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Catching a glimpse of the snow-capped mountains, I took a step towards the edge of the cliff. Thoughts swayed in my mind, making me hesitant in taking action. The valley looked like a giant beast, waiting to devour me. Without a second thought, I jumped. The fall was steep, very fast, and sudden. In a blink of an eye, I felt myself cutting through the cold air. The approaching sense of doom was suddenly clawed away by the tightening grip of the rope on my thighs and the shoulders. This was my extraordinary introduction to bungee jumping.

I relived this experience as a 24-year-old when we founded OCEEDEE, a footwear brand. It was May 11th, 2015 and I vividly remember receiving the letter of incorporation. The email titled: “Congratulations! You have founded your first company.” Reading that email gave me the same rush as I had experienced in the first fall of my bungee jump, but only this time I was prepared to face the unknown with more courage.

Growing up, like every kid, I too was subjected to the painful question of ‘what do you want to become when you grow up?’ My answer, unlike the typical engineer, doctor, lawyer, was ‘Everything’. People laughed it off like it’s a childish play, but what I could never comprehend was what was so wrong in sailing through the unknown and exploring things as they came along. Why is there so much pressure to have your life figured out every second? But like a river carving its way through the mountains, life had naturally carved its own path for me.

This desire of exploration and discovery has made me take several unconventional paths along the way. Whether it was going to a boarding school, or pursuing Psychology, or getting the opportunity to study abroad, or starting my entrepreneurial journey in a field totally unrelated to my educational background; each experience has sculpted me with its own unique story. Each chapter pushed me to try something new, building towards finding my true calling.

In 2015, when I first met my co-founder, Anshul Sood, we both were toying with the idea of finding a solution to the persistent question of choosing design over comfort or vice versa that women have to deal with when shopping for shoes. Being a shoe lover myself and having gone through this painful dilemma first hand, we decided to start OCEEDEE. The thought was simple — to offer women the shoes that they truly desire and as our name is synonymous with, we strive every day to bring the best of the best quality of shoes handcrafted in exquisite designs and quality for women to strut in confidence.

The journey had its own challenges though. Neither of us came from any formal background in footwear manufacturing or designing. The only driving force since the beginning of the journey was a strong passion and conviction to create something different. As exciting as it was to get hands dirty learning from the ground up, the initial few months felt overwhelming. It was quite a challenge to establish the trust in people to take us seriously and also believe in our vision. The bottleneck of inexperience further made the road a bit rocky.

Often my inexperience in the industry cluttered the thought process, constantly doubting every small decision being made. But it was a crucial piece of advice from my father that came in handy as I navigated through these initial days of my entrepreneurial journey. He shared, “Self-confidence is good but not always the most important. Many a time, it is the confidence from others that makes a difference in your life. The confidence shown by others is built through every action and interaction of yours over a period of time and you need to work hard for it.”

Growing the team from 5 to a strong 50 is the testimony to this advice that’s been the constant driving force for me. Being a psychology major, I have always been curious about people, their stories, and the emphasis on building strong meaningful relationships. Very early in my journey, I realised that being transactional is the nature of the job, but it’s the power of relationships that takes you a long way. Hence even while inculcating the culture at OCEEDEE, I believe that hard skills can be taught or built in the process; it is the right attitude and desire to learn that is prioritised. No matter who I interact with, there is always something interesting to learn from them or about them that helps me grow.

Entrepreneurship is a journey to be lived every day, one day at a time. In the beginning, I had to wear many hats — building a strong product, interacting with customers, keeping a fine balance between creating the brand while still growing the sales. In this phase, every task whether big or small felt important and there was always a sweet note of pride and accomplishment in it. It made me value and respect even the smallest task going into the process.

One of my fondest memories was travelling across India to represent OCEEDEE at fashion exhibitions. Interacting with the customers, convincing them why OCEEDEE is different, and then the final checkbox, making a sale was important learning I had in the early days. It helped me understand my customer, build the courage to take feedback, but most importantly, stand there as a founder, garner the trust in them by translating my passion and conviction. Till date, this has been the most challenging yet most rewarding moment for me.

As an entrepreneur this grind is crucial and, of course, one that never stops. Now as I look back, I know these are the moments that have built the entrepreneurial mindset in me and I feel proud to see what we have built. From handcrafting our first order to walking global runways like Haute Couture Week in Paris, New York Fashion Week, to being the official footwear partner for the recently crowned Miss Universe 2022, it’s all been a dream come true.

In two months, OCEEDEE turns seven. Reminiscing through the journey I laugh at how mysteriously life works. The day OCEEDEE got incorporated, I was on my way to give my GMAT in the hopes of pursuing an MBA. I am sure that an MBA would have landed me with a successful job in a multinational corporate world, but would I have ever been able to relive the enthralling experience of my first bungee jump without co-founding OCEEDEE? It is these unexpected opportunities that come knocking, which demand you to overcome your inhibitions, gathering your strength and courage to take that plunge, because even if you fall, there is always a rise again.

‘In the world’s broad battlefield, in the bivouac of life, be not like dumb driven cattle, but a hero in strife! A Psalm of Life by HW Longfellow