Vanya Mishra's Journey: From Miss India To Entrepreneur To IIM Ahmedabad

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Vanya Mishra's Journey: From Miss India To Entrepreneur To IIM Ahmedabad

“If you believe you can touch the stars, then you really can, but if you think you are nobody, then you will always remain a nobody.”

There are numerous chances and surprises in life that bring you joy in the most unexpected ways. You'll be filled with joy at the unfolding glory when that time arrives. This boost in self-esteem lasts for the rest of your life and helps you succeed in everything you do. The story of IIM-A 2022 PGPX batch member Vanya Mishra follows on from this.

Raised in Jalandhar, Punjab, Vanya is a Chandigarh native. She excelled academically and was the class valedictorian. She attended Punjab Engineering College (PEC) after high school, where she studied electrical engineering.

The Coveted Miss India Tag!

Vanya's career was changed significantly in the year 2012. An electrical engineer from a small town in Punjab became the talk of the nation when she was crowned victorious at Pantaloons Femina Miss India on March 30, 2012. Vanya considers her achievement to be the pinnacle of her life despite her youth and humble upbringing.

It's worth noting that she was also the runner-up at the Miss World pageant held in China. The fact that she came in second place out of a field of 120 competitors was an additional achievement for her. As young adults enter their twenties, she believes a significant moment or accomplishment can significantly boost a person's sense of self-worth. These two crucial occasions had the same effect on her in the same way.

The Inception Of ‘SummerLabel’

After being crowned as Miss India, Vanya used to attend a lot of public events and festivals. She found out that the designers that used to style her were relatively unknown to her. So, for a layman, unaccustomed to the fashion industry, the task of finding these designers is herculean. Based on these observations coupled with her business acumen, she started an organization ‘SummerLabel’, a fashion and lifestyle discovery platform.

SummerLabel was formed in January 2015 by Vanya along with her friend, Apaksh Gupta. The founders together raised a whopping sum of 1.2 crores for their project. After its formation, the platform focused on helping the common man to identify homegrown labels, trends, news, tips and much more. The platform has extensive profiles along with reviews and ratings. Users can use the app to find out which store sells what and what other users have to say about their experience.

summerlabel founders Vanya Mishra and Apaksh Gupta

Vanya attended a lot of public events and festivals after she was crowned Miss India. She learned that the stylists who previously styled her were virtually unknown to her. As a result, finding these designers would be a monumental undertaking for someone with no prior knowledge of the fashion industry. Based on these observations and her business acumen, she founded 'SummerLabel,' a fashion and lifestyle discovery platform,

Vanya and Apaksh Gupta, a friend, came up with SummerLabel in January 2015. In total, the two founders raised 1.2 crores for their venture. After it was established, the platform aimed to assist the general public in identifying local labels, trends, news, and other useful information. There are numerous profiles on the website, as well as reviews and ratings. Using the app, customers can find out which stores sell particular items and what other customers have to say about their own experiences with those stores.

A Leap Into The Corporate World

After a successful run with SummerLabel, Vanya decided to take a step back because of synergies that didn't add value to the organization's core principles at the time. After that, she made the decision to work for a reputable company in order to gain corporate experience. Her first day as a senior manager in the Media and Marketing division of Reliance Jio was in March of that same year. Her marketing and management abilities were honed as she was in charge of several Jio sponsorship projects.

'Jio Main Bhi Miss India' was one of her initiatives to empower women by encouraging them to take part in the digital campaign regardless of their social or economic status. As the project's leader, she was able to hone her leadership abilities while also promoting diversity.

In spite of her start-up and management experience, she yearned for something more. She believes that because she is a youth icon, her actions have a greater societal impact. Accordingly, her career path is aligned with this fundamental principle. She decided on an MBA (PGPX) to broaden her horizons, meet new people, and work on real-world business problems on a daily basis. A diverse and holistic profile brimming with leadership qualities landed her a spot at IIM Ahmedabad.

The IIM Ahmedabad Experience

IIM-A offers a wide range of courses, such as Finance, Marketing, Cost Management, and Microeconomics, among others. These subjects provided her with a wealth of exposure and educational opportunities. The IIM A cohort is not only interested in academic subjects, but they are also very active in sports. In Vanya's free time, she enjoys sports like badminton and tennis. Tennis is still a relatively new sport to her, but she already enjoys it and sees it as a learning and entertaining activity.

Planning The Future

Vanya wants to explore more opportunities in the beauty industry with technology playing a major role, similar to her previous start-up experience, after receiving her MBA from the management behemoth. She intends to put the skills and knowledge she gained from the MBA programme to good use in her future career.

A Piece Of Advice

For Vanya, our generation is living in a world that is incredibly dynamic and fast-moving. There are many opportunities in the United States, but they are accompanied by fierce competition. In addition to putting in the effort to achieve our professional objectives, we must also be good citizens. In the event of a pandemic, her advice to the younger generation would be to contribute and spread awareness about important issues like climate change and mental health.