The #MeToo Movement began and is continuing to be strong because of crusaders and entrepreneurs like Meeta Vengapally. Like many others, Meeta has dealt with the challenges of being a woman while beginning a successful business in a time when the obstacles have never been harder, and the goals of success have never mattered more.
This Movement across the world socially and economically has affected every aspect of our lives and not only is this better for women, but it’s also better for most men. At a time when success is only limited by lack of drive and perseverance, for individuals like Meeta, doors are open and the glass ceiling is shattered.
Meeta’s business is called Garnysh. Originally, Garnysh was created using technology that allows users to set fitness and nutrition goals. Athletes could track them in real time, and chart their progress toward those goals. They could also track their food intake in terms of macros (calories, protein, carbs, and fats). They then could take the extra step of selecting unique meals on the Garnysh platform, which were prepped and delivered by local suppliers. The concept was tested on well known athletes and at local gyms and was well received.
Using the feedback of beta testing, Garnysh is constantly adapting and evolving. Using mindful practice, Meeta is always exploring more ways to expand data to include body, mind, and soul to help her clients work toward a holistic approach for a complete healthy lifestyle.
Challenges
Meeta started this business a year ago and transformed an idea into into a functioning enterprise. Throughout this process she has faced challenges all women in business will recognize – juggling erratic and unpredictable work hours with the responsibility of maintaining a home, raising two children and caring for her husband.
Far too familiar is the resentment towards moms who work unusual hours from full-time moms who do not understand the rigor of a business schedule . Business moms may miss the school parties or perhaps just the opposite. Perhaps owning their own business is just the ticket to a flexible schedule that allows them to be present for the otherwise missed events. But whichever the case, you can be sure a working mother is always thinking of these facts when most probably her male counterparts are not.
Creative Chaos
“Creative Chaos” is a term Meeta used to describe how she has had to organize her business life from her personal life as a wife and mother. And yet, she does so very well with the help of the business she has created. In a way the business was the brainchild of the mindfulness and CrossFit training that led Meeta to a healthier lifestyle after the birth of her children. This in turn led her to decide to share those discoveries with others.
Be Open to Change
When Garnysh began, Meeta’s primary focus was nutrition based on the healthy lifestyle she and so many other athletic people try to maintain. Recently, Garnysh has moved somewhat away from food and more into motivation and into coaching others to achieve their fitness goals. To achieve this, the company is working on a fitness tracking app and are beta testing this tracking system in some areas. This evolution like so many others in the company came almost naturally. Meeta knew it was time when she could see what she needed in her own life. More mindfulness. To be truly present to those around her.
More goal setting and actual fitness tracking. These things were also what resonated with Meeta’s clients. People want to be able to slow down enough to examine their priorities and decide what is important in their lives. Meeta realized her clients want to be able to take care of their physical and mental selves.
Tenacity is the Root of Success
Meeta’s tenacity and passion are the reasons she has become successful at what she is doing in business. Garnysh has grown, changed and developed into the company it has become because Meeta has walked through the doors that initially would not open. In the beginning the time spent working on the business was not a 9-5 commitment, but almost a round the clock endeavor.
Meeta has passed this tenacity to both of her children. They too are pushing boundaries and going beyond the limits of most children their age. They are pursuing acting and while this is a very difficult and often disillusioning profession, like their mother, they are not easily discouraged. Meeta’s ten-year-old son recently auditioned for a Disney role. This and many other activities have taught Meeta’s children the values of hard work, perseverance and belief in themselves as individuals and a strong belief in their family unit.
These values intersect between home and business which is why Garnysh has been so successful. This business is a reflection of the values Meeta and her family do hold so dear. And this is also what Meeta is finding her clients are looking for as a way to balance work, family, physical fitness and the practice of mindfulness. Garnysh has been Meeta’s answer for her life and is also the answer she is sharing with her clients.
What Does the Future Hold?
Being perceptive to new trends and what clients need are crucial ingredients to current and past successes at Garnysh. Being willing to grow and change with her clients and also with what Meeta’s own spirit is calling her to do has been and continues to be crucial. Working with others both in service and in the day to day routines of life helps Meeta to stay grounded so she has been able to keep her company on solid footing and in touch with others.
Because Garnysh is a progressive company they will not stagnate. Garnysh like Meeta, is willing to grow and change with the needs of the client base and also to work with future trends discovered in fitness and health industries. Not passing fads, mind you, but scientific, beta tested algorithms used to help clients achieve their best selves both mentally and physically.
Meeta has only been in business with Garnysh for one year and she has been featured in Forbes Magazine three times, MSN, Entrepreneur, several newspapers, and many other publications. This incredible entrepreneur and her company has achieved more in one year than many businesses do in a decade or more! Garnysh has grown from one employee to five employees during this time.
More headlines will be seen from this business woman in the future. Meeta Vengapally will be the entrepreneur to watch in 2019.