In the age of biased media today, a young girl from India recognised the need for unbiased, informative, educational and interactive journalism to appeal to newsreaders around the globe.
Meet Arushi Sana, all of 24, who started her own media house called NYK Daily in 2019. We interviewed her about her experiences and her growth, here’s what she had to say.
1. Tell us about yourself and your journey as an Entrepreneur.
I own a global media house called NYK Daily and run an online news portal. I started the news company in 2019 with my co-founder Nikhil Chandwani with an aim to tackle biased news and bring something refreshing for newsreaders, especially young ones who are still shaping opinions and questioning ideas. When I was a child, my grandfather would read the news to me everyday and give me inspirational cuttings to keep. Perhaps that’s what made me a news junkie and instilled the thirst to read/learn. In 2018, I graduated from Vellore Institute of Technology, India with a Bachelors in Technology in Computer Science Engineering and I have previously worked for Deloitte as well as Ernst and Young where I was a Forensic Analyst. Apart from managing NYK Daily, I am also a Mentor for Mental Health under the Writers Rescue Centre Foundation, for women suffering from mental health issues, and I help them channelise their pain into writing beautiful content. I have also taught Maths and Science to underprivileged children in shelter homes.
During my Corporate tenure, I was hospitalised with a kidney infection and that’s when I realised how unhappy I was with my job. The days in the hospital came as a blessing, they fuelled my need to leave my job to work on my dreams.
I find Democracy quite alluring, be it the freedom that comes with it or the power to make a difference. The 4th pillar of Democracy in particular, Media, has always fascinated me. Being an avid reader, I had begun to observe over the last few years that what started out as informational Journalism earlier was becoming a tool to lure readers in the form of sensationalism today. The thought that there is so much misinformation and propaganda in the world, combined with my passion for educating people, drove me towards the idea of starting my own news website. But what drove me towards the idea of Entrepreneurship was the contentment of contributing to society, generating employment, earning a good amount of money and being my own boss. Immediately after I had recovered from the infection, I started brainstorming with my Co Founder and within a week our news website was up and running.
Initially I wanted NYK Daily to be an online global platform where untold stories of people from every corner of the world could be shared, where knowledge about the most remote places, historical tribes and wildlife would be freely available to those in need, and where an entire intellectual community of seekers could be built. However, as NYK Daily progressed, I noticed the millions of people flocking to our website in a short span of just six months from when we had established it. Encouraged by the numbers, I was eager to broaden the horizon more and indulged into full-time journalism. Soon, a team of journalists and content writers was formed and work was in full flow. I was juggling 2 jobs together, my full time corporate role and building NYK Daily as well – my Co Founder and I were working 18 hours at the time.
I carefully worked on identifying journalists who could bring expertise to the table at a low cost, as I didn’t have enough capital to kickstart a media venture. My only savings were from the meagre salary I used to get as an entrant in Corporate. Fortunately, with the right team, the right vision, an honest intent, a creative explosion, tons of research and with ethical practices, I was able to build a profitable news company that readers from all over the world would benefit from – given the intellectual diversity of our website.
2. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job and what was the vision behind it?
I enjoy creativity, I look forward to the process of building something from scratch and watching it flourish. I used to dream of becoming a Millionaire so that I don’t have to think twice before spending and most of all, I enjoy independence. I personally didn’t experience these joys in Corporate and I definitely didn’t enjoy drowning in office deadlines. I wanted to experience creation as well as the hard work that comes with it, and I really wanted to see how I could impact society. As a person, I have always been the most gratified by social work. There are people who enjoy Corporate and there are those who find it binding, both Entrepreneurship and a job have their own perks and their own set of people that they cater to. I did partly enjoy my brief career in Analytics but making unbiased news and educational content accessible to millions of readers for free of cost felt more invigorating, especially because I could see the impact it was having. The fact that we amassed a huge readership in a short span of time meant that people were enjoying our content. It’s a thrilling experience to cover the geopolitics of today’s turbulent world and write on softer issues like travelling to Norway at the same time. I resigned as soon as NYK Daily started generating revenue that was higher than my salary, and took over the company full time.
3. What kind of services does your News Company offer to newsreaders around the world?
We are India’s first global platform specifically for op-eds and World News, along with content on History, Science, Environment, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Politics, Business, Travel, Creativity, Technology, Lifestyle, Food, Real Estate, Law, Sports, Fashion among many more – thereby becoming a one-stop place for millennials. We believe in setting aside biased news and harbouring a platform that caters to empowering society with knowledge. This truly allows us to enrich people who are looking for information in every field, positive stories, ideas and fulfilment. NYK daily also provides a global platform for everyone to express their views and to share whatever they know with the world. This creates an organic ecosystem that allows coexistence bound by not just empathy and tolerance to views, but also deep learning that makes the mind want more – given the diversity of our website. We are Google News Partners as well. We have a team of 40 journalists and content writers who operate globally, website traffic of 1.5 Million every month from 190 countries and 1,00,000 App Downloads on PlayStore and iOS.
4. What are some challenges that you had to face on this journey and what was your approach towards handling them?
The biggest challenge was the uncertainty – not knowing how much revenue the company would make at the end of the month, and this was a stark contrast to earlier receiving a fixed salary every month. I learnt the virtue of patience due to this and tried to stay calm till the month got over. I had to reassure myself every single day that this was going to work, even when every single person around me was scoffing at me for leaving a prestigious job. Since Media is a dynamic and time-sensitive industry, it took a toll on my sleep patterns which was initially tough for my whole family to adjust to. But because my work makes me really happy, I don’t mind covering the latest updates at 3 am. I’m also competitive as a person, so I did feel inferior to my competitors but I realised it’s very draining to feel that way – so I just shifted my entire focus to my company’s growth alone and that felt like sweet success. Another challenge was the society – it was tough explaining what I do to my peers and to uncles and aunties. They would be so confused by everything I said, but gradually they began to get a hang of it, especially when they started seeing that I was giving seminars on Entrepreneurship and Media. I feel a deep sense of responsibility towards the millions of readers that visit our website every month – to report the truth, to allow readers of all age groups to learn something new every day and to always keep the integrity of the Company in mind.
5. Do you normally stay calm during pressure situations? How do you mitigate your stress?
I have two extremes – either I am unnervingly calm or I panic but usually it’s the former. When I panic, it takes a glass of water, a cup of chai, a bowl of junk food and a power nap to calm down. When I’m stressed for a longer time, I find comfort in food, nature, my Hindustani Classical Music classes, and swimming. I make sure to bounce back to my normal self, but at the same time, isn’t stress normal too?
6. What’s your day like and how much of it goes into your company?
I work for 12 hours and sleep for 7 hours. The rest of my time goes into gardening, learning classical music, reading, catching up with my friends and family, an hour of Netflix and occasionally swimming. If I have time, I also enjoy doing educational courses online.
7. Do you have a mantra for success that has worked for you? Any special tips for new entrepreneurs today?
I feel there’s no single mantra that can fit all entrepreneurs. The prerequisite for any goal is hours of hard work. I have no family background in business and yet am running one today, so it’s not a mandate to have “the right contacts”. As long as you have clarity on your goal, it’s okay to try multiple ways of fulfilling it. Do your research well, understand market trends and stay updated about business. Be curious – learn and unlearn as the situation demands. Be true to yourself and honest to the world. Be kind to those around you, and aim to leave your mark in the world. It’s okay to fail, it’s inevitable – there may be losses, there may be anxiety but when you make your first sale as an Entrepreneur, it will be worth it.
8. You talk a lot about Sustainability through your articles and on your Instagram, how was the experience of switching to a zero-waste lifestyle?
I’ve always been inspired by Nature – it’s the ability to heal, to destroy and to nourish. Reports of devastating climate change around the world pushed me to start an Eco Project at home that revolves around Sustainable Living and leading a Zero Waste Lifestyle. In the process, I also wanted to inspire aware millennials to take steps to preserve the Earth. I have been chronicling my story via articles on NYK Daily and Instagram and have managed to cut off plastic completely, make greener switches, recycle, grow my own food and more. After tons of research, I realised it’s not just about organic skincare, it’s also about reducing your carbon footprint, generating little to no waste, not using or recycling plastic, lots of reusing, growing your own food and motivating others to do the same. I’ve made so many things at home just out of waste and it’s very exciting. Currently, I am working on my next business, which is to set up a skill development centre for men/women and manufacture eco-friendly products.
Arushi’s creativity and her skill of forming a bond with the masses have helped her in ensuring that a chord is struck with even middle-aged women sitting in remote African countries. Her knack for identifying untapped countries and content has allowed NYK Daily to be read by 190 countries today. Her tryst with Indian History lets her educate the world about India both politically and in the form of story-telling. She enjoys bringing out the truth of India’s political present and sharing mesmerising stories of India’s fascinating past involving Hinduism, Karma and Nature. The journey of a self-made entrepreneur is always an enthralling one and it’s admirable to see the efforts of youngsters in their twenties bring something majestic to life.