Meet The SHEROES: Sheba Pai, Founder & CEO, Make My Workout

I started my career in international marketing here in India--a short stint before moving to the US. I stumbled upon professional fundraising in the US and was impressed by how organised the fundraising industry was. I took up a job to try it out, and ended up working for over 15 years in that field.

I have been a fitness enthusiast for over 20 years. I used to workout when I pleased and for however long I wanted. I always made time for exercise--running, spinning, boot camps, weight training, boxing--you name it and I was up for it! However, as a working mom, things quickly changed. I was no longer able to workout at the time I pleased, and sleep, that was once so important, went right out the window.

Time management is key.

My first three years of being a working mom were in the United States, with no nanny support. There was the full time job, drop-offs and pick-ups from the daycare, taking care of my son, cooking dinner, bath time and bedtime rituals. Although my husband helped wherever he could, it was still challenging. The only time I had for myself was in the morning. So, my mornings began at 4:30 am with an hour-long workout. Then, we moved to India.

I being my day really early to get a headstart on the schedule and workout before attending meetings and such, so I can accomplish most of the work before my son gets back from school. Then, it is all about him for a couple hours: snack time, reading, talking, playing. I tackle the rest after that. Family time and socialising is for weekends.

This is how Make My Workout came about.

I know how difficult it is to squeeze in time for oneself. It became more evident here in India--I met so many women who were not taking care of themselves, were suffering from low self esteem and poor health. New mothers, working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, women with long working hours, or folks who can't step out for the lack of time, or energy, or want to avoid traffic, but are interested in keeping themselves fit and confident. That's the gap I am trying to address with the Make my Workout service for individuals. The service is for men as well, but a majority of my clientele is women. So, be it personal training, yoga, small group trainings, nutrition services or online personal training, we provide it all.

The initial challenge for a woman entrepreneur begins at home.

You have to get the buy-in of the spouse. Thankfully, my husband was supportive and I was able to quit my job to start this venture. Starting your own company is quite daunting, in terms of the work that goes in. There is no downtime, especially in the beginning, and there are no set times for working. And if you are quitting your job to start your own venture, that monthly paycheck is not seen for a while. It’s important to be prepared for any challenge that comes your way and positive attitude helps.

The future of work is constantly evolving.

I had always aspired to be a doctor, and be independent, like my mother, who was an architect. It’s difficult to predict the kinds of jobs that we will see in the next decade; that said, I think ‘remote’ will be the way to go. With the technological advancements, geographical location should not be a barrier to getting any work done.

Collated by Karuna John

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