Charu Suri: A Journey from Homemaker To Entrepreneur

'Better Late than Never,' a famous phrase that aptly describes those who start late in their lives rather than not giving it a chance at all. 

There are many homemakers who have big dreams and aspirations but are afraid to start late or start again because of self-doubts about their ages or other reasons. They fear what people might think or make fun of them. Or will society accept them if they pursue something they were longing for when they were young? Such questions often kill the desire before it even sparks and lower their confidence levels, too. 

Well, Charu Suri, an Image Consultant, Soft Skills Trainer, and Author, is breaking the barriers by becoming an entrepreneur in her second innings at the age of 55. Charu founded an image consultancy firm named, The Gracefully Gold and with this she is bringing out the best in women by crafting an elegant and polished appearance that resonates with their essence. Her vision is to "embark upon a journey with her client where the destination is an altogether different version of them that exudes confidence and embraces authenticity." And she is targeting women in the age group of 35- 55, a category that is still unexplored.

A Flashback to Her First Innings

Charu was a brilliant student and has won many awards and titles. She graduated from Kurukshetra University with a degree in Classical Music, where she also won zonal and inter-zonal competitions at the University and state levels. 

The life ahead led Charu to pursue UPSC prelims, which she cleared with flying colors. However, all this came to a halt when she got married, and she had to give everything up for marriage and children. Such are our mothers and wives, who happily sacrifice their careers and goals for their families and kids. 

The Awakening Hour in Charu's Life

It's sometimes natural that you feel something is amiss despite everything so wonderful around you. A similar feeling was inculcated inside Suri's mind that having a blissful marriage of thirty-five years, she was missing that spark in her life. This was when she decided to write a book named 'Soul Chai.. Brewing Warm Tales'. Charu was lucky as her book was published by Oxford and was unveiled by the famous author Coomi Kapoor. 

Charu's confidence was one step ahead, leading her to participate in various open mics and even stage a performance at the Delhi Poetry Festival. Things were going smoothly in Charu's life when an insensitive remark—"Oh! You are just a Homemaker!"—really hit her hard. 

This was like a bolt that hit Suri on her face, and she decided to prove her worth by saying that running a home is much more than just a tag. Charu believed that homemakers could contribute to society, too, and she was all set to change the age-old mindset of some orthodox people. 

In February 2023, Charu started her studies again and completed her Dual Certification course in Image Management from the ISIM, which the AICI accredited. In February this year, she was appointed as the State President of WICCI ICC Delhi/NCR. 

Overcoming Hurdles for Charu 

Being an Internationally Certified Image Consultant and offering personalized services was not easy for Charu. As she started her career late and came to the age of GenZs, her biggest challenge was insufficient technical know-how. But she is picking up learning skills at this age, and she hopes she will soon master that as well. 

Charu with her services is creating awareness about image building. She conducts her workshops in schools, colleges, corporate offices, and social hubs.

Despite the competition in the image-building market, Charu feels that there is scope for everyone. Lastly, Charu inspires everyone with her positive attitude, stating that age is just a number and saying, "Talent never fails you. It is always there within you. It is only up to you how you package it and showcase it to the world. It is never too late to start afresh in life; I am a living example of the same."

Charu Suri desires to work with women who want to improve their self image and self worth. She believes that wonders can happen if one works towards their self worth and feels good about themselves from within.

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