Shark Tank India Judge Namita Thapar: "An entrepreneur’s life is full of hustle and setbacks. They need courage to smile through it"

Namita Thapar, executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

On Shark Tank India, the line ‘yeh meri expertise nahi hai’ became synonymous with Namita Thapar - a judge on the reality TV show and executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals. It sparked many memes, too.

The businesswoman has taken her learnings from the show and her journey as an entrepreneur and poured the insights into her first book, The Dolphin and the Shark. Edited excerpts from a conversation with Thapar:

The market is flooded with books on entrepreneurship. Why did you think this was an important book for you to write?

Every business leader has their own unique take on leadership and their own set of stories. That’s what differentiates one book from another. Moreover, the point was to write a book that is simple, an easy read that most can relate to. I finished writing 50,000-plus words in four weeks, and every word is written by me, straight from my heart!

Your 'Shark Tank India' journey taught you so many things, many of which you have shared in this book. What has been the biggest takeaway for you?

The biggest takeaway is that the common man, young India, women are ready to dream big, and what they need are mentors and capital. Lot more needs to be done to promote the entrepreneurial ecosystem and Shark Tank India is a step in the right direction.

The book is not just about your journey and insights but also has inputs and interviews of other entrepreneurs as well. Why did you decide to accommodate others' insights?

People don’t remember lessons, they remember stories. Stories can touch your heart, lift, and inspire. The Dolphin and the Shark is full of stories - of my life, Emcure, several leaders who have inspired me and from Shark Tank India. I believe that is the best medium to put across your views and insights.

You have mentioned your struggle with health and fitness. Why do you think it's important for an entrepreneur to focus on their fitness? Do you think fit leaders make better leaders?

I am very committed to my fitness, especially when it comes to yoga, gluten-free diet, adequate sleep, etc... Not just leaders, everyone needs to focus on their fitness. The health statistics in our country are absolutely shocking, and getting worse by the day. We need to promote conversations around work life balance and fitness – both physical and mental. Also, talking about my struggles, highlighting my flaws gives strength to others and normalizes taboo topics. I am all for using my voice to highlight such imperfections in our lives.

You mention the three C's that are important for an entrepreneur. Why do you think courage, competence and compassion are some of the most significant things for an entrepreneur to have?

An entrepreneur’s life is full of hustle and setbacks. They need courage to smile through it and focus on the learnings and not the failures.

Without competence, knowing their numbers, TAM, competition, USP, they will not be able to sustain and scale.

Lastly, unless they are driven by a higher purpose and compassion, it will not be worth the sweat and tears.

We all have a dolphin (compassion) and shark (aggression) within us, and we must learn to balance the two. So, the 3Cs are absolutely essential traits an entrepreneur must have.

As a woman, you face some unique challenges and you have addressed some of them in your book. According to you, what is probably the toughest challenge that women entrepreneurs face?

Only 2.3 percent women-led ventures get funded, only 20 percent women are in the workplace. If we want to change these unacceptable statistics, women need a much stronger support system at home and a society without biases. Most importantly, they need to be made aware of their own self-limiting thoughts and behaviour, and need to have good role models and mentors who help them.

"Be you. The world will adjust." This is a mantra you follow. Where and at which point in your life do you think this realization struck you?

I was always tough on myself, unforgiving of my shortcomings and mistakes and would put myself through a lot of guilt which limited my productivity and performance. It is only when a mentor shared this quote with me that I realized how important it is to love yourself, believe in yourself, accept your flaws, not seek external validation. Since then, I have been much happier and much more effective in whatever I take up.

"Yeh meri expertise nahi hai" became synonymous with you as a judge on 'Shark Tank India'. Did that bother you? And how did you make your peace with it?

Yes, it did bother me initially as I felt that in spite of degrees like CA, MBA and 20-plus years of work experience, I was not being taken seriously. But after a week or so, once I really thought through this, I realized that I am proud of this line. One must focus on their areas of competence and only invest in ventures where they can add value through their expertise. So now I love this line and use it in all my talks and writings with pride!