How To Build A Thriving Startup Culture w/ Nishi Shah

Nishi Shah: 0:00

They hate to hear this. Founders hate it when I tell them this you are the culture of your business.

Anshika Arora: 0:07

Today, we're talking all about shaping the right winning culture within your team. Often, as founders, we can get so siloed into the tangible elements of our business, like sales, capital, marketing and so much more, but it's so easy to miss out on one of the most important elements, which is setting the right company culture. We're so honored to have Nishi on the podcast, who is a leadership development consultant with decades of experience working within the startup and enterprise organisations on building in the right culture by their metrics, hiring in the right way and really just making sure that you can achieve your overall business mission. I'm Anshika. I'm the founder of Eternity, a CRM that's designed to streamline the wedding industry. We're built for both couples and businesses alike, and I'm so excited to be hosting the BAE LAB podcast today, which is powered by HSBC Innovation Banking. Let's get into it. Thank you so much, Nishi, for joining us on today's episode of the BAE Lab podcast. I'm so excited to have you on and be talking all things around shaping a winning culture in a startup, so let's get straight into it.

Nishi Shah: 1:09

Thanks for having me on, I really appreciate it.

Anshika Arora: 1:11

Of course. So to start off with, how would you define a company culture and why is it so crucial for startups?

Nishi Shah: 1:17

Yeah, so great question to start. We've got to define it before we can get into it and typically people will talk about it as the behaviors values can get into it and typically people will talk about it as the behaviours, values, beliefs, the kind of norms around how teams interact with each other in sort of a workplace setting. I guess my view is simple right, it's really how we do things and not what we do as a team. It's kind of how your team feels about work on a Sunday night, you know, before the Monday morning. It's in the small moments that matter and seemingly insignificant micro actions and interactions with each other that actually are what culture really is about. It's how it feels in an organisation, I'd say.

Nishi Shah: 1:55

And I guess why it's crucial for startups is. I mean, what an opportunity, right, to start fresh. Like I mean, a lot of the organisations I've worked with in the last sort of of 20 years I'm very old, um are legacy businesses where it's really hard to shift a culture to to match a renewed vision or mission. But in startups we've got such an um opportunity to really do it purposefully and set it out, and an idea is really meaningless without execution. Right, we start with an idea as really meaningless without execution. Right, we start with an idea as founders, but you'll never execute it without the right culture. And also, startups are so small in the beginning that every member of the team rowing in the same direction affects the direction of the boat right, and one person out of three can really shift the culture massively. So if we're not really conscious of it or deliberate about it, um, it can really deter what we're trying to achieve. So I think it's, uh, it's just really like.

Anshika Arora: 2:52

I mean, I'm very passionate about it, but I just think it's the foundation of building anything, any sort of team or any idea yeah, I love what you've said there, especially that analogy around the rowing boat if there's only three of you and if one's going somewhere else, that's 33% of your team. That's not on the same page as you, and I think that's something really important.

Anshika Arora: 3:09

I guess when it comes to founders, we often have a vision and we're sometimes tunnel vision and you forget the element of being a founder, which separates from being a leader. So could you talk us through some effective strategies that founders can do to become that leader and manage and maintain that culture?

Nishi Shah: 3:27

Yeah, absolutely. So we'll get into some practical things, but I think the key is actually starts with the mindset right. Obviously, I'm a coach, so I always start with the mind, but it's actually a mindset shift for founders to go from founder to leader and founders hate it when I say this, but it starts with you right, like it's. I always say the me myself and I like look in the mirror and really build that self-awareness like what do you like on your worst day? What do you like on your best day? Seek the insight, get the feedback from people that you've worked with in the past your family members, people that know you in different scenarios but really look at yourself and really build that self-awareness. And then I'd say the next shift is like it's not about me, but about you and about them, whoever they are. So leaders need to focus on the other, the team's needs, how they develop them and how they move them towards an outcome.

Nishi Shah: 4:20

If you think about it as a founder, you've got a goal in mind. You've got a mission right. Usually, founders have a very clear mission that they're after and your goal should be getting everyone aligned to that mission. And sometimes what we do is we focus so hard on the mission, which is absolutely right in the right cases, but it's going. How do I then take a team along the journey to get to that mission? And so understanding the journey that individual, that group, need to go on is really important. So shifting their mindset from not about me but it's about them.

Nishi Shah: 4:51

And then culture really is your business right. It really starts with you. It's not a nice tab, it can't be an afterthought, it's not a luxury, you know, and it should be in every business plan, it should be in every initial discussion about your business. I find like there's a lot of founders I meet focus on capital right, you know, they focus on the investment, on how they can make it work financially. But the best CEOs I know really focus on two core things capital and culture, and those two things really driving the business.

Nishi Shah: 5:23

And I think finding the last thing is like the shift of culture is a thing that I do. Once I could talk to somebody about write some values on a wall and then it's done. And I think actually founders becoming leaders need to think about this concept of cultural fitness. It isn't once and done. We need to keep working on it, we need to keep checking on it and building it in every moment. That matters as we build our teams and as we build our business. It's we wouldn't expect to go to the gym once and go great, I've got a six-pack right, and so I think we need to think about culture as this in in the same way.

Anshika Arora: 5:59

I think that's such a good analogy to just make sure that you're continuously looking at it, because you're right, you can't expect the results to happen overnight or just in one day or through one strategy session. And it's really important there, where you touched upon founders focus a lot on capital, because I think sometimes in that bubble you can be a lot more focused on what are the tangible things that are running my business, whether that be the sales, whether that be actually getting the people in or actually getting the capital, like you said, but the intangible things like how do you retain those team members? That really ties into the company culture that you start building and that's really helpful reminder.

Nishi Shah: 6:35

And once you've got them in, like, how do you unlock the potential, how do you get them onto the mission and get the best out of them? Because often, like you said, we kind of tick through this checklist of got to get this done, got to get this done, I've got to build a team, I've got to do this and also something you just said whereas like startups, like we go through so much change, right, they go through so much change. So if you aren't keeping an eye on the culture, you might change direction 10 times in a month and actually is the culture still serving that direction and is there other shifts that need to be made? But yeah, and then there's some practical things that we can do.

Anshika Arora: 7:08

Yeah, and I love where you such one of the practical things of intrinsically look at yourself and what are the things that you're like on a good day or on a bad day. But are there any other practical tips that you'd be able to suggest for founders, especially when it comes to making sure that you're doing the ongoing exercise of consistent with your team culture?

Nishi Shah: 7:28

Practical steps to like actually establish what the culture is. Start with a business mission. So you know, I said that we often start with an idea, a mission, a purpose behind our business. Start with that and shoot for the moon right. Get expansive, get really, really ambitious with that. But get super clear what is the problem you're really trying to solve, what is the mission you're on and what is aspirational about it? What is the commercial ambition? What is attainable about it? So let me take you through like a work example.

Nishi Shah: 8:00

Right, if I want to make the best car in the world, that that could be a mission. But actually, if I'm getting really specific, maybe I want to make the best car with the most eco-friendly, durable, popular cars in the world, for example. Not great great cars, I don't know why I chose cars. But if we decide that's the mission, right, they're eco-friendly, they're durable and they're popular, right. Then how do we go and achieve that mission? What is our point of view and what it takes to achieve that mission? And these should be the principles that drive our decision-making. So if it's eco-friendly, that means we need to do something about the environment. Right, there needs to be something in there around our principles, of ways of working about our environment. That should drive our decision making If we want them to be durable. Maybe there's something in there about testing and engineering capability and you know really safety, and if we're saying that they're popular, then maybe that means that they are accessible. That might have something to do with the price point, for example. So if we start with a really clear mission, it ends us up with having really easy to run principles that drive that business. We often call them strategic drivers. They're the things that enable you to make a choice. So if we're eco-friendly, then we're going to go on environment versus cost, right, and we're going to make those types of decisions and then, if you've got those clear, you go okay. Then what are the behaviors needed to achieve that mission?

Nishi Shah: 9:30

And culture really is a set of behaviors that we get really nuanced about and quite often people go well, yeah, trust, work together, collaborate, and I'm like those things are a given. If you don't have those things, you've got bigger problems right, and actually let's try and raise the ceiling rather than raise the floor and get really clear about what's different about our business rather than. I could take those trust, collaboration, honesty I could take those to any business and it would work. But what is it about our business, our mission, the principles of how we want to do, stuff that make our behaviors really unique to us. So if, going through the car example, if we're kind of designing durable, eco-friendly, popular cars, then does that mean that we're relaxed, lean, learn as we go approach, or we're more tested or validated approach.

Nishi Shah: 10:22

So one of our behaviors might be we wish to make, um, we make the details matter. You know, we really interrogate those things and we're really conscientious about, uh, all those little things that helps with durability. It makes it long lasting, um, it might be that we say, actually, but one of our behaviors is leaving a legacy. Right, if we're talking about durability, we're talking about popular. It means that actually, the things that we do, the way we operate, is we want things to be lasting, we want durability, we want sustainability and we're thinking about the longer term impacts. And when we make decisions or how we interact with each other, we're doing that because we want you to love us for a long time, you know, um, so then you get a set of clear behaviors that really drive the mission of the organization, and I do this work a lot with leadership teams or individuals where we really start with mission and we and it's a process, right, it takes time and like that's the other thing.

Nishi Shah: 11:21

It is going to take time, but, um, and you might iterate as well. Right, these aren't once and done, like I said, but start with the mission, get super clear on the principles that drive your business and then what are the behaviors that are going to be needed to drive that business in the way that you want to achieve on that mission and, crucially, like, make them active. Right? So these are calls to action, right? So leave a legacy is a call to action. We used to have one a business I work with called direct with empathy. We are direct with each other, but we are kind and empathetic individuals, like there needs to be this one in an organization I'm working with at the moment, which is sweat the small stuff. It means I pay attention to every little detail. It's a call to action. I know if I'm doing it or if I'm not. I can tell you if you're doing it or if you're not, and it's very active we hope you're enjoying the episode so far.

Amardeep Parmar: 12:16

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Anshika Arora: 12:51

I think that's the exciting thing about setting your culture and doing that exercise, because, one, it's really motivating, but, two, you have something measurable, because I think a lot of the time, like you said, people will set a culture and say, yep, we're open, we're honest and use those. I guess, a lot of the time, you always hear that all of these things, whether it be strategy or culture, is set from the top and then trickles down into the rest of the team. On that note, are there any specific behaviours that you think founders should be doing to ensure that they're setting the right culture and influencing the business in the right way?

Nishi Shah: 13:28

Yeah. So I think I do agree that it does start at the top, absolutely, and that's why I won't work with organizations that don't have the CEO buy-in or that I don't have the time with the CEO to really drive forward what I'm doing, because it doesn't work otherwise and I've done it before in consulting and it just doesn't happen. So it absolutely starts with the founders, and I think they hate to hear this. Founders hate it when I tell them this. You, you are the culture of your business. So if there is something going wrong in your business and people are operating in a certain way, it starts with what I said before. You need to look in the mirror, like what are you doing to either tolerate those behaviors, encourage those behaviors or allow them to percolate in the business and in the team? Right and you know no one wants to hear that right, it really is on us as founders or leaders of the business. And more often than not, you know, the culture of the business is very much the mirror and the mindset, the behaviors of the founder, whether it's intentional or not. So one frame of reference I talk about is like spikes and shadows. So one frame of reference I talk about is like spikes and shadows.

Nishi Shah: 14:36

So this concept of spikes and shadows is that I can have a real strength. For example, one of mine would be I love talking, which is great for this, and I can confidently usually articulate my point of view. Now, on its best day, that means I can come across as passionate, articulate, get my point of view across, and at its worst, I can come across pushy and forceful with my point of view because I'm so passionate about it. But it's the same skill. But it can have a spike and it can also cause a shadow. It can also mean I don't make space sometimes for others to express their point of view because I think I have a shadow around it in the sense of well, surely if people have something to say, they just say it. But clearly that is not the case for everybody. And so every kind of strength, if you want to call it that, or every attribute, has a spike and a shadow to it.

Nishi Shah: 15:34

And often we're not aware of the shadows that we cast by some of the spikes that we have. And I think it goes back to that self-awareness point. But really think about what your spikes and shadows are and I guarantee you'll see them in your team and in your business as a founder. So there are probably some do's and don'ts that I would share with them. So I think the do's are, you know, build yourself awareness number one, like we said and then get curious, like seek understanding from others, so people that you've worked with in the past, like I said, um, uh, teams that are around you, uh, partners, investors, like anyone in your ecosystem, even family and friends and get curious about where your spikes and shadows really show up and be vulnerable in that. Right. Be vulnerable in that. Allow them to really share, because that's where growth comes from, right? You're not going to grow if you don't have that insight.

Nishi Shah: 16:26

I would say, then go back to the business mission and think about how those spikes and shadows are going to serve your mission. And then I'd say the one thing to do, once you have established what that looks like, is protect it at all costs. Like one bad apple in a team can really spoil the whole bunch, and I think we'll get into kind of how we measure for culture in a minute, but I think it's really important. And then I think the don'ts are I mean, don't let others dictate your culture, right, and I think this is the thing. I mean, don't let others dictate your culture, right? And I think this is the thing. So we can read a book or listen to a podcast and go oh, these are the three things that drive high performing teams. I'm going to do those and you look at your team and you're like why isn't this working? Well, because maybe that's not the three things that are going to drive your mission forward.

Nishi Shah: 17:16

And I think this is a huge mistake I see founders make is, literally I read a book, or I read, I listened to this podcast, or that organization does that. They have a complete different mission, they have a different leader, they have a different set of team members. So really look at what you're trying to achieve, who you are and what your strengths are, what your point of view is on how you're going to achieve that mission, and then build your culture from there. Um and so, whilst I say, don't take other people's, don't let other people dictate your culture, don't build it in isolation from co-founders and your team. If you have one right um, build it together. Right, build it together. Understand what it you.

Nishi Shah: 17:52

You know whether you've done this work or not, and An

shika like that, you have a culture. Every, every team, every founder has a culture. Whether you've set it or not, there is one um. And then I'd say, like, don't do it for the gram. Like don't get the fancy offices, unlimited holidays, perks, like donuts, free breakfast that is not culture. Like ping pong tables is not culture. Don't fall for it. And don't do it for how great it looks on Instagram that in our company culture we do this Like honestly, it's not going to get you the results you want Absolutely not and I love what you touched upon there especially when it comes to the team.

Anshika Arora: 18:28

And when it comes to the team, it often starts from day one Also just being how you welcome them into the business, but actually even before that, when you're hiring them and I know that hiring every founder or CEO who often other founders and CEOs will look up to also hiring is one of the hardest things you can do for your business, and there's one side of it where you hire for competence. But what advice would you give to founders who are hiring to make sure that actually the person on the other side of the table aligns with their company values and culture as well?

Nishi Shah: 18:58

Yeah. So great question. And you're right, it absolutely starts that process. But I love what you said about it starts before the hiring process. It starts in that sourcing process.

Nishi Shah: 19:07

You know when you're starting to have, and often you know, with hiring in the startup world it's like you get introduced to someone and you start having a chat and then it turns into something and it can be a day a week and two days a week and then suddenly they're in your team. So I think first of all, as we said, get clear about what your culture is and what you're actually trying to, what behaviours you're actually looking for. And then I think it's really important to actually actively listen. It sounds super simple, but people will tell you who they are and if you're willing to listen, you'll really understand what's not being said and who they really are and whether that aligns with your behaviours. So I'd say, kind of lean in and be clear in your mind about what you're hiring for from a cultural perspective. And often, like you said, we're looking for competence or skills or expertise and sometimes, let's be honest, as fans, we're looking for the cheapest option that we can find to solve the need right. But countless times I've had clients, like really pay for it in the long run.

Nishi Shah: 20:06

So, um, I always say that they you're usually um interviewing for kind of three key areas, right competence, cultural fit and environmental fit. And competence is yeah, do they have the skill needed to fill the gap that you have in your team and to execute what you need them to execute? And then cultural fit is like, yeah, do they align with the mission? And what is their story aligned to your mission? Like, ask them the question right and really lean in and listen to it. Like, are they giving you a cookie cutter answer? The question right and really lean in and listen to it. Like, are they giving you a cookie cutter answer or are they able to really show you ways that they've aligned to that mission? Right, they don't have to love wedding planning or have planned their own wedding for your business, for example, but do they understand that you're trying to make people's lives easier? You want them to enjoy an experience of that process. Like, where have they done that? Where have they experienced that in their lives? So, really test them on their alignment to the mission and do they exhibit the behaviors? So once you're clear on your behaviors, it's quite easy to interview for that right to go. Actually, one of our behaviors is sweating the small stuff. So give me examples of like how you've really done that in any work or career or life. Right. Like where you pay attention to detail, where you realize the little moments really matter and get expansive about how you test for it.

Nishi Shah: 21:23

And environmental fit is really important because can they work the way you need them to? Like, can they flex, do they deal with ambiguity, well, uncertainty? You know the pace at which startups change and move is really important. You know not just hours and location. Like really think about the environmental fit of the business. And I think also don't be afraid to get like experimental with the hiring process.

Nishi Shah: 21:46

Right, it isn't just an into and done. Like if you've got um, a physical business, um or a physical product like, get them to really um, experiment with the product, come back present to you about what they, what their experience was. Get like, set them tasks. Like case studies, scenarios. Like if you have a physical business, I have a client at the moment that's in a service industry.

Nishi Shah: 22:09

Like we now um the final stage is you come in, you run a shift. Like if you're really committed, you'll make the time to do that. Firstly, if they're going to take time off their current roles or their leisure time to invest in essentially working for free for a potential role, that shows you something about level of commitment and discretionary effort they're going to give to, then you test them in the environment. It gives them an opportunity to see what they're getting into, but also you an opportunity to see how they perform in and around the team. And the other thing is, when you are slightly bigger and you have a few more people in the team is we often have what we call culture carriers in the business.

Nishi Shah: 22:49

Like there's a couple of people in a team where you're like you know the business will feel very different without them. They're the people that really carry the culture. They really embody the values. Get those people in front of them like. Get them to see. Like you know, there was the old adage of like would you sit next to them on a plane for like 10 hours or would you want to go for a drink with them? Like, really test that in different scenarios. Don't be afraid to like actually have round two of an interview, like going for a drink with them or inviting them to your team meeting or a team team outing right and just really seeing that. But I'd say the main thing is invest the time up front to ensure that you get long-term value and, um, yeah, don't, don't suffer in the short term.

Anshika Arora: 23:29

Yeah yeah, I love it. I think there's this running joke that I always see um on TikTok and other founders talking about where there's a personality hire, and I think in a way, it actually does relate to what you're saying. They're obviously not there just for their personality.

Nishi Shah: 23:42

Let's hope not.

Anshika Arora: 23:43

We'd hope not, but actually they are the culture carriers. Yeah, they also share that same energy that potentially the founder has and will emulate that into the rest of the team. That's great, I guess. Another question that I have is when it comes to measurable ways of understanding if the culture you've set is actually thriving, and how do you get feedback, whether it be from your employees or your personality hires or anyone else who's senior in the team. How's the best way to measure your company culture?

Nishi Shah: 24:12

I think there are a few ways. So obviously we start with you're really clear on what you're measuring. So you're clear on what those behaviors are. Like I said, make them action oriented, because that makes it really measurable, right. If they're, if it's a call to action, it means that I know if I'm doing it, you know if I'm doing it and we can have a conversation about it. So, firstly, care about it right, like invest in it, care about it.

Nishi Shah: 24:32

Build in like um, even little things like temperature checks. So when you have a team meeting generally you have team meetings like maybe once a week or um, how frequently you do that. Build in those minor checkers which kind of like it's just like a temperature check, it's like going, all right, let's see, we've got three, three behaviors. For example, how do we feel we're doing on this one? Like hands up out five, like where are we at this week on it? Or like we do this thing in some of our meetings where we can go, start your hands low and like you stand up and go. You know, just like little ways of doing it visually, not having to really talk about it in depth or spend too much time, but like a real check and then that way, one one, you can look around the room or on the call and kind of really go all right, we need to lean into this and as a leader, you can say, right, here's how I'm going to amp that up this week. Or I'm going to deliberately call out where we are doing that well, where we aren't. So just those real um, you know micro kind of check-ins, um, don't wait for those yearly reviews, or you know um, and then I'd say, like, if you're caring about it, you'd also you tune into those micro actions that feel a bit unnerving. You know, there's sometimes things happen like, oh, that doesn't really feel like us, don't wait for the molehill to grow into a mountain, right, tackle it right there.

Nishi Shah: 25:45

And then, like, if something was said or done or you heard about something within the team that you were like that's not really very ours, lean in and get curious. So I wouldn't say, fix it, I'd say, right, what was going on in that moment? What do we think? What was happening for each of you? Like it's not about, you know, the parent coming in and fixing the siblings rivalry, right, like actually just getting curious and understanding it, but don't let it fester.

Nishi Shah: 26:11

I think, leaning into some of those things and then I think the proof is in the pudding, right. Like, if your behaviors are like tied to your business mission, it's a feeling right and so, like, have those one-to-ones like really use that to think about and understand how people are behaving and showing up, not just what they're doing. So focus on the results and the what, yes, but also focus on the how. Look, surveys can be useful, right, you're very small, usually as startups, so I find the conversations are much more helpful and with one of my clients clients, we started doing the team check-ins, like monthly right, where you might have an all-hands or something. You have a bit more time. It could take up to 20 minutes, even um of a longer day session and, as a team, really leaning into being vulnerable together and going actually um. Firstly, let's celebrate where we've done these behaviors well. So really celebrating them and calling them out and going oh, I saw you do that and that was really sweating the small stuff. Well, that was real direct, with empathy. Thank you for that. It really moved me on and helped me grow. So really celebrating them on the regular and not waiting for those moments and just having the safety to really call each other on it as well. I think that's really important.

Nishi Shah: 27:29

But it starts with vulnerability from the founder and the CEO but having really good conversations around it. And then I think, feedback. I mean we talk about it all the time and, like, often when you say feedback, people go, oh my gosh, and you know, and genuinely like we have a stress response to feedback, right, our amygdala gets activated, we go into fight, flight or freeze response, we start getting defensive and literally our heart rate rises. And how do you think we approach feedback in that position? We genuinely can't hear it, so our hearing gets constricted when we're in a stress response when it comes to feedback.

Nishi Shah: 28:03

So, actually, up front, one thing that leaders can do and founders can do is setting the tone for what that looks like and really setting an example by going I'm going to ask you for feedback, you know, and going, oh, can you tell me how I did in that, or can you tell me what's working for you, that I'm doing or what I need to be doing better? So I have a very quick process that usually works. But essentially, feedback, three steps right. Check in Firstly is now a good time? Am I in the right space to offer something of value? Are they in the right space to hear it? You know, is what I'm going to say going to help them to grow Like just checking in with yourself and with the other person.

Nishi Shah: 28:44

Then the next stage is like context is everything right, like get a understanding of what, what went on or what you're sharing. So I think it's clear it's important to understand and focus on the impact of what was said or done. It's like that thing you did in the meeting that made me feel, or it made us look, this way as a business and it was not helpful because, xyz right, get really clear on the impact it had and then get clear on the way forward. Um, what are the sticks and swaps? I call them sticks and swaps. I mean a lot of people have had stop, start, continue and all these things.

Nishi Shah: 29:20

But what are the things I need to stick at doing because I'm doing them really well, and what are the behaviors I need to swap out because it's not working so well and often that swaps, I've found with my clients, works a lot better because I'm not saying just don't do this, just don't be you, and I'm going. Well, actually, what you're doing there is not having the design impact. So maybe you can swap it and try this kind of behavior and see if it has the desired impact. So check in, go deeper and understand the context and then get the clear on the way forward.

Nishi Shah: 29:50

Um, and get really clear on your sticks and swaps and actually it all starts with leading from the front right. So if the leaders and CEOs are going and being vulnerable and going asking for feedback and going what, what do you think I need to be sticking out? What do you think I need to be swapping out? It's really important. And then celebrating, you know, reinforcing, when culture is working really well and when you are doing those things well, I think it's really, really important absolutely thank you so much.

Anshika Arora: 30:16

You've mentioned so many interesting frameworks that I think a lot of founders listening would be implementing into their business. It's been so great talking to you about company cultures and how to really shape a winning team, so thank you so much, Nishi. On the BAE LAB  podcast, we obviously have our standard three questions that we ask everyone, which are often more difficult to answer than anything else. Um, so to start off with, who are three Asians in Britain that are doing incredible pieces of work that you think anyone listening should check out ?

Nishi Shah: 30:45

Okay, so I did have to think because there are so many, I don't want to leave people out, and some of them so. Obviously. Vishal Amin, who's CEO of Until, who's been on the BAE podcast, is someone that I definitely have to shout out, but he's already had his moment in the BAE. So there's Akash and Nikita Mehta, who are the co-founders of Fable in Mane and I just love what they're doing as a brand but also for South Asian culture and how they've really brought it into the mainstream, and I've worked with them closely as founders in that team and it's just incredible the energy that they drive and the passion at which they do what they're doing and I really respect that. The other is Ruchira Talwar, who is leading the founders community. I think again is the way that she unlocks the potential of her members through the connection and relationships that they build and she really believes in it and you know it's really heartfelt, kind group of people and it really surprised me when I joined that community as to how everyone really came together to really support each other and she really embodies those values really well. So everything that they're doing with KP and the team at Founders is incredible and then an up and coming business, Shreeya Thakkar, who is just starting the Borrowed, which is an innovative concept which really solves the need that I genuinely have, which I love.

Nishi Shah: 32:07

But essentially it's rental for designer Indian wear and the way it's curated and the aesthetic is so editorial and so beautiful that it makes you feel like you're shopping in the designer stores in Mumbai and so. But it's always a challenge that I have with I mean, I've got a wedding coming up at the moment and you're like, seriously, you buy a whole new set and then now we don't want to repeat it because it's already a challenge that I have with, I mean, India. I've got a wedding coming up at the moment and you're like, seriously, you buy a whole new set and then now we don't want to repeat it because it's already been over all over the ground. But Shreya and her co-founder, Davina, are like working on that and I'm really excited for that to to launch soon and I've seen how much love and energy they put into it. So I think I really resonate with people that are really passionate about what they're doing and what they really love and they're driving forward for our culture as well.

Anshika Arora: 32:53

Amazing. Thank you so much. We'll definitely check them out. And how can people find out more about you and your company?

Nishi Shah: 32:58

Well, LinkedIn and Instagram. I'm Nishi Shah, Coach. I am not great on socials, but if you get once you get in touch with me, I would love to have a chat with anybody that I can help, absolutely.

Anshika Arora: 33:10

Amazing. Is there anything that our audience can do to help you?

Nishi Shah: 33:13

Well, actually, one thing we didn't talk about is another mission that I'm on with a company called Happy Little Humans. So I'm actually on a mission to empower young children to unlock the power of their mind and by really educating them in the tools and skills that really matter. By really educating them in the tools and skills that really matter Well, I believe, really matter because I think it's too late that we tell our kids about how their mind works and really understanding how to unlock that and actually, if we learn those things from day one, we'd be in a much better place from a mental health perspective. So I run Mindset Coaching, coaching, play shops and build products to enable kids as young as four to really build their emotional intelligence, their growth mindset, their resilience and their ability to connect with others. So it's, we are happy little humans on Instagram and we're in the beginning stages.

Nishi Shah: 34:01

But, um, but follow if you can, but just help the young people around you build those positive mindsets and really help them to thrive. And it's never too young to really support them with that, uh, with that skill set. So, yeah, lean into that absolutely.

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Anshika Arora:

Thank you so much. Any final words

Nishi Shah:

From me? No, just, I mean unlock potential right. Just see it around you and really help others to shine. And it really starts with us and our mindset. So I think, um, I think, good luck to everybody on that journey and, as I said, please do reach out if I can help in any way absolutely.

Anshika Arora: 34:31

Thank you so much for being on the podcast today thank you, thanks so much for having me.

Nishi Shah: 34:35

You're so great at this. I really appreciate it.

Amardeep Parmar: 34:39

Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe. See you next time.

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