'Biggest risk is not taking...': Mamaearth's Ghazal Alagh shares 3 lessons on overcoming 'rejection'

Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh recently shared how “rejection” became the constant companion while building the parent company Honasa Consumer Ltd. According to the 37-year-old entrepreneur, she faced disapproval and rejection from the people closest to her when the idea of taking the leap into entrepreneurship first took root.

Describing the difficult journey and the numerous setbacks she and her husband Varun Alagh faced nine years ago when they started building their house of brands, she asserted, “Rejection isn’t a one-time event, it’s a daily reality you have to make friends with.”

Motivating and inspiring budding entrepreneurs, she said, “As a founder you will get rejected a lot of times.”

The LinkedIn post dated October 13 states, “I was told to not risk what I already had, that building a business, especially in the competitive consumer goods space, was too risky for a new mother with no experience.”

Calling this life experience “the first lesson” of rejection, she said: “Safety doesn’t build an empire; courage does.” She further went on to explain that potential investors dismissed their ideas and vision as they didn't believe in the corporate trainer's ability to scale a brand based on transparency and toxin-free ingredients.

Reasons for ‘rejection’

She listed 2 reasons for rejection:

• Inability to trust the solution to the size of the problem.
• A strong belief that a D2C brand couldn't disrupt the giants.

Despite multiple rejections, brutal feedback and the departure of a few employees, the co-founders were determined to achieve their dreams and believed in their goal.

Narrating the fundraising experience that negatively targeted her confidence, she said, “They didn't want to work with a woman leader with no experience within this category and openly doubted my capability to run a fast-growing company. They had internalized biases about who a founder 'should' be, and I didn't fit that mould.”

How to overcome 'rejection'?

She listed three pieces of advice to deal with rejection:

1. Treat It as Data, Not a Verdict: “Rejection isn't a verdict on you, it’s feedback on your strategy,” she said.

2. Focus on the One "Yes": She urged entrepreneurs to not be demotivated by the rejections, instead hold onto the vision and focus on the success.

3. Use It as a Filter: She stressed, “It helps you filter out the people who don't truly align with your mission,” adding, “The people who stayed, believed, and grew with us are the real champions.”

Reiterating her stance, she wrote, “My journey with rejection has taught me that the biggest risk is not taking the risk at all.”