Dr. Prerna Taneja, CEO – Eximus Clinic, Medical Cosmetologist, Oral and Dental Specialist

‘Health is Wealth’, so goes the old saying, the logic being that all your wealth is of no use if your health fails to live up to its billing. There are other iterations as well, the most common being, ‘Wealth first, then health’. No doubt, the second version takes a lot of precedence as well, since study after study shows that a majority of corporate India is unfit (it’s not very clear if there’s a standard definition of unfit. Who is unfit? A person who cannot climb one floor of stairs without huffing and puffing? Or is it a person who cannot run 100 metres in 20 seconds? The reader is free to come up with his or her own definition of being fit or unfit)

While health consciousness has proliferated among a section of the masses (especially the middle and upper classes), leading to a rise in participation in health focused events, while spurring sales in healthy foods and beverages made from natural ingredients, maybe we’re seeing the rise of a health culture, either because it just makes common sense to be fit or maybe because there’s an inherent desire to look good and confident in one’s health or maybe to keep illnesses at bay, or maybe its a combination of all the mentioned factors. 

Whatever the reason or reasons, the shift towards health is encouraging. Not only would it lead to a rise in productivity, but also help in creating a culture, for half of India is below the age of 25, and two-thirds are below 35, directly reducing future costs of primary and secondary healthcare, while spurring spending towards preventive healthcare and health-based businesses. 

Today, at Bangalore Insider, we spoke to Dr. Prerna Taneja, the founder of Clinic Eximus who exhorted us to focus on the ‘Health is Wealth’ paradigm rather than ‘Wealth first, Health later’. 

Tell us about yourself, what do you like most about your field of work?

Presently, I’m into medical cosmetology / Aesthetics and my field of specialization is health and beauty. The most important thing that I like about my work and that also motivates me to go back to my clinic every day is how people gain confidence when they look beautiful. Every single day when I wake up and make an effort to enhance someone’s skin and hair which in a way boosts their confidence and personality, it gives me a complete and fulfilling feeling. As an entrepreneur each day is a challenge and facing the challenge on the downside of it is one of the things that motivates me to get up and do my work every day.

Your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before choosing this field?

I have always been a doctor but there was something in me which wanted me to do more and more. So I ventured in various fields of entrepreneurship like I had a few startups which I invested into with both my energy and money into health, women empowerment but I think after digging so much and going through the learning curve I have found my niche in health and beauty. Therefore, soon I will be launching new other ventures which will have focus more on beauty and health.

How did you land up doing what you do now?

Definitely, it has been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. As being from a medical field I was not satisfied with what I was doing and wanted more out of life. Therefore, with a lot of ups and downs, curves and turn; lots of explorations and lots of partnership which failed but with each failure, I learned something new and also something not to do. And that is why I think I’m what I’m today and I see myself wiser when it comes to taking stakes and decisions.

If not the current profession, what would you have been?

I can not imagine anything else than being a doctor. Right from my childhood, I have always aimed at being a doctor. So, I’m pretty happy in the space in which I’m right now. It is just that I want to establish myself more as an entrepreneur also.

What motivates you to keep going?

The only motivation that keeps me going is to be a better version of myself every day. I’m constantly putting myself on a quizzical note every day questioning myself ability and putting myself into critical analysis mode and evaluating myself from what I was yesterday to what I am today and then seeing am I better than what I was yesterday and that is my biggest motivation and it also makes me realize that there are so much still to do. Therefore you can’t stop here!

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

My schedule goes like, I wake up early morning and it starts with yoga, meditation as I’m into a lot of spiritual practice. This practice keeps my thoughts aligned and makes me keep my mind at peace. I make sure to do this every day at least for an hour and then I also perform some exercises. Post this, I have my breakfast and move to my clinic where I have my patience to see. Generally, I shuttle between my clinic and other enterprise for which I have divided my time. As I have to also give time to my family I usually windup between 6 – 6:30 pm and go back to my home to have dinner with my teenage boys. As a mother, I know they need me so I have made this a ritual to be back to my house anyhow for the evening and spend time with them.

Any regrets till now? If yes, will you like to share it with our readers?

I think for a person the biggest regret is self-doubt. Never doubt your own self as you don’t know the potential that is stored inside you until you face a situation. So, that’s the only regret that I submitted to fear for a longer time. I used to doubt my own potential and that made me miss doing a lot of things. But then, I decided to stop doubting myself and face the situations that are coming and see what it brings to us as there’s a moral to every story. Therefore, coming up and believing yourself and your dreams however absurd it may sound to anybody or even to yourself just don’t give up on yourself and your dream.

If you were given a choice of meeting any person you want, who will be that person?

I think Narayan Murthy and Ratan Tata are epitomes of how an entrepreneur or a human being should be like. Humble yet always ready for the challenge at any age. Age was just a number for them. They have inspired me with each phase of their life and the decisions they made. I think there are a lot of things everybody should learn from these two great human beings and if I have any chance to see or meet these people then I would love to meet them.

What is the biggest misconception that you think people have about you?

This biggest misconception about me is that people think that I know everything and think too much of myself. I think people do get intimidated by my confidence. I would like to say that you definitely get confidence when you get through a journey and you seem to know everything. So the ability to read people and the ability to judge the circumstances and the ability to believe in yourself and give a prediction or access and analyze business is something that comes with a lot of predictions. It should not be looked at as a person thinks a lot about themselves and I think that is the biggest misconception that some people have about me.

Any message that you want to send to your readers?

The only message that I would like to give to all the readers that never stop believing in yourself. You are God’s best creation and you have so much potential that you are not aware of so just explore yourself and invest in yourself. This is the best investment anyone can do. Also, make sure you eat healthy and stay fit.

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