Of people, power, & profits through networking !!!

Her network is her net worth: Meet Sree Mayya aka Vinishka Sri Lakshmi, an actress-turned entrepreneur, who is leveraging the power of her network and networking, to maximise profits and also live a life of giving back to the society.

For a person who dived straight into the television world as an actor right after leaving school, Sree Mayya (her TV screen name) aka Vinishka Sri Lakshmi and born Sri Lakshmi G, this household name as a lead in many Kannadiga never-ending serials is one smart cookie. She skipped graduation, leaving it midway, and continued her education in the University of Life.

If she has skipped college education, she does not let it come in her way as she progressed from one stage in life to another, from the world of acting, modelling, and ‘celebrity-ism’ (inaugurating this and that) into the cut-throat business as a start-up owner.

For sure, Vinishka as she wants to be known in this her Real-Life role, may not have attended college, but continued her studies in the University of Real Life, navigating challenges at every step,  sure has readied herself to take on the biggest challenge yet – of launching an unconventional “business” – in which she has successfully marketed her soft skills, business acumen, and connections – persuasive powers and the huge network of well-wishers, friends, and friends-turned clients – into a complete package of a product that has many takers. Perhaps, business and entrepreneurship is in her blood, as her father ran a catering business in Udupi, the region her family hails from. And later ran the catering business in Bangalore as well for some time till she got him to take rest.

As the Founder and President of Vinishka Infra Tech Projects LLP, a global consulting firm that provides solutions across different industries like infrastructure development, oil and gas, real estate, and this, and that, she has put her finger in many pies. For a person who has not had any formal education in business or marketing,  she is learning on the job and applying the life lessons she learned so far in her professional acting life. Whenever she can snatch some time from her busy life, she reads self-help books and teaches herself the practicalities suggested by successful people.

Finger in many pies

What she and her business partner, and family friend Rupesh Bhagat, do is to focus on innovation, sustainability, strategic consulting, business development, and public relations. Her mission: to drive progress and success globally through customer-centric and technology-driven approaches. Her company also dabbles in renewable energy and commodity trading as well. Real estate, mining, are the sectors that she had contacts made over her ten years in television during which she as a lead actor and a household name was the most sought-after celebrity to promote business events in and outside Karnataka. Besides, her connections in the government and political arena, cutting across party lines, make her a sought-after ‘influencer’ for “putting in a good word”.

In an online interaction with southonomix.com  the other day, Vinishka, was all her humble self,  revealing the softer, kinder side of the tough businesswoman she has transformed into ever since she “took a break from television acting” some two years ago. After she left TV acting, her many friends continued to seek her help for many things due to her big list of contacts across fields, sectors, professions, and even the diaspora. “I am so blessed that my acting life linked to so many positive people, and am also so fortunate to keep getting help from people I don’t even know,” she said in an exclusive interview that overshot the time limit by an hour.

A pleasant person to talk with, once she developed a trust, she spoke from her heart and opened up her book of life. Yes, there have been very good, and also few bad experiences. I choose to retain only the positive ones, banish the negatives from my life, and carry on because there is still so much  I want to do,” she said.

Discovering the power of networking

“Giving back to the society is what I want to do at this stage in my life,” she said adding that if there is someone who is seriously in need of help, but cannot afford, “I would definitely pitch in to do the best I can.”

Her first television chance, after finishing school, was for a lead role in a series. And then began a plethora of assignments, in many of which she was anchoring programmes and interviewing people on popular Kannada channels. The very first anchoring assignment, I was interviewing medical doctors on ailments and treatments and the like, which became very popular. And few of my serials were such big hits that they ran for 700 to 900 episodes, in which I was a prominent character or the lead. Many serials would last for three to four years. She was easily one of the most recognised persons in Karnataka as Sree Mayya.

Her first break as an anchor for the TV show where she interviewed doctors was followed by her debut in serai Mutaide on Kasturi channel. Her second one, Paduvarahalli Paddegalu on Survana channel made her a household name, and became even more popular for her portrayal of Pallu in a serial called Panduranga Vittala. She is still greeted as “Deveru Kotta Tangi” (God given sister) after her role as “Pallu. Her serials like “E Bandana on Udaya TV, comedy shows on Udaya too ran into many episodes.

And now, after a gap of some four years away from TV, people still do recognise her, after passing her, to come back for a selfie.

Now, this smart lady was by now growing out of the acting itch, and “switched” her attention and focus to something else – Business.

“Yes it is tougher than acting because TV acting was also like a government job. I used to be picked up at 6 in the morning and daily the shootings would go on till 8, and we got dropped off at home by 9 p.m. Eat, sleep, and ready for the next day shoot. Barring Sunday, we never got an off. Like this, she said she spent ten years of her life, and began to itch to do something more with her life.

Now this transformation from acting to business also happened because of the fame, contacts and network she got because of acting in TV. When people stated asking her for favours – for connecting them with someone she knew, or put in a word for this or that, or do some PR or say some nice words about them or their product – all this got her thinking if there was some business opportunity in that.

Connecting globally, succeeding together

Egged on by her close circle of well-wishers, but acting on her own, she decided to plunge into business. And this is how she founded global consulting firm Vinishka Infra Tech Projects LLP, based in Bangalore.

Formally, the company began functioning some six months ago as a small start-up – as most of the business happens because of her contacts and ideas, which she at present works from home, and from anywhere in fact. For the present, she travels a lot on work – to fetch business and also to meet and connect the dots as she calls her work.

And yes she has got her motto or the company tagline fixed: Connecting globally & succeeding together.

At and through Vinishka Infra Tech Projects LLP, she has been helping small, medium and large corporations to set up their businesses and more importantly,  growing their businesses. “Together we grow is the theme I have adopted and most of my clients, who were first my friends,” Vinishka said adding that now word-of- mouth publicity is getting us more clients.

Does she have regrets over quitting television?

No regrets, but I do have plans to go back to television in a different avatar, she said but holding back her plans for the present. I will go back surely, but how and when at the moment I don’t want to reveal, When I do you will be the first person to know,” she said when pressed.

Perhaps, the few experiences have had left a bad taste in her mouth, and also have made her stronger – to get up from a fall and force her way forward in life.

I think this is her approach to life that comforts her parents, to whom she is devoted. Being a very close immediate and extended family, she derives her strength from the ecosystem surrounding her.

Helping voiceless creatures

“This is very important in the life of anyone to succeed. And I have been multi-times blessed to have been so, to receive so much love and affection from countless number of people all through my life so far,” she said, and collectively thanking such people who came across her life.

One of her regrets in her life is to have faced trouble from neighbours during Covid when she was feeding stray dogs. The animal lover in her found her experience sad and this had left such a scar in her mind that she vowed to do something so big in her life, so that she can afford to do something that is really worthwhile for the voiceless creatures. This motivates her to work hard to earn so much money that she can give back to the society – to people and to the voiceless and abandoned animals.

Which is why she is also focusing on international business, which is lucrative, and given that Bangalore is offering so many opportunities for the foreign companies that are coming in, and she has activated all her contacts now residing / working with the foreign companies for securing a part of their business.

“We are also entering the commodity business, and we have just got the license,” she said indicating the newer areas that her small start-up is targeting.

Connecting globally, succeeding together is what we at Vinishka Infra Tech believe in and want to, and clearly we have made this our tagline, she said.

It is in other words, the power of networking, and here is Vinishka Sri Lakshmi, doing precisely that.