“Don’t try to be successful in the first few years of your life, those are formative years”

Adgully has consistently celebrated and acknowledged the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs and leaders in various sectors. One of our notable initiatives, W-SUITE, focuses on highlighting extraordinary women achievers in the Media & Entertainment, Advertising, Marketing, PR, and Communications industry. In this updated series, we aim to explore how women leaders adeptly manage their teams and overcome challenges in the dynamic landscape of their respective industries.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Jitika Gupta, Marketing Director, BigMuscles Nutrition, highlights women leaders bring meticulous research, authenticity, and innovation to the fitness and nutraceutical space, shaping BigMuscles Nutrition’s journey with world-class, women-centric products. With global expansion into markets like Dubai and Walmart USA, the brand is set to redefine inclusivity and quality in sports nutrition.

What unique qualities do you think women leaders bring to the ultra-competitive sports nutrition space, and how have these shaped BigMuscles Nutrition’s journey?

I can comment on my own practice rather than on a general women species. I like to research, read and do a lot search on the nutrition space before I consume anything, hence I like to do the same thing when we are developing a product.

From a lot of information on the packaging for the consumer to read to a lot of ingredient study and a good formulation – that’s all I research for and try to provide the same in BigMuscles Nutrition. We even try to market with those USPs instead of fake claims. That has really helped us in the last few years.

In a male-dominated industry like fitness and nutraceuticals, how do you see the role of women evolving, and what innovative contributions do you believe women leaders offer?

Of course this is one point I have noticed a lot. At times in certain shows, etc., I used to be the odd one out with all men around me. I did not understand and still don’t understand why is that the case. Women love to take care of their bodies and stay fitter than men do. They care more for their skin, toned bodies, etc., but still I was surrounded by all men. That did not stop me. Now, I am so happy to see women bodybuilding competitions and powerlifting, etc., around 50% of the gym crowd is female ratio. Women nutrition does not stick to protein only, we have collagen, skin & nails supplements that are a bit women centric & proudly after years of studies & research on this, I am glad that I am ready with the range of quality supplements for women in BigMuscles Nutrition. I always wanted to come up with something in women nutrition that I am proud of & not with the motive of selling alone, but also world class standards. Finally I am ready with it and it will launch soon this year.

Balancing a high-stakes leadership role with personal life is challenging. What strategies have helped you maintain this balance, and what advice would you give to other women aspiring to leadership positions?

Definitely, I am dead at 10 pm every day! Having a toddler in my life, so I start my day early. My day is well planned and each hour I know what am I doing every day. I cannot make sudden changes in my schedule. So, if a friend is calling me for coffee randomly today, I sadly have to miss it. Friends start calling you a busy person, but you can’t help it. I also like to work out, so taking out that time is really difficult, but thankfully I am able to manage it.

For women, though it is not easy, but it is also very important to be active and be in that mindset that you want to do it. Until you know that you want to do it, you cannot do it. My weekends are strictly for my family, while Monday to Friday is only for my work. It has not been easy, but that also makes me the person I am today and helps me boost my confidence in life.

What is your personal mantra for achieving harmony between professional and personal commitments, and how do you stay motivated during demanding times?

My daily timed schedule and my zeal to be in the zone where I want to see myself growing not only financially, but also as a person that I am proud of. Also, if we are not active ourselves, we cannot do it. Success is not for the lazy bum, we need to get up from our comfort zone and do this for ourselves.

As a leader, how do you nurture and mentor the next generation of women leaders within BigMuscles Nutrition, and what initiatives do you believe can help create a more inclusive industry?

The zeal to learn and going ahead in life. Don’t try to be successful in the first few years of your life, those are years are for being on your toes & bring out your best in the early years of your life, because you are very energetic in those years and you have no liabilities. Hence, you have space to absorb those failures and learn from them.

How have you observed the contributions and presence of women evolve in the fitness and wellness industry over the years, and what key changes do you foresee in the coming decade?

I have been one sitting on various stages/ platforms in between 10-15 male entrepreneurs who thought that we are probably not serious about our business or may be a startup. Proudly, we have surpassed their turnovers long time back and are happy to be the choice of customers today who are mainly men. Firstly, there should be any difference between men or women. Neither is superior, both should be equivalent. This has changed over the years and we see equal or more number of women in the gyms these days who are not hesitant to life weights.

We have a number of products targeting women today, a category that target women nutrition has gone way up today. At BigMuscles Nutrition, we never differentiated our protein yet because of a reason. It is not women’s or men’s protein, a protein is a protein and we are happy that we have a lot of women consumers today who understand the need of protein in daily life.

With BigMuscles Nutrition expanding globally and into new markets, are there any exciting projects you are currently leading or initiatives you’re particularly proud of?

We are excited to be coming up with a new range of supplements for women. This has been on my list for years now. I am glad I am finally being able to do it. I have researched a lot of about this in Indian and International standard and would like to come up with the finest products that would help enhance the quality of life we are living.

We have entered the Dubai already and are set to enter the American market with going live on Walmart soon.

BigMuscles Nutrition will soon be a women’s favourite too with already celebrities like Nora Fatehi picking it up as their workout fuel.

As the company embraces advanced technologies and rigorous R&D processes, how do you see women playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and authenticity in the nutraceutical sector?

Women like to research a lot before consuming anything, they have a habit of studying in depth about everything they are putting on their skin and putting in their bodies.

Women are a part of our quality team, our customer support and our brand ambassador is also a female. We have a good share of female consumer. I myself handle the marketing of the brand that we try to stay true to.