“All you need to do is start. You’ll learn much more this way than you can ever while waiting for the perfect chance.” –Shallu Narula advises rising and passionate entrepreneurs.
Shallu Narula is the founder of Creative Hatti, a growing digital creator company. This digital creator provides amazing vector graphics which can be used for creating different projects in graphics designs and personal or commercial campaigns. Creative Hatti is the best destination for all kinds of Indian graphics images and illustrations. They introduced vectors and illustrations related to the timeless epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata; they created character illustrations about Indian gods and our beloved characters from the old sagas.
In this interview with Business Upside, Shallu Narula talks about her entrepreneurship journey with Creative Hatti. She also shares her mission, job role, lessons she learned, business strategies, recruitments, her most satisfying moment, management style and future goals, etc.
Edited Excerpts from the Interview
Business Upside [BU]: What was your mission at the outset?
Shallu Narula [SN]: The initial idea was to showcase our Indian culture in the most creative way possible. We introduced vectors and illustrations related to the timeless epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata; we created character illustrations about Indian gods and our beloved characters from the old sagas. And as we went on building, the inspiration kept flooding in from our vast and diverse Indian chronology, the history, the present, and all things Indian. And we believe, wholeheartedly, that our job is to present this to the world as astoundingly as it is in the form of vectors.
[BU]: What is unique about your job role?
[SN]: As the founder, I have the opportunity to manage the fantastic team we have at Creative Hatti. Every individual in the group is just as important as the whole team. I’m bombarded with unique and versatile ideas each day, which makes me want to get out of bed an hour earlier, sometimes to start working and help create excellent vector illustrations and graphics.
I still remember the days when we were starting, me and four of my friends from college. It was the final year, and we were booming with hopes for the future. Eight years later, I am so grateful that I can still work with the same creativity and enthusiasm back then and for the endless possibilities we have to keep moving forward in the future.
[BU]: How would your co-workers describe you?
[SN]: I see myself as a hardworking and creative individual, and I am always available for new concepts, designs, queries, guidance, and some fun activities from time to time with my team. But if I have to see myself from their eyes, I believe it could be somewhere along the lines of a friend in a mentor, a good listener in a boss, a fitness enthusiast outside work, and overall someone who is approachable and helpful, inside out.
[BU]: What have been some of the most important lessons that influenced your work?
[SN]: I am a mother alongside being a founder, and over the years, I’ve experienced that a company is, more or less, like a baby. It is fragile in the early years, and you tend to put more and more love into it to grow well enough. You have to be driven and understanding, expect less and give more, and be at it like your life depends on it, and in a way, emotionally maybe, it does.
[BU]: What do you look for in an employee?
[SN]: Someone who fearlessly displays their skills. Rather than having an educational background, I’d look for someone passionate about art and creating it. I want to mention two of my outstanding artists who learned from a local painter and YouTube, and they create the best and most satisfactory results one could ask for.
We’d seek and give a chance to someone who has the drive to learn and grow alongside the company, who is self-motivated and might motivate the team with their passion and skills.
[BU]: If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting, what would it be?
[SN]: “Better done than perfect.” Crave these words into your work ethic. There is no need to spend hours and days editing the logo to be better or brainstorming a name, waiting for the time to be right. All you need to do is start. You’ll learn much more this way than you can ever while waiting for the perfect chance.
You will keep getting better at things once you begin. There will be many encounters and circumstances where you will need to adjust according to the dynamic environment, so don’t be afraid to begin and grow with it.
[BU]: What were the biggest roadblocks or challenges you had when you first started in the profession, and how did you overcome them?
[SN]: The biggest challenge, I think, was creating awareness of the work you do. I tend to take a systematic approach to this. When talking about my business, I try to be as explanatory as I can so that people know the depths of where we came from and what we wish to accomplish. I showcase my work proudly on my social media. I manage channels through which we can reach as many people as possible, and I stay selective about those channels to deliver much better than expectations proceed.
[BU]: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
[SN]: To see our illustrations being used and adored by our clients. It gives me, and the team immense pleasure that big brands like Paytm, Khata book, and more are using our illustrations in their Instagram creative, restaurants like Sukhdev Dhaba, using our vectors in their menus, and our creative Mascot characters are being used for restaurant in Dubai.
Having been able to make something valued by our customers has been the most satisfying moment so far.
[BU]: How did you plan to provide better results in a crisis?
[SN]: I’d say art is the most beautiful in a crisis. You give an artist their pen or paintbrush and present them with a problem; they’ll make the most enriching use of it and present it in an art form they give the best.
I confidently believe in having such artists on my team, and I trust them enough to make the most out of any situation given to them. To an artist, their brain is a powerful asset and resource they can have, and I put my faith in the minds and bonds of our team to keep doing better as time goes by.
[BU]: Describe your management style.
[SN]: I tend to be as liquid as possible while also being goal-oriented. I try to give as clear directions as possible so that the end goal becomes tangible. And as different people have different work styles, I try to be supportive and keep them motivated to pursue their techniques and deliver the best results.
I am always willing to have good conversations with the team to understand them better and help or provide proper guidance wherever necessary.
[BU]: What kind of knowledge have you experienced in this career field?
[SN]: I started with the skillset of an artist, and I have worked freelance as well. And when it came to starting my business, there were so many exciting things I realised I was yet to learn. I got the skills required for managing accounts; I became organised and built my morale to practice team management, I tried and tested marketing strategies, got hands-on experience with hiring, and even with all of this, I believe that the learning curve will keep on moving forward, which is the ultimate lesson in career and life as well.
[BU]: What is the next goal you wish to accomplish?
[SN]: We want our culture to be appreciated globally through our vectors. Our team is constantly working in ways that we can better illustrate and bring out the authenticity of our Indian leaders and epics into our vector designs. Some fun ways to highlight professions and raise awareness about certain situations made stereotypes for generations.
Our brand new NFT catalogue also focuses on changing the monotonous ways of buying and minting NFTs. We have introduced readymade NFT designs, which clients can buy from our website within minutes and escape the long and tiring process of hiring a designer and creating from scratch.
So yes, the next big goals are to take Indian vectors globally and impact the meta world through the Creative Hatti platform.
More Information
- Company URL – https://www.creativehatti.com/
- My LinkedIn URL – https://www.linkedin.com/in/shallu-narula-2635b064/
- My Designation – Founder – CreativeHatti
