VIBHA GHORPADE, YoMama!!

I must admit, every time I walk into a cosy café serving scrumptious food, I tell myself “maybe I should set one up too!” but knowing what a mammoth effort it is, I quickly distract myself with the menu instead. There are some who like taking on mammoth challenges, like for instance, Vibha Ghorpade, a mompreneur, culinary adventurer and the founder of YoMama!! A café with no frills or fuss, just wholesome continental food.  At YoMama!! the menu comes with so many options to choose from, the food is made with fresh ingredients that are sourced on a daily basis, the staff are friendly and welcoming and even the takeout orders are packed neatly with a lot of attention to detail. The quality of the food promises to be consistent and the presentation inviting! What more can one ask for?

Vibha confesses that she did not know how to cook when she got married. Completely taken aback, I asked her what gave her the courage to leave her job and set up YoMama!!? (I had a feeling she had been asked this a lot), she said, “I credit the decision to my husband. I honestly wasn’t confident or sure I would be able to manage both home and a café successfully. But I just set out without pressure, without expectations and even though I have had my fair share of challenges, it has been a fun journey so far”.

Vibha recounted how the first tasting turned out – she invited her closest friends and family and filled with anticipation she served them her best dishes. At the end of the tasting, she received constructive feedback, encouragement and a lot of support from her cheerleaders. There were a few others who seemed less sure about the whole venture and expressed their doubts and it made Vibha want to give up the whole idea and call it quits. It was at that point Vibha says, she experienced a life changing moment. Her husband asked her one simple question “what’s the worst that can happen?” and she said “we will fail!” and suddenly it did not seem difficult anymore. Vibha gave herself three months to fail and this complete letting go of her fears was liberating. She found that the minute she stopped fearing failure, she was able to open her mind to learning and experimenting.

At YoMama!! they adapt and instead of striving for perfection, they aim to learn on the go and that, Vibha says, has helped take the pressure off her staff, allowing them to focus on up skilling themselves. She admits that analytics and numbers are her weakness, but thankfully technology comes to the rescue and she uses it to stay in sync with what her customers want. Now, an experienced café owner and with two branches of YoMama!! in Bangalore, I asked if Vibha has a message for all the aspiring mompreneurs and she said, “Success is not permanent and it never comes easily, so don’t take life too seriously and make sure you invest in having a deep meaningful relationship with your family, it’s the one thing that you will need when things get tough!”