Profile

Meenal Sinha is the Founder & CEO of meetingsandoffices.com, a DIPP accredited start-up and a winner of the NASSCOM Product Conclave 2017, Live Funding event. meetingsandoffices.com is India’s premier aggregator of coworking and other shared workspaces with presence across 15 Indian cities offering more than a lakh seats nationally.

Meenal started off in the shared workspace industry by building Servcorp – one of India’s earliest shared space offerings – into a profitable entity for K. Raheja Corp. She has subsequently also consulted extensively on the creation of conventional shared workspaces and the new age co-work spaces.

In a career spanning twenty twoyears; the first decade in marketing and brand communications and the next in the commercial real estate niche of shared workspaces, Meenal has had the opportunity to get up close with all kinds of business entities, corporate, multinational, institutional, governmental and the ones she loves the most – start ups and small businesses.

This experience allows Meenal to speak with a voice of authority on growing businesses and the fast evolving shared workspace paradigm. Meenal has a visceral connect with the needs of the young business ecosystem and value creation opportunities.

All of which reflects in her new venture. meetingsandoffices.com – an intuitive end-to-end co-working marketplace solution with discovery, comparison, booking and payment – is a natural extension of her experience in the space.

Meenal believes business has only two basics, get them right and everything else falls into place – delivering a phenomenal experience at every interface and every interaction & a hard focus on bottom lines.

“Developing successful shared spaces offering requires a strong work ethic, an attention to detail and an emphasis on experience delivery that resonates with my approach”, says Meenal. These traits along with a hard focus on profitability fine tuned during her advertising days have defined her approach to business building.

Meenal lives in Mumbai with her husband and her 15 year old son.

HeartTalk.

Interview

1.What is your definition of Women Empowerment?

Women empowerment is simply the understanding amongst both women and men that women have an equal role to play in the development and progress of mankind. Conventionally women have been pushed into specific roles while men have assumed decision making in others. We have to inculcate the understanding that regardless of the sphere of action both men and women are equally competent, equally capable and equally charged with responsibility and that there are no roles that are ‘only for men’ or ‘only for women’. Absolute equality will result in both emancipation and empowerment of both genders.

2.What motivated you to get involved in being inspirational for change?

I’ve spent most of my life simply being me and living the belief that we all have a big role to play; that none of us has any business belittling or confining anyone else. As my own journey developed, I realized that many women end up being marginalized and looked upon as less capable. To me this is anathema. I graduated towards helping, mentoring and facilitating others in striving towards living their dream and taking on attitudes that would keep them doing so forcefully. This is what I do even today. I work hard at what I do and unashamedly talk about the fact that every other woman is equally gifted and capable. Where I can, I lend a hand.

3.What are some key characteristics of an empowered person?

Self belief and the ability to respect all others in their opinions, pursuits and circumstances, along with the determination to contribute without a thought of what’s in it for me are key to being empowered. We are not intended as a transactional specie, we are intended to be more. We are builders, creators, motivators and allies in creating better living for all, in any way we can. An empowered person understands this. An empowered person also understands that our so called limits are merely perceptual and meant to be pushed constantly. I believe empowered people convert obstacles into opportunities and launch pads for greater endeavour. I try and do this and I have been lucky to find so many wonderful people like the ladies of All Ladies League who support others in seeking their avenues to build and grow for the benefit of all.

4.What can leaders or individuals interested in advocacy do to facilitate empowerment?

To me this has two distinct components:

Actively seek opportunities to contribute to others, to instil the belief of ‘I can & I will’ far and wide
To fight stereotyping and confinement at every step. Don’t think this is not my business, it impacts your world; it is always your business.

5.What advice would you give to those who want to give up due to lack of empowered feeling, thinking and action? (E.g. what is an important first step?)

I’d tell them to look back on where they’ve been and what they’ve done. As women we all go through tremendous circumstances just leading daily life; we’re superwomen without a cape and when one looks back on what one has achieved even in daily routine one will feel empowered.

When we are feeling down in the dumps, we tend to bottle up things inside ourselves and stop communicating with others. So what I also want to say to all my sisters is, I don’t care if you never reach out to me on any other day, but do reach out to me or someone like me when you feel you’re ready to give up. Call me and I promise you won’t feel like giving up any more, I promise you will end that conversation ready to take on the world. Others have done this for me; I will gladly do this for you every single time. Just reach out, there’s a hand there waiting for yours.