Shibani Shinde Patil of Ri Noor

1: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage it?

I don't know if I have a greatest fear. But I definitely have fears of failing in anything, in any capacity. There was fear when I started this new venture. There's fear even now when I launch a new collection. I've really come full circle on this though, because I feel like in the past there were a lot of things I didn't do in my life because of the fear of failure. In the past I didn’t apply to a certain university because I didn’t think I would be good enough, or I didn’t apply to a company because I didn’t think I’d fit in or be able to do what was required of me. Looking back there were a lot of missed opportunities for me, so I’ve learned to approach fear a little differently.

"These days I embrace fear as something that propels me to do better."

These days I embrace fear as something that propels me to do better. For example, if I'm fearful of a presentation, I spend more time preparing myself. Or if I’m fearful of launching a new collection, I do more research. So I'm not guaranteeing success, but I'm lowering the odds of failure. And then I reflect on the experience. If the experience helped me do something better or even just grow, then the fear was a good thing, whether it was a success or not.

2: How do you define success?

In this day and age success can be measured by so many more variables, such as hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, billions of dollars, and so on. But I think the real measure of success should be in the form of growth. It’s what I've tried to do, and what I hope I can teach my children to do. If you can grow in anything, that’s a success.

"...real measure of success should be in the form of growth...If you can say, in this last week, or this last year, or this last role, whether from success or failure, I have actually become better in some way, that is a success."

If you can say, in this last week, or this last year, or this last role, whether from success or failure, I have actually become better in some way, that is a success. And if you keep adding up those successes and you look back at where you actually began, you’ll realize you've attained quite a bit of success no matter what the parameters are: time, money, knowledge gained, etc. To me, this is a better definition of success than measuring up to some random expectation that's thrown out in society at that time.

3: Who are your real-life heroes?

Oh gosh, this first one might get me in trouble. I’ve always been the biggest fan of Elon Musk. I'm an immigrant and when I look at another immigrant who has, through hard work, strong work ethic, and entrepreneurship, reached heights of success, and not just monetarily, that’s inspiring. He disrupted 100 year old industries that had gone mostly unchanged since their conception. And he succeeded. I think it takes a lot of courage to do something like that.

The other real-life hero to me is Gandhi. I originally came from India and Gandhi was one of the leaders that was instrumental in our freedom from colonialism. But what was more profound was his non-violent approach and the messages that he conveyed. I think some of those messages can still be very pertinent in today's world.

4: What is the best gift you've given yourself?

The best gift I’ve given myself is actually a physical thing, but what it means to me is what makes it so profound. I'm actually wearing it now. My whole life, I’ve always been drawn to unique diamond shapes and unique gemstones in general, so when I started my company, Ri Noor, those are the types of pieces I wanted to make for people. And I didn’t want these to be pieces that you put away in the safe, but rather pieces you’d be comfortable wearing every day, with anything.

"Once my company reached a certain growth point and we were getting organic sales, I decided to buy myself a unique piece that embodied why I started my company and to treat myself for getting the business to this point."

Once my company reached a certain growth point and we were getting organic sales, I decided to buy myself a unique piece that embodied why I started my company and to treat myself for getting the business to this point. It’s a very long, unique shaped, marquise diamond necklace that can be worn with anything. I’ve worn it for the last 7 years and it stands as a constant reminder of the journey this has been.

5: What was the last win you celebrated?

Last year we did very well as a company and we crossed a lot of sales targets, so I decided to splurge a little bit to celebrate. My love of unique shaped diamonds led me to getting myself a bracelet that has all the possible shapes of diamonds on it. Celebrating achievements is motivating for me. And every time I wear this bracelet and look at it, it reminds me of all we have accomplished as a business, and brings back the joy and energy I feel in those moments of achievement.

About Ri Noor:

After a career in the energy industry, Shibani Patil launched Ri Noor, a vibrant collection that’s at once elegant and bold. From blue poppies and rainbow butterflies to geometric shapes and pinstripe rings, we love the impact Ri Noor’s pieces make paired with any outfit.

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