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We got the opportunity to sit down and meet the founder of Trendsapio, the FIRST EVER GLOBAL STAGE FOR ARTISTS AND CREATORS. It is a digital incubator that provides aspiring, entry-level, and experienced artists with the resources they need to create and launch their careers and brands in the fashion and creative industries throughout the world. Harman is a technology entrepreneur, creative thinker, and leader with vast expertise in information technology leadership roles. In this interview, we asked him about his entrepreneurial journey and the massive initiative that is Trendsapio.
What was it like growing up in your neighborhood?
I grew up in a middle-class suburban town that sits at the roots of the Shivalik hills of Northern India. It’s surrounded by beautiful Himalayan mountains. It was quite a calm, family-friendly environment with lots of scenic beauty. What I really loved about it is that people from all age groups, religions, and cultures lived together like a community.
What do you remember the most about your childhood that still is relevant to who you are today?
The environment I was raised in provided me with so much diversity and freedom that I never felt stuck. I was raised with a spiritual belief system and to respect all religions and relationships. I believe the way I was raised inspired me to be energetic, passionate, and curious to build synergies and explore all the dimensions of life. I was a very creative and artistic child who took part in many extracurricular activities like cultural dance, painting, singing, and theater. Being heavily involved in the arts at a young age really exercised my ability to empathize with others.
What was it like hanging out with you in high school or college?
I was playful and mischievous and always used to engage my friends in ideas and fun activities. Because I was of short stature, very extraverted, and also a little naive, some schoolmates didn’t appreciate my energy and confidence level, and tried to bring it down. However, my friends were always there to stand up for me and support me in every situation. During my high school and college days, we used to see lots of hippie-looking tourists from Israel and Eastern Europe. I was inspired by their hippie ideals, values, and way of life.
What was your first job? What did you learn from your first job?
I started my first job with British Telecom as a Technical Support Officer. I learned how to provide customer support services, which includes handling customers and empathizing while helping them to resolve their issues.
What was the problem you set out to solve when you started your company/venture?
After witnessing the physical, mental, and financial exploitation of my artist friends, I started this venture to curb the more than decades-old exploitation of aspiring, entry-level, and established artists by gatekeepers in the fashion and creative artist industry. Trendsapio will leverage AI and various other technologies to build a safe and secure ecosystem, that will give artists the power of collaboration to rebuild the industry with integrity, and economic freedom to transcend limits across the globe.
There is inconsistency and disconnectivity between the fashion and creative industries. It is scattered and unorganized. There are shady platforms, agencies, and no authentic networks. No streamlined ecosystem for entry-level artists to launch their careers and build their brands. Last but not least, we all the human trafficking and sweatshops in the fashion industry.
Many talented individuals have been overlooked due to unrealistic body image restrictions, not having an influential family background, and refusing exploitation to advance in their careers. This impractical reality shook my soul.
Why is it expected and justified that industry professionals should be taken advantage of behind a black curtain to progress in their expertise while hiding the scars of trauma and abuse? Why should artists be assigned a limit to how much they can achieve based on where they live and who their parents are friends with?
This is exactly where Trendsapio is targeting to jump in and help get fair chances to the artists who do not have influential backgrounds or connections to tap into the industry.
Harman Sehgal, Founder of Trendsapio
Trendsapio is creating a platform-based ecosystem that will help fashion and creative industry professionals to further build an enterprise talent network that works. It is going to be a digital incubator to provide artists with the right resources they need to build and launch their careers and brands in the fashion and creative industry across the globe. Users will have authentic connectivity and channels to access all the major fashion and creative hubs of the world. Our top-flight features, built-in tools, and easy-to-use micro apps to build your enterprise network and global marketplace collaborate with the right resources & launch your career & grow your business.
What was your biggest challenge when starting your business?
Research and analysis of all the tactics that are used by gatekeepers was the most challenging part while starting this business. I started brainstorming this idea 6 years ago after witnessing many of my fashion industry friends being exploited in the industry. I started reaching out to some of the gatekeepers and agencies in my friend’s networks. I deep-dived into the dark and shady side of the industry to know and understand how gatekeepers and shady agencies work to provide career opportunities to artists.
At once, I acted as one of the aspiring or entry artists who is looking to tap into the industry to build a career and learned about what all do I have to go through and the other time, I acted as one of the gatekeepers, who has a perfect network of talented artists and professionals and is interested in starting an agency. I met a lot of people as an undercover agent to know the in and out of this business.
What has been your biggest win in recent years?
My biggest win was when the idea and need of building a global ecosystem for the fashion and creative industry were successfully validated by top leading industry professionals. I earned a lot of appreciation and support from all creative professionals, artists, and business owners, who could see and understand my purpose to serve the social cause. I kicked off this project with no prior experience and background in the industry. It has been a huge initiative taken to address a problem in the market that went undressed for a long while.
What’re you most excited about for your company in the next few years?
To build the largest ecosystem of safe, secure, and hyper-productive platforms, with a vision to rebuild the industry with integrity, and create opportunities for every artist to transcend limits across the globe, without fear.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
“Build a strong and compassionate mindset that helps you find a stronger purpose in life.
Harman Sehgal, Founder of Trendsapio
It’s good to have passion and things that passion can bring to your life but it’s equally important to have compassion in life to make sure you don’t lose the things that passion can’t bring. Invest your time in relations that push you to level up your game and not just chill. Build positive synergies to solve bigger problems in society. This is the best way to give back to society.
How much of your success would you contribute to luck and how much to hard work?
60% hard work and 40% Luck. Both go hand in hand based on the choices you make and habits you develop.
Do you have a morning routine and/or nighttime ritual that helps keep you on your top game?
So far nighttime rituals have helped me keep up my top game. Although, I’m trying to get into my morning routine.
Is there anything you would like to share with our readers that we didn’t ask?
I’m a tech entrepreneur, creative thinker, and thought leader. I have extensive experience in working in various leadership roles in the information technology consulting and IT M&A space with Fortune 500 companies including the Big 4. I’m intuitive and empowering with a zeal to build positive and successful Synergies. I take immense interest in writing, music, and fashion arts. I’m aiming to publish my book, which is realistic fiction, very soon.
What’s the best way for others to learn more about you and your company?
You can learn about me more on my Linkedin profile by clicking the URL below:
linkedin.com/in/himanshu-sehgal-682a2124
Learn more about Trendsapio by clicking the website link below:
How /in what ways do you give back to your community?
I’m giving back to the community through Trendsapio by leveraging artists with a safe space to collaborate, express themselves and find new opportunities and therefore, providing them economic freedom to be independent.
I want to bring artists from the streets to big screens and runways through fashion and creative intelligence. My goal is to build a compassionate world for fashion and creative artists where everyone & anyone can earn because we all have an artist inside us.
