Featured Image Credit: Trouvaille CC
Starting a small business is no easy task. Doing so while balancing another career is even harder. In an effort to ease the journey for such SBOs, two girl bosses provide a platform for brands to communicate with their audience more effectively. Suhani Bachan, based in India, and Gurbani John-Buttar, now based in Canada, put their innovative minds to work to form Trouvaille CC. These two female entrepreneurs manage their company while being in two different parts of the world. They do indeed make it look effortless, while that is certainly not the case! So, let’s ask them how they do it! Aspiring girl bosses, read on!
[Read More: The 9to5 Misfits: Do I Need Video Content?]
What is the meaning behind “Trouvaille”?
“‘Trouvaille’ is a French word that means ‘a lucky find,’ ‘something beautiful that you stumble upon by chance.’ We believe that our professional connections with people hold a special reason. We find people and their brand stories by chance and connect with them to add our creative energies into their existing stories to create something beautiful and everlasting for the brand in this exciting world of social media.”
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How did you get started with the marketing side hustle and what was your motivation?
“Since both of us are die-hard fans of marketing — one being from the ad/marketing background and one being a blogger — we felt that our thoughts and ideas needed to be put into practice. We wanted to give way to our ideas, and polish them with our experience in the field, to help brands present the best version of their story. Our motivation was to create content that a potential customer can connect with; create and curate content that the masses can resonate with and help a lot of local brands change their game and upgrade to a have the benefits of having a global presence.”
How did your respective careers help you in the development of Trouvaille?
“Different career backgrounds helped to give a lot of depth and dimension to our company’s work ethic and overall concept. One of us brought a good understanding of technicalities and experience of the gigantic marketing industry and the other one brought the understanding of client-dealing, financial planning, client contracts, etc. For both of us, luckily, our aesthetic sensibilities synced well from day one and this has always been our company’s strongest quality.”
You were brave to embark on this journey to establishing this company. How would you explain being a #girlboss despite pressures to pursue the career you were initially planning to go into?
“There is nothing like having a career that makes you jump out of the bed in the morning and that makes you happily stay awake at night. There is no better feeling than to see your dreams and thoughts turn into realities. To start from ground zero and then walk on a stage (flipping your hair), receiving an award. In our opinion, if you hold a vision in your heart, there is nothing (and absolutely nothing), that can stop you from achieving it. The bumpy roads are there to slow you down, so you can see around and re-evaluate your game-plan. We always take it in our stride. There are endless lessons to learn on this breathtaking journey. The trick is to ‘keep going.'”
What makes Trouvaille one of a kind?
“Our USP is creating content that is ‘connecting’ — to present a brand’s struggle and success through its products and services. We do not believe in social-media-post-bombardment. Quality over quantity, always. As one of the first local agencies to bring ‘video marketing’ and ‘minimal designing’ into practice, we believe in telling a brand’s story that always has a happy ending.”
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Why is social media important for brands?
“To survive — as simple as that! Most people we know (and you know) use social media. Today, it’s the biggest platform that binds people with one another in the fastest way. Social media marketing is important for brands simply because it puts it on the map, multiplies the audience reach, and ultimately increases sales because it is accessible to a larger audience at once.”
What is “video marketing?”
“Video marketing is a strategy that focuses on presenting a product or a service in an ad form, but, instead of being featured on TVs, it grabs the attention of the audience on popular social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. These videos are short and crisp, and if made well, leave a lasting impression on the consumer, building their interest in the brand and their products.”
What kind of brands do you typically cover? What do you look for in a brand?
“We like to take on brands that are aesthetically in line with our company’s overall theme. That being said, we work with a flexible approach and tune our creativity into what a brand needs and wants to showcase. We extend our services to various clients ranging from the Food & Beverage industry to Retail and Real Estate.”
What is the most important personality trait one should possess to become a #girlboss?
“I think all #girlbosses need to be one step ahead. And by that, they do not, by any means, need to pressurize themselves into ‘matching’ to the norms of entrepreneurship. It is important to carve your own path and stick to it. It is important to always achieve goals for your own happiness and success. Go full force towards what you believe in. Always learn from your mistakes and take note of constructive criticism.”
Where do you see the company in the next year or so?
“Going PAN India and international. We are in search of start-ups that have a beautiful story and need direction and more audience in terms of social media marketing. Our endeavor is to bring a brand out of the closet and present it to the online audience in the best possible way.”
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What’s the perfect workday for you (respectively)?
Suhani: “Jump out of the bed and put my creative hat on. Early morning client calls, content coordination, designing, compilation and postings. Every couple of days, I plan a shoot with our production head, Dhruv Bachan, and shoot for various products for our clients. Mornings for me are often like a cyclone hitting my home office, but the rush and the end results are often sweet and satisfying.”
Gurbani: “Since I live in Vancouver and have a major time difference with my partner, Suhani, my mornings start with waking up and checking all the updates on what happened in the day and if any major deliverable needs my attention. I then go on to work during the day, in a law firm. Once I am back, I work on some content. Before hitting the bed, I provide content for all our social media postings for the day and go off to sleep. Suhani and I often end our days with some funny banter.”
One advice you have for brown girls who are looking to become girl bosses of their own?
“It comes naturally for people to make it difficult for most brown girls to support or encourage them when they decide to do something out of the line. Most people find it discomforting to see brown girl entrepreneurs take ‘risks’ and get down to get the real work done. Something that is unconventionally achieved by a woman is often threatening to society. Our advice? Shake it off! Believe in your skills, your thoughts, your team, your goals, and most importantly, believe in yourself. You are solid gold. Born to shine.”
So, “shake it off,” “believe in yourself,” and remember that you are “solid gold, born to shine.” You can tackle it all, from juggling a day time job and your passion, being a career-oriented mom, to starting your empire with a single step towards your goals. Take the risk. Go for it. Let your purpose fuel your passion.
