Leaders

It's important to evaluate one's level of enthusiasm in making major life decisions like starting a company or switching careers. When individuals are motivated and passionate about something, they are more likely to persevere in the face of adversity. Those who are invested in their work, as opposed to just "in it for the money," have more resilient mindsets and better problem-solving skills. And if you love what you do, you're more likely to put in the effort to become better at it, which in turn boosts your chances of success. Aashna Malik is a shining example of how one may successfully make a career shift when driven by passion and determination.

Aashna started her career as an architect but became an entrepreneur during the pandemic. In her first foray into entrepreneurship, Aashna co-founded The Arch Method, where she put her architectural knowledge to use and instructed other architects, interior designers, and civil engineers on how to utilize a variety of architectural software; and was in charge of digital marketing. As a result, Aashna chose to switch careers from architecture to digital marketing and founded Abstract by Aashna. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Aashna is also now the Chief Creative Officer of Meatington.

Below is an excerpt of Aashna’s exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur magazine.

What are some important features of your expertise as a business leader?

At Abstract by Aashna, a large part of my role involves dealing with people’s public identities. My areas of experience include branding and everything associated with marketing, including social media management, back-end platform management, graphic design, website design, and more. For the most part, I focus on helping entrepreneursexpand their businesses and improve their visibility online.

At Meatington my role is more holistic. Everything you see, from packaging and branding to Meatington’s digital profile, comes under my purview. Not only am I in charge of all things creative, but I am also a part of strategizing and backend operations.

What motivated you to switch gears from being an architect to foraying into the field of digital marketing?

The lockdown was particularly challenging for me as a young architect because of the pandemic's effect on the industry as a whole. Even when ground operations resumed at the height of the pandemic, living in a joint family, I could not risk endangering any family members by going on-site. That is when a friend and I decided to establish an online architectural software tutoring company. To launch an online business, one needs a digital presence; and so, began my journey in the digital marketing world.

Being an architect made me adept at all things graphic as well as tech based. Due to my command over multiple software, the digital world felt like home became a natural fit for my passion for creativity. Whatever I needed to do to get students; I did. Whether it was social media management, ads, building a website or having an LMS platform, I learned how to do it and executed it myself. As a result, I had students from all across India within the span of a month.Over time, I came to appreciate how much more enjoyable and rewarding it is to see a business grow. Seeing other people struggle to take their businesses online during the pandemic, while I was succeeding with mine, is what pushed me to make the complete switch from architecture to digital marketing. With the knowledge I gained, I was able to quickly become proficient in multiple aspects of digital marketing, which allowed me to start Abstract by Aashna and increase my service offerings and my customer base across various fields. Although staying true to my roots, I now manage the social media account of an architecture firm!

Tell us about some of the most impactful projects that you have driven as a Chief Creative Officer. What are your primary focus areas while working on a new brand?

When starting a new project, it is essential to keep in mind the marketing problem that is being addressed and have cohesive branding across all platforms. To do this, it's important to identify your target audience and the specific difficulties they're experiencing before developing a solution. If you aren't sure who your target audience is or what issues your consumers are having, you won't be able to provide them with a satisfactory solution. That is to say, any company, regardless of whether it caters to a wide general public or a small but dedicated specialized market, requires customers who have a problem, and the product or service they provide must solve that issue.

Meatington is a pandemic baby and I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of it since its inception less than a year ago. With delicious frozen food products, it was my role to package and present them to the public. In a country where frozen food is still not as widely accepted, I have led many online and offline campaigns to educate people on the benefits of frozen food and how Meatington can ease their problems.

“If you love what you do, you’re more likely to put in effort to become better at it which in turn boosts your chances of success”

What advice would you give young women and girls who want to become business leaders and entrepreneurs, based on your experience?

My advice is that don’t do it for the money, do it because you're passionate about it. Not only will this drive you to explore the possibilities that you didn’t even know were available, but it will also enable you and your clients to grow exponentially together.

Aashna Malik,  Chief Creative Officer,  Meatington

Aashna completed her degree in architecture from the Sushant School of Art & Architecture. She launched Abstract by Aashna in 2020; where she helps entrepreneurs reach their target audience and grow their businesses online. Beyond that, she also serves as the Chief Creative Officer at Meatington.