Mehreen Gandhi- The Only Way to Overcome Setbacks Is to Have Patience (Digital Creator and Founder and Managing Director of M ONE)

Mehreen Gandhi is an entrepreneur, a digital creator as well as the founder and managing director of M ONE, a Gurgaon-based company that deals in automotive visual modifications, custom seat cover manufacturing and car detailing. She is also the first female to start a modification studio in India.

A highly skilled and die-hard leader at heart, we caught up with Mehreen to know what it is like to be an entrepreneur, how she first got her start, and her recommendations for how one can be influential in this career.

“Being creative is also allowing yourself to explore freely, to deliver value and turn imaginative designs into reality”

Question 1: Do you think there are some challenges when it comes to the idea of female leadership? What's the one thing you had to learn the hard way?

Response: Yes, we do face some basic challenges even today in most companies operational/decision-making positions are still dominated by men, even today certain people feel uncomfortable when asked to report to a female. This is more of a cultural issue that needs to be dealt with by everyone. 

The one thing I learned the hard way was to stay unaffected and ignore people that aren't ready to see a female lead the way in the automotive field since it's still considered a man's job and most people in this field still hold a patriarchal stance. 

Question 2: Making a presence on Instagram is difficult to get by these days, any recipe for success on social media?

Response: My answer might be the most common but is also the gospel truth, BE YOURSELF. If you try to follow or copy someone else then some or the other day you’ll run out of content but if you’re genuinely your true self then you’ll never run out of content since you are content. 

Question 3: If you were to be a part of your favourite Bollywood movie, which one would it be?

Response: I’m a complete Bollywood buff and my favourite movies are all 90’s or early 2000s romcoms, but this choice is as a viewer. If I were to be part of any then I think that’s yet to be made, something like a fast & furious movie would be like a dream come true!

Question 4: We’ve seen your reels about cars and we are awestruck, what's the one thing you like the most about them?

Response: Cars have just been a part of me for as long as I can remember now. The part that excites me the most is the process of taking someone's vision of their dream car and turning it into reality for them, it’s like being a part of their dream itself and of course the happiness it brings to people when they see their car is priceless. 

Question 5: What's the one message that you’d like to give to your younger self?

Response: The one message I’d like to give my younger self would be to stop trying to see the best in people, sometimes people just choose the wrong path and that’s their journey for which you do not need to tag along. You have to protect yourself first and then help others, giving too much of your energy to others is also harmful, be it family, friends, or colleagues.

She can be found on social media, especially with the Instagram handle @mehreengandhi