When you woke up today, you probably didn’t expect to be inspired by an 85-year-old foodpreneur ‘Dadi’ with a big social media presence. With more than 1 million followers on Instagram, and a YouTube channel with 775K+ subscribers by only posting Shorts videos, Vijay Nischal, a.k.a. ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi’, has proven that technology can transcend the limits of anything.
And she hasn’t been doing it for long either. Her first Instagram post was uploaded in October 2023, and within 2 months her following had grown to one million. At an age when most people focus on retirement, Vijay Nischal was making her dreams of being a cook come true. We’re going to talk about how she overcame two of the most daunting challenges in entrepreneurship; age, and social media.
How Dadi Ki Rasoi started:
Born in Hyderabad, she’d always admired her father and his ability to cook as a child, often joining in to help make dinner for the family of 8 brothers and sisters. She, and her father both, wanted her to do something for herself but when she got married in her 30s, familial responsibilities became the priority. She took a job as a teacher that paid her Rs. 500 a month which was more than enough in those days, and the dream of cooking took a backseat. This lasted for six decades.
One day, her grandson suggested that to show off her cooking skills, she should start a YouTube channel. And like anyone, Vijay was worried about how she would be received and what would the public say about her. But with just the thought “let’s try it once”, she posted her first video with ample instructions and guidance from her grandson. And the rest is history.
Using Social Media as a channel for success
Vijay’s grandson, who had inspired her to make the YouTube channel in the first place, was shooting a cooking video for someone else when she first heard about it. And after spending her entire life with the desire to do something of her own in the cooking space, she finally had the opportunity for it. She had retired from her position as a teacher, and no longer had any household duties that would take up her time. She used this opportunity to explore the world of social media and video shoots for herself.
Dadi Ki Rasoi found a place in people’s hearts not by being perfect or through extensive knowledge of the platforms; Vijay was just being herself. Her passion for cooking, the rhyming intros to her recipes, and her culinary experience of years and years before is what made her brand grow so quickly. She even posts videos on trending audios to keep up with the times. Not only that, her recipes are easy and can be tried out with anyone, no matter their own cooking experience. One of her videos with an easy recipe to make garlic bread reached 34.2 million views on Instagram and it was only posted in February this year.
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Power of Social Media for Entrepreneurs and Influencers:
With your own personal brand shining through, where you’re authentic and provide value in a way that only you can, social media will only help you reach a much wider audience.
Speaking of India alone, we are projected to become the largest social media market by the year 2029. And this is not a surprise since we have the largest number of Facebook (378 million), Instagram (385 million), and YouTube (476 million) users in the world. And out of all of the influencers in the world, 77% of the content creators who monetize their content are female. The opportunity is limitless.
Pursuing your Dreams is Ageless & Not a Fluke!
If you’re thinking this is a one-time fluke, a study has revealed that the graph of success in entrepreneurship is a U-shaped curve. The younger ages, and the older ages tracing higher on the success scale, while the middle ages are placed relatively lower. This basically means that elderly business owners and influencers that are 50+ are more likely to succeed than middle-aged ones.
There are many examples of this. Vera Wang, who designed her first dress at the age of 40, is now the owner of one of the most coveted luxury brands, especially for celebrity wedding gowns. Julia Child worked on her cookbook at the age of 50 to became a celebrity chef, and the first woman to be included in the Hall of Fame at the Culinary Institute of America. And Anna Mary Robertson Moses who began her painting career at the age of 78, and in 2006 one of her paintings sold for 1.2 million dollars.
If these women from all over the world can do it, you can rest easy knowing that you’ve got plenty of time.
The long story short is this: yes there are factors that can intimidate you, and make you feel inferior to others especially when it comes to being an entrepreneur. But with just the basics, you can build your brand to heights that are only seen in your dreams, just like Vijay Nischal. So, do your future successful business owner a favor and just start today.
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