In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Gitika (Gidika) Bhatia, a sales and marketing enthusiast, social philanthropist, author, and speaker. Gitika shares a pivotal sales story where, after eight months without a conversion, she stepped in as a substitute for a top US retailer meeting, overcame nerves, and closed her first deal, extracting lessons about emotional control, preparation in darkness, and the value of taking action even when limited. She emphasizes the often‑overlooked importance of strong, consistent follow‑up in business, and offers broad advice to "fake it till you make it," highlighting that action breeds confidence and allows narrative revision. When asked what she would tell her younger self, she speaks poetically about liberating the mind, living purpose, and breathing life into aspirations. Discussing happiness, she references the book Blink, advocating for listening to first instincts as a daily choice. She describes a "crossroad" metaphor from her own writing, urging people to apply driving instincts to life decisions—act decisively rather than remain stuck. Her favorite quote, "White is not always light and black is not always dark" by Habib Akande, reflects her belief in embracing imperfection. The episode concludes with her social media handles (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) and a reminder that links will appear in the show notes.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Gidika Bhatia with us. She is a sales and marketing enthusiast, social philanthropist, passionate author, speaker, and writer, and has a vision to set eyes on the proposition and passion to turn it into a competitive edge for an idea, organization, thought, or anything random. So welcome to the show.
Thank you so much, and thank you for such an amazing introduction.
Of course. Thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. We'll dive into the first one. The first question that I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I was actually working the company for 8 months in their sales department, and I was not able to convert any lead. Thereafter, I had a meeting with few of the top retailers in US, and the client was actually someone else's, and I was being the substitute in his absence. But it— and actually, it wasn't a good phase of my life, and I was going through a rough patch with my family. Um, so cutting the story short, I went into the meeting I was really nervous because I had this pressure to convert this into an opportunity. And thereafter, I actually, it was the first strike ratio and I converted that client. It was a top niche retailer in US and I was really proud of myself that day. Might not be a good narration, but that day I learned few of the quite things that first, thoughts and emotions do not control us, but it's the other way around. However, it requires courage to understand, accept, and act on this. Second, sun might not always be shining, but the point is that how prepared you are even when you are in dark. And third, action is always important, even if on the days you're not feeling up for it, or it's okay if you can't walk, it's okay if you can't run or anything, but even crawling is good. So yeah.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I have heard many talks on how smart working, networking, and rapport building enhance the net worth of any creation. But something which I hear less is the strong follow-up. So I really believe that it is very difficult as you get bogged down by the rejections or the excuses or extensions or criticism, but sometimes the burst of anger, it is really important that you dive that deep into it and it's really important to drill you. So a strong follow-up, a consistent follow-up is very important when I speak of from a business point of view.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
I would say fake it till you make it. Action is important and confidence eventually follows. And the plus point is that you can always change your story later.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Okay, so I would tell her that mind is wonderful, when you liberate it. Purpose is meaningful when you live it. Aspirations are aimful when you breathe life into it. And world out there, sweetie, is as beautiful as you imagine it.
I love that.
Thank you for sharing that.
And it might tie in, but in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
The key to happiness. So I was reading this book called Blink, and I loved it. So it tells us that do everything that your first instinct tells you to do. There's nothing that can be defined as stupid, a thought or an emotion or an action. Each time we step back from listening to it, we are killing those butterflies in our belly. We are killing that, uh, rather, to us. So happiness isn't a destination or a journey or a possession, but it's a It's actually a choice. Each and every day I have to get up and I have to ask myself whether today I have to be happy, yes or no. It's as simple as that.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
So I'm constantly bogged down by rereading the chapters that I am writing for my book currently. So something that I was writing and working on before was Crossroad chapter, actually. So while driving, we are sometimes stuck into a crossroad, and our first instinct is to make our way for ourselves and get out of it. Contrary to this, in a life's crossroad, we remain stuck. So if I honk, they'll call me impatient. So if I step out to clear my way, they will call me a show-off. So if in a real-life crossroad on a road, it's easier for us to act with our instincts and get out and make way for ourselves. So when we are stuck in a, probably a psychological crossroad in our life, it should be, we should apply that kind of instinct and actually make the way for ourselves. So rather than decorating the image that people have painted of us, it's better that we start grooming the reflection that we see in the mirror.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote will be, "White is not always light and black is not always dark." It's by Habib Akande. I like it because it seems so real. It says that no one is perfect. No one can be always filled with bright, positive thoughts all the time, and it's okay. You are not manifesting creations out of your thoughts all the time, and neither The white of you is losing its whiteness, black sometimes.
Yes, I love it. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find you online?
I'm on Facebook, Instagram. The links are there. I have— I'm by the name Githika Bhatia. It's G-I-T-I-K-A B-H-A-T-I-A. Over LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. I hope the links will be out there in the description as well.
Perfect. Yes, they will. We will put it in the show notes.
Thank you so much. Thank you very much for having me.
Of course. Thanks for coming on.
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