In this episode, I speak to Sonali Karmarkar about how she’s grown her side hustle, Soieli, while working full time as a Community Partner Manager at Youtube
Sonali is based in New York. She supports Youtube’s creator community by day, and grows her hand-painted hair accessory brand, Soieli, by night. Sonali was born into a family composed of well-known artists. Her great grandfather, V. P. Karmarkar, was a renowned sculptor in India. Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree! Sonali has always loved painting, and grew up dreaming of becoming an artist some day. In this episode, she describes how her artistic family background and her university degree in both business and studio art, came together when she launched her side hustle.
Pablo Picasso famously said that “every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up.”
Many of us grew up dreaming about becoming an artist, fashion designer, musician or some other creative role. But as we grew older, we were hit with a big, fat reality check: Passion doesn’t always pay the bills! Sonali came to this cross-roads, and ultimately decided to experiment and balance her analytical and creative sides. She also spent her 20’s trying out different roles and companies to see what fit. Ultimately, her squiggly career path has led her to a job she loves, and inspired her to start a business.
Career Queens Podcast is a business podcast that spotlights career conversations with millennial women making moves in tech.
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