Shashank Gupta - The Day You Convince Your Own Self You Can Achieve Something, That Is the Biggest Hurdle You Have Crossed (Co- Founder - Brandwidth Events)

As an entrepreneur, you face challenges every minute & every day of your life

These challenges present themselves sometimes as hindrances and sometimes as an opportunity to learn, evolve, and get stronger. But as you grow, these challenges will continue growing and becoming bigger.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing. 

I was Born in Delhi, my father is a Doctor and my mother is a Home Maker. I did my schooling from different schools but passed out of Modern School, Barakhamba Road.

Post this, I pursued my B.E. (Electrical) from BIT, Chhattisgarh and then I changed my path and did a Post Graduate Diploma in Event Management & Public Relations.

I also worked at Encompass Events, a WPP company before I founded my own Below The Line Marketing Agency - Brandwidth with Mr. Deepak Pahwa (who was my reposting Senior at Encompass). Since then, Brandwidth's journey has been quite interesting and we've had our share of ups and downs.

During the journey, old friends & colleagues, Mr. Ranjit Raina / Mr. Himanshu Anand / Mr. Shanatanu Goyal, became a part of the Brandwidth Family as our partners as we continued to work on the expansion of the company in establishing it as one of the leading BTL Agencies in the country, present in 3 cities - Delhi / Mumbai & Bengaluru.

About 4 years back, we started another vertical to expand into the exciting space of Social Events - this company was christened TailorMade and as the name suggests, it is aimed at creating Bespoke Experiences in the Social Events / Weddings space.

The journey till date has been quite interesting and I have had my share of risks, failures, and rewards but I believe I still have a long way to go.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

I had the clarity of becoming an engineer at the age of 11 years. I also knew that I want to pursue Event Management when I was in my 5th Semester of Engineering.

I wanted to do something of my own probably from 11th Standard. I love exploring new things and probably would continue to do the same till I can take risks.

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What does your typical workday look like?

Our work (and this is the best part) is never fixed. We don't have a 9 to 5 schedule. Our workday is sometimes involves a lot of fire fighting. Moreover, a lot of creative and visual thinking and planning and some days we just keep it simple and have fun.

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

Education is important, I won't say that one needs to have a fancy degree.
Maybe very few people in our industry would have really swanky and renowned degrees, but stalwarts of our industry are some of the most respected and are Subject Matter Experts in their own way. Education is what shapes a person. Education is what gives you a lot of confidence to face the world.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

By giving them, a chance to come clean and to give them an opportunity to prove that they can do in actual life what they lied about in their resume.

                             

What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

As an entrepreneur, you face challenges every minute & every day of your life
These challenges present themselves sometimes as hindrances and sometimes as an opportunity to learn, evolve, and get stronger. But as you grow, these challenges will continue growing and becoming bigger. Hence the need to constantly up your own self to be able to tackle them.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

Never say Never. I have always felt, the day you convince your own self you achieve something, that is the biggest hurdle you have crossed. Also, evolution is constant, hence you will only be an entrepreneur. If you keep trying - failure or success will always be a part of the package.

Which is your favorite book and why?

Jeffrey Archer's - Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. My first book has actually shaped a lot of my thinking and the way I live my life.