All this was not long before Malini packed her bags and moved to Mumbai twenty years ago to build her life on her own terms. From a popular radio jockey to an entertainment columnist, originally it started as a hobby blog (missmalini.com) in 2009 but later in 2011, Malini turned her mania into her professional venture. And raising an actual brand from zero with the potential to create a legacy for Indian women via Malini’s Girl Tribe is the kind of achievement that clearly reflects the amount of effort and dedication she has put in to do so. She conveys, “Our story is one of ‘passion and perseverance’. When we first proposed quitting our jobs and starting a digital media company in 2012 most people thought we were mad. Remember that Facebook and Twitter were barely getting started in India at the time, let alone professional lifestyle blogging. Internet connectivity was still a severely restricting factor. Digital marketing made up less than 2% of the total ad spends. And there was no workforce to draw from because there was no industry yet to speak of. At the same time, people who were close to us could see our passion, our solid business plan, and the successful examples from other markets. So, with a solid plan, a great team and excellent execution, over time we were able to bring people over to our side. From there, our growth was informed by a mix of what our audience told us they wanted, the dynamics of a changing media and technology landscape, our personal instincts, and a healthy dose of good luck.” And how it grew. The blog quickly expanded into adjacent fashion, beauty and lifestyle categories as the readership rose. Alongside the blog they also started creating content tailored to different social media platforms, creating what was then India’s first independent digital media company. The company took on a small angel investment in 2012 which is when it underwent its first phase of growth. During this time, Miss Malini Entertainment became the first digital company to cross over into linear television, launching their show ‘MissMalini’s World’ on TLC in 2014. They went on to create two other shows for Times Network and Viacom. In December 2017 the company raised a pre-Series A from NEA (USA) and Orios Venture Partners following which they’ve grown their core content business, established a market-leading influencer marketing practice. In 2018 they launched ‘Malini’s Girl Tribe’, a thriving women’s social network. Through this platform Malini hopes to transform social media into a better place, filtering out incessant and unsolicited trolling, and allowing women to talk, share, support, network, connect, empower and inspire each other in every way possible.