13# - The Journey of Juslena: From Shy Introvert with Blocks to Award-Winning Restaurant Owner

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Thank you for having

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Sorry. And, I own two branches, I've got three children as well, so I'm a mum, yeah, so that's me. And can we just say you're an award winning entrepreneur? Oh, and that, I forgot about that one, yeah. So we're an award winning restaurant and we're also an award winning businesswoman.

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ind because Nashtar opened in: 2021

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And so then, I approached them and I spoke to them. They kind of said to me, okay, come up with a brand idea, you know, tell us what you got kind of that kind of thing. So I went back and I started working on branding. I did some recipes. I did some, I created a menu. I already had it in my mind. I think.

It's always been there, but it's just because I've always been in the kind of rat race of corporate work, you know, obviously uni, corporate, and that's it, you know, kind of did my job. But then because I had this opportunity and it was COVID and I was on furlough from my job, I kind of had the opportunity to use my creative juices and kind of get myself, like, going.

So during that time, I did the menu and all that kind of stuff. I went to them, I said, this is what my idea is, because in the area, there's not much for mums. And, you know, to go to, to just kind of have a cup of tea, nice breakfast, or something like that, there's just, there was just some coffee chains, that's it, you know, the normal ones and I thought this should be something independent for these people and So yes, and I thought you know what this is what I'm gonna do So the food that we make at home like in our culture So the masala beans and the omelets and all that kind of stuff That's the kind of idea that I had to bring into a restaurant and this was before you get all the chai places now This was before that time.

So I had it in my mind. That's what I wanted to do So I, it was easy for me to do all the recipes and everything because it's stuff I already make. And then, yeah, so I went, they were happy with the idea and everything. So I started working my branding and all my stuff was done over the phone because, again, it was lockdown, nothing could be done face to face.

th of May: 2021

And the staff I actually had were, so it was me, I had one other girl, in the kitchen and two other girls, sorry, and then I had just two other staff members, that's it. And yeah, that's how we started. I train the girls and everything, so they cook it according to how I wanted it done. And, and then, yeah, it just went mad, mad busy.

And, and that's it, like, literally, from then on, and I was even doing my own social media then, everything was done by me. And, and then, yeah, now here we are, like, nearly four years later, and I've got my second branch, doing catering, I do, like, loads of things now, so it's just really good.

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It's just so amazing, honestly, because I remember, like, I just remember when you first approached me before you came into the Mastermind and you just had, like, the pink logo, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah. And I just remember that and just having seen your journey over the last few years has just been so, so incredible to witness and you've put in so much work.

Obviously, when it comes to, like, a bricks and mortar business, It's like much more of a commitment and obviously a financial commitment, you know, rather than kind of like an online business, so to speak. were you like ever worried about like the money, the finance side of things, like how it would work?

at that point because it was: 2021

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You know, we'll just see how it kind of goes and I think because I was a bit like, oh, I'm not really sure and I just thought, well, let's just go for it. I just, and the rent wasn't a bit too much of a pressure. I just thought, let's go for it. See what happens. And it's really strange actually, because normally I'm not like that.

I'm a very careful person. But now I'm just like, so I'm taking risks all the time, but. I think that's what business does to you. And I think that's, you have to be willing to take risks in order to succeed. Because that's one thing, if you, if you're not and you do have that little bit of fear and you are a bit like, no, no, no, I can't do that.

It will be difficult to succeed because I feel that that is the only way.

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But there have been times where there's been like slight downturns. you know, any business is cyclical. And I think we should really normalize that rather than this thing online. Like everyone's like successful and it's always like more growth, more growth, more growth. And yeah, we can go for more growth.

But the reality of it is that sometimes, you know, you make bad investments.

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I've had that done to me, where early days of Nashtar, someone posted a picture and slated us on, on socials and so, so horrible about stuff, which isn't even like, you know, I don't know, runny egg, for example. And it's like, you're, you can have a runny egg, right?

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I know you're on holiday. And I was like, so shocked. Yeah. And it was just horrible.

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I've even had people do fake reviews on Google, really horrible, horrible things, and you're just, you're trying to appeal it and they don't take it down, and you're like, but it's not true, and also it's stupid stuff, like stuff like, I've seen frozen packages coming to the restaurant, so their food's frozen, it's not.

No, it's not. It's fresh. Like, the food is actually fresh. But it's, you know, things like that, and you're just like, oh, for God's sake. But you actually get, like, and I remember the day one, we opened in the new branch. We had, like, a review, and it was just like, it was obviously not true, because it's so not relevant.

We just, it was the day we opened, literally. The guy who ever posted it had no other reviews he'd done. He has no followers, no nothing. It's just literally, it's so blatantly fake. It's a bot. Yeah, and it's like one star, but it's like, why are you doing this? Like It's

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Like, you know, and yeah, this is the sort of stuff like You have to deal with like day to day and this can bring your business to its knees sometimes, you know I've had loads of weeks where I'm like, oh my god, I'm gonna be able to pay the wages You know, I'm not gonna be able to do this or you know, things like that.

Like it's not everyone sees Yeah, you're successful you're doing well But I don't see the background how hard it is and the stuff you have to do literally juggling all the time Yeah, you know like just juggling wages over bills over paying for food or doing this, you know, there's so much.

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Business is really hard. I know everyone thinks it's like this dream that we live and yet it can give you so much financial freedom. Like it really can. And obviously our businesses are very different. Like mine's predominantly online. I don't have a bricks and mortar business, but at the same time, like.

, I want to say like: 2019

It's okay, we're gonna, we're gonna make this work and it was fine because it was for a launch and we, we had a good launch, but it was just around the time where the gas and electric prices were going up, so our launch wasn't as good as we expected it to be, but it was still a good launch, wasn't a flop launch or anything, but it's these kind of things that people don't talk about and I think, yeah.

Entrepreneurship is really difficult. And I think people shouldn't go in, not that we're trying to put anyone off, but it's not, you know, if anyone listening is having problems or is struggling or, you know, working things out, it's because it's just entrepreneurship is all about problem solving. And

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You are going to lose some, you are going to win some. And some days it will be really hard, like, you might not even be able to pay a bill. You know, and some days, yeah, you'll be fine. But, it's again, that juggling it and balancing everything to make sure that, okay, like, you know something's coming in from somewhere, or whatever's kind of doing, you know, it's, it's a tough one, because it's like, really hard, but then, Yeah, you get financial freedom, you get flexibility as well in your time, but I've never worked so hard as I have I've worked for my business.

I've worked 24 hours, but yeah, everyone's like, so, it's so easy for you. You pick and drop your kids and yeah, I do. But then like I do dinner, I do everything and then I put them to bed and then I'm working again till like midnight. So. You know, it's, it's that kind of thing. People don't realise that how much goes into it.

They see, think you've got a glamorous life and you're living the best life. But you need to come down to the cash and carry with me and see what I'm doing with the cash and carry.

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So you're naturally an introvert, someone who's quite, I feel like you're really chatty and friendly. But, like, when you first come across you, your energy is very, like, reserved and a little bit shy. And I just love it. I just love it. So, like, how, how have you made that work? Because I think a lot of people think, oh, you know, in business you have to be really overconfident, over extroverted, but you're actually the opposite.

But you've created something so amazing. So, like, why do you think that is? I think

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and I find that really difficult. Do you remember, like, we've had conversations, you're like, Justina, just do the video. And I'm like, I can't, I can't. But it's, it's, I don't know what it was, but I just. Maybe it's the confidence. It is the confidence, I guess. And I think now, as time's gone on, I'm more confident in myself, more confident in what I'm doing, and I feel very confident in the business.

And I just feel that, okay, yeah, you know what, I'm enough. Like, it's fine. Like, just forget about everything and just be yourself. So I think that's the key thing for me is being myself and, yeah, I am reserved, I am shy, but when you get to know me, you know what I'm like, but I think it's, I'm always like that at first because I just kind of, I think for me, it's gauging people as well, I've realised, but I feel like I need to sense like, okay, what's going on in the room, what's that person like, the energy, and I feel Cool.

If I'm not drawn to your energy, then you will not get like that version of me. You'll get the introvert, the quiet, that reserved person. So I think that's what it is as well. But I think because my business is so, you know, you need to network. You need to speak to customers all the time. You need to be speaking to people.

So I think that way it's kind of opened me up quite a lot. And now, like, you know, I network all the time, obviously. I'm like, someone said you're a master networker. You are. I'm like, you know what it is? It's just natural. Like, I just, I get on with people, you know, a lot. And I just think the way I am, it's just, yes, it's just natural.

And I think I'm just myself. I'm always myself. I never put a mask on. I never pretend to be someone I'm not. You know, what you see is what you get, literally, with me. That's how it is. You can ask anybody.

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And I think that, oh my god, that just like, gives me goosebumps. Because that's so, that's so true, isn't it? Because so many of us in the past or even now, maybe someone's listening, you just don't feel enough. And I think the whole social media highlight reel plays into the fact that we aren't enough. We need to look a certain way.

We need to be a certain way, especially the standard I think that is set for women now, the impossible beauty standards that thanks to the Kardashians that has been set now. And especially with the Asian culture, there is a standard of beauty.the standard of beauty when I was growing up is Someone tall, someone lumbi, gori, chitti, which basically means, if you don't know Punjabi, is white and tall and fair and slim, right?

And that's the, that's the beauty standard. Mine was the opposite. It was,

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It has to be average. And then gaudy, really slim and, you know, make all the roti, do all the things.

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I love that so much. Thank you so much for

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Yeah,

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I'm like, I'm not famous, I'm just like a businesswoman. I want to be like you, you know, those kind of things, like, when your kids say that, you're just like, oh my god, like, I really need to show them that you can do it, like, not just for the boys, like, my daughter, like, she should know that actually I can be as successful as My brother or, you know, a male counterpart, whatever, you know, because I feel that's another thing with business that's happened to me where people are like, Oh, but you're a woman, you should be at home, you should be cooking, you should be doing this, like, why are you out networking or doing business that that's not really your job, you know, and I've had to deal with that as well.

And it's a bit like, well, if I'm good at what I do, and I'm successful, and I'm supporting my family, What, what is wrong with that? You know, and I can be a good mum, drop them to school, I pick them up every day, like any clubs or whatever else they do, I'm there, you know? Obviously I've got a lot of family support and everyone around me and which have, they've all been amazing and you know, but it's kind of like, well, we can do it as women, we can.

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They just don't, whether it's, you know, kind of extended family members, kind of ex friends, other work, it might be work colleagues, it might be, people in your industry, or people just random people on the internet. It really, it really, I think, there's just so much to be said on this, but I think People just don't sometimes people don't like it.

Yeah, and it's not the done thing And we're as Asian women with just finding our voices now, I think especially our generation We went through so much like, you know, I grew up with just boys all around me. Like all my cousins are boys I'm the only girl on my dad's side of the family and I was born after 10 years So there's there's been this thing that I'm the only girl and I was always brought up by boys But the boys always got such just different treatment to me.

They were always allowed to do things that I wasn't. And I think when, when that, that stuff can come up in your business as well. And I think business is the biggest spiritual journey you'll ever go on. Oh, a hundred percent. Like,

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And, Yeah, I don't think I'd be like who I am today if I didn't do all that work.

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Like, I, I didn't really prioritize myself, my health, my body, my anything. I didn't, I just was always focused on the kids or, you know, whatever. And it was just about everyone else. And now it's like, well, no, like, I need to, if I'm not taking care of myself, how am I going to take care of everybody else, you know?

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m. They're like, oh, that's when I'm doing dinner for the kids. And I'm kind of like, and I know they've got like husbands or partners or family, I'm like, well, why don't you get them to do it? Like, why can't, why do you have to do it? And I'm not a mother yet, but when I will be, I'm sure I'm going to be asking, like, my husband, he needs to chip

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Yeah. And I think like, it's so important for, like, I was lucky, like my husband did help out quite a lot with the kids and everything like that, even with the business. So I had that support there. when I was building up the business that I knew I had to like fall back on, and also my family, my mum, parents, sisters, everyone, just there to kind of support on the back end.

Because you need that, you do need that as Asian women, we need the supportive family around us, because otherwise how will we grow? You know, and that support should continue as well, because it's like, as you're growing and you're doing better and better, obviously the support is needed. and I think that's where, like, a lot of families go wrong because they think, well, no, we can't do that.

No, she can't do that. She has to do what she's supposed to be doing. You know, she's not supposed to be doing this. You know, it's that kind of thing. Whereas if you just support everybody and, you know, encourage your women to do that and to do one, don't worry. It's okay. We've got dinner today. you do your cause, you do this, don't worry about it.

Then you're so many more. There'll be so many more entrepreneurs like female Asian ones could actually like shine their light as well.

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You know, so we're entitled to have that.

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Do you, what do you think that kind of inner motivation is? You know, like, when you're like, You know, getting out of bed, doing the thing, like, what do you think keeps you going other than maybe kids? I think also

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Literally, like, they're so dependent on Nashtar to feed their families, like, back home or whatever it is. So, that is a massive motivation for me as well. Like, I know I have to show up because I have to show up for them because they're showing up for me. And, you know, that kind of thing. And for me, the motivation is also, like I said, obviously my kids, but just for myself to just achieve the best I can do.

I don't know what it is, but it's just like, I want to do the best, like, in Narshtar, I want to have Narshtars everywhere, international, I've just got this really, like, bug, vision that I do, I want that, and I want to, I want to take nice people with me as well, you know, so even the staff, sometimes they say to me, it's okay, we're all on this journey together, like, when we open a new one, you know, it's so nice having that, and then I, you know, it's kind of like, we're giving, we give and take, yeah, and it's, I know they're supporting their families.

That's because of me and my business. So I have to kind of put my all into it. I have to make a go of it because otherwise they lose their jobs. You know, so that, that motivates me. I

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So I'm going to come on to the first one, motherhood and business. So you've obviously already said that you have children and you are. But I don't like the word balancing. I think it's more blending, blending it all. How are you doing it? Tell us your secrets.

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You know, I, I do, obviously you get your odd emails here and there, but I, I try and focus as much as I can on them. And then when I'm at work and with the business, I, I, I'm a hundred percent with Nashtaa. So I try not to let the two mix too much. And also I just manage my time effectively. I think the key is managing time and delegation.

So I try and make sure, like all my staff know, in the morning she's dropping the kids, so no one will hassle me. They kind of do their jobs, they know what they're doing, obviously got managers and stuff like that. So it's kind of, you know, done in that way. And then, once I've done the kids sorted out, and then, then I go to Narshtar, manage everything and kind of see what's going on and stuff, and then obviously do the Ealing.

So just kind of fill it in my day, but I do it in the school hours. So that is when I'm running around doing all the madness, like Kaz and Carrie, or going here, or going there, whatever, whatever the missions I have to do, I do it in the school hours, school time, I'm always there picking them up, take them home, obviously dinner and all that kind of stuff.

And then, like I said, evenings, once they're in bed, Then I start any extra work, I'll do it then. And what sort of time is that? Usually it's about 8. so from 8 till about midnight I'll be doing extra work. Wow. So that's just like my back end stuff, admin stuff, and weekends obviously as well.

Sometimes, I always try and take a day out on the weekend with the kids, like a cinema or something like that. You know, it's like a family day. So we do that on one day and I try and fit in my events, like some evenings, like get my mum over or like, you know, people helping out and stuff like that. So,

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So he still needs help getting ready and obviously food and stuff and yeah, and that's it, like, drop them to school and get on with my day.

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Yeah.

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or I go to the gym. And that's my me time, I guess. And even just going out with my friends sometimes, you know, I try and do that sometimes, that's nice as well. That's my kind of like, self time. I love that.

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And, you know, I can snap sometimes, everyone does, right? So that's when I get the mum guilt, and then when they're lying there and they're asleep, and they just look like angels, I'm like, aww. I feel really bad, like, you know, I wish I was a bit okay with them and I wish I didn't say that or whatever, but you know what, it's fine, like, I think it's natural, you know, but I don't let it overcome me now, which I used to, so at the beginning, I was really like, I felt really, really bad.

But now I feel like it's a bit, they should see me doing this stuff as well. But I don't want them to see like, okay, mum just does nothing, or she's not really, you know what I mean? So they do want, and they really bless them, they're so good, they really understand as well, like, I've got work, I'm doing work, or, you know, I've got an event, or something's happening, like, you know, I try and keep them in the loop as much as possible of what I'm doing, and.

Narshthal. We're doing this. So, so they're kind of involved, like my daughter loves it. She'll come to Narshthal. She'll be cleaning the cutlery. She'll be wiping the menus down. So, you know, they love being involved as well.

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They're so adorable. And I think with this notion around like mum guilt, I think. It's like a new notion, sorry mothers don't come for me, don't come for me, but like I spoke to my mum and my mum is just, she, they don't understand like this whole mum guilt thing. Yeah, I

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I'm going to speak a bit of Punjabi on the podcast now, but she's like, Aaj kal diya guriyaan bahot stress shiti hojan diyaane aane aana. And that basically means like, you know, the girls these days, they do get very easily stressed. And I think for them, they didn't really have mom guilt because They were literally like, my mum especially was in survival, like she's, she's working like three jobs and like, there was no time for mum girl because they would make it ends me literally, literally like, and there were no, can you believe like, we're so I just think gives me goosebumps because I think they had, excuse my language.

F all resources to become successful. They couldn't learn English on an app. They, they, they didn't have the internet. They had like racism. They had, they couldn't speak the language. They had very limited career prospects. They really didn't have a lot. And I think that generation, I just always think they're like the best generation, like that will come like in our lineage, you know, in our line, because what they did for us and the way they did it with the circumstances, with the lack of resources, is absolutely incredible.

Yeah, 100 percent it's true. Yeah, and I just think now, like, we've got so much opportunity. Yeah. You know, we've got the internet, we've got free social media channels, we can just learn anything, like. Yeah, and I think for them,

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Like, my mum was, she studied it, like, they came over when she was really young, so she was very well spoken, obviously, and she worked in the police. But hers was a very demanding job, and she was literally making, had to, she had to make ends meet, right? And it's one of those things where, like, she had three kids, but it's like, well, you have to make it work.

And again, it's using your resources, support, you know, family, grandparents, and everything like that, to make things happen. But, If she could, she would have been, she would be an amazing business, she is now, like she has got her own stuff going on, but I mean, like, if she had those opportunities that we have now, like, you know, it's just that it's not fair because it wasn't the normal thing for them to do a business.

It wasn't probably even their radar, like that was like out there, far reach, you know, where we are lucky we've had all these opportunities and it is shaped by that generation, like, you know. They've shaped us, like, told us to get an education, do this, do that. You know, I've had so much good experience in my work experiences, which has got me to where I am today.

Like, all that experience I've worked in corporate has come into my business today. And that's only because, like, my parents encouraged me to study and do this and kind of work in jobs and understand. And, Yeah, I think, you know, so we are blessed that we've had those opportunities.

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We moan about Instagram, we moan about the social media channels, we moan about the algorithm. We just forget, like, we've got literally everything up in our fingertips. Where would our business be

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Yeah.

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I, I've been, I've had like various little gut things, you know, gut issues. sometimes I just want to hide. I don't want to be seen and I'm like, Oh my God, I've put on weight. Not so much now, but you definitely used to be like that. And I think that you've been such a advocate for body positivity. And I'd love to just know, like, obviously you like you, you've, you've lost so much weight.

Recently as well, not that you were like big or anything, but how, how do you manage that? Have you had this relationship with weight? Has it affected your visibility or like, I just would

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So I was always like, cause I was taller. So it always made me look bigger. So, you know, the older lot, they're just like, hi, hi, need lumbia. And, you know, she's so bigger than the other girls or whatever. But in my head, that was fat. But when I look back on pictures, I'm like, Oh my God, I wasn't even fat. And it's, it's that kind of thing, which like you literally, like you're shaped like that, you become like mentally, that's all you think about, you know?

And as I've grown up, I think I've always had a bad like weight all my life because I've always been like, Oh my God, I'm a too big. I might have weight, it's always been there. And I think that's partly why my introverts. Like, the introvert personality came up as well, so I think that's another reason, because there was a lack of confidence in my body, and I think that's where, like, I'm like, you know what, no, like, I'm working myself, I'm healthy, that's my main priority, is my health, that, I don't know if that's why I've lost the weight, because I'm focusing more on my health, and prioritizing myself, and But yeah, like, now I'm just a bit like, well, this is what I am, and it's fine, like, you know, it's one of those things that love yourself, like, you have to, you know, if you don't love yourself, then how can you expect anyone else to love you as well?

So I think, like, it's easy to say, I know people say, oh, it's so easy to say, but you know, you're like, oh my God, look at me, look at me, look at me. You know, we're so easy to criticise ourselves, and you know, everyone's beautiful inside, like, and outside. You know, you've just got to recognise yourself and be like, you know what, like, this is me, and, you know, I love myself, and, you know, my partner loves me, and whatever, and like, forget everyone else.

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So I felt very, very different. And food became like my best friend, my comfort. And it became dependable. Something that's always there is never going to let me go and is always going to be there for me and make me feel good. And then obviously I put on a little bit of weight, I was a bit chubby. And then the comments came by the extended family members.

And I think it just put into my brain and conditioned me to think that I'm fat, I'm fat, I'm fat. To a point where I used to be in kind of size 6, size 8 bodycon dresses at uni and still thought I was fat.

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And that's what I've really learned, like, the last few, like, years and stuff about, like, with the healing journey and stuff like that. You know what, you, it's so important to be careful with what you say to your kids. It's even my daughter, like, she's quite tall, you know, and she's got big, bigger feet, but I never say, like, as if it's a bad thing, so, because then she, I don't want her having that complex.

So in her, she's thinking that's completely normal, which I'm so glad about, and it is completely normal, and I want her to feel like that, you know, I don't want her to ever feel, oh my god, I'm taller than other girls, or I'm bigger, or whatever, you know, because I want her to be comfortable in her own skin, and Something is so important to just make sure that even like kids and whatever, like they know that actually as they are is fine because later on that's when the issues happen, like with us, same thing.

And again, like, then you turn to food because actually you might not have been overweight that much, but because you're in that emotional kind of cycle, you turn to the food because it makes you feel better. It gives you that little hit. You know, you get a little bit of, what is it, serotonin? Yeah, serotonin and

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Yeah, that's it. It's so true. And like even my, and it's so weird my way, it's not a surprise then I've had so much gut issues that have kept coming back and it's definitely a journey I'm on and I'm healing. And like you, at the moment, you know, I do feel a little bit on the bigger side. But I do also know that, apart from, you know, the kind of gut issues in general, I'm healthy because I've had tests done.

So if anyone's done, if anyone wants, you know, the name I did a, I guess the wow, woman's panel and they test for literally everything and everything was perfect. It's just that I had a few gut issues, which I'm working on, but it's so true. Like we, as Asian female entrepreneurs, we have to decondition. what we've been told is

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And like, generally, in general consensus, like, people like curvy women. Like, that's just a normal thing. You know, I don't know why we've got this thing, like, we have to look like models. But actually, that's not what, like, people like. Like, like, a true woman is a curvy woman. So, you know, I think we just got embrace it.

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being a little bit curvier was the norm. People wanted to be curvy because it was sexy. Yeah, it

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Yes. So that's why there was so much pressure on us growing up because of all this size zero crap.

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My mum's quite good actually. In my family, again, there's been a problem around weight. It's like, I'm, I'm determined to heal this pattern in our

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And dad's side of the family, my husband, it's like my mother in law's. really slim. She's like a size six and weight. No one talks about weight. No, I think my family just talks about weight as well. I thought you're like all the time. I love that so much. And as we just wrap up, just lean out. I just, I just will have to do a part two because it's been amazing.

But I wanted to ask you about networking. Because and how has that like, I know Narsha has been like a hub for networking as well. Yeah, but I think you've also networked a lot.how do you think that's helped your business?

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And I think if you're on their mind they will think of you. For example, like if, if I'm on, if I have people see me in events, I've spoken to them and obviously taking the time out to get to know them, they, when they think of something for food or catering, they will think of Nashtar. Like that's the main thing behind it for me.

but also for me, it's getting to know people as well. So I like to speak to people and get to know them and understand people and, you know, just know what they do and kind of like how we can work together, things like that. So. I think in that way it can help you like grow your business, expand your network, also grow you as a person.

When you're around different sorts of people and you can understand what kind of people they are, it grows you as well mentally, by having different levels of conversation, you know, with different people. All that kind of stuff is so important. So it all comes out of networking though. And it expands

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100 percent because otherwise you wouldn't, if you're doing a business and you just stay in your business all the time, your mind will be that small. you need to go out there and actually get to know everybody, see what everyone else is doing, what's people's, you know, perception of you and perception of your business and, you know, things like that.

I think it is really important for everyone to do that.

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Yeah. You get to know people, but. You need to expand your network and actually try different things. Go to somewhere where you don't know anybody. I've done that before. I've gone to a networking event where I've probably known not one person, but I don't actually think it doesn't scare me. I'm actually embracing it.

And I think that's what people should do.

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You will get people that always come like my amazing community, but you'll get lots of different people every year. It's like different faces, which is nice. Yeah, if I remember, I had to go to a networking event. I got invited at House of Parliament. Not last year, the year before, where I met Anisha for the first time.

I was nervous. I was nervous. And I was like, you know what? It's two weeks before Christmas. I literally can't be asked. Obviously, I live in Oxford, so it's a little bit more difficult for me, but I do love coming into London, so it's fine. But I was catching myself. I was like, right. I don't think I want to go.

No, I'm not going to know anyone. It's going to be a tight waste of time. It's close to Christmas. Like the ego was just having a field day. But then I was like, you know what? Actually. is how's the parliament. It's an Asian event. It's very symbolic. It's something that I want to do. And then from that event, I met Anisha.

Anisha spoke at my event. I met a couple of other people who I think would be amazing for the podcast. So like, you know, you do, there's always, there's, there's so much value with

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as a person, what you've achieved, what you have got as yourself, that is enough to take there and be like, okay, this is me, I'm Sian, and this is what I do. You know, so like, that's another thing to remember that actually, yeah, like, I am something, you know.

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Because as entrepreneurs, we can get really stuck inside our head, because sometimes we're working from home, or we're not seeing as many people, and then we just. kind of forget and you kind of get stuck in a rut. Like I've been like that in the past. So I think, yeah, networking, it's just like good energy as well.

If you're around like different people. Yeah.

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and on Instagram we're narshtha underscore restaurant and on Facebook. And the website is www. narshtha. co. uk.

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