‘Entrepreneurship is the greatest gift I’ve given myself,' says Samantha Prabhu on how building startups rewired her mindset

Actor Samantha Prabhu recently said that entrepreneurship has been a deeply personal turning point in her life. 

In an interview with MoneyControl, the actor-turned-entrepreneur shared that building startups pushed her to believe in herself and develop confidence in ways her acting career never demanded.

Building startups made Samantha Prabhu more confident

Prabhu has as many as 12 startups in her portfolio. She is the co-founder of the menstrual wellness brand Zoy and last year founded her own clothing brand, Truly SMA.

“It's (entrepreneurship) the greatest gift that I have given myself to actually step out of my comfort zone of being an actor and to be able to work with such amazing people, doing amazing things, improving the quality of life of people around,” Prabhu told Moneycontrol.

She called building startups the best phase of her life.

While Prabhu has been gaining applause for her roles in movies and series like Raji in The Family Man 2 or as Honey in Citadel, the actor remarked that her foray into the business world has opened up new possibilities for her.

“As an actor, you have tunnel vision and have very few people around you. You interact with just the people you're filming with and the people that are involved in that film. But as an entrepreneur, investing in over 10 companies, I have the opportunity to understand real world problems, to work in a team, to work in partnerships.”

Starting a business and setting up a company has also made Prabhu more confident.

“I went from an extremely underconfident girl to now going to the other extreme. I want to be the person who bets on herself completely. Today, if I believe in an idea, in a product and a founder, I want to bet on them. I want to bet on my belief in the product and I want to go all the way with it.”

Prabhu said she enjoys the process of building something from scratch.

She added, “I have the privilege of working with amazing founders, co-founders, who truly have their heart in the right place. So I'm really enjoying this process.”

According to the star-turned-entrepreneur, women should not limit themselves to a specific role.

“You don't have to limit yourself to the box society has given you. And you don't have to be scared to stay in the box just because society tells you that that's the right thing to do. I think that by dabbling in many things, I've realised my true potential, that I can focus on 12 different things and give my 100% to 12 different things.”

“And that's what I would like to tell women, don't limit yourself to the boundaries that other people give you,” she added.

When asked about other celebrity startups, Prabhu said that businesses like Katrina Kaif’s Kay Beauty or Hrithik Roshan’s HRX have had the most success.

“When the celebrity and the brand fit like a glove, the business is a success. It's only when you can see that they aren't really using the product, that's when the businesses fail naturally. Which is why if you look around my house, you definitely see every brand that I have invested in.”

“I will never be part of a business and endorse a product that I don't personally use,” she added.

When it comes to her businesses, the actor said, before adding more to the portfolio, it's time for her to see them flourish.

“I think 12 is enough,” she said. “It's time for me to focus on seeing them grow. My focus has definitely been on sectors that improve the quality of life of those around me. Hence the wellness sector. I invest heavily in wellness, in education including firms like Ekam, Urban Kisaan, Secret Alchemist,” she added.

The actor added that her new venture, Truly SMA, was a natural progression from being part of the fashion world.

“As an actor, you're part of the fashion industry. You learn so much from stylists. You learn so much about the fashion game. And so Truly SMA is just a natural way of expressing that.”

Prabhu’s first venture as an entrepreneur, Saaki, gave her the drive to build something of her own.

“I've had great learnings with Saki, which was my first ever venture as an entrepreneur. The experience in the fashion space, being involved with a large community of women through Saaki, these were the things that I learned from the brand.”

And Truly SMA is a natural progression, she said. “Just like I have evolved as a person, my style has changed. Truly SMA feels more like me right now.”

“It is the kind of clothes I want to wear, the kind of clothes I'm wearing right now, the kind of clothes I live in. My Instagram is full of pieces from Truly SMA. And I feel like this is as close to a brand that I have ever been.”

Samantha Prabhu said that her apparel brand fits in the affordable, premium, everyday wear segment.

“It appeals to the working women of India today. It bridges design sensibility with quality at affordable pricing. And I think that there is a large part of aspirational India that wants to feel themselves in pieces, wants functional pieces that are not chasing trends.”

Currently online and also shipping outside India, entrepreneur Prabhu’s next move is to take the brand to retail stores.

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