Meet: Nikita Chatterjee
Founder of: PAANI, LLC.
Tell us about your business:
We are a social enterprise focused on providing clean drinking water to underserved communities throughout the South Asian diaspora. We have patented water filter technology engineered into a traditional sari cloth, which enhances the quality of water using a method of cloth filtration familiar to generations of women in India. Not only is water born illness a leading cause of death in India and countries all over the world, but water scarcity and the aftereffects of Covid-19 are forthcoming in our future, and it is essential that humans everywhere have access to basic human rights, especially clean drinking water. Simply by folding over the sari twice to create four layers and simultaneously aligning the embedded pockets of disinfectant, the PAANI water filter is a system easily adaptable into the lifestyles of rural residents throughout growing, developing nations.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
The best piece of advice I received was to find a safe space to fail, and to do just that - fail. I learned that you don't learn anything until you try and figure out that it doesn't work. In essence, innovation thrives off failure, and you'll only discover the true potential of your idea by iterating. Being in a space where failure is encouraged is something that allowed for me to grow my business and my character as an entrepreneur. It gave me a place to complain and cry, but also a place where my peers/mentors picked me back up and told me that it is what you do after failing that is the true test, and one of the most important decisions.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
For me, building a strong team at the beginning of my journey is where I would go back and change some of my decisions. I wanted to be the woman who did it all, but I learned that a strong team is the backbone of any successful venture. I realized that I'm not in expert in every industry, and although I want to be hands on and make all the final decisions regarding my product and business strategy, there are some people who are better and more experienced in those areas. I would have delegated work to people who are experts, and taken advantage of my network more in that regard, which would have saved me months of work I did alone.
Name the biggest overall lesson you've learned in running a business?
The biggest lesson I've learned is that you can have all the numbers crunched and the ideas in motion, but without emotional connection to your audience, consumers, and advisors, it is almost impossible to scale and build a successful business. For me, emotional connection is the hardest to develop, and trust with your community is essential because that is the only way that they will embrace your ideas.
Does your culture influence your choices and decisions? If yes, how?
My culture is at the forefront of what I do, and what I believe in. It is my inspiration for building the PAANI filter, it is the foundation of the design of the filter, it is what I think about before calling not for profit agencies everyday and it is why I am proud of the enterprise I am building. Often in innovation, cultural beliefs and history are overlooked because it is "the past," when in reality, especially in countries in the South Asian diaspora, it is engrained into our everyday decision making skills. Our culture is embedded into our core values. Both of my parents are immigrants from India, so I grew up in a very traditional Indian/Hindu household. We prayed every night, my mom uses turmeric to cure all of our ailments, and one of the most important things they showed me through shared experiences, photos, trips to India is that as a culture we come together to impact our community as a collective and that is what I hope PAANI is able to accomplish through supply of clean drinking water.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build your resolve?
I'm still learning how to take self-doubt, reflect on it's presence, and turn it into motivation. Hearing no all day is defeating, being told you're too young or too feminine to have adequate managerial skills is hurtful, but entrepreneurship is survival of the fittest and so I thrive off it. For me, I learned that it's important that I know that I did all the preparation I could to be successful at the task at hand, and even if I fail or make a mistake, I can go home feeling proud and having something new to think about. I think doubt can be draining and negative if dwelled on, so when in doubt of myself or feeling like there's a hurdle to jump through, I take a step back, remind myself where I have gotten, take a deep breath and move forward with whatever it is I decided was right at the time.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
My morning Starbucks coffee. Although caffeine is necessary when you're working a 9-5, and running a business, it's the stop at the coffee shop as part of my routine that is more important to me. I have something to look forward to, somewhere to stop and say hello to people who have come to recognize my face (and know my order) and then walk a couple blocks through Manhattan with coffee in my hand, which makes me feel inspired. Getting my coffee in the morning signals the official start of my day, and is a pitstop I will probably never stop making.
How do you balance your workload? What does self-care look like for you?
Short answer - I don't. Balance is hard. I started this business in college, where I had more free time than I should have. But graduating in a pandemic, going straight into a (more than) 9-5 job, and running a business while maintaining a social life (I am 23 at the end of the day) and studying for education on the side is hard, almost impossible. I always say that something must give, and for me that's sleep because I can function on a couple hours as long as I close my eyes feeling accomplished for the day. So for me, self-care is recognizing the small wins on the way to the bigger picture and making sure that I feel like I have gotten the most out of my day. Sometimes, that means working all 24 hours, and sometimes it means sending one email and binge watching Netflix all day.
Discover more:
www.paanisolutions.com
@paanisolutions
