Meet Vineeta Singh, CEO Of Sugar & Shark Tank Judge Who Juggles Motherhood And Work Like A Boss

Everyone who enters Mumbai with a suitcase full of dreams is a risk-taker. For Vineeta Singh, who is currently seen on Shark Tank India, the journey to build her brand wasn't an easy one.

Today, Vineeta Singh is a founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics and juggles seamlessly between motherhood and work.

Instagram

At 17, her teacher told her she should be an entrepreneur, and Vineeta didn't look back. After cracking two of the toughest exams in India, she followed her dreams. She went into the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Madras), followed by an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad.

Instagram

Sharing her journey and how her dreams were more substantial than the failures that came her way, Vineeta shared her story with Humans of Bombay.

※At 23, I moved to Bombay. I lived in a matchbox house which would flood during monsoon,§ recalled Vineeta Singh.

Her decision to turn down a lucrative job offer didn't go down well with her parents and peers, but that didn't deter her from chasing her passion. She adds,

Instagram

※My savings were diminishing; I＊d hardly ever go out because I was on a strict budget. But I pushed on. I even started a venture, but it didn＊t work as planned. After a year, I felt brave enough to give entrepreneurship another shot with Fab Bag, a beauty subscription company. But after research, I realized the need for quality cosmetics for Indian women每that＊s how Sugar Cosmetics was born."

Vineeta's challenges as a woman entrepreneur were only getting bigger. It wasn't just about low funds anymore. Imagine meeting investors as a woman? It's a boys club, obviously!

She added,

Instagram

※Once, an investor refused to hold a meeting just with me. He wanted to have the business talk with a ＆man'. But I decided to let my work do the talking."

By then, a new mother, Singh described her journey of juggling work and motherhood. Read her post right here.

Instagram

※I was 17 when a conversation with my professor set the course for the rest of my life. While speaking about my career, he said, ＆You should be an entrepreneur!＊ That was it; that's what I was set on becoming.
So, I studied hard, got into IIT & then did my MBA. There, I learned, ＆You can be an entrepreneur only by being one!＊ So even though I got a great job offer, I declined it. Several people, including my parents, asked, 'What are you proving by not taking the job?' But I didn＊t let it get to me.
At 23, I moved to Bombay. I lived in a tiny house that flooded easily. I＊d hardly go out because I was on a budget. But I pushed on. I even started a venture, but it didn＊t work as planned. For the first time, I doubted myself每had I taken the job, I wouldn＊t be struggling.
At that point, I began running. It helped me clear my head & eventually, I started running marathons. Each finish line brought me a sense of clarity.
After a year, I gave entrepreneurship another shot with Fab Bag每a beauty subscription company. But after research, I realized the need for quality cosmetics in India每that＊s how SUGAR was born!
I invested my own money & even got funded! But being a woman in a ＆man＊s world＊ was tough每once, an investor refused to meet me. He wanted to talk business with a ＆man＊. But I let my work do the talking; I continued to run & even completed the Ironman Triathlon! That win kept me going, especially when the company ran out of funds.
I＊d also just become a mom.

Instagram

So at times, I＊d be pumping breast milk, working out, handling office calls, & hoping to not wake my son up. I＊d have sleepless nights, but I loved what I was doing. After a year, it paid off每we were recognized as the best lipstick brand!
It＊s been 5 years since; we＊re now a team of over 1500每75% of which are women! And I＊m doing everything I love. I run my company, I＊ve run marathons when I was 6 months pregnant & I run circles around my kids. Still, I＊m often asked, ＆How will you raise 2 kids & run a company?＊ Why is it so tough to believe a woman can play more than 1 role? I walk into the office with files in one hand & my baby in another. The juggle is real, but it＊s also totally worth it.§

As of 2022, Sugar Cosmetics boasts of a community of five million beauty enthusiasts across multiple platforms.

Instagram

Did you know Seventy-five percent of its 1,500-plus workforce is women?

Instagram

Vineeta Singh has become a household name and inspiration after her stint as one of the judges or ※sharks§ on Shark Tank India, the Indian adaptation of the global startup reality show.

Instagram

The other six judges on Shark Tank India are Ashneer Grover of BharatPe, Namita Thapar of Emcure Pharma, Anupam Mittal of Shaadi.com, Ghazal Alagh of Mamaearth, Peyush Bansal of Lenskart, and Aman Gupta of Boat.

(To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.)