Nureshka Viranna is the young, dynamic and vibrant co-operative-founder and director of a company called Shopli.


Shopli is an e-commerce and web design agency, that, in this age of digital information technology, helps to take businesses online and become more visible in this space.


Nureshka and her team, measure their business achievements by their clients and the success their client experience through the work Shopli has done for them. Nureshka adds, “Our biggest achievements are our clients. I think that our clients speak for themselves. We are ecstatic when clients share how their leads have increased or how they have increased their sales.”


FOCUSING ON YOUR VISION

When it comes to accolades, Nureshka has been recognised and featured by Forbes as being in the Top 30 Under 30, for the strides she has made in technology, which is a huge achievement for a young, female-driven technology company.


“Our mission and our vision have always been about our customers. It has always been customers first and how do we help them grow their business. That’s how we started, and this is our why,” explains Nureshka.


The core function at Shopli is that together with their production team, they design and develop websites and online stores for clients. As Nureshka expands on this, “We have an approach where we make it our business to understand what your company does, to understand what makes your company different, what sets you apart, and only then do we create a website to showcase your products or services, so that you are more credible, you can get more business, and create brand awareness. When it comes to an online store, we help take your products online to ensure they are easily accessible to the consumer, so that this becomes another income stream.”


Reflecting on her journey in this predominantly male-orientated technological environment, Nureshka shares that her biggest inspiration has been her business partner, Avilash Aniruth, who has operated his marketing agency for the past 20 years. This agency is also the sister company to Shopli. As Nureshka enthuses, “Avilash has inspired me in what he has achieved and how he has achieved his goals.”


She has also been greatly inspired by women in technology, such as Sheryl Sandberg who was a big force in growing Facebook. “You don’t get many women success stories in tech,” says Nureshka, “so for me she is very inspiring and encouraging.”


KNOWING YOUR VALUE

In reflecting on the challenges, she has encountered along her career path, Nureshka says that the biggest challenge was that of being a woman in tech. “Tech is a very male dominated industry, so clients wouldn’t necessarily take me as seriously, and you are initially seen more as a sales rep going into a meeting. They didn’t see me as the expert in my field. However, once I showed businesses I knew exactly what I was talking about, and what we had achieved with other clients, my success spoke for itself. So, for me personally, overcoming that preconceived perception and proving to clients that I was just as good as any male in tech (without being sexist), was a huge accomplishment,” says Nureshka. She encourages women to know their value and the expertise they bring to the business.


EXPANDING OUR FOOTPRINT

With an existing national and international footprint, Nureshka’s future goals for Shopli are to grow this expansion into other provinces as well as internationally, to give the company a stronger foothold.


On giving advice to women, or men for that matter, following this industry or following in her path, her recommendation is to never give up. “There are always going to be challenges, so you need to take everything in your stride and keep on trying,” she says. “The thing is that if there is a challenge you are facing, you should never give up, chances are you are closest to reaching a breakthrough to something great. So, don’t give up. I believe that if you are passionate about what you want to achieve, you will never go wrong.”


KEEPING GROUNDED

To relax and unwind, Nureshka spends a lot of time with family and friends who, by being in their company, keep her grounded. “Your business can consume you in the sense that it becomes you and you forget about life itself, so ‘my people’ are a big part of keeping that in perspective,” she says. She also enjoys sport and being active, as well as reading. Nureshka believes everyone needs to learn how to have a balanced life. “I am still learning to live a harmonious life, but I think it’s amazing to do what you love, be passionate about what you do, wake up in the morning and love going to work,” she says.


Nureshka firmly believes it’s important to recognise your support systems. “I have amazing parents; my late dad was a huge support to me. Then I’ve got my team who are the core of my business, they help run my business, so I’m extremely grateful to them.” acknowledges Nureshka.


“It’s been an honour to be recognised as a Top 30 Under 30 by Forbes because it’s opened a lot of doors and it’s helped me meet amazing people throughout Africa.”