Megha Trading Co.

Most 15-year-olds are worried about exams or sports. I was worried about payroll.

Megha Trading Co. was our family's attempt to find a way out. An apparel production business — sourcing fabric, managing tailors, securing orders, delivering on time. My mother ran it. I co-ran it. There was no other option.

I learned things in that business that no classroom could teach. I learned that a supplier's promise means nothing without a contract. I learned that a client's budget changes five times before the order is placed. I learned that machines break at the worst possible moment, and you fix them — or you don't get paid.

I was managing adults. Negotiating with vendors twice my age. Coordinating production cycles while also completing homework. It was exhausting and clarifying in equal measure.

The business didn't make us rich. But it taught me the most important lesson of my life: execution is everything. Ideas are free. Showing up and delivering — that's the work.