Anushruti Singh
Do you ever have the feeling that something was not meant to be, but it all worked out for the best? That is exactly what happened with Gayatri Jhaveri Patel. “Sometimes, we find our calling when we least expect it and that’s exactly how things worked out for me,” she says.
Having a knack for finding inspiration in everything, trying to transform the mundane into the extraordinary, taking aesthetic photographs, and a way to tell stories through pictures, has become a huge part of her entrepreneurial journey. Which impelled her to leave a six-figure salary job in New York’s top company called ‘FITCH’. Driven by her passion, she started her own digital creative agency in Mumbai—The G Story.
“You know what they say, ‘do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life’ which is why both for my team and I, The G Story isn’t just a job or a company but a creative outlet to express ourselves and do what we love every single day,” her bio says.
Today, she is the creative director and handles the styling and the creative parts of the business. Which helps her to utilise her past experience in fashion and creative designing to build and produce stunning photographs and videos. In the past two years, she has helped in bringing many of the top global brands on board with the agency, such as Lakme, Nykaa, Dot&Key, Gucci, Anita Dongre, Olay, and so on.
Here are the edited excepts of tete-a-tete that she had with SME Futures.
What exactly does The G Story do?
We tell the stories of products.
But let me tell you, ‘Product styling’ as a career did not even exist 4 years ago. Brands used to hire photographers when they needed product shoots, and some brands still follow the same process. What we, at The G Story specialise in, is the creative direction and conceptualisation of every project.
We believe in the power of creativity and visual storytelling. There’s very little that a camera and a product can do, if they do not have the right creative direction.
So, we focus on brands that believe in our beliefs, and understand the difference in our work compared to the rest. We work with brands that believe in quality over quantity and cater to only those who want to position themselves over the rest.
We do not intend to work with ‘top brands’, but the brands we work with tend to become “top brands” after we come on board as their content creation partners!!
So, what were some of the high moments for you in this journey?
I firmly believe that the highest achievement is one where the biggest brands approach you to develop a partnership. And where you don’t need to approach the brands for business development. I am proud to say, we have reached that zenith.
I have the pleasure of working with some of the biggest global brands today, right from Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, Unilever and Nykaa to over 60 other brands that have taught us so much over the years.
What was the reason for you choosing to be your own boss and not working for others?
I come from a creative background in terms of my education and my experience. After my Bachelor’s, I pursued my further education in design and visual arts. Hence, my forte lies in the creative space.
Also, for me, my creative passion comes before any kind of financial reasons when it comes to decision making. After having worked at some of the biggest agencies and having also worked for my family heirloom diamond jewellery business, I knew that my passion lay elsewhere.
I did not hesitate for a second to leave what I was doing earlier to start my own space. Let me tell you, while I was on my honeymoon, the sudden aesthetic compositions that I posted on social media got extremely good responses. The responses were so overwhelming that a friend working at MyGlam cosmetics offered me a project as a ‘product stylist’. This was a relatively new term back in 2018. It was right then that I realised where my passion actually lied, and the rest is history.
Meanwhile, my exposure to the business world was very limited in terms of negotiations, contracts, business development, finance, HR, etc. But, once I came up with my own creative agency, my passion made me learn the business part of the process as well.
Also, I started my entrepreneurial journey at the age of 24, straight out of a creative school. So, yes there were a lot of challenges to deal with–to scale the business, hire the right talent, manage the finances, and at the same time grow on the creative front as well.
Entrepreneurship transforms people. What changes have you observed in yourself?
Yes, it does! I have changed and evolved over the last few years owing to my entrepreneurial journey. And also, I have evolved from a creative designer to a successful businessperson. I think entrepreneurship moulds and changes a person in a lot of ways. Humility, nimble footedness, quick decision making, the ability to deal with tight timelines, managing stress and maintaining relationships with an ever-growing team are just a few of the things that I have learnt and imbibed within myself during my entrepreneurial journey. It’s a constant learning experience.
If you had to name several people, who would you attribute your success to?
I owe my success to many friends, mentors, and my family that helped me build the business that I have built today. To name a few, Sneha Punjabi, Rohina Khira, Nirali Shah, and many more helped me with their deep knowledge of this industry, mentored me and gave me the timely opportunities to reach where I am today. My husband, Sanit Patel eventually came on board as a co-founder to lead the business front of the agency while I focused on the creative aspect of the business.
What would you like to tell the other budding entrepreneurs?
One advice that I would give to the other fellow businesswomen and entrepreneurs would be to always believe in the strength of your ‘network’. And do not hesitate while asking for advice, help and suggestions from your friends and families. Because there’s a limit to where one can reach alone, but if you’re open to networking, to taking advice or even help from others, your horizons will open up drastically.
The same applies when doing business as well, where taking on co-founders should be perceived more openly. Because with the right and complementary skill sets, a team of founders can achieve what might be difficult for an individual to do on their own.
