Who is Falak Randerian?
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| With Faizan |
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| With Zoe |
Falak… that’s me… well if you are Momsters’ regular you must be aware of who I’m (I hope so). Introducing myself has never been tough but finding 100 new ways to do it… is… I will do in the way I know I’m good at “Once upon a time... there was a little reader and she loved her books. She believed in the magic of stories and that is what she wanted to spread. She grew up, and her love for stories and reading grew with her. She started a story and communication club & the magic of reading and books continued.”
I have been told I’m natural with children. As a young mom myself, I love being with kids and keeping them happy.
Momsters (M): A little bit about yourself (About you, your family and most importantly your kid/s)
Falak (F): I live in Bangalore with my super supportive husband (a friend for life) Faizan, and my little girl Zoe. She is my little bookwork who never gets enough of her books; I guess I learn from her every day.
I did my schooling in Lucknow and Delhi, and graduated from Gargi College (Delhi University). After completing my Post Graduation in Corporate Communication, I picked up my first job in Employee Engagement.
I did my schooling in Lucknow and Delhi, and graduated from Gargi College (Delhi University). After completing my Post Graduation in Corporate Communication, I picked up my first job in Employee Engagement.
M: Before you became a mom... (Before you became a mom, what were you involved in?)
F: For six long I was working in a Delhi based firm. I started in Employee Engagement, then shifted to Training and Communication.
F: For six long I was working in a Delhi based firm. I started in Employee Engagement, then shifted to Training and Communication.
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| MLCB Logo |
M: Can you tell us more about your business? What is it about?
F: I started My Little Chatterbox on 13th August 2012, we conduct workshops in Story Telling, Reading & Communication development in Bangalore. We have recently started Tale in a Mail a one of it's kind monthly subscription box of hand-picked books for your children between 0-6 years.
M: How long have you been in business?
F: Close to 1½ years
M: How did you come up with this idea?
F: I was a young mom, in a new city looking for ways to keep my daughter engaged through entertaining educative new ways. She was keen story listener, but unfortunately none of the sessions were open to take kids her age. I knew I had the flair for storytelling, but I asked myself… what else? That is when I started working on the curriculum and developed the various workshops which took around 6 months to develop.
M: What inspired you to start a venture of your own?
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| Story Telling |
F: The credit has to go to my daughter, if it would not have been for her, I would have never thought of My Little Chatterbox, she is my biggest inspiration. She is the one who made me develop into a good storyteller, thanks to her constant requests for stories.
M: What made you decide to start this kind of business?
F: I saw the situation and the kind of person I’m… I grabbed it.
F: I saw the situation and the kind of person I’m… I grabbed it.
M: Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming a mompreneur? What are these?
F: Definitely, especially when I had my concept very clear. I was open to feedback, but I didn’t want to offer something which was already there. I wanted to keep my story workshop away from any kind of props, just for the heck of it (read unnecessary use of puppets, music, etc). I use props when I need to, but I guess I don’t need them in every session. Some of the parents wanted props in the communication workshops as well, which was kind of funny. Breaking stereotypes was crucial and difficult but I guess it is working in my favor now. People who attend the sessions are happy and come back for more… that tells me I’m working in the right direction.
Another thing is reaching out to schools; some educational institutes are extremely welcoming. Some on the other hand, do not believe story telling should be a part of the curriculum.
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| At a book reading session |
M: What do you love best about your job?
F: Just the fact that I’m able to do what I love doing gives me immense satisfaction and that makes me work harder.
F: Just the fact that I’m able to do what I love doing gives me immense satisfaction and that makes me work harder.
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| Look into Tale in a Mail |
M: According to you, what are key traits a mompreneur should have when starting their own business?
F: Well, this one is tough. I guess one has to have a plan in place and a backup in place. You should obviously be passionate about what you’re doing and believe in what you do. Your venture is like your baby, you have to nurture it like that.
F: Well, this one is tough. I guess one has to have a plan in place and a backup in place. You should obviously be passionate about what you’re doing and believe in what you do. Your venture is like your baby, you have to nurture it like that.
M: Is entrepreneurship for every mom?
F: It definitely depends partly on you (what you want) and partly on your support system. I was able to do what I wanted, as I have an extremely supportive family. I was also extremely clear that I wanted to get into something… I took time to realize what exactly I wanted to do.
F: It definitely depends partly on you (what you want) and partly on your support system. I was able to do what I wanted, as I have an extremely supportive family. I was also extremely clear that I wanted to get into something… I took time to realize what exactly I wanted to do.
M: Is the professional personal? Do you find that you sometimes need to create boundaries between home life and work life?
F: You have to develop a balance, which let me tell you, is extremely hard. Most of my work involves working from home; I schedule my sessions and meetings around the schedule of my family. Last minute, things do come up, that is when one needs to prioritize. Zoe now knows that mom is on a call or is on her desk, she is busy. You end up becoming a work-a-holic, I work late nights, on weekends and there are no day offs. I do take vacations though where I try to disconnect myself as much as possible.
Professional does become personal, your social media presence become crucial as some of your key clients are on your friend list. So, one needs to think before doing any kind of activity on Social Media. You might get calls on weekends, or at completely odd hours. I try to balance as much as possible.
Contact Information:Email address – mylittlechatterbox.blr@gmail.com
Mobile Number – 09964495522
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/mylittlechatterbox
Twitter - @ MLChatterBox
F: You have to develop a balance, which let me tell you, is extremely hard. Most of my work involves working from home; I schedule my sessions and meetings around the schedule of my family. Last minute, things do come up, that is when one needs to prioritize. Zoe now knows that mom is on a call or is on her desk, she is busy. You end up becoming a work-a-holic, I work late nights, on weekends and there are no day offs. I do take vacations though where I try to disconnect myself as much as possible.
Professional does become personal, your social media presence become crucial as some of your key clients are on your friend list. So, one needs to think before doing any kind of activity on Social Media. You might get calls on weekends, or at completely odd hours. I try to balance as much as possible.
Contact Information:Email address – mylittlechatterbox.blr@gmail.com
Mobile Number – 09964495522
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/mylittlechatterbox
Twitter - @ MLChatterBox
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