Shivani Gupta
At just 27, Shivani Gupta is an engineer, businesswoman, and published author. She shares her secrets in a new TV series
Risking It All is your first foray into television. How is it different to your work as a mentor, speaker and businesswoman? The practicalities of the show really excited me, that you could go and get stuck in, and just build a relationship with these business owners over a period of nine or 12 months. So, with the hairdresser, I went and got my hair cut. With the fish and chip shop guy, I went and learned how to make fish and chips. With the gym, I did a gym class - and I'm glad they didn't put all of that footage in - and also with the crepes, I got to go and make some crepes.
You didn't have the benefit of a program like Risking It All early in your career. How did you learn all of the skills that you're now passing on? I've always been a big believer in asking lots of questions. I've actually approached people and said, "Hey, have you thought about coaching me or mentoring me?" If you go up and ask people... whether it's just organising a coffee with them for an hour, and saying "Listen, can I tap into you," mentoring or coaching doesn't have to last for ten years, it can be just a one-off. You know, just asking people will help you because they're successful and somebody helped them. What you've got to remember is that 20 per cent of businesses are very successful. I know that over 80 per cent fail, but those 20 per cent you know... they just have a belief that they're going to do it, and sometimes they don't know how they're going to do it, but they just have this belief that they're going to make that happen, and they do. So, I think it depends on what category you want to fall into, and once you've chosen that, you'll get there.
Watch Risking It All on SBS, Wednesdays at 8pm.