PEAKLIFE

Coming from a strong educational background in business and marketing and an overarching passion for writing and storytelling, Radhika Sethi started a blog to continue her love for literature. While her sister Nandini Sethi found her passion for writing began at a young age during their family vacations.

Founded in June 2020, Beyond the Panorama, provides readers a space to indulge in leisure reading of stories, poems, and fresh thoughts. The Platform has published close to 400 stories/ poems ever since.

Here’s PeakLife in a candid interview with the sister duo Radhika and Nandini Sethi sharing their experiences and much more.

What was the whole idea behind Beyond the Panorama and how did the idea for your venture come about?

Beyond The Panorama is an online storytelling and poetry platform. It is a space that seeks to give readers their daily dose of non-news reading. We publish short stories, poems, and thoughts that are off-beat from regular news.

The idea is for readers to spend 3-5 minutes reading a new piece every day. While we have a strict editing policy to ensure the best quality of storytelling, this platform is an opportunity for the common writer to get published. Aspiring authors and poets from around the country are welcome to submit their pieces for publishing. We have a team of approximately 90 select writers so far.

The idea for creating this magazine came about when we personally experienced a lack of reading platforms for short stories and poetries. We see reading as a habit and as a lifestyle diminishing because people cannot make time to read books and novels. People spend most of their time skimming through news articles in the name of reading. BTP seeks to be the solution to encourage people to read a new short story or poem every day.

Being storytellers, BTP also offers social media and content services to brands. We help them create and communicate a compelling brand story to their target customer.

How did you come up with the name for your company?

The name for the company was actually ideated back in 2014 by Radhika and her friend when we established the company. The idea was to create something that took people beyond what is visible to the naked eye; to encourage readers and writers to think beyond the horizon. Going beyond the magnificent panoramic views into the deep-rooted stories that people seek to share.

Could you tell us about the culture in your organisation and how did you establish it?

The culture of the organization is independent, enriching, and just fun! Our core concept is ‘you be you’ and it is this that allows us to not only acknowledge but truly celebrate diversity.

We have a large community of writers that help us maintain a culture of continuous learning. We choose to work with people that can be their own manager and are driven to get results themselves. Our hiring process is more about a cultural fit than anything else which allows us to grow as a forward-thinking organization.

How has the digital sphere changed the way we not only buy but also read books?

While a lot of people consider digitization a distraction, we actually think it is a great opportunity. It has made reading more convenient than before. We are strong believers in smartphone reading. While nothing compares to the joy of holding a physical book for some, buying books on phones, tablets, and kindles makes it more feasible to read anywhere, anytime.

With the digital sphere becoming more prominent in the reading space, it gives people the opportunity to read beyond books too. It gives people the opportunity to spend just 4-5 minutes reading a new story or poem every day, helping them inculcate and maintain a reading habit.

What was the key factors to become an entrepreneur?

Becoming entrepreneurs came quite naturally to us; we have grown up in a family of entrepreneurs. We thrive in a culture of independence and innovation and entrepreneurship became a key aspect in maintaining that lifestyle. Building this organization has been a culmination of our individual skills and talents being built into a strong business concept.

If you had to suggest 5 must read books during the pandemic, what would they be?

We say mix and match always! Reading one genre of books can sometimes get monotonous. Here are some of our recommendations:

a. The Bhagvad Gita – for answers to the questions you have and the ones you don’t know you have. It encourages conversations and discussions for continued understanding of what one considers the Divine.

b. Becoming Indian by Pavan Verma– for a quick lesson in the real History of India, quite different from what the textbooks have taught us.

c. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman– to fall in love with the lead character and her eccentricity.

d. Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak– to appreciate the beauty of writing and of life through the Sufi culture.

e. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz– to build a relationship and partnership with your own self.

What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Not to sound cliched but reading is one thing entrepreneurs must practice every single day. It is not even an activity but more of a lifestyle they should adopt. The second thing we should recommend is making minimalism a practice rather than a philosophy.

So, minimalism in different aspects of life including business, office, how your gadgets are organized! Try leading a ‘less is more’ lifestyle. The last thing we would recommend is meditation. Go within to enhance much-needed focus.

Any advice you would give for our budding entrepreneurs?

Find purpose. Don’t become an entrepreneur because it is fashionable. If your product or service is not solving a problem or making someone’s life better, it will be an almost impossible business to crack. And stay consistent and true to your vision. Sure, there are ups and downs but don’t keep changing the outlook of the business every few months.