[00:00:00 – 00:00:08] Nitin Bajaj

Hey, everyone. Welcome to The Industry Show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Neha Singhal. Neha, welcome on the show.

[00:00:09 – 00:00:10] Neha Singhal

Thank you so much for having me, Nitin.

[00:00:11 – 00:00:14] Nitin Bajaj

Pleasure is all ours. So let’s start with who is Neha?

[00:00:14 – 00:00:21] Neha Singhal

Neha is lots. But to start with, Neha is, a mother of 2 beautiful daughters just like yourself

[00:00:22 – 00:00:22] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

[00:00:22 – 00:00:58] Neha Singhal

And immigrant to the US, an entrepreneur, and really an art enthusiast. I was born and raised in India. And after my MBA, I joined banking and worked with HSBC Bank spanning across US as well as India for a few years for almost about 17 years. Wanted to do something different and joined our family office. So I take care of our startup real estate investments. And then really thought that I wanted to follow my passion and never thought following passion could be a career. So now I am an art advisor and an art curator.

[00:00:59 – 00:01:29] Nitin Bajaj

Wonderful, beautiful journey we shared. A lot of checkboxes, immigrant, India, moved here, and then explored the entrepreneurial bug. Tell us more about what this art is about, what is Neev by Neha, what led to you starting this, and also along this journey so far, what are some moments that have, inspired you to do more of this? And, yeah, tell us more about, Neev.

[00:01:29 – 00:02:34] Neha Singhal

So I’m sure many of the viewers here are South Indian, and they would know that Neev in Hindi means foundation. And for me, it was all about giving back. It was all about staying connected with India and giving back to my friends. Neev is an art gallery. We are a fine art gallery based out of the Bay Area in Los Altos. And our goal is to provide a global platform to multiple artists that are emerging as well as renowned that are based out of India. So I curate these artworks and I bring it here, and we showcase these artworks to the local audience. How I started this was because for myself, I wanted a piece of Indian art in my own home. I wanted to feel closer to the heritage. And when I looked around, there was scarcity of affordable Indian art. At the same time, there was a myth about Indian art too, and that myth was Indian art is all about gods.

I believe at the time, I thought that there was not very many people wanting to really invest in art, understand art, and really find a story in every single piece that they have. And that’s how I decided to start Neev and started working with the Indian artists that are based out of India.

[00:03:00 – 00:03:23] Nitin Bajaj

That’s beautiful. When you start searching something for yourself, and then you find this, 1, is a gap and 2, there isn’t enough of knowledge or understanding and many people might be missing out because of that. So I’m curious to know how long you’ve done this now. How would you define the impact of Neev so far?

[00:03:24 – 00:03:27] Neha Singhal

So we started this less than a year ago. I think we’ve come a long way. I had about 15 artists that I started working with. And now in our upcoming exhibition, we are close to about 35 different Indian artists that I work with. To answer your question on impact, I think the impact is huge. To me, it’s following my passion and making people happy how art makes me happy. So when I find them a perfect piece, something that they can resonate with, something that they can connect with, something that they look at every single day and they’re happy about it is what makes me happy. But the artist who’s put in their creativity, their time, their thoughts in creating that piece, when it goes to somebody’s house and somebody looks at it and admires it every day, that’s what makes them happy. So I think the impact has been huge. It’s we’ve had very successful exhibitions. And more and more, I have had the opportunity to meet many organizations, many people just simply saying what you’re doing is fantastic. How can we help promote this in this country?

[00:04:37 – 00:04:56] Nitin Bajaj

It’s so wonderful to, one, get validation of the work you’re doing, the gap you’re filling in, the access you’re providing. But I also love the fact that in this equation when you’re able to solve for it and get people together, it’s not just a transaction, but you’re making 3 people happy in the process.

[00:04:57 – 00:04:58] Neha Singhal

Absolutely. It’s huge.

[00:04:59 – 00:05:06] Nitin Bajaj

The person that appreciates the art, the person obviously that creates the art, and then you that’s able to bring the 2 together.

[00:05:06 – 00:05:29] Neha Singhal

And you’re not making somebody happy just once. They look at it every day and they see No true. Happy about it. So I would feel bad if somebody has made a wrong decision. So I often encounter situations where I have to stop the clients because they may not have the knowledge and I would tell them this is not the right piece for you. This is a better piece for you, and I help them make better decisions.

[00:05:30 – 00:06:00] Nitin Bajaj

So appreciating art and then obviously buying, I consider more as a transaction because the appreciation has already happened. I’m curious to know this is such a personal taste and journey, if you will, because this is something you have to like and appreciate over a longer term, which may come with its own challenges. So my question is, what is the one big challenge that you face in all of this?

[00:06:01 – 00:07:15] Neha Singhal

If you think about it, you answered that question. The biggest challenge in this is education. People appreciate art, but deciding on what to see when they want to buy an art piece for their home, whether it’s the technique of art, it’s the style of an artist, it’s the level of an artist, the experience, the scale of the art piece that would go best in their space. Just the entire look, how it pulls everything together is very difficult and that’s where we come in. So the biggest challenge is making the clients realize what is right for them. What’s the right art piece for them? Is it the right time for them to invest in it? And all this really comes together once they continue to see and spend a little bit of time to decide on it. So that has been the biggest challenge that I have faced is just the need to educate them in investing in authentic pieces of art versus mass productions. Not just simply looking at decor, but something that has a hidden story inside it.

[00:07:16 – 00:07:21] Nitin Bajaj

Makes sense. And that’s where it transforms from being a piece of work to piece of art.

[00:07:22 – 00:07:22] Neha Singhal

Yes.

[00:07:22 – 00:07:29] Nitin Bajaj

Now I’m curious to hear the most exciting opportunity that you have in front of you.

[00:07:29 – 00:08:50] Neha Singhal

Oh, that is my that is the most exciting opportunity is educating people on how to select that right piece, how to really understand art. I think my goal is to really bridge the gap in providing personalized art advisory services. So I think what has been working very well for us is we are a by appointment only gallery. We speak with our clients, we understand their needs. I often visit their home to really see the space for which, you know, for what they’re looking for. And then giving them ideas and options because art is, it can be confusing. When you go to an art gallery and especially my art gallery, which has 35 different artists and every artist has its own unique style, unique color combinations. Some are traditional, some are very modern, some are contemporary. To see all of that together is very overwhelming. So I feel the biggest opportunity that’s very, very exciting is designing a space. So if I’m able to design and shortlist and make it easier for them, at the same time, educate them on why this artist and why not this artist for their space makes the process a lot easier for them.

[00:08:50 – 00:08:59] Nitin Bajaj

I can imagine. Like, someone like me gets overwhelmed with looking at a food menu in a restaurant. So

[00:09:00 – 00:09:07] Neha Singhal

That is always me. That is always me. I could use some advisory services for that. So I always ask for recommendations.

[00:09:08 – 00:09:48] Nitin Bajaj

Yes. Now as we look at opportunities and growth and scaling this and bringing this to a lot more of the patrons that you have, I’m curious to pause and reflect and, talk about 2 moments in your previous career in life and ask you to share moments where, one, things did not work out as you had expected and imagined And there was failure and lessons. And another one where things worked out beyond what you had imagined and expected and, became a success beyond your imagination.

[00:09:48 – 00:11:10] Neha Singhal

Lots of failures. And I wouldn’t say failures. I would say lots of learning. Yes. Especially as an entrepreneur, you wear multiple hats. You are, you’re taking care of finance. You’re taking care of marketing. You’re shaking hands every day, trying to get the word out. So a lot of networking. In my space specifically is a lot of logistics. So at the time when I started this journey, it was, how do I bring the artwork? How do I frame it? How do I create a space where everything pulls together and looks nicely? So a lot of creativity. I think the learning from that for me has been to prioritize and to understand where your time spent is better and raise your head when you need help. Because we always try and we feel this is our baby. If this is my baby, I’m going to do everything. But I felt, when I started this journey about a year ago, the first exhibition, I thought I’m going to pull it off together, a 100 art pieces. I’ll take it myself. I’ll set it up myself. I’ll do everything. I did it, but I could better utilize my time and ask for help that my presence was not really needed.

[00:11:12 – 00:11:23] Nitin Bajaj

You said it in a very nice way. My politically incorrect way of saying that I’m a control freak, and I wanna do it all because it just that’s just how I am.

[00:11:24 – 00:11:36] Neha Singhal

So But that that’s true. That’s how it is because you have confidence in yourself and you feel teaching someone else is going to take longer. But guess what? That’s going to go a long way.

[00:11:36 – 00:11:36] Nitin Bajaj

Yes.

[00:11:36 – 00:11:54] Neha Singhal

As we spoke about earlier, I don’t check my social media anymore because there is someone better for that job Yes. Versus my time spent should be out spreading the word, meeting our directors, gallerists, collectors. And that’s where I’ve learned to balance it out and really manage my time better.

[00:11:55 – 00:12:00] Nitin Bajaj

So the other moment where I asked you to brag a little bit about some

[00:12:04 – 00:12:42] Neha Singhal

What do I brag about? Think our success story. Like, really for me, it’s an accomplishment that we are it’s our 1st anniversary coming up and we’ve survived 1 year. So we’ve gone from, 20 to 35 artists, as I mentioned. I’ve had over 10 exhibitions that I’ve curated in the last 1 year, including like in California, as well as in New York. So the audience, the scale has gone up. It’s just a lot of at this point in time, I feel confident that we’ve survived a year and we have many more years to go.

[00:12:43 – 00:12:44] Nitin Bajaj

First off, congratulations.

[00:12:45 – 00:12:46] Neha Singhal

Thank you. Thank you.

[00:12:46 – 00:13:14] Nitin Bajaj

Doing 10 events in less than a year, that’s you’re averaging 1 event a month. And just knowing how painstaking it can be to just even put up an event together, let alone an art event where you have to curate every small experience. And and then that’s just the beginning of it because once people come in, then starts the process of you getting to know them, visiting their homes, understanding their taste

[00:13:14 – 00:13:14] Neha Singhal

Yeah.

[00:13:14 – 00:13:20] Nitin Bajaj

And then recommending, here’s 5 options and then maybe there’s, like, the 11th one.

[00:13:21 – 00:13:45] Neha Singhal

And sometimes it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes it’s very challenging as well. Because sometimes you Neev a space and you’re like, I am missing something. There is something that I did not curate very well. Why don’t I have anything that fits that space better? And that’s when I start hunting for more artists. Even though I don’t have their works here, I feel like there is something there’s a missing piece in my own puzzle. And trust me, it happens very often.

[00:13:46 – 00:14:07] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. It’s an amazing but a long process. So Thank you. Again, congratulations and wishing many more tears of this. And switching gears, we talked about a lot of intensity, a lot of passion going into all of this. I’d love to hear what do you do to switch off a little bit, kick back, relax, and enjoy.

[00:14:08 – 00:14:52] Neha Singhal

I love cooking. So I love trying different recipes. I never follow a single recipe. So I will decide what I wanna make, and I’ll just browse through 10, 15 different recipes, and I’ll make something. The girls will come and say, mom, this was amazing. Can you make it again? And I’d be like, I don’t know how I make it. So that for me is very relaxing, and I do like to spend time with my dog. So I start my day with just morning walks with my dog. That gives me some some time to just, talk on the phone with family back home, just listen to music, or just quiet listening to any documentary, anything at that point in time that I feel like.

[00:14:53 – 00:14:56] Nitin Bajaj

Amazing. And we do have the weather for it. So why not?

[00:14:56 – 00:14:57] Neha Singhal

Absolutely. We pay for it.

[00:14:57 – 00:15:03] Nitin Bajaj

Yes. So true. Any book or podcast recommendation?

[00:15:04 – 00:15:06] Neha Singhal

It’s going to be very different from art.

[00:15:07 – 00:15:07] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

[00:15:07 – 00:15:24] Neha Singhal

So I love to listen to Mad Money by Jane Kramer. So that’s something that’s ongoing, and there is a breakfast fund that happened that is on, CNBC in the morning, which just talks about the stock market, what’s due, what’s going on. So I love listening to that.

[00:15:25 – 00:15:35] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. Those keep you current and up to date with what’s happening, but you miss out on the rest of the news cycle that may not be as healthy.

[00:15:35 – 00:15:48] Neha Singhal

You see, the thing is with creativity, always that creativity can also be a little bit too much. So I need to keep one side very active and not forget about my past and my banking as well. So I try and balance the 2 together.

[00:15:49 – 00:15:58] Nitin Bajaj

So true. Now on to my favorite part of the show. We call them the one line life lessons. Would love to hear your life lessons.

[00:16:00 – 00:17:28] Neha Singhal

The most important one to me is impossible. The word impossible says I am possible. Lead by example. And I think for us as parents, for me as a mother of 2 girls, I feel it’s very important for the girls to see how much work, effort, focus, and time management that is required for their parents to be able to take care of them as well as take care of their day to day tasks. And when they see it, they know that there is a lot of commitment in anything and everything that you do. It may be a non for profit. It may be a VC. It may be being an entrepreneur, wherever you go, everything will need a lot of commitment. Taking risk, something that I took, and I feel very happy about it. I’m glad that I did because this journey has gotten me a long way. Being in the corporate world is very different. That’s its own learning and its own journey. Starting something from scratch, not knowing anything about the logistics of it and pulling the shows together, pulling the crowd together has been very satisfying. So I’m glad that I took the risk and I’m doing what I’m doing. And I have a favorite one, which is I would rather die of passion than die of boredom. So that’s exactly what I’m doing now.

[00:17:29 – 00:17:58] Nitin Bajaj

I love that, and I’m glad that you took that risk and jumped and took that leap of faith. Because, yes, corporate life can be, let’s say, not easy, but very structured, and it can give you that sense of security. But I’m of the belief that I would rather do something and be wrong or fail at it than live in regret of I could have done that. So I’m glad you’re following your passion and,

[00:17:58 – 00:18:00] Neha Singhal

Yeah. The best of the both worlds. Right?

[00:18:01 – 00:18:23] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. Yeah. So true. Neha, thank you so much for sharing your journey, and congratulations again for all of the successes so far. And, looking forward to many more tears and bringing you back on and talking about more artists, more art, and, many new patrons that appreciate and, add art to their collection.

[00:18:24 – 00:18:27] Neha Singhal

Thank you so much for having me, Nitin. This was great.