Hi everyone!

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It's terrible awkward to write about yourself in third person so I thought it best to pen this directly from me to you. I also thought let's skip the picture perfect professional headshot and share some very candid pictures from my 9 year old journey. 

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I'm writing this letter to tell you about my story, and very honestly what went down and how I got here.  The earlier website literally had a link to my linkedin because I thought thats what people prefer the brass tacks but  I've been advised to tell my story. (If you just want the brass tacks  though here's my linkedin profile)  

 

Ok so the story goes like this: born & brought up in Mumbai, did my LLB from the London School of Economics, worked at a top tier media & entertainment law firm and then... the business bug bit. 

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I started my first business in 2014, a legal consultancy for startups called theBombayLegal (which is still alive and kicking -check it out here) but...my first stint with start ups was as a founding team member & Chief Business & Creative Officer of theWeddingBrigade.com (then Indear.in) at the enthu age of 22. Before instagram took over, and content became what we know, we set out to build one of India's first wed-tech platform - inspiration, content, an e-commerce marketplace and a concierge service to make your wedding bookings. TheWeddingBrigade was my business school - and first real battleground of business I entered into. Countless highs and even more mistakes & failures that are invaluable learnings today. Anyway, we grew from a team of two to 60 over 4 years, and raised over $2.6M in funding during that time. Yup, I know, wild.

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In 2018, with god-knows-what-guts, I took the plunge from the digital space to the brick & mortar food and hospitality world- thanks to a chance encounter on Instagram where I met celebrity pastry chef Pooja Dhingra and then soon joined Le15 Patisserie (a cult dessert brand in India) as the Chief Operating Officer. Another huge adventure. We did some crazy things like raised funding, setup cafes & outlets and pop ups across the nation, started delivering pan-India, built operating systems and optimised a 5000 sq foot central kitchen, built a corporate team, trained a team of nearly 100, developed new revenue verticals like corporate gifting, weddings, content & learning, launched brand touch points like books & podcasts. We also had an incredible amount of fun doing it - even with the inordinate amount of firefighting that comes with any food business.

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So after a range of experiences, through my 20s, helming & running my own, what I knew for sure is that i wanted to create a one-stop space for entrepreneurs building the business of their dreams. Starting a business is hard, growing it and sustaining it, even more so. But the journey can be lonely, confusing, and you're often expected to know-it-all, do-it-all. You may have chosen the path of running your own business, so you can be your own boss but the truth is that being you own boss means working for every other stakeholder. As more and more people choose entrepreneurship as their career path - whether as their primary source or a side hustle, I knew I wanted to help develop the kinds of solutions I wish I had access to. Clarity Labs was born out of this mission - smack in the middle of the pandemic, the toughest time for any business and through 2020 and 2021, we cdid the research, built the systems, and developed the products & services that we feel would really dd some value to an entrepreneur - but while remaining extremely accessible and affordable. 

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I was recently asked, 'why clarity labs?' why this name?' - and it took me back to the days in 2020 when I sat with a drawing board and thought to myself, wow, I need some clarity. But the truth is, clarity, just like happiness is often elusive and a transient state in business. You don't have all the answers and that's often a good thing because it keeps you nimble - but every entrepreneur is always striving for it in some aspect or another. 

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So I'm ending this little lecture with this thought & wish : that in this chaotic world of building your dream business & brand, we get a chance to pursue clarity together. We hope that just like labs are known for, we get to experiment & create things that will change the world. 

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We're rooting for you. 

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Love, 

Devikka 

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Founder, Clarity Labs 

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PS: you can always reach out to me on email or on instagram @devikapatel1