1. About yourself and your childhood.
My name is Mani Shah and I am the CEO and Co-founder of Rank My Business, a successful digital marketing company serving clients across four countries – Australia, US, UAE and India. My husband Kunal Shah and I started the company eight years ago. We both had a passion for digital marketing and wanted to pursue our dreams in this field to the fullest. Over the last few years, we are blessed to have been able to scale and grow the business many folds. However, our success did not happen overnight. It took years of hard work, persistence and effort but we are starting to reap the fruits of our efforts.
I believe my upbringing played a key role in shaping my personality and passion for entrepreneurship. Growing up in Mumbai, India, I had a great childhood. From an early age, I saw my parents working hard to build the life they wanted for themselves. Their success fueled my desire to develop myself, work tirelessly to achieve my dreams, and build a successful business. My parents were ahead of their time and not only instilled in me the desire to learn new skills, but also inspired me to become a confident person. This, combined with the great support system I had after marriage, paved the way for me as an entrepreneur.
2. Tell us about your journey so far.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in 2006, I relocated to Australia with my husband in 2008. We started a digital marketing company with just a few thousand dollars of seed capital and no experience in running a business.
We have spent countless hours and sleepless nights growing our business steadily over the years. We provide quality digital marketing services to our clients and our dedication has paid off. Today, we have grown our business many fold and are self-made millionaires in Australia.
My success comes from my willingness to take risks and embrace change. Starting a business is never easy; it takes hard work, determination, and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing market. But taking the risk has paid off for me, and my company has grown far beyond my imagination.
I believe success isn't determined by how much money you make, but by how many obstacles you overcome to get there. I've faced many challenges on my journey as an entrepreneur, but each obstacle taught me a valuable lesson. By implementing these learnings, I was able to grow my business even further.
I am proud of what Kunal and I have achieved through our digital marketing company. Our passion for the field has led us on an incredible entrepreneurial journey, and I am excited to see what the future holds for us and our business.
3. What inspired you to pursue a career as a digital marketer?
I have always been ambitious and driven, so I went into entrepreneurship where I could carve out a niche for myself and make a name for myself. Several factors influenced my decision to become a businesswoman.
Independence: I wanted to work for myself, shape my own destiny, make my own decisions, and I believe that as an entrepreneur, you have the power to shape your own destiny.
Flexibility: Entrepreneurship offers the advantage of schedule flexibility, allowing you to effectively balance work and family responsibilities.
Build your own brand: Building a business using your own traits, knowledge and aptitudes is rewarding. I love using my creativity and resourcefulness to create something of value.
Job creation: With high unemployment, I feel a responsibility to create employment opportunities. Starting my own business has allowed me to employ people from diverse backgrounds.
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a woman?
My thoughts are:
advantage:
Diversity: Having women on leadership teams brings diversity of opinions, experiences and perspectives, resulting in a more holistic and creative approach to any business.
Better RelationshipsWomen are known to be more empathetic and patient, which are excellent qualities for building and maintaining relationships with customers, employees, and partners.
Enhanced collaboration: Women are naturally collaborative and good at working in teams, which strengthens company culture and leads to increased teamwork and productivity.
Demerit:
Gender bias and discrimination: Female business owners often face gender discrimination, including limited access to funding, networks and mentorship, due to unfair stereotypes about women’s leadership abilities.
Work-life balance: Balancing work, family and other responsibilities can be difficult, especially when there isn't enough support for working mothers.
Cultural barriers: In some cultures, there are still biases against women taking on leadership roles, which can impact the growth and success of women-owned businesses.
Restricting access to resources: Women-owned businesses may find it harder to access credit, venture capital, and other business resources than their male-owned counterparts.
While there are some unique challenges women face in business, there are also some advantages they bring to the table, and it's important to acknowledge the obstacles female business owners face and work to create a level playing field for all.
5. If you weren’t a digital marketing entrepreneur, what would you be doing?
Either a nutritionist or a lawyer.
6. What are your hobbies?
One of my favourite hobbies is reading. It's my way of escaping from all the pressures of work and daily life. I love losing myself in a good book, be it a classic novel or a modern thriller.
Another hobby that brings me great joy is traveling. I am an avid traveler and am always looking for new places to visit. Traveling allows me to immerse myself in different cultures, experience delicious food (my favorite!) and see the world in a different light.
Reading and traveling are not just hobbies, they have become a way of life for me.
7. What are your future plans?
As the CEO and co-founder of a successful digital marketing company, I’m always focused on growth and innovation.
We have already expanded our operations in the UAE and India and are looking to expand to other geographies in the future. We plan to invest in new technologies, hire skilled professionals and provide more diversified services to our customers.
In the coming years, I plan to continue expanding my business and serving the community through my latest endeavor, “Edrupt”, an industry-ready Digital Marketing Training Institute that helps aspiring digital marketers kickstart their career in the field.
Our goal is to become a recognized brand name and create more job opportunities in different countries.
In addition to expanding our business, we want to make a positive impact on society and use our expertise to help those looking to enter the digital marketing industry.
Website: https://rankmybusiness.in/
