“ I am Marwari, king is in my blood ”: Ananya Birla on the profit, the goal and the writing of pop songs
The return on investment is not only a metric – it is a state of mind, explains Ananya Birla. The 31 -year -old entrepreneur and artist told the Conclave India Today that the king leads to all the decisions she made, whether it was a financial power plant or written songs in the studio. “I mean the king is everywhere. It is also in my music, ”she said. “I’m Marwari. It’s in my blood. “
At 17, Birla launched Svatantra Microfin, a bold decision for someone as young – and a family as important as Birlas. “I had the guilt of the privilege in which I was born,” she admitted. “I wanted to do something for myself to feel like I was worth it.”
This motivation has borne fruit. Svatantra is now the second largest microfinance institution in India by disbursement. The company has not only survived the recent microfinance crisis, but has emerged stronger. “If we had not acquired Chaitanya when we did it, it would have closed,” she noted. “We have maintained our king and Opex through one of the most difficult periods in industry.”
Birla attributes this resilience to more than business sense. “I believe that if I work hard with good intentions, the universe will take care of the rest,” she said. It is a philosophy inked on his skin – literally – with a tattoo that reads “God”.
His second act as a pop-R & B artist may seem in contradiction with his business identity, but Birla insists that the two worlds have been informed. “I knew I would not have a linear path,” she said. “Music began with a love for poetry. When I picked up the guitar, it became cathartic – an outing for everything I felt. ”
However, balanced the two roles is not easy. “People did not know how to take me-a woman leading a financial business by day and performing on stage at night,” she said. “But I put the work at both ends. I make meetings from 9 to 9 years old, then I am in the studio from 9:30 am to 2 am”
She describes the writing of songs as a “mini-therapy” and admits that vulnerability can be uncomfortable. “But I think you have to be real. I can’t live differently.”
Asked if business or music is more difficult, she raised her shoulders. “It’s contextual. Managing a business is 24/7, 365. But the music puts your face. It’s like asking me to choose between my mother and my father. “
