As an entrepreneur, one must follow one’s passion and dreams

Aadhya Jain, an alumna of the Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar (ACFA) is the founder of RR Enterprises, an interior designing firm in Ludhiana. She did her Bachelors in Internet and Mobile Technology in the class of 2019. In an exclusive interview, she recounts her journey of becoming an entrepreneur, gives life lessons to students and describes the qualities an entrepreneur must possess. Edited excerpts:

Please tell us about your current work profile?

I have an IT background, I deal in the technical part in dealing with the customers. In interior designing, computers play an important role as everything is in soft copy and software now. I prefer to work with Canva, Photoshop etc. I design the layouts. Basically, I give the clients the complete picture of what their home would look like after the designing.

What was the inspiration behind becoming an interior designer?

My current field is totally different from what I graduated in. I became an interior designer out of passion and dedication. I was very keen to decorate and design my home so I thought why not design everyone else’s home as well. I didn’t have a plan since the beginning to become an interior designer but I always had a passion for this field. It was later that passion mixed with business. Interiors is also my family business by the way.

Please tell us about the journey of founding your own company?

I started the company on October 13, 2018. It was a small business initially in Ludhiana. We had our own showroom. Slowly we tried to expand it. It has been four years now and we have successfully expanded it. We are making homes, giving layouts to people. Many customers are coming to us. There have been ups and downs as well. But it has been a great experience.

What are the three qualities that a successful entrepreneur must possess?

First, it is the dedication and the confidence for doing what one wants in life. As per my qualification, I could never think of pursuing this business. I was doing a job in the IT background. But somehow in the back of my mind, I had a passion towards this field. This excites me every time. So I thought of quitting my job and following my passion. I was working with Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai. That job never excited me, it was a 9-5 desk job. I always liked field work and site visits more. So, I started my own venture. An entrepreneur must have the passion and must focus on what they want in their life.

What are some of your best memories from the ACFA campus?

 A lot of memories. (Laughs) I was Vice-President for my IT forum. So we created a lot of memories in those days. I was a very active member of the SWS IT forum. Some or the activity used to happen always. We would organise numerous functions. We started the Diwali party and the freshers’ party in the campus.

How did ACFA help you to pursue your passion?

 When I came to ACFA for my admission, I was very confused about my field. I came with my father. He told me to choose the IT field since it has a craze among youngsters. But a college is known for its interiors and I had a keen interest for fine arts. I had friends at ACFA who were studying interior designing, so I used to work with them on their projects. I got to learn a lot that way about interior designing since I had more of an inclination towards that.

What life lessons would you give to a student who is studying currently at ACFA?

Well I am not that old yet that I would give life lessons (laughs) but surely I would say that follow your passion, follow your dream. It is very important to have a focus from the beginning.