“There is something real about entrepreneurship that one cannot achieve by merely sitting at their desks every day. Entrepreneurship, today is about being alive, proactive and nimble that makes it really exciting. The level of involvement is higher when one sees a measurable impact by making a real difference through the work that one does,” says the young entrepreneur whose passion and love for innovation has been instrumental in ensuring Morning Fresh’s success. Mitali Tandon, Co-Founder and CEO, Morning Fresh is known for her attitude of exploring new avenues and in an exclusive conversation with Business2Business, Mitali shares her journey and her views on the growing entrepreneurship culture among the Indian youth:

How it began: “I was born into a family of strong personalities, both my parents are successful entrepreneurs in their own industries. I have always been encouraged to be independent and exploratory.  I got my first taste of entrepreneurship in high school, where I joined the ‘Young Enterprise’ group as the Operations Head. It is an international program that encourages students to develop viable business ideas and aims to create a sustainable business model.” She adds, “ I was in charge of sourcing materials and coordinating with other teams to deliver the final product to be marketed. The responsibility helped me understand the first steps of being an entrepreneur. As I grew older, my degree of experimentation evolved to larger scales in a more meaningful manner. I initiated ‘Shop for a Cause’, which was a community-based concept that deals with the re-distribution of resources and ‘Burger Riot,’ a fun and young fundraising platform that encourages friendly competition and interaction between restaurateurs and food enthusiasts alike and the proceeds were donated to charity.”

The birth of Morning Fresh: Mitali shares, “I joined Sericare, a venture founded by my father, Bharat Tandon. Sericare are pioneers in the field of sericulture, exploring usage of silk as a bio-material, with emphasis on usage in healthcare and wellness. I spent time in our R&D lab, exploring and researching on the various applications of silk. Our goal was to create a product that would fill market gaps using cutting edge bio- technology, along with addressing the needs of the health conscious consumer. The team studied the impact of silk protein in the body and fueled by the strong ‘work hard – play hard’ culture and fast paced lives of the youth, we set out to develop a post drinking solution to help aid in liver and body detoxification, hangover relief and overall body cleansing. Thus was born Morning Fresh, the first of its kind, natural alcohol detox drink in India.”

The journey and team: “We started researching on Morning Fresh in the year 2014 and entered the market at the end of 2015,” shares Mitali. She adds, “ With a robust team of 40+ employees, our focus is to keep the product natural, portable and easy to consume. Morning Fresh has grown consistently and continuously from the year we started, giving us the required impetus to develop the product line.”

Entrepreneurship culture among the Indian youth: “The program ‘Startup India Stand Up India’ initiated by our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi encourages the youth of India to embrace entrepreneurship. Our generation lives in a world that experiment and wants to leave a tangible impact with the work they do. Increased access to technology, social media and information, have reduced the barriers for starting one’s own ventures. Individuals today are better equipped, informed and driven,” shares Mitali. She adds, “Belonging to the millennials’, I love working with young minds because it is exciting and is constantly exploring limitless possibilities. The relentless attitude and ability to collaborate, ensures that any challenge can be faced with an open mind and a never give up spirit.”

Increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs: “I believe that there has been a rise of women in the corporate sector because women today are not allowing themselves to be defined by their genders and are venturing into the industry. Women today dream big and work hard to achieve their goals/dreams. The biggest advantage that young entrepreneurs have today is that there is no such thing as failure. When a youngster is passionate, the hunger, drive and motivation pushes them to further build and survive. It is exciting to be part of the Indian entrepreneurship network and contribute to the society.”