Nitin Bajaj

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj, and joining me today is Reena Gupta. Reena, welcome on the show.

Reena Gupta

Thank you, Nitin. So happy to be here.

Nitin Bajaj

Pleasure is all ours. Let’s start with who is Reena?

Reena Gupta

Well, professionally, I’m an entrepreneur, an author, and I call myself as a work life harmony champion and, helpful good human being who loves to have a happy and regret free life and enjoying my life. So I have 2 kids that, live in Pleasant in California. So just enjoying my life here.

Nitin Bajaj

And having known you for a bit, I can attest to every single one of those things.

Reena Gupta

Thank you. Thank you.

Nitin Bajaj

So tell us what do you do for a living? I know you do a few things. So tell us which ones are, you know, the closest to your heart where you’re spending most time and energy now.

Reena Gupta

So I am kind of doing a few things simultaneously, and, there are some things that I do for my community, something that I do for myself, and something that I’m going back to my entrepreneurial bug that I’m starting a new tech, startup. So I’ll talk about my new tech startup that it is in generative AI and content and all that. But I also run a nonprofit called mom relaunch to help women who are on a career break get back into the workforce. And I also nurture youth, for entrepreneurship and things. So in a in summary, I like to teach and nurture people to live a harmonious and regret free life. And I have, three things that I always go back and say that I teach creativity to youth, confidence to women, and empathy to men because it’s very important for them to be on the same same page when we are working with. This is one of the things that is very close to my heart. It says, while I’m nurturing women for career, it couldn’t be possible until unless she knows and how to get the support from the whole family. So it this all these things, and I do several community work in my local city as well. I’m part of the economic vitality council. I’m part of the school district, advisory board and some nonprofit foundation. So a few things on my plate, but, yeah, all fun stuff. Really enjoying doing everything.

Nitin Bajaj

In true Reena spirit, very modest, very knowledgeable. But I do love your clarity and your mission and the the ease with which it flows from you and always with a smile. So I really appreciate

Reena Gupta

1. Thank you.

Nitin Bajaj

Keep doing what you do. You know, we we really appreciate it. Now tell us, you know, I I obviously understand the why. Mhmm. But I would love to hear that in your words, and also why now?

Reena Gupta

Yeah. So, the why for all three things are different because, you know, if you’re doing a few things, I always believe that if we we always think know that, people talk about let’s change the world, let’s put the dent in the sky, but what they feel to ignore is their own house, their own home, their own community, their own neighbors. So I’m a big I raised I was born and raised in a joint family. And joint family when I say a joint family of 4 cousins, 4 families, and we grew up with 21 cousins in one big family. So I have lived through a community where we knew that we can learn and grow with each other. And the cousins in our family were, like, from teenagers to 2 years old, and we were all learning and sharing with each other. So that memory has always been in my life, and that is that shaped me who I am. So everything I do, I look into 3 things. How is it helping me? How is it helping my family? How is it helping my community? So that’s why I do a lot of those things that I do around with for my community for that spirit. And why now? Because this is the most important time to make sure that we connect and help with each other. Because there is it’s sad situation, but we we are aware of the whole world, but we don’t know what’s happening in our own neighborhood. So if you ever happen to see the work that I do in my community, we have created, like, a text group of all our families, like, 6, 7 families just around each other and say, if you have anything, we you will see how nicely detect oh, there was a noise at night. So that community spirit has to be there. So that answers why I do the community work. Secondly, about youth, I think if we don’t nurture them in the right direction, not like just doing pitch fest and entrepreneurship, but actually nurturing the problem solving skills that not to be a complainer, but roll up your sleeves and find solution. That is that’s all I want them to learn and teach, and that’s what I focus on. And that’s the same thing I teach for mom relaunch. And the third thing why I’m doing my tech startup is I think it’s very hard for me not to do anything. Yes. So I I did sold one of my companies in 2018. I knew that I’m going to devote my life literally 5 years for community work, doing a lot of these things that I was not doing as much as during that earlier. Then I kind of switched. Now I’ll be doing a little bit more on my tech start up. So I have a time and priority set up for for each phase of my life. So that’s why I’m doing all this.

Nitin Bajaj

And I’ve seen firsthand how organized and disciplined you are. You have a time slot for each of those things. Right? I absolutely love the focus because otherwise, you know, making an impact at such a scale across many different things is impossible. So kudos to

Reena Gupta

Thank you. Thank you. Right. Without without that, I call it as the focus management, not even time management. I have to be focused. Otherwise, I can’t do anything like that.

Nitin Bajaj

So true. Now tell us what is the biggest challenge you are facing as an entrepreneur, as a community leader, as somebody who’s mentoring you. If you were to boil it down to one big challenge, what is that?

Reena Gupta

I think, one big challenge in my opinion is people are very, polarized. They don’t want to understand and listen to others’ opinion, and they are missing on accepting others as they are. I think the moment they accept, no no true people are same. Even in our house, we have challenges. Right? But if you learn to accept others as they are and this is one thing I have learned in my own, spiritual journey with art of living is accept people as they are, as accept them as so that is one of the biggest challenge. Mhmm. Immediately, the whole whatever the technology has done to us or not technology, we are we have found ourselves in a situation because we just want to be right at what cost and that people are forgetting that cost. So that is the challenge. I see that in community. I see that in in that. And on a lighter note, the challenge that I’m facing, it’s it’s kind of funny. It’s like I when I sold my company, I think I’m going to sleep in a little bit more, but it’s hard to sleep late till late. So every time I stay awake with this challenge and every time thinking and listening and reading about it, it’s like, oh my god. This how we need to just learn how to accept. I think this is the biggest challenge.

Nitin Bajaj

So true. Now I’m curious to hear on the flip side of this challenge comes opportunities. Right? And as you work across this wide spectrum of people, what’s the one thing you’re most excited about?

Reena Gupta

I think the most exciting thing about is the opportunity that there is a a way to change. There’s a way not change in the sense mindset, but there is so much to grow and learn that see, if you if you have already learned and be there, you feel that, we have already reached everything and we have done. But the human mind, the capacity is so high. I mean, with the technological advances, I think the the the skill to imagine what we can, what we can be, and it’s never an end to it. So I think there’s that excitement is, like, today and few years from now will be completely different, but that part really excites me. There’s never an end to it. So that that that, skill to imagine what we can be, and that is then that’s what makes us human, and that’s what I think is very important.

Nitin Bajaj

So true and so very well said. Yeah. I’m inclined to look back in the rear view mirror and talk about this these two instances. 1 that became a success beyond your imagination and expectations, and on the other end something that did not and essentially was a failure and became a lesson.

Reena Gupta

Mhmm. So first of all, let me address the second part. So long time back, I took out the word failure from my dictionary, and I said, I’m not going to call it failure at all. It’s my learning. So that changed is and that helped me kept going. So there is no I call myself as a solo bootstrapped entrepreneur, by the way. So I I came from a background where girls were not even allowed to have a career.

Forget about, education and all those things. So there were many opportunities that was very easy for me to give up. I said, forget it. I don’t have to do this. Why am I even doing it? But I kept going and going because, like, I kept learning from those incidences. So there’s no lack of it. If you say, tell me, one, I think I I’ll have thousands of those, thousands of those in from making the wrong hiring decisions to making the wrong decisions, but still kept going. 2nd thing the first question about, the opportunity. So don’t laugh at this, but I think my opportunity or called me as a lucky person to get married to the person who who supported me in every aspect professionally. Now I I’m I’m very careful in saying that how much he supports at home because I have to take care and nurture him on that. And he has been he’s getting married to the right person is the turning point for me. I think that is the opportunity, and I tell people very whether it is, looking for friends or partners, whoever they are having it is a lot of luck to it. I’m not saying that. So that is an opportunity that has changed, that has made me who I am, because and that’s why I’m very big on supporting, having a supportive environment whether at home or whether at, communities. So that without that, it’s very difficult, very difficult. And I’m a very I’m a social butterfly, so I I go and meet people and I create that network as and when I can. So those 2 things I would say is very important for people. Not like specific thing about success and failure. Just keep on learning, keep on finding opportunities, and what made you who you are always appreciate that.

Nitin Bajaj

And you know I agree with that that you want to surround yourself with people that will enable you. And your life partner obviously is that one big person that can do that for you. So I’m glad you found the right person. And

Reena Gupta

And there is a story to it. I didn’t even find that for my they had an arranged marriage. So our parents did a good job there.

Nitin Bajaj

Kudos to them.

Reena Gupta

Yes. Absolutely. All credit goes to them.

Nitin Bajaj

You know, I would love to ask you to share a few one line life lessons with us that have you’ve either adopted or you have come to define that have essentially, you know, shaped how you think, how you are, and how you help people around you?

Reena Gupta

I have one one specific, like, less tagline that I use and tell to everybody. It’s like I say I live my life with help generously, but ask shamelessly. You will you will see me asking without any inhibition saying that I need this, whether you can do it or not. I remember when we were dictionaries like, hey. Your industry show looks good, and should I be on your show? And that’s how I do it. That’s how I operate. I have seen more and more people want to help. That is the problem. True. And that’s what I like people to understand. It’s like and and the same time, people are very hesitant in asking for help, but at the same time you have to be very open on helping. And all these things has to be done. You cannot be just one one-sided. If somebody comes and it’s like when somebody comes and asks me for help, my first thing is like, oh, I’m so lucky that I am in a position to help. That’s my first thought. So that’s how I, shaped my life and I shaped them. I’ve you will not find me asking for help for any reason, hesitation, but at the same time, I do go out of my way to help anyone. Second thing, that I have learned from my dad is, offer advice only when it is asked. So I try not to do any advice, though. I nurture and all those things, but I try my level best not to say until and unless it’s asked. It’s very important in there. 3rd thing that has always helped me in my networking and the fun stuff that I do is I always capture every new person that I meet with a mobile phone. Make use of your mobile phone, and that’s that’s the best way to remember. That’s why that has helped me with professionally, personally open up with people, make a conversation, all these things that we hear, especially for women, they oh, how do I go and open up conversation? It is like, hey. Can I can I have a picture? Let’s have a picture first and then talk. Right? It just opens up, and I I think I’ve I’ve been doing this. You may have seen me. I’m doing that in Of course. In the conference also.

Nitin Bajaj

And, you know, what I love about that is you are creating a memory.

Reena Gupta

Exactly. Mhmm.

Nitin Bajaj

And and that allows you to build on top of that. And like you said, you know, that’s the start of that relationship.

Reena Gupta

That’s it. So the first thing I again, as I said, I use my mobile to its best possible use usage. So what else? I mean, these are a few things that I’ve always used in my, networking and then and I also have, a saying that, we should focus on ourselves, our family, and our community. Rest, if we just focus everybody just focus on that, the whole world will be a good place. You don’t have to solve everyone’s problem and the whole world problem. So, yeah, I think I’ve covered quite a bit. And I also follow I have, like, a one page canvas for myself. I call it as work life canvas, which I’m I have written in my book also, this, career interrupted. This, where it is all about just create a framework for yourself. You know what you want to do or give yourself a time frame, and try to keep accountable for yourself.

Nitin Bajaj

Reena, thank you so much for being you, for being here to share your story and your journey, and for doing what you do for the entrepreneurs, the community, the youth in really helping shape the next generation. Really appreciate it.

Reena Gupta

Thank you, Nitin. Thank you.