Shark Tank India's Vineeta Singh talks about overcoming sexism while building an empire

Vineeta Singh, who is currently seen as the sharks of SONY's new reality show Shark Tank India, recently opened up about her journey from living in a tiny house in Mumbai to building a huge empire in a matter of five years whilst running marathons and being a mother to two kids. The 37-year-old is the CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics, one of the major Indian cosmetics brands competing against renowned foreign brands.

In a recent interview, Singh not only talked about juggling growing business and parenthood but also sexism that she had faced in the 'man's world'. SUGAR Cosmetics CEO's net value is now reportedly estimated at Rs 59 crore.

Shark Tank India judge Vineeta Singh on facing sexism

In an interview with Humans of Bombay, the entrepreneur shockingly revealed facing sexism whilst growing her business. Remarking 'being a woman in a ‘man’s world’ was tough', Singh recalled an investor refusing to meet her as he wanted to talk business with a man. But that did not stop the determined businesswoman as she revealed, ''I let my work do the talking; I continued to run & even completed the Ironman Triathlon! That win kept me going, especially when the company ran out of funds.''

Vineeta Singh narrates her success story

She also narrated her journey which started at the age of 17 when her professor remarked 'You should be an entrepreneur!'. Having set her eyes on the goal, Singh started preparing to achieve it as she said, ''So, I studied hard, got into IIT & then did my MBA. There, I learned, ‘You can be an entrepreneur only by actually being one!’ So even though I got a great job offer, I declined it,''

She met with opposition from several people including her parents, however, Singh revealed that she did not let it get to her and moved to Mumbai at the age of 23 to pursue her dream. She revealed that she lived in a tiny house that often flooded and gave up on several things because of being tight on budget. Revealing that the time she doubted herself for the first time, Singh stated, ''I even started a venture, but it didn’t work as planned. For the first time, I doubted myself–had I taken the job, I wouldn’t be struggling,''

However, she found clarity in her journey after she took up running and participated in marathons as she said, ''Each finish line brought me a sense of clarity,'' The 37-year-old decided to give another shot at entrepreneurship as she revealed, ''After a year, I gave entrepreneurship another shot with Fab Bag–a beauty subscription company. But after research, I realised the need for quality cosmetics in India–that’s how SUGAR was born! I invested my own money & even got funded!''

Juggling business and motherhood

Mom to two sons, Vineeta Singh also mastered juggling her business and motherhood as she revealed that she would 'pump breast milk', 'handle office calls' and 'work out' simultaneously. Talking about the same, she said, ''I’d have sleepless nights, but I loved what I was doing. After a year, it paid off–we were recognised as the best lipstick brand! It’s been 5 years since; we’re now a team of over 1500–75% of which are women!''

She finally concluded by saying, ''And I’m doing everything I love. I run my company, I’ve run marathons when I was 6 months pregnant & I run circles around my kids. Still, I’m often asked, ‘How will you raise 2 kids & run a company?’ Why is it so tough to believe a woman can play more than 1 role? I walk into the office with files in one hand & my baby in another. The juggle is real, but it’s also totally worth it.”

Image: Instagram/@vineetasng