Ayesha Thapar
Owner & Founder, Cal-India Hospitality Group
“No matter who the woman or what her circumstances, economic independence creates a sense of confidence and self worth that every woman can benefit from.” - Ayesha
Q & A With Ayesha
What Makes You Feel Successful?
I believe the proof is in the doing. I think success is when you see your vision become a reality. Where people are experiencing what started as an idea for you. It was been extremely rewarding having the initial conversation about how the Bay Area needed more restaurants to then actually building them and then seeing your creation through people’s real life experiences.
What Is Something You Would Tell Anyone Who Is Starting Off In Their Career?
Most of being an entrepreneur is fire fighting — it is 80% of things you don't like or want to do, and depending on your business maybe 20% creative and fun with what makes it special. Ultimately you have to be OK going through the constant grind with some glimpses of light, to get to what you believe is the destination. But if you don't enjoy the journey no matter how hard it maybe, you can never get to the destination. And when you do, you realize it's just a never ending journey. Businesses don't stop; once you launch the business you need to keep them growing and evolving to sustain success it's a just a constant moving target with no real ending.
Why Is It Important For You To Give Back?
I think it is important to give back because you pay your good fortune forward. Success is about hard work, grit, luck and blessings. It all has to align, so I believe success should make you feel humble and want to share and give back.
About Ayesha
Ayesha is the Owner and Founder of Cal-India Hospitality Group, including Ettan and Copra Restaurant along with Chef/Partner Srijith Gopinathan. Raised in Delhi, Thapar is a Wellesley College graduate in economics ( with a minor in studio art), a scion of the prominent KCT Group (one of India’s leading business conglomerates).
A consummate project innovator with a successful track record across various industries. Thapar ran Tel3.com, a telecom voice-over IP company based in Miami. She founded Sansaar Fashion, a retail line of semi-precious jewelry, handbags, and scarves which merged the richness of the East with the avant-garde glamour of the West. Later her perseverance resulted in the family company (Indian City Properties) transitioning from passive landowners to developers with a diverse portfolio of high-quality real estate assets.
Despite a focus on business, Thapar has a deep passion for design and the arts, which have become hallmarks of all the restaurant concepts. Ettan, Copra, Little Blue Door, and Eylan are an expression of the diversity, beauty, artistic expression, and depth that is India. Her desire for the world to experience all that India is from her lens was the motivation behind this journey.
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