76: Building a clean label brand - the highs and lows of being a female entrepreneur: Anusha Bhushan, CEO and Co-Founder, Smoodies: "And it is really hard, I think, especially when imposter syndrome sort of plays on your mind saying, do I deserve to be so audacious with my dreams. And actually, for some time, I think I used to say the right thing, so I used to say that I'm playing a go big strategy, but when it came to actually making decisions, I would take a slightly safer route. And in fact an investor actually called me out on it and he said, you know, you're saying you want to go big, but your dreams do seem to be limited by some sense of restraint in your own mind.” Across the world women’s participation in labour fell dramatically during the pandemic and India was no different. Except that numbers of women in the workforce had been steadily declining since 2010. Women entrepreneurs fair no better in the country - just 14% of women own or run businesses(IMF2019). So, it is no great surprise that women account for just 17% of GDP in India, less than half the global average. The barriers to entry for women are numerous - socio-cultural expectations, risk aversion, unequal access to finance and collateral, absence of support networks …. The list is endless. So, it is always good to meet with women who step out of their comfort zone to make their dreams come alive. In this case, it is my guest Anusha Bhushan, a young entrepreneur who left her career in investment banking to set up a wellness beverage brand Smoodies. In this episode of The Elephant in the Room podcast we talk about her journey to becoming an entrepreneur, 👉🏾 Overthinking and overcoming the Imposter syndrome 👉🏾 Her commitment to building a clean labeled, sustainable business 👉🏾 The unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs 👉🏾 The highs and lows of running a business 👉🏾 Support networks and mentors 👉🏾 Learnings from running a sustainable wellness brand 👉🏾 Her advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs