of a successful entrepreneur who has pursued her ambitions and has made her mark in the Edu-Tech industry.
In retrospect, Shweta wishes she knew there were ways to get collaborators and investors instead of starting with self-funding. Nevertheless, her courage and confidence to drop inhibitions and put herself out there in the market have led her to where she is today. Shweta has learned to embrace her journey and remains committed to driving Bloom iLearning forward.
Shweta Mandhana,
Founder, Bloom iLearning
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