A software engineer turned woman entrepreneur has been creating ripples in the city by changing the lifestyle of many. Kripadhevi Dharmaraj, the mind behind Mc Lunchbox, a food start-up, has taken healthy and daily food to people of all ages. “My journey, especially being a woman has been amazing. I am learning every day and I am glad that I play a part in creating a better lifestyle for people,” she says.
As an entrepreneur, a leader, and a mother, Kripa successfully juggles her roles. “It is definitely not easy without family support. I work most of the time but they understand,” she shares.
Making the adults understand is tough enough, but how did she get her son’s support? “He is just six years old but he understands the environment! I don’t know how but if I’m late after a meeting he says ‘it’s okay amma’. For his age, he is incredibly mature,” smiles Kripa.
“Everything has merged together. Being an entrepreneur and a mother is part of my life now, Women from the previous generation would have been great entrepreneurs given an opportunity. We have the natural ability to multi-task!” she grins.
With a journey full of challenges, decision making and a lot of diplomatic management, Kripa says they make her life more interesting! “It is intriguing to learn new things. Challenges have made my decision-making quicker and smarter. They inspire me to do things better.”
Ask her if she faces gender-based challenges at work? “Definitely!” she exclaims and says, “Being the decision maker and a woman is not a concept many people are familiar with. Sometimes it is difficult to make men listen. Some are open-minded while, some are not. I handle such situations by either being diplomatic or by giving my final word that this is how it works.”
Sharing her views on how she would like other women to achieve outside the walls of home, she proudly says, “We have a woman delivery executive. She is no less than a man!”
Being a part of the panel for
SS Chennai, she shares how 60-70% of women she saw have sacrificed family, children and other factors. She finds her own transformation after Mc Lunchbox to be positive and says that it was her ambition to accomplish something before turning 30. “I wanted something that signifies my name rather than just a surname!”
Talking about hurdles faced by women she wants to help, Kripa says, “Most women between 28 and 35 lose their individuality when they begin to neglect their family. Later in life when they feel lost, they regret it. I want to set an example for the next generation by showing them that family and work are something to be balanced and not sacrificed.” So, what’s cooking at Mc lunchbox? “We are planning to start a phone application that will, on a daily basis, suggest healthy food needed by a customer depending upon their height, weight and age. We want to give a proper lifestyle to people,” she adds.