Born and raised in India, I earned my Master’s in Information Technology. I am passionate about creativity and success. My work revolves around multi-domain brand-building, with an emphasis on technology, e-commerce, and wellness. I have traveled many countries, explored multiple cultures and ethnicities to build a more comprehensive outlook that help me in my business ventures. My mantra in life is to think big! If your dreams seem impossible, you’re definitely going right!
Every story has some ups and downs and mine is no exception. After being through many adversities, I’ve come out stronger than ever. My first self-help book has been out recently and there are a few more planned. I strongly believe in working with like-minded people and sharing my wealth of knowledge.
I am an activist at heart and hold a special affinity for animals.
You can connect with me @
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharma-arpit/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/meetappy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingeniousgeek/
To learn more about my businesses, refer to the links:
Master Brand Building – Creatick Studio: http://creatick.studio/
Envision Vietnam – Envision: http://envision.vn/
Ecommerce Brand – Weink Studio: http://weink.studio/
Not for Profit- https://pixelsproject.org/
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do entrepreneurship for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I have always been an enthusiast, with endless goals in life. I believe that inspiration lies everywhere, you just need to find it for yourself. While I was working on a few IT projects, I realized that there is one thing that every business needs: Brand Building! And that was an area that I already knew a lot about and thus, started pursuing it even deeper.
2.) If you could compare yourself to someone who is already established in your line of work, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then what separates you from other everyone else who does what you do?
I don’t believe in comparisons. I always like to work “out of the box”. Even if it’s not an innovation, I would still want my product to stand out from what the world is already selling. I imagine myself as the buyer and have a conflict with my thoughts (as the seller) if my venture doesn’t provide the world with something that’s completely different. I don’t want to be just another brand that sells the same old thing!
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the work that you do? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming an entrepreneur?
Lot of things happened, but none of them could ever alter my goals. I have been through huge debts, anxiety disorder, OCD, and my dog’s demise. These events took me down for a while, for sure, but they eventually made me stronger. I have been through so much in the past few years that even the worst scenarios can’t break me anymore.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to create? What is your process?
It’s an inbuilt mechanism that generates ideas according to the knowledge I have gained. I love to read, learn, listen, and observe. I would call myself a “silent observer” who filters out the essential information from a scene, a conversation, a video, a book, or anything that I feel would take me one step ahead.
5.) Unfortunately many industries are full of talented individuals who more or less become the “starving artist” and don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed?
That’s so true! There is so much talent in this world, but most people fail because they get tired and “QUIT”. There is an equilibrium point in everyone’s life that needs to be broken in order to reach the true potential. As I said, it’s my inbuilt mechanism and there is hardly anything that can deviate me from reaching my end goal.
6.) Would you rather work for a big corporation or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? What makes one better than the other? Are you able to make a living with your art? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your business? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in the creative industry?
I switched five jobs within three years and realized that I was not meant to work under/for someone. I was destined to be an entrepreneur. To be honest, it’s hard to say what makes one better than the other since every person on this planet has a different passion towards life. I self-funded my knowledge before funding my ventures and I built the pillars of my entrepreneurship career single-handedly. My advice for fresh innovators would be to start at level zero and never think of investing in. Write down your ideas and see what’s required to build them up. Take one step at a time and keep learning the basic tactics yourself, instead of hiring people to do it for you. Always keep in mind that the best output for your business plan can come only from you!!
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the creative industry and how artists are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s economy if they’re not social media savvy?
Internet and Social Media today have an enormous potential to change people’s lives. In my opinion, it’s impossible to live without them if you have dreams to achieve. You just cannot market yourself without the power of the World Wide Web. This is the era of technology and almost everything is directly or indirectly linked to it.
8.) Typically, entrepreneurs who try to create products and/or services for mass consumption for the general public and make more money are seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure that what you offer stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
Lot of thoughts and explanations for this question. To begin with, I always suggest creating something that lasts for a lifetime, rather than working on short-term profits. Short-term profits yielded from something like – “Dropshipping” for an example, would make you happy and successful for a limited period but would eventually fade away.
Honestly, if someone does a good market research, finds out a way to come up with something different even in an already established business niche, plans it out for a better future, and sticks to the roadmap- they’re going to do great!!
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Ten times ahead of where I am right now- both in knowledge and capital. More ventures, a bigger team and financial freedom for my entire life.