October 15, 2025 • 27 mins
What if scaling your business wasn’t about doing more, but choosing better? In this inspiring Founders’ Forum episode, host Marc Bernstein talks with Shikha Miglani, co-founder of Saarthee, a global strategy, analytics, and AI firm helping enterprises across telecom, media, retail, banking, and healthcare make smarter, fairer decisions with data.
From being the only woman engineer on India’s factory floor to leading a respected AI company, Shikha shares a journey that proves you can balance innovation with empathy, and scale without losing authenticity.
She opens up about how Saarthee’s mission was built on a timeless idea from the Mahabharata: choose the strategist over the army. For Shikha, that means focusing on better partners, better principles, and better impact, not just faster growth.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How to align analytics and AI with real business outcomes
- The power of duality—balancing hard metrics with soft empathy
- Why authenticity beats polish when leading through bias
- How to reduce bias in AI through inclusive, transparent data design
- Why “quality over quantity” is the foundation of lasting growth
About Shikha Miglani:
Shikha Miglani is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Saarthee, a strategy, analytics, technology, and AI company that empowers enterprises through transformative insights. With an engineering background and decades of consulting experience, she has led multimillion-dollar initiatives across industries, seamlessly bridging data analytics with business strategy.
A strong advocate for the power of mentorship, she serves as a passionate Board Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Shikha also leads Maithee, where she spearheads the collaborative development of AI-driven solutions.
Connect:
Website saarthee.ai
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/shikha-miglani-40a1ba5/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:00):
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J.
Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management,or Beasly Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, author,and financial advisor Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe forward-focused forum, Marc
(00:21):
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
the stories behind theirsuccess.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights, and a little fun.
Now, let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:40):
Good morning, America.
How are you?
It's a gray day in Philadelphiatoday, but I will tell you that
the Phillies are playing great.
So there's a little brightnessin Philly right now.
They're in first place.
And uh all is good in the worldfor me in the summer when the
Phillies are winning.
So anyway, I have a guest heretoday, Shikha, and we were
(01:02):
talking, we've gotten to knoweach other over the last few
months, and we were talkingoffline about the concept of
duality.
And duality, you know, when Ithink of duality, I think of the
contradictions of life.
You know, where there's dark,there's light, where there's
positivity, there's negativity,where there's um, you know, all
(01:23):
kinds of things.
I actually think of golf also,because in golf it's a game of
contradictions.
You know, you take a everyeveryone thinks it's the harder
you swing the fur the furtherthe ball goes, but everybody
knows that's not true.
So it's a game ofcontradictions.
So I think about duality a lot.
Um but I know Shikha thinksabout it in terms of
entrepreneurship, which it alsomakes a lot of sense to me.
(01:46):
So Shikha let's uh give us yourthoughts on duality and
entrepreneurship.
Shikha Miglani (01:51):
Uh hey Marc, uh duality to me is a very powerful
concept uh lately so because asI'm growing as a leader of a
company, I'm seeing there is uhthere's so much duality that
exists in everything we do, theway we think about ourselves,
our approach.
And sometimes when people labelyou or you label people, you
kind of get stuck in that imageand you try to uh deal with
(02:14):
things in a particular way.
But if you slightly like openup your mind and allow the other
side to come through and find abalance, I think you can you
can create magic.
So to me that's duality.
I was asking Chat GPT, can youdo a psychoanalysis for me?
And it came back to me withsaying, Oh, you are a leader who
values uh, you know, who preferwho who would prioritize impact
(02:34):
over ego or who would who is uhwho can combine the hard
metrics of business with softskill softness of dealing with
people, right?
So to me that was veryinteresting.
Wow, uh, you know, that if youyou you don't have to let go of
something to be something.
I think you can have it all.
You just need to learn the artof balance and regulation.
Marc Bernstein (02:54):
It also helps with non-judgment, I think.
If you recognize that there'sduality, you're less likely to
judge because you can see thegood and bad in people or the
strength and the weakness andright?
I mean, you can you can see allof that.
Shikha Miglani (03:07):
I think words are very powerful.
If we use it on us or others,it becomes a part of our uh
existence.
So if we are very c uh a bitcareful and gentle and you know
nuanced with the choice ofwords, it can shape us as a
different human being.
Marc Bernstein (03:22):
I like that.
It's great, it's wonderful.
So let's tell you about ShikhaMiglani, who is the co-founder
and co-CEO of Saarthee, astrategy analytics technology
and AI company that empowersenterprises through
transformative insights.
With an engineering backgroundand decades of consulting
(03:42):
experience, she has led multimulti-million dollar initiatives
across industry, seamlesslybridging data analytics with
business strategy.
A strong advocate for the powerof mentorship, she serves as a
passionate board member of BigBrothers and Big Sisters.
Um also sends Mite Mighty, am Isaying that correctly?
Shikha Miglani (04:03):
Mighty.
Marc Bernstein (04:04):
Mighty, where she spearheads the collaborative
development of AI-drivensolutions.
Also, she left this out of herbio, but she has founded a um an
organization called Girl ofSubstance.
And we're we're gonna get tothat.
We're gonna talk about that.
So welcome, Shikha.
Thanks for being here.
Shikha Miglani (04:22):
Excited to be here, Marc.
Marc Bernstein (04:24):
Uh you um well I I know a lot of this, but let's
tell the audience about yourstory.
You know, you come from India.
We can talk about how you grewhow you grew up a little bit,
but what influenced youultimately to get where to where
you are as an entrepreneur?
That's the story we'd like tohear to start out.
Shikha Miglani (04:40):
Uh sure, Marc.
So, Marc, I grew up in India,uh, you know, did my education
engineering.
Um, there was this involvementof math and science and the
family.
Uh my dad was uh my both myparents were uh, you know, a big
proponent of education.
We were in a small town, umvery humble, simple lives.
Uh but my parents weredreamers.
(05:01):
I got my uh ambition from mymom, and I got my sensitivity
from my dad.
Journalists the other wayaround, but I now that I'm
talking to you, it's like youknow, occurring to me even more
clearly that she was theambitious one, you know, she was
the one who would uh she wasthe she was the one who would
execute vision into ideas, andmy father was like he would have
these ideas about you know whatto do.
(05:21):
Uh and and a lot ofsensitivity, the lot of values I
get is from my dad.
Marc Bernstein (05:26):
So your dad was like the visionary and your mom
was like the implementationperson.
Shikha Miglani (05:30):
They both were visionaries, but they uh they uh
my mom was more like she wouldtake it to the end, you know.
She would want to so the thethe strength to really uh you
know see it in actuality issomething she had uh, you know,
completely uh which was a partof her personality.
So yeah.
Marc Bernstein (05:46):
Nice.
So and I think you there weresome entrepreneurs in your
family as well.
Didn't we talk about that?
Shikha Miglani (05:51):
Yes.
My father's side, uh, you know,uh actually even my mother's
side too, they had their ownsmall businesses, they were
entrepreneurs.
So it was like a and I wouldsee them working late hours, you
know, uh having their shopsopen till ten.
So I think uh my dad was theonly salaried person in his
family, and we broke that.
Marc Bernstein (06:08):
Right.
Shikha Miglani (06:09):
Uh for you know uh and then I I I did my
engineering there, studied forsome time.
Um I was I think the firstwoman engineer on the shop
floor.
There were not many women.
I think I was the first one.
I was uh they were not givingme a job.
I said, okay, I'm not I'm gonnaquit the job if you don't give
me this.
And back in those days, youngerpeople, I was young back then.
Right.
So they were not uh uh theydidn't want to do the core jobs,
(06:32):
you know.
But I it was my love.
My father, you know, gave methat love for machines,
engineering, and I wanted topursue something which I you
know studied in, you know.
Um so they gave me shop floor.
I worked there for four years.
Uh it was amazing.
The most magical.
I think it really hardened meup being the only woman in the
room most of the time.
Marc Bernstein (06:49):
In the in India?
Shikha Miglani (06:51):
That was in India.
Marc Bernstein (06:52):
In India.
Shikha Miglani (06:52):
Yeah, it was like I would travel to remote
sites, set up, you know, the thedesigns that I created, you
know, face the crowd where, youknow, I'm the only uh you know,
you just see it, right?
You can't ignore the fact thatuh you're the only per woman in
the room.
Uh but great experience, uh,you know, um and then I you know
worked there for four years andthen I came here for masters.
Uh there was, I don't know, Isuddenly I got an itch to travel
(07:14):
the world, just go to the otherside and you know, do my
masters.
So after finishing up mymasters, I worked again for some
time.
And then uh, you know, uh on uhme and my partner always uh we
were very dreamy folks, youknow, all ambitious.
We were in a really good job wewere doing really well with the
jobs, but there was somethingmore inside us, more so in my,
(07:35):
you know, in my partner who waslike more ambitious than me, I
would say.
For me, ambition was acrossdimensions, but for him it was
definitely about you know doingsomething.
Marc Bernstein (07:44):
This is your partner in business today you're
talking about.
Yes, yes.
Who may we say he's also yourhusband?
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay.
Shikha Miglani (07:51):
So I would see that, you know, uh, you know,
that he was never happy with,you know, whatever he was doing.
He wanted to do something more,and it kind of rubbed off on
me, I think, in a way.
Uh but I was ambitious.
There was a part in me, mymom's, you know, DNA in me that
kind of you know immediatelyconnected to that.
So we would talk about, youknow, what we we could we would
talk about our dreams,ambitions, you know, they are
like seeds that you arecreating, and then one day you
(08:13):
sow those seeds when the timingis right, and you water it and
you put fertilizer.
Yes.
And then that tree becameSaarthee right now.
Marc Bernstein (08:20):
Um did you s did you start I'm not sure if I
know the answer, Saarthee inIndia and bring it here?
No.
Shikha Miglani (08:26):
It was uh Saarthee is founded in America.
Marc Bernstein (08:28):
Yeah.
Shikha Miglani (08:29):
And yeah.
Marc Bernstein (08:30):
And so how did you get to that point where you
decided to to start thatcompany?
Shikha Miglani (08:34):
So my you know, my daughter was born and I was
like, you know, um I was inbetween, I was taking a small
break, so uh and we had this,you know, a clear idea of
something doing of our own.
And then my ex-employed calledup and said, Hey, I need your
help.
I said, I'm not gonna get backbecause I've decided to be an
entrepreneur.
I decided to start my owncompany.
So even if you even only if youregister me as a vendor, I can
(08:58):
come on board and do your work.
And that's how we kind of youknow got into the first project
and you know, uh my firstpaycheck for Saarthee.
Yeah.
And then uh thereafter, clientson his side, you know, came in
and you know, there was this alot of you know respect we had
in our work.
People respected our work, whowe are, and we were, you know,
uh we were we had the ability tobring in technology and
(09:19):
business together throughanalytics, right?
Uh so people just loved us, wereally challenged the norm.
We were like so anytime thereare companies around, there are
always a room for newercompanies.
Uh almost like a David versusGoliath logic, you know.
Uh people become easy uh whenthings go like as you grow.
But then we brought in thisanti-establishment mindset, a
(09:39):
new thought process to dothings.
So we grew very organically.
It was all about work to us.
We really, you know, uhrespected, we we wanted to do a
great job rather than sellingall the time.
And I'm so glad we did it thatway.
That way we found our ownidentity as a founder.
Uh as founders, uh, we founduh, you know, we we were able to
create a vision, understand thevision, create it, and bake it
(09:59):
so we can grow from there.
Yeah.
Marc Bernstein (10:02):
Um in in a few words, in a sentence, if you can
do it, can you describe in inan easy to understand way what
Saarthee does?
Shikha Miglani (10:09):
Yeah.
So I'll give a quick uh, youknow, um I'll I'll share a quick
note on the name Saarthee.
Saarthee means mentor, guide,trusted companion.
It's a sa Sanskrit word whichoriginates from a mythological
war that happened many, manyyears ago in India between two
brothers.
They were two cousin brothers,and they both had the option to
choose Saarthee or Lord Krishna,who was also the chief
(10:30):
strategist or a million soldierarmy.
So the brother who chose uhKrishna, Saarthee, uh won the
war versus the brother who chosea million soldier army.
So the moral of the story isquality is better than the
quantity.
So if you have the team led bysubject matter experts we call
Saarthee, you can really uhdrive the business outcomes in a
very strategic way.
So we have we think of us as aJames Bond where we can wear the
(10:53):
business suit, we can jump thetrains, uh we can wear the
business suit uh to speak thelanguage of the business, but we
can also jump the train and fixthe bomb to do all the dirty
work that is needed to be donewith data technology and area.
Marc Bernstein (11:03):
That's great.
Shikha Miglani (11:04):
So very, very premier but not pretentious.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
Marc Bernstein (11:06):
And for what industries?
What industries do you workfor?
Shikha Miglani (11:09):
So we work across uh verticals, you know,
telecom, media, uh, real estate,retail, banking, healthcare,
pharmaceuticals.
So we we we we we are you knowvertical agnostic and we have uh
built solutions and resultsthat have dramatically you know
improved outcomes, savedmillions of dollars for an end
client.
Marc Bernstein (11:27):
One thing our listeners can't see, but they
maybe be able to hear it, isthat you have a wonderful smile,
that you're always smiling.
She's there's so much energy umemerges from Sheca and it's
contagious.
You can't help I can't help butsmile when I'm talking to her.
So hopefully you can hear mineas well.
It's always a joy to speak toher.
Um in building a business, youknow, we know it's not a um
(11:50):
straight line to success.
There's a lot of challengesalong the way, right?
Shikha Miglani (11:54):
It should not be a straight line.
Marc Bernstein (11:55):
It should not be a straight line.
Shikha Miglani (11:56):
Yeah, that's a fun part, right?
Marc Bernstein (11:57):
That's the fun the roller coaster, right?
Shikha Miglani (11:59):
Right.
Marc Bernstein (11:59):
So it's a roller coaster ride.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat.
What kind of challenges did youface along the way that um that
caused some bumps in the roadfor you or some uh hills on the
roller coaster?
Shikha Miglani (12:11):
You know, for us it was a very easy journey
because people knew us and webelieved in our work.
Uh we were enjoying everysingle day.
I uh Marc, I can't there's noteven a one dull day in Saarthee.
That is my that is a joy.
Saarthee is the joy of my lifebecause I didn't even realize
how 11 years went by and we havedone this amazing body of work.
We have innovated, you know,products, we have created
(12:34):
solutions, we have ourstakeholders who have signed us
up for you know year after year,right?
Our contracts renewed.
The five-star customer servicethat we have given to people is
the most satisfying part.
Um so it was very easy, butyes, there were the chores.
You had to wear multiple hats.
We started with one laptop andthen we had servers, and now we
(12:55):
have a full, full-fledged IT,you know, team working for us,
right?
So that was interesting.
Being an entrepreneur, I thinkI would say you have to be
single-minded if you can.
All the entrepreneurs lovetheir work.
I think all of them, uh if theyare successful, they're
single-minded.
So just stay focused on thework was very natural to me.
To other people, it may be achallenge, but I'm quite
(13:16):
single-minded.
Quite I get obsessed aboutsomething.
And it kind of reflects in myprofessional life too.
So yeah, I mean, I I don'tknow, I don't see it as a
challenge.
It was uh hard work.
It was like sheer hard worktrying to prove your you know
worth and trying to prove yourpoint of view.
But uh I loved it.
Marc Bernstein (13:34):
So the hard work is really what was driving the
roller coaster to a certainextent.
Shikha Miglani (13:39):
Um.
I mean no.
I don't know.
I it it's a hard questionbecause I never felt the
challenges.
But yes, sometimes when you arecoming as an immigrant into a
country and you are talking tothe business uh leaders out
there, they've not seen peoplewho could also do strategy and
analytics.
Normally people would have seenus in the technology space to
to have them uh you know uhunderstand who we are was a
(14:01):
little bit of a work, but it wasnot a challenge, I would say.
For example, I was doing sometraining sessions and I had the
option to keep my keep my accentor copy the accent, you know,
of somebody who was doing it foryears, a very fancy company
doing it.
I said, no, I'm not gonna doit.
So I created my own content,almost like a poem, and uh
added, you know, the with mywonderful smile, like whatever
you said just now.
(14:22):
And uh, you know, I just putthe content forward, right?
Marry the content with thecompassion, with the empathy.
And people really take it well.
It was a very successfulsession.
People came and told me, hey,hey, your sessions are so cool.
They are really, you know, uhthey really were the ones I was
able to wrap myself uh uh up,but it was so and so in I had
such an enjoyable experienceattending your training
(14:44):
sessions, right?
So things like that where youhad the choice to be somebody
else you're not or the choice tobe who you are.
I would say embrace yourself.
People love real people, end ofthe day.
Marc Bernstein (14:54):
And you have expressed to me that the
challenge of being an immigrantand the challenge of being a
woman leader in business haveright?
Shikha Miglani (15:01):
I mean, there's you know, there's I think as
women leaders we always have toprove ourselves.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
Always uh when you enter aroom, uh you know, you uh and
I'm almost I'm so used to it, itdoesn't even bother me anymore.
It has empowered me that youknow I walk in and people are
not gonna be sure who what I doand whether I'll be able to do
it.
Uh but uh don't listen to it.
(15:22):
And I think it gets better.
Then your body language becomesso different that people don't
even doubt you.
And things change at certainpoint of life.
I'm like 11 years into it,right?
So I go into a meeting, bam, Iknow what to do, I know what I'm
talking about, I know exactlywhere goes what.
So that adds up and biasesfizzle out.
But yes, there'll always be anew crowd that has not seen
(15:42):
something.
What you do.
There are not many femalefounders out there.
In fact, when I do interviews,young girls come and tell me, I
have not seen a female founder.
I said, Okay, Marc, my day'sdone.
This is why you should be doingyour work, not just to make
money, right, but also toinspire people in a subtle way,
right?
As simple as that girl carryingthat image of a female founder,
you know, completely in herspirit and soul, right?
Marc Bernstein (16:03):
Listen, it's about confidence.
So over time you build a lot ofconfidence.
And and by the way, if youdon't mind me saying, this is a
great this show is a greatexample because you were a
little nervous about how thiswas gonna be and say, I don't
know how this is gonna be, andyou're doing a wonderful job.
And with that, we're gonna takea one-minute break and we'll be
right back.
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(16:57):
We are back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Shikha Miglani of SART.
And um so we've we've talked alot about the building of the
business.
I know you are a person withvision, like your mother and
like your father.
And um what let's tell me aboutyour future vision.
If this were three years fromtoday, Shikha, and we're
talking, what would have tohappen over that three years for
(17:19):
you to tell me, hey, that was avery successful period in our
business and in my life?
What would that look like?
Shikha Miglani (17:26):
Uh yes, Marc.
So uh we have taken Saarthee touh you know a great place.
Uh you know, every day is likesome new achievement.
Uh we are trying to scale it upglobally.
Uh we are trying to solve newerproblems, we are trying to be
innovative, uh, which comes veryeasy to us.
So in three years, um I I wouldlike to scale my company to
(17:48):
newer heights that uh you know Ionly imagined uh you know for
Saarthee.
Uh before Gen EI, if you wereto ask me this question about
scaling, I would say people, butI think with Gen EI, the
stakes, uh the game has changedand you have to think about
growth and innovation in termsof growth in terms of
innovation.
So if I can create verycutting-edge solutions, uh, you
(18:10):
know, where I can really help myclients find efficiencies and
find new ways to optimize theirROIs, I think that will be a
success.
And as I do it, I to I I wantto really when I say
cutting-edge technology, I'mreally thinking about can we
make India the Silicon Valley ofthe world where so much
innovation happens on the on thes in in the Silicon Valley of
(18:32):
California, right?
Can I create the same, youknow, uh as I mean, I have the
aspiration at least to have thesame level of innovation coming
from India.
So that will be the true impactI can make on the technology.
Uh and in and that's mythree-year vision, you know.
Can I get there?
Uh I would love to get there.
I know I can get there, but wehave to work on it every single
(18:53):
day and we'll do it.
Um I also want to make animpact.
I think life should not just beabout numbers.
I think it should be about uhthe uh the the number of lives
that you have touched andimpacted.
So right now I'm on the boardof Big Brother Big Sisters, so
it's happening very naturally.
We both are like Sartimi'smentor guide, Big Brother, Big
Sister is a mentorshiporganization.
(19:14):
So we are helping them.
We are doing, we did pro bonoanalytics for them, we sponsored
events.
Now we are helping them findstrategy into new ways to raise
the funds and everything thatgoes along with that, you know.
And we are supporting them withour team in India.
Um at some point, I would liketo, and I think it's in the
works setting up my ownfoundation and creating
purpose-driven uh uhenterprises.
(19:36):
Encouraging my daughter, uh,you know, said that as you grow,
uh find and you know, createpurpose where you donate 100% of
your profit, right?
To nonprofit.
Just run it like a business anddonate 100% is another concept
I would like to try from myimpact perspective.
And as a woman entrepreneur, Ithink being here uh is great.
Uh but if I can truly uh changelives through AI, how can we,
(20:00):
you know, how can we overcomethis bias in AI, right?
So for that, and that's why Icreated MIT.
Um, you know, I'm the CEO ofMaiti, which is a collaborative
AI uh uh you know uh uh companywhere we collaborate with
business stakeholders or youknow people who know what
problems to be solved and wesolve them along with it.
But how can we uh you know uhunbias it from a gender
(20:22):
perspective, race perspective?
So that I think would be verymeaningful to me.
So yeah, my own business, Imean everything is only, but
yeah, my business and then youknow, impact, social impact um
that we are currently making,but even to a larger scale.
And then how do I use AI toovercome the biases in the
society and find some innovativesolutions around that?
(20:42):
Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.
Marc Bernstein (20:42):
We missed one thing, which is um talking about
social impact through business,girl of substance.
Let's talk about that.
Shikha Miglani (20:49):
Oh yeah.
So, Marc, this is a girl ofsubstance is my first baby, uh
uh uh business baby, you know.
Uh even before Saarthee, like Isaw my daughter, uh like he she
would enter into an elevator,and then there's a boy who
enters into the elevator, andthen this is America, you know,
and then they said, Hey, hey,your t-shirt is uh you know, you
you that's so cute on yourt-shirt, right?
You're so cute and soeverything would translate from
(21:11):
what she was wearing.
Whereas there was a boy who hada fighter jet or something on
his shirt, and he and they wouldsay, Hey, you want to be a
fighter palette?
So just imagine a girl beingbombarded with these with these
messages from day one, and thenyou expect her to go to Harvard
one day and start doing things,right?
Right.
Why not to change thatperception from day one when we
can start talking to them,right?
(21:32):
Uh in the same way.
So to me there was a bias, andI was wondering if this is could
happen in America.
I can't imagine what couldhappen in India, right?
And I think the toy andclothing industry was very
gendered.
So I it was my answer to the tothe norm.
It was my answer to the bigfolks out there uh that you
know, this thinking is very, youknow, archaic and we need to
think new.
So I founded Girl of Substance,which uh is a clothing store.
(21:54):
In future, I see it as a mediaplatform for girls uh to empower
them.
But when when I founded it, itwas all about you know um
creating empowering clothing forthe girls so they can envision
themselves as future leaders, asfuture you know.
Marc Bernstein (22:08):
So you sell t-shirts and things like that?
Clothing, yeah.
Yeah.
And how what what what'sempowering about the clothing?
What's different about it?
Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.
Shikha Miglani (22:15):
So there are many dimensions to it, but we
are we are encouraging girls todream big, whether it's STEM or
arts or philosophy.
So it's a whole philosophy.
I don't want to just say STEMbecause I think you can't just
send a girl to a Harvard andempower them.
You have to empower uh everycore, every element of their
existence.
(22:36):
And that can only happen whenwe talk to them and when we, you
know, converse with them, andwe have the similar expectation
as we have from a boy, right?
Marc Bernstein (22:44):
Yeah, that's great.
That's that's uh I that was oneof my favorite parts of your
story was girl of substance.
So you um here's a question Ilike to ask you.
What does success mean to you,Shikha, today?
What does it mean to you today,and how has that definition
evolved in your life over time?
Yeah.
I know it's changed.
Shikha Miglani (23:04):
Yeah, so success um you know I have always been
an A student.
I was always an A student, verypopular kid into leadership
roles, house captain, you know.
I every time I was in that, Iwas never on the sidelines.
So it was very hard for me tostay on the sidelines.
But I was also seeing successthrough the lens of others where
they were applauding me.
So it was good, but I think itwas also limiting me in a way
(23:25):
what how I want it to be.
So and with Saarthee, it hasliberated me.
It is, I mean, I've I don't dothings because, you know, people
for social recognition, I dothings because I feel good about
it.
So success is when you canreally, you know, uh succeed,
feeling good about it, right?
And when you can take somechances with life, you know,
where you don't have to uh, youknow, uh answer to every
(23:48):
anybody, right?
So to me, success is about um,you know, about this liberated
feeling of you know not losingyourself, rather gaining
yourself, right?
I mean there's a dimensions tosuccess.
Uh money is money, revenue,yes, that's a part of the
business.
That you don't want to losesight of as an entrepreneur, but
you don't want to lose yoursight of who you are.
So if you gain something, gainyourself.
(24:10):
Don't lose yourself in theprocess.
That to me is true success.
Marc Bernstein (24:14):
Like marching to your own drum, like following
your own path and being who youare.
Shikha Miglani (24:19):
Being who you are, yes.
Marc Bernstein (24:21):
I love that.
Um one uh one other question.
So if you were looking back andif you could speak to your
younger self, uh what advicewould you give you?
What would you do differently?
Shikha Miglani (24:34):
Yeah, um I think be more con like be more
confident.
I mean uh you know, don't bedon't be scared to fail.
I think when we are young, andespecially when you're doing so
well as a you know student oryou were the favorite child of
your I mean your parents reallyapplauded you for everything you
did, uh, you know.
Uh it was as I said, it was Icouldn't take failures that
(24:56):
easy.
But with time and with, youknow, um with some uh yeah, with
time I've yeah, with with timeI've kind of, you know, um I
don't care about it anymore.
It's really about you know whatI want to do and failures
failures are a part of success,right?
And if you don't fail much, youdon't discover new things.
So yeah, I would I would tellthat, but I think it's a journey
(25:18):
we all go through.
But I'm very comfortable in myskin right now to be whatever I
want to do.
Marc Bernstein (25:22):
You seem very comfortable in your skin.
You're smiling all the time.
I love that.
Um we have another minute.
I'm gonna throw a couplesurprise questions at you.
Uh what book are you reading,or what what is your favorite
book, or what what book wouldyou recommend to our listeners?
Shikha Miglani (25:36):
I could read Paolo Colo all day, every day.
He's very inspiring.
So I just uh uh you know, mydaughter gifted me on my
mother's day.
I don't know how she knew I'dlike the author.
It's called the Fifth Mountain.
So I don't know what's there inthe book.
Yeah.
So I will be I'll start to readthat book.
But I love Paolo Colo so much.
It's um uh I believe that uhyou know life becomes what you
(25:59):
want it to be.
And there is so much power youhave in your self to shape your
own life.
And if you uh want somethingreally bad, it kind of falls in
your way, is the magic I stillwant to believe.
So yeah, I mean uh yeah, justsomething which can inspire me
and uplift me, right?
And uh make me think in a wayI've never thought before would
(26:21):
be a good book for me.
Ralo Colo always does it.
I'll be open to new books.
I would love to hear yoursuggestions too at some point
after the show.
Marc Bernstein (26:27):
We can talk afterwards.
I think I think we're justabout uh uh finished with the
show.
I think we're just uh I thinkwe're out of time.
But uh wonderful having youhere, Shikha and you might stay
on for the next show we recordtoday, and uh you're welcome to
do that if you'd like.
And uh we thank you all forbeing here on Founders Forum.
And uh please listen to usagain next week.
(26:48):
Please uh subscribe, please uhhashtag, please uh get in touch
with us if you have any ideas orif you'd like to be on our
show.
And with that, have a greatday.
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J.
Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management,or Beasly Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, author,and financial advisor Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe forward-focused forum, Marc
(00:21):
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
the stories behind theirsuccess.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights, and a little fun.
Now, let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:40):
Good morning, America.
How are you?
It's a gray day in Philadelphiatoday, but I will tell you that
the Phillies are playing great.
So there's a little brightnessin Philly right now.
They're in first place.
And uh all is good in the worldfor me in the summer when the
Phillies are winning.
So anyway, I have a guest heretoday, Shikha, and we were
(01:02):
talking, we've gotten to knoweach other over the last few
months, and we were talkingoffline about the concept of
duality.
And duality, you know, when Ithink of duality, I think of the
contradictions of life.
You know, where there's dark,there's light, where there's
positivity, there's negativity,where there's um, you know, all
(01:23):
kinds of things.
I actually think of golf also,because in golf it's a game of
contradictions.
You know, you take a everyeveryone thinks it's the harder
you swing the fur the furtherthe ball goes, but everybody
knows that's not true.
So it's a game ofcontradictions.
So I think about duality a lot.
Um but I know Shikha thinksabout it in terms of
entrepreneurship, which it alsomakes a lot of sense to me.
(01:46):
So Shikha let's uh give us yourthoughts on duality and
entrepreneurship.
Shikha Miglani (01:51):
Uh hey Marc, uh duality to me is a very powerful
concept uh lately so because asI'm growing as a leader of a
company, I'm seeing there is uhthere's so much duality that
exists in everything we do, theway we think about ourselves,
our approach.
And sometimes when people labelyou or you label people, you
kind of get stuck in that imageand you try to uh deal with
(02:14):
things in a particular way.
But if you slightly like openup your mind and allow the other
side to come through and find abalance, I think you can you
can create magic.
So to me that's duality.
I was asking Chat GPT, can youdo a psychoanalysis for me?
And it came back to me withsaying, Oh, you are a leader who
values uh, you know, who preferwho who would prioritize impact
(02:34):
over ego or who would who is uhwho can combine the hard
metrics of business with softskill softness of dealing with
people, right?
So to me that was veryinteresting.
Wow, uh, you know, that if youyou you don't have to let go of
something to be something.
I think you can have it all.
You just need to learn the artof balance and regulation.
Marc Bernstein (02:54):
It also helps with non-judgment, I think.
If you recognize that there'sduality, you're less likely to
judge because you can see thegood and bad in people or the
strength and the weakness andright?
I mean, you can you can see allof that.
Shikha Miglani (03:07):
I think words are very powerful.
If we use it on us or others,it becomes a part of our uh
existence.
So if we are very c uh a bitcareful and gentle and you know
nuanced with the choice ofwords, it can shape us as a
different human being.
Marc Bernstein (03:22):
I like that.
It's great, it's wonderful.
So let's tell you about ShikhaMiglani, who is the co-founder
and co-CEO of Saarthee, astrategy analytics technology
and AI company that empowersenterprises through
transformative insights.
With an engineering backgroundand decades of consulting
(03:42):
experience, she has led multimulti-million dollar initiatives
across industry, seamlesslybridging data analytics with
business strategy.
A strong advocate for the powerof mentorship, she serves as a
passionate board member of BigBrothers and Big Sisters.
Um also sends Mite Mighty, am Isaying that correctly?
Shikha Miglani (04:03):
Mighty.
Marc Bernstein (04:04):
Mighty, where she spearheads the collaborative
development of AI-drivensolutions.
Also, she left this out of herbio, but she has founded a um an
organization called Girl ofSubstance.
And we're we're gonna get tothat.
We're gonna talk about that.
So welcome, Shikha.
Thanks for being here.
Shikha Miglani (04:22):
Excited to be here, Marc.
Marc Bernstein (04:24):
Uh you um well I I know a lot of this, but let's
tell the audience about yourstory.
You know, you come from India.
We can talk about how you grewhow you grew up a little bit,
but what influenced youultimately to get where to where
you are as an entrepreneur?
That's the story we'd like tohear to start out.
Shikha Miglani (04:40):
Uh sure, Marc.
So, Marc, I grew up in India,uh, you know, did my education
engineering.
Um, there was this involvementof math and science and the
family.
Uh my dad was uh my both myparents were uh, you know, a big
proponent of education.
We were in a small town, umvery humble, simple lives.
Uh but my parents weredreamers.
(05:01):
I got my uh ambition from mymom, and I got my sensitivity
from my dad.
Journalists the other wayaround, but I now that I'm
talking to you, it's like youknow, occurring to me even more
clearly that she was theambitious one, you know, she was
the one who would uh she wasthe she was the one who would
execute vision into ideas, andmy father was like he would have
these ideas about you know whatto do.
(05:21):
Uh and and a lot ofsensitivity, the lot of values I
get is from my dad.
Marc Bernstein (05:26):
So your dad was like the visionary and your mom
was like the implementationperson.
Shikha Miglani (05:30):
They both were visionaries, but they uh they uh
my mom was more like she wouldtake it to the end, you know.
She would want to so the thethe strength to really uh you
know see it in actuality issomething she had uh, you know,
completely uh which was a partof her personality.
So yeah.
Marc Bernstein (05:46):
Nice.
So and I think you there weresome entrepreneurs in your
family as well.
Didn't we talk about that?
Shikha Miglani (05:51):
Yes.
My father's side, uh, you know,uh actually even my mother's
side too, they had their ownsmall businesses, they were
entrepreneurs.
So it was like a and I wouldsee them working late hours, you
know, uh having their shopsopen till ten.
So I think uh my dad was theonly salaried person in his
family, and we broke that.
Marc Bernstein (06:08):
Right.
Shikha Miglani (06:09):
Uh for you know uh and then I I I did my
engineering there, studied forsome time.
Um I was I think the firstwoman engineer on the shop
floor.
There were not many women.
I think I was the first one.
I was uh they were not givingme a job.
I said, okay, I'm not I'm gonnaquit the job if you don't give
me this.
And back in those days, youngerpeople, I was young back then.
Right.
So they were not uh uh theydidn't want to do the core jobs,
(06:32):
you know.
But I it was my love.
My father, you know, gave methat love for machines,
engineering, and I wanted topursue something which I you
know studied in, you know.
Um so they gave me shop floor.
I worked there for four years.
Uh it was amazing.
The most magical.
I think it really hardened meup being the only woman in the
room most of the time.
Marc Bernstein (06:49):
In the in India?
Shikha Miglani (06:51):
That was in India.
Marc Bernstein (06:52):
In India.
Shikha Miglani (06:52):
Yeah, it was like I would travel to remote
sites, set up, you know, the thedesigns that I created, you
know, face the crowd where, youknow, I'm the only uh you know,
you just see it, right?
You can't ignore the fact thatuh you're the only per woman in
the room.
Uh but great experience, uh,you know, um and then I you know
worked there for four years andthen I came here for masters.
Uh there was, I don't know, Isuddenly I got an itch to travel
(07:14):
the world, just go to the otherside and you know, do my
masters.
So after finishing up mymasters, I worked again for some
time.
And then uh, you know, uh on uhme and my partner always uh we
were very dreamy folks, youknow, all ambitious.
We were in a really good job wewere doing really well with the
jobs, but there was somethingmore inside us, more so in my,
(07:35):
you know, in my partner who waslike more ambitious than me, I
would say.
For me, ambition was acrossdimensions, but for him it was
definitely about you know doingsomething.
Marc Bernstein (07:44):
This is your partner in business today you're
talking about.
Yes, yes.
Who may we say he's also yourhusband?
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay.
Shikha Miglani (07:51):
So I would see that, you know, uh, you know,
that he was never happy with,you know, whatever he was doing.
He wanted to do something more,and it kind of rubbed off on
me, I think, in a way.
Uh but I was ambitious.
There was a part in me, mymom's, you know, DNA in me that
kind of you know immediatelyconnected to that.
So we would talk about, youknow, what we we could we would
talk about our dreams,ambitions, you know, they are
like seeds that you arecreating, and then one day you
(08:13):
sow those seeds when the timingis right, and you water it and
you put fertilizer.
Yes.
And then that tree becameSaarthee right now.
Marc Bernstein (08:20):
Um did you s did you start I'm not sure if I
know the answer, Saarthee inIndia and bring it here?
No.
Shikha Miglani (08:26):
It was uh Saarthee is founded in America.
Marc Bernstein (08:28):
Yeah.
Shikha Miglani (08:29):
And yeah.
Marc Bernstein (08:30):
And so how did you get to that point where you
decided to to start thatcompany?
Shikha Miglani (08:34):
So my you know, my daughter was born and I was
like, you know, um I was inbetween, I was taking a small
break, so uh and we had this,you know, a clear idea of
something doing of our own.
And then my ex-employed calledup and said, Hey, I need your
help.
I said, I'm not gonna get backbecause I've decided to be an
entrepreneur.
I decided to start my owncompany.
So even if you even only if youregister me as a vendor, I can
(08:58):
come on board and do your work.
And that's how we kind of youknow got into the first project
and you know, uh my firstpaycheck for Saarthee.
Yeah.
And then uh thereafter, clientson his side, you know, came in
and you know, there was this alot of you know respect we had
in our work.
People respected our work, whowe are, and we were, you know,
uh we were we had the ability tobring in technology and
(09:19):
business together throughanalytics, right?
Uh so people just loved us, wereally challenged the norm.
We were like so anytime thereare companies around, there are
always a room for newercompanies.
Uh almost like a David versusGoliath logic, you know.
Uh people become easy uh whenthings go like as you grow.
But then we brought in thisanti-establishment mindset, a
(09:39):
new thought process to dothings.
So we grew very organically.
It was all about work to us.
We really, you know, uhrespected, we we wanted to do a
great job rather than sellingall the time.
And I'm so glad we did it thatway.
That way we found our ownidentity as a founder.
Uh as founders, uh, we founduh, you know, we we were able to
create a vision, understand thevision, create it, and bake it
(09:59):
so we can grow from there.
Yeah.
Marc Bernstein (10:02):
Um in in a few words, in a sentence, if you can
do it, can you describe in inan easy to understand way what
Saarthee does?
Shikha Miglani (10:09):
Yeah.
So I'll give a quick uh, youknow, um I'll I'll share a quick
note on the name Saarthee.
Saarthee means mentor, guide,trusted companion.
It's a sa Sanskrit word whichoriginates from a mythological
war that happened many, manyyears ago in India between two
brothers.
They were two cousin brothers,and they both had the option to
choose Saarthee or Lord Krishna,who was also the chief
(10:30):
strategist or a million soldierarmy.
So the brother who chose uhKrishna, Saarthee, uh won the
war versus the brother who chosea million soldier army.
So the moral of the story isquality is better than the
quantity.
So if you have the team led bysubject matter experts we call
Saarthee, you can really uhdrive the business outcomes in a
very strategic way.
So we have we think of us as aJames Bond where we can wear the
(10:53):
business suit, we can jump thetrains, uh we can wear the
business suit uh to speak thelanguage of the business, but we
can also jump the train and fixthe bomb to do all the dirty
work that is needed to be donewith data technology and area.
Marc Bernstein (11:03):
That's great.
Shikha Miglani (11:04):
So very, very premier but not pretentious.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
Marc Bernstein (11:06):
And for what industries?
What industries do you workfor?
Shikha Miglani (11:09):
So we work across uh verticals, you know,
telecom, media, uh, real estate,retail, banking, healthcare,
pharmaceuticals.
So we we we we we are you knowvertical agnostic and we have uh
built solutions and resultsthat have dramatically you know
improved outcomes, savedmillions of dollars for an end
client.
Marc Bernstein (11:27):
One thing our listeners can't see, but they
maybe be able to hear it, isthat you have a wonderful smile,
that you're always smiling.
She's there's so much energy umemerges from Sheca and it's
contagious.
You can't help I can't help butsmile when I'm talking to her.
So hopefully you can hear mineas well.
It's always a joy to speak toher.
Um in building a business, youknow, we know it's not a um
(11:50):
straight line to success.
There's a lot of challengesalong the way, right?
Shikha Miglani (11:54):
It should not be a straight line.
Marc Bernstein (11:55):
It should not be a straight line.
Shikha Miglani (11:56):
Yeah, that's a fun part, right?
Marc Bernstein (11:57):
That's the fun the roller coaster, right?
Shikha Miglani (11:59):
Right.
Marc Bernstein (11:59):
So it's a roller coaster ride.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat.
What kind of challenges did youface along the way that um that
caused some bumps in the roadfor you or some uh hills on the
roller coaster?
Shikha Miglani (12:11):
You know, for us it was a very easy journey
because people knew us and webelieved in our work.
Uh we were enjoying everysingle day.
I uh Marc, I can't there's noteven a one dull day in Saarthee.
That is my that is a joy.
Saarthee is the joy of my lifebecause I didn't even realize
how 11 years went by and we havedone this amazing body of work.
We have innovated, you know,products, we have created
(12:34):
solutions, we have ourstakeholders who have signed us
up for you know year after year,right?
Our contracts renewed.
The five-star customer servicethat we have given to people is
the most satisfying part.
Um so it was very easy, butyes, there were the chores.
You had to wear multiple hats.
We started with one laptop andthen we had servers, and now we
(12:55):
have a full, full-fledged IT,you know, team working for us,
right?
So that was interesting.
Being an entrepreneur, I thinkI would say you have to be
single-minded if you can.
All the entrepreneurs lovetheir work.
I think all of them, uh if theyare successful, they're
single-minded.
So just stay focused on thework was very natural to me.
To other people, it may be achallenge, but I'm quite
(13:16):
single-minded.
Quite I get obsessed aboutsomething.
And it kind of reflects in myprofessional life too.
So yeah, I mean, I I don'tknow, I don't see it as a
challenge.
It was uh hard work.
It was like sheer hard worktrying to prove your you know
worth and trying to prove yourpoint of view.
But uh I loved it.
Marc Bernstein (13:34):
So the hard work is really what was driving the
roller coaster to a certainextent.
Shikha Miglani (13:39):
Um.
I mean no.
I don't know.
I it it's a hard questionbecause I never felt the
challenges.
But yes, sometimes when you arecoming as an immigrant into a
country and you are talking tothe business uh leaders out
there, they've not seen peoplewho could also do strategy and
analytics.
Normally people would have seenus in the technology space to
to have them uh you know uhunderstand who we are was a
(14:01):
little bit of a work, but it wasnot a challenge, I would say.
For example, I was doing sometraining sessions and I had the
option to keep my keep my accentor copy the accent, you know,
of somebody who was doing it foryears, a very fancy company
doing it.
I said, no, I'm not gonna doit.
So I created my own content,almost like a poem, and uh
added, you know, the with mywonderful smile, like whatever
you said just now.
(14:22):
And uh, you know, I just putthe content forward, right?
Marry the content with thecompassion, with the empathy.
And people really take it well.
It was a very successfulsession.
People came and told me, hey,hey, your sessions are so cool.
They are really, you know, uhthey really were the ones I was
able to wrap myself uh uh up,but it was so and so in I had
such an enjoyable experienceattending your training
(14:44):
sessions, right?
So things like that where youhad the choice to be somebody
else you're not or the choice tobe who you are.
I would say embrace yourself.
People love real people, end ofthe day.
Marc Bernstein (14:54):
And you have expressed to me that the
challenge of being an immigrantand the challenge of being a
woman leader in business haveright?
Shikha Miglani (15:01):
I mean, there's you know, there's I think as
women leaders we always have toprove ourselves.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
Always uh when you enter aroom, uh you know, you uh and
I'm almost I'm so used to it, itdoesn't even bother me anymore.
It has empowered me that youknow I walk in and people are
not gonna be sure who what I doand whether I'll be able to do
it.
Uh but uh don't listen to it.
(15:22):
And I think it gets better.
Then your body language becomesso different that people don't
even doubt you.
And things change at certainpoint of life.
I'm like 11 years into it,right?
So I go into a meeting, bam, Iknow what to do, I know what I'm
talking about, I know exactlywhere goes what.
So that adds up and biasesfizzle out.
But yes, there'll always be anew crowd that has not seen
(15:42):
something.
What you do.
There are not many femalefounders out there.
In fact, when I do interviews,young girls come and tell me, I
have not seen a female founder.
I said, Okay, Marc, my day'sdone.
This is why you should be doingyour work, not just to make
money, right, but also toinspire people in a subtle way,
right?
As simple as that girl carryingthat image of a female founder,
you know, completely in herspirit and soul, right?
Marc Bernstein (16:03):
Listen, it's about confidence.
So over time you build a lot ofconfidence.
And and by the way, if youdon't mind me saying, this is a
great this show is a greatexample because you were a
little nervous about how thiswas gonna be and say, I don't
know how this is gonna be, andyou're doing a wonderful job.
And with that, we're gonna takea one-minute break and we'll be
right back.
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(16:57):
We are back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Shikha Miglani of SART.
And um so we've we've talked alot about the building of the
business.
I know you are a person withvision, like your mother and
like your father.
And um what let's tell me aboutyour future vision.
If this were three years fromtoday, Shikha, and we're
talking, what would have tohappen over that three years for
(17:19):
you to tell me, hey, that was avery successful period in our
business and in my life?
What would that look like?
Shikha Miglani (17:26):
Uh yes, Marc.
So uh we have taken Saarthee touh you know a great place.
Uh you know, every day is likesome new achievement.
Uh we are trying to scale it upglobally.
Uh we are trying to solve newerproblems, we are trying to be
innovative, uh, which comes veryeasy to us.
So in three years, um I I wouldlike to scale my company to
(17:48):
newer heights that uh you know Ionly imagined uh you know for
Saarthee.
Uh before Gen EI, if you wereto ask me this question about
scaling, I would say people, butI think with Gen EI, the
stakes, uh the game has changedand you have to think about
growth and innovation in termsof growth in terms of
innovation.
So if I can create verycutting-edge solutions, uh, you
(18:10):
know, where I can really help myclients find efficiencies and
find new ways to optimize theirROIs, I think that will be a
success.
And as I do it, I to I I wantto really when I say
cutting-edge technology, I'mreally thinking about can we
make India the Silicon Valley ofthe world where so much
innovation happens on the on thes in in the Silicon Valley of
(18:32):
California, right?
Can I create the same, youknow, uh as I mean, I have the
aspiration at least to have thesame level of innovation coming
from India.
So that will be the true impactI can make on the technology.
Uh and in and that's mythree-year vision, you know.
Can I get there?
Uh I would love to get there.
I know I can get there, but wehave to work on it every single
(18:53):
day and we'll do it.
Um I also want to make animpact.
I think life should not just beabout numbers.
I think it should be about uhthe uh the the number of lives
that you have touched andimpacted.
So right now I'm on the boardof Big Brother Big Sisters, so
it's happening very naturally.
We both are like Sartimi'smentor guide, Big Brother, Big
Sister is a mentorshiporganization.
(19:14):
So we are helping them.
We are doing, we did pro bonoanalytics for them, we sponsored
events.
Now we are helping them findstrategy into new ways to raise
the funds and everything thatgoes along with that, you know.
And we are supporting them withour team in India.
Um at some point, I would liketo, and I think it's in the
works setting up my ownfoundation and creating
purpose-driven uh uhenterprises.
(19:36):
Encouraging my daughter, uh,you know, said that as you grow,
uh find and you know, createpurpose where you donate 100% of
your profit, right?
To nonprofit.
Just run it like a business anddonate 100% is another concept
I would like to try from myimpact perspective.
And as a woman entrepreneur, Ithink being here uh is great.
Uh but if I can truly uh changelives through AI, how can we,
(20:00):
you know, how can we overcomethis bias in AI, right?
So for that, and that's why Icreated MIT.
Um, you know, I'm the CEO ofMaiti, which is a collaborative
AI uh uh you know uh uh companywhere we collaborate with
business stakeholders or youknow people who know what
problems to be solved and wesolve them along with it.
But how can we uh you know uhunbias it from a gender
(20:22):
perspective, race perspective?
So that I think would be verymeaningful to me.
So yeah, my own business, Imean everything is only, but
yeah, my business and then youknow, impact, social impact um
that we are currently making,but even to a larger scale.
And then how do I use AI toovercome the biases in the
society and find some innovativesolutions around that?
(20:42):
Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.
Marc Bernstein (20:42):
We missed one thing, which is um talking about
social impact through business,girl of substance.
Let's talk about that.
Shikha Miglani (20:49):
Oh yeah.
So, Marc, this is a girl ofsubstance is my first baby, uh
uh uh business baby, you know.
Uh even before Saarthee, like Isaw my daughter, uh like he she
would enter into an elevator,and then there's a boy who
enters into the elevator, andthen this is America, you know,
and then they said, Hey, hey,your t-shirt is uh you know, you
you that's so cute on yourt-shirt, right?
You're so cute and soeverything would translate from
(21:11):
what she was wearing.
Whereas there was a boy who hada fighter jet or something on
his shirt, and he and they wouldsay, Hey, you want to be a
fighter palette?
So just imagine a girl beingbombarded with these with these
messages from day one, and thenyou expect her to go to Harvard
one day and start doing things,right?
Right.
Why not to change thatperception from day one when we
can start talking to them,right?
(21:32):
Uh in the same way.
So to me there was a bias, andI was wondering if this is could
happen in America.
I can't imagine what couldhappen in India, right?
And I think the toy andclothing industry was very
gendered.
So I it was my answer to the tothe norm.
It was my answer to the bigfolks out there uh that you
know, this thinking is very, youknow, archaic and we need to
think new.
So I founded Girl of Substance,which uh is a clothing store.
(21:54):
In future, I see it as a mediaplatform for girls uh to empower
them.
But when when I founded it, itwas all about you know um
creating empowering clothing forthe girls so they can envision
themselves as future leaders, asfuture you know.
Marc Bernstein (22:08):
So you sell t-shirts and things like that?
Clothing, yeah.
Yeah.
And how what what what'sempowering about the clothing?
What's different about it?
Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.
Shikha Miglani (22:15):
So there are many dimensions to it, but we
are we are encouraging girls todream big, whether it's STEM or
arts or philosophy.
So it's a whole philosophy.
I don't want to just say STEMbecause I think you can't just
send a girl to a Harvard andempower them.
You have to empower uh everycore, every element of their
existence.
(22:36):
And that can only happen whenwe talk to them and when we, you
know, converse with them, andwe have the similar expectation
as we have from a boy, right?
Marc Bernstein (22:44):
Yeah, that's great.
That's that's uh I that was oneof my favorite parts of your
story was girl of substance.
So you um here's a question Ilike to ask you.
What does success mean to you,Shikha, today?
What does it mean to you today,and how has that definition
evolved in your life over time?
Yeah.
I know it's changed.
Shikha Miglani (23:04):
Yeah, so success um you know I have always been
an A student.
I was always an A student, verypopular kid into leadership
roles, house captain, you know.
I every time I was in that, Iwas never on the sidelines.
So it was very hard for me tostay on the sidelines.
But I was also seeing successthrough the lens of others where
they were applauding me.
So it was good, but I think itwas also limiting me in a way
(23:25):
what how I want it to be.
So and with Saarthee, it hasliberated me.
It is, I mean, I've I don't dothings because, you know, people
for social recognition, I dothings because I feel good about
it.
So success is when you canreally, you know, uh succeed,
feeling good about it, right?
And when you can take somechances with life, you know,
where you don't have to uh, youknow, uh answer to every
(23:48):
anybody, right?
So to me, success is about um,you know, about this liberated
feeling of you know not losingyourself, rather gaining
yourself, right?
I mean there's a dimensions tosuccess.
Uh money is money, revenue,yes, that's a part of the
business.
That you don't want to losesight of as an entrepreneur, but
you don't want to lose yoursight of who you are.
So if you gain something, gainyourself.
(24:10):
Don't lose yourself in theprocess.
That to me is true success.
Marc Bernstein (24:14):
Like marching to your own drum, like following
your own path and being who youare.
Shikha Miglani (24:19):
Being who you are, yes.
Marc Bernstein (24:21):
I love that.
Um one uh one other question.
So if you were looking back andif you could speak to your
younger self, uh what advicewould you give you?
What would you do differently?
Shikha Miglani (24:34):
Yeah, um I think be more con like be more
confident.
I mean uh you know, don't bedon't be scared to fail.
I think when we are young, andespecially when you're doing so
well as a you know student oryou were the favorite child of
your I mean your parents reallyapplauded you for everything you
did, uh, you know.
Uh it was as I said, it was Icouldn't take failures that
(24:56):
easy.
But with time and with, youknow, um with some uh yeah, with
time I've yeah, with with timeI've kind of, you know, um I
don't care about it anymore.
It's really about you know whatI want to do and failures
failures are a part of success,right?
And if you don't fail much, youdon't discover new things.
So yeah, I would I would tellthat, but I think it's a journey
(25:18):
we all go through.
But I'm very comfortable in myskin right now to be whatever I
want to do.
Marc Bernstein (25:22):
You seem very comfortable in your skin.
You're smiling all the time.
I love that.
Um we have another minute.
I'm gonna throw a couplesurprise questions at you.
Uh what book are you reading,or what what is your favorite
book, or what what book wouldyou recommend to our listeners?
Shikha Miglani (25:36):
I could read Paolo Colo all day, every day.
He's very inspiring.
So I just uh uh you know, mydaughter gifted me on my
mother's day.
I don't know how she knew I'dlike the author.
It's called the Fifth Mountain.
So I don't know what's there inthe book.
Yeah.
So I will be I'll start to readthat book.
But I love Paolo Colo so much.
It's um uh I believe that uhyou know life becomes what you
(25:59):
want it to be.
And there is so much power youhave in your self to shape your
own life.
And if you uh want somethingreally bad, it kind of falls in
your way, is the magic I stillwant to believe.
So yeah, I mean uh yeah, justsomething which can inspire me
and uplift me, right?
And uh make me think in a wayI've never thought before would
(26:21):
be a good book for me.
Ralo Colo always does it.
I'll be open to new books.
I would love to hear yoursuggestions too at some point
after the show.
Marc Bernstein (26:27):
We can talk afterwards.
I think I think we're justabout uh uh finished with the
show.
I think we're just uh I thinkwe're out of time.
But uh wonderful having youhere, Shikha and you might stay
on for the next show we recordtoday, and uh you're welcome to
do that if you'd like.
And uh we thank you all forbeing here on Founders Forum.
And uh please listen to usagain next week.
(26:48):
Please uh subscribe, please uhhashtag, please uh get in touch
with us if you have any ideas orif you'd like to be on our
show.
And with that, have a greatday.
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