A budding entrepreneur, Mrs. Ritika Jatin Ahuja is an icon of sorts and a name to reckon with. An avid collector of exotic miniature perfumes since childhood, which she cultivated as a hobby and a passion has seen her as a proud owner of 563 scented bottles and has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence by the Golden Book of World Records for the same. 

Having passed out from one of the elite prestigious schools of Delhi, Modern School Barakhamba Road, she is an interior designer by profession and has also specialized in the interior designing of jets and yachts from the University of Arts London in addition to a professional course in 3D Animation and Software coral. Blessed with an artistic bent of mind, her imaginative skills have truly seen no boundaries when it came to shaping her rewarding and fulfilling career path. Presently she spearheads the Merchandise section at Big Boy Toyz, one of Asia’s largest super exotic car destinations. As the Chief Operating Officer, her key role is to ensure that the team successfully markets the product portfolio consisting of stationery, decorative items, and lifestyle products.

A word on her organizational skills! Her leadership and motivation encourage that all work together, take bold decisions and overcome challenges without compromising on ethics and finally face the business and organizational issues as an integrated unit. Taking each day as it comes, she has nevertheless geared herself and is sufficiently equipped to handle the pressures from unexpected quarters thereby striving to make the merchandise section as big Big Boy Toyz in due course of time. The talented multi-tasking lady surely has her hands full and the way she has balanced motherhood and profession with harmony and precision is truly commendable. 

This Women’s day we are happy to feature the success story of Mrs. Ritika Jatin Ahuja that would inspire many others to take a step forward to fulfil their dreams. 

FailWise: Tell us about your background and journey as a COO and entrepreneur.

Ritika: The journey from COO to Entrepreneur has been a great learning experience. I have always been an avid collector of exotic miniature perfumes since childhood, which then cultivated as a passion, and now am a proud owner of 563 scented bottles. Being the COO at Big Boy Toyz, I majorly overlook merchandise wherein my key role is to ensure that the team successfully markets the product portfolio consisting of stationery, decorative items and lifestyle products. Hence, coming from a business family I always knew what I wanted to do and have always worked towards achieving the same. 

FailWise:Tell us about Big Boy Toyz and other ventures that you are working with.

Ritika: Big Boy Toyz (BBT) houses pre-owned luxury, exotic, and imported cars for sale in India. With a collection of over 100 rare exotic supercars, every pre-owned exotic car in the inventory goes through BBT’s highest level of scrutiny, assuring the utmost in quality standards. The digital platform plays an important role in revenue generation for the brand. BBT has showrooms in Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Hyderabad with expansion plans in place for Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The Ritika Jatin Ahuja perfume line has 550+ scents under its hat and we are growing every day.

FailWise: When was your eureka moment when you thought of becoming an entrepreneur?

Ritika: As a child, I was always keen on exploring things myself, trying my ends on various things. That’s when I found my love for scents and soon it became my passion. I always aspired to be an entrepreneur and have worked every day towards achieving the same. I believe one needs to be diligent and dedicated, hardworking and committed to achieving their dreams. This has worked for me and I believe soon I’ll have another feather on my hat.

FailWise: What were your fears and challenges while starting as a COO (family or professional challenges), and how did you conquer them?

Ritika: While joining Big Boy Toyz as the COO, my biggest fear was to manage work and spending quality time with my family. Being a mother, I believe, women are always worried about their kids and struggle to maintain a balance between work and family. Thankfully in my case, it has turned out to be a blessing. All one needs to do is balance out work and family. You need to be smart, diligent, and committed towards work but also make sure your mental health is taken care of. If you are at peace with yourself, automatically things fall in place.

FailWise: What is the best lesson you have learned from your journey?

Ritika: My journey has been an amazing learning experience. Every situation while you work comes out to be your most amazing and brilliant affair. You start falling in love with your work as you grow. So, all the women out there, planning to start something of your own, buckle up, and give your 100 percent to it. There is never enough of anything so be prepared to face disappointments, unacceptable occasions, sleepless days and nights but in the end a beautiful story. So be consistent and focus on your goals, grow as you grow your team, and keep building the organization. 

FailWise: Tell us about those attempts that were not successful, but you learned a lot from them.

Ritika: There have been many anecdotes that could be shared but this one memory and my biggest learning is from back then when my dad told me this ‘Never take decisions in haste, be patient and think wisely before calling for it’. I believe we at times end up making decisions in haste but those do not end up well. So all I can say is this has been my success mantra and would suggest you all evaluate things, look at the bigger picture and then over the years you’ll see the results.

FailWise: What are those motivational words and quotations that resonate within you when you feel low or distracted?

Ritika: Self-love and Believe in yourself – these two adjectives have been my backbone. I have always stuck around self-love and make sure that I restore my spirit every time I feel low by believing in myself and looking at the positive side.  

‘Your Today is your Tomorrow’ is that one quote that I resonate the most with and have been living by it for years. I strongly believe in working on my today to make my tomorrow better and recommend the same to all the young minds out there. So, relax, believe in yourself and you will see the results one day.

FailWise: If time travel is possible and you can meet your younger version, what advice would you want to give to your younger self?

Ritika: If that was possible, all I want to tell the younger self, “You can do anything you want. Begin early, remain ambitious, and pour your passion into your work. Follow your heart, stay happy and you will see the results.”

FailWise: Did you face any gender-associated obstacles?

Ritika: People back then weren’t welcoming about women taking up business especially a car segment. When I decided to join Big Boy Toyz as the COO, people couldn’t accept it with the automobile industry being a male-dominated segment. 

In fact, when I decided to venture into the perfume/fragrance segment, I remember people advising me to avoid risks, rather than start a boutique because women are more suitable there. However, I never let these remarks deter me or stop me from achieving what I am today. I believe we all need obstacles or hurdles in our lives to make this successful journey even more exciting. Challenges are a part of your life, how you overcome them defines you.

FailWise: Any message that you want to give on Women’s day, especially on women empowerment.

Ritika: Woman makes another woman. We all are growing every day and we all can continue to achieve milestones if we stick around, support, and motivate each other. It's a team when we as warriors grow together and learn from each other. No woman is small or big, we all are equal, we all have our own battles, what is important is how we bring victory to ourselves.

FailWise: Awards, accolades, or any recognition that you and your venture received.

Ritika: I have been awarded the Certification of Excellence by the Golden Book of World Records, National Excellence Award 2018 and the Women Entrepreneur award 2018, Young Women Leader in Operations by the Indian Conventions, Most Influential Leader of 2018 by Transformance Forum, and the Gem of India Awards by AIAC.

FailWise: Where can we find you online? 

Website BBT - https://www.bigboytoyz.com/

Instagram - @ritika_jatin_ahuja

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ritika.sarin.12

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