At the UCI ANTrepreneur Center, we are excited to highlight entrepreneurs and share their personal experiences, achievements, and brilliant insights. We invite you to join us as we celebrate these ANTrepreneurs and get inspired by their stories.
UC Irvine is home to a strong community of supporters that are constantly giving back through donations, mentorship, and much more. This includes a dedicated alumni base who are proud of their time as Anteaters and who are always ready to support current students. This is the case for Payal Lohia (Class of 2006), a successful digital innovation expert, entrepreneur, and business owner, who gives back to UC Irvine by serving as the current President of the Indian Alumni Chapter (previous President of the New York Alumni Chapter) and offering support to the ANTrepreneur Center.
Payal has spent almost 20 years leading digital innovation programs for best-in-class companies including DIRECTV, AT&T, WarnerMedia, Capgemini, and more. From advising leading companies on digital business transformation to delivering disruptive go-to-market products and services, Payal specializes in customer-centric innovation and growth acceleration.
Payal has also started her own consulting company to focus on projects and problems where she felt she could have the most impact and drive immediate market value. Payal believes in creating unique approaches to societal problems, especially those affected by data and organizational issues. With this mindset, she founded her company HHQueen, a specialized platform designed to help users streamline the search for the perfect happy hour location while helping businesses manage, market, and measure the ROI of their happy hour offerings.
In her spare time, Payal holds alumni leadership roles at her alma maters UC Irvine, UCLA Anderson, and National University of Singapore. She dedicates time throughout the year to volunteering and serving on the boards of organizations that support causes tied to animal rescue, child welfare, and domestic violence.
As a friend of the ANTrepreneur Center, Payal recently sat down with Director Ryan Foland to share how her time at UC Irvine influenced her professional journey and offer her best advice for developing student entrepreneurs.
Ryan: Ahoy Payal! Welcome and thank you for meeting with me.
Payal: Thank you for having me, Ryan. I’m excited to be here!
Ryan: To kick things off, let’s talk about your time as a UC Irvine student. Can you share how your experiences influenced your career and entrepreneurial journey?
Payal: Absolutely; at UC Irvine, I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Business Management. This academic foundation provided me with critical analytical skills and a comprehensive understanding of business principles, which have proven indispensable throughout my career. UC Irvine’s strong emphasis on research and innovation encouraged me to adopt a problem-solving mindset and explore creative solutions—traits that have remained valuable from my first IT consulting job to my role today as a newly minted entrepreneur.
Moreover, my time at UC Irvine helped me build a diverse network of peers and mentors. Engaging with faculty members and participating in various campus initiatives allowed me to develop a collaborative approach and a keen understanding of different cultural perspectives. This further enhances my ability to manage global teams and partnerships in my professional roles.
In essence, my experiences at UC Irvine shaped my leadership style, fueled my passion for curiosity, problem solving and innovation, and reinforced my commitment to community involvement.
Ryan: It’s great that your UC Irvine experience has been so impactful. Is that why you continue to be involved with campus as President of the UC Irvine Indian Alumni Chapter?
Payal: Founding and serving as President of the Indian Alumni Chapter is one way I continue to give back to ‘Eater Nation. This role holds a special place in my heart because it allows me to connect with fellow alumni, foster a sense of community, and provide support and guidance to current students in similar community groups. By organizing networking events, mentorship programs, and cultural celebrations, I aim to create opportunities for professional development and cultural exchange for anyone that identifies with the UC Irvine Indian Alumni community.
Ryan: Let’s transition to your professional expertise. Given your extensive background in product development and tech, what are the most significant lessons you’ve learned, and can you share a challenging project that helped shape your entrepreneurial skills?
Payal: The most significant lessons I’ve learned include the importance of user-centric design, the power of leveraging cutting-edge technology to solve real-world problems, and the necessity of adaptability in an ever-evolving industry. One of the key lessons for me is to always stay close to the user’s needs and feedback; understanding your target audience and continuously improving are essential for creating products that have the ability to truly resonate and add value.
One of the many challenging projects I’ve worked on was leading the development of a social commerce platform that created personalized shopping experiences. It was a fairly new market concept at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and commerce. Managing a large, global, cross-functional team, I had to navigate numerous technical hurdles, complex testing processes, and tight deadlines with tighter budgets. Using Agile project management methodologies, my team successfully launched the product, which had a direct impact on our organization’s ranking among our competitors while also drawing attention to another disruptive product launch aimed to improve user engagement and conversion rates.
This project taught me the importance of agility, resilience, and cross-functional collaboration. It reinforced the idea that effective entrepreneurship relies on a combination of innovative thinking, strategic planning, and the ability to lead and motivate a diverse team through both challenges and successes.
Ryan: You mentioned the importance of understanding your target audience and being mindful of your users’ needs, is that what inspired you to start HHQueen?
Payal: I’ve always been motivated by solving real problems that people (including myself) face in their everyday lives. Problems we all wish someone created a solution for to make our lives easier. For me, I chose to create the solution rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
With HHQueen, the inspiration came from how frustrating it was when I used to meet friends or coworkers for happy hours (HH), but the real-time information was too often unreliable and outdated. This got me thinking about how many other people must share this challenge and how it impacts not only diners but also businesses trying to attract customers during off-peak hours. I saw an opportunity to bridge this gap with technology by creating a platform that provides real-time, location-based happy hour information. I began by conducting extensive market research and talking to potential users and establishment owners to understand their needs and pain points. From there, I sat on a plane one day (no distractions, no internet), and I finished my business case for HHQueen by the time I landed.
Turning my vision into an actionable business idea involved a few key steps. I prioritized feature development based on user insights and market needs as well as an analytics dashboard to measure user engagement and performance. This would become my minimum viable product (MVP) that I launched among my friends and family in Fall 2023.
I expanded on my initial market research with insights I gleaned from the MVP to make user experience and interface (UX/UI) changes that supported my goals of engagement and conversion to launch “Version 1.0” to the market by May 2024. This approach not only enabled me to create a valuable service, but also helped me continually refine and expand our offerings to better meet the needs of our target audience.
Ryan: What have been the most significant challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur, and could you share a specific instance where you had to pivot or change your approach?
Payal: One of the most significant challenges I’ve faced as an entrepreneur is balancing the need for rapid growth with the necessity of creating, building, and maintaining a strong, authentic connection with our community. With HHQueen, while my initial idea received a lot of enthusiasm, I quickly realized that our assumptions about user needs were not entirely accurate. This became evident through the analytics dashboard, which highlighted lower-than-expected engagement with certain features I had prioritized.
One specific instance is when I enabled business offers and ads on HHQueen. I thought this would drive significant traffic, engagement, and revenue. However, the data showed otherwise, and business feedback indicated that the offers were not as easy to understand as I had anticipated. This was a critical moment as I had to assess how to pivot quickly. We accomplished this by conducting in-depth market research to better understand user preferences and working with an experienced UX/UI designer to reimagine the interface based on the derived insights.
The outcome of this pivot was positive. Our simplified designs resulted in increased user satisfaction and engagement. Additionally, this experience reinforced the importance of staying adaptable and responsive to user feedback, which has been a cornerstone of my continued growth and success.
Ryan: This is a great example of understanding when to pivot and the importance of quickly adapting to address user needs. But as someone who is so locked-in on the business side of things, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
Payal: Maintaining a healthy work-life balance while running a business is definitely challenging—add a full-time job into the mix, and it’s the ultimate challenge! But finding balance is crucial for long-term success and well-being. Here are some strategies I use to prioritize my mental health, emotional health, physical health, and manage stress:
- Having a structured schedule helps ensure that I allocate dedicated time for work, family, friends, and self-care.
- Regular exercise is a vital part of my routine. Adopting a dog (hi Penny!) also helped with my exercise goals, as this gets me out at least twice a day. Stepping outside of my workspace into sunshine and getting fresh air helps me reduce stress, boosts my mood, and keeps me physically healthy, which in turn enhances my productivity.
- As a true entrepreneur, I multitask during my aforementioned physical activity. I incorporate mindfulness and meditation podcasts into my daily dog walks which helps me stay grounded and grateful. Sometimes this is only five minutes of my day, and that is enough!
- I make sure to take breaks throughout the day and prioritize downtime. If I do not pay attention to my body’s reactions to stress, I will burnout and/or get sick, which will definitely make it hard for me to get back on track.
- I don’t hesitate to seek support when needed. Whether it’s talking to a mentor, a coach, a friend, or a mental health professional, these external perspectives provide invaluable insights and relief.
Balancing work and life is an ongoing process, but these strategies have helped me maintain my mental health and manage stress effectively while running HHQueen.
Ryan: This is great advice that I think will resonate with many of our student entrepreneurs. Speaking of supporting students, what motivates your interest in mentoring college startups, and what qualities do you look for in the student entrepreneurs that you mentor?
Payal: My interest in mentoring college startups stems from a desire to help the next generation of entrepreneurs navigate their journeys more effectively. Having faced and overcome numerous challenges in my own entrepreneurial ventures, I am motivated by the opportunity to share my experiences, provide guidance, and foster a supportive environment where students can thrive.
When looking for qualities in student entrepreneurs, I value a blend of curiosity, resilience, and collaboration. I seek individuals who are eager to learn and open to feedback. A strong commitment to validating your ideas and a willingness to collaborate with others are also crucial, as these traits are fundamental to developing successful businesses. Additionally, I appreciate students who prioritize mental health and work-life balance, as maintaining well-being is essential for sustainable success in the demanding world of entrepreneurship.
Ryan: Thank you so much for sharing your story and insights, Payal. I think it will really help a lot of our students. To close this out, what advice would you offer to college students just starting their entrepreneurial journeys, and how can they avoid common pitfalls you’ve seen in early-stage startups?
Payal: For college students just starting their entrepreneurial journeys, my advice revolves around three key principles: validation, agility, and collaboration. Before diving deep into your idea, ensure there’s a real need for your product or service. Conduct thorough market research, talk to potential users, and validate your assumptions. This will help you avoid the pitfall of creating something just because it’s interesting to you, rather than because it solves a real problem.
It’s also important to be agile. The ability to pivot and adapt is crucial. In the fast-paced world of startups, things rarely go as planned! Stay flexible and responsive to change. There are a plethora of tools to keep you and your team aligned and focused on delivering incremental value with everything you do.
Finally, don’t hesitate to seek advice from mentors or peers, and always be willing to listen and learn. If you go the route of building a team, ensure every member brings something unique to the table. Collaboration and open communication are vital to navigating challenges and innovating. Remember, an openness to learning is going to be one of your greatest assets. The journey will be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Embrace the process and find a supportive community that you can lean on through the highs and lows.
One common pitfall that student entrepreneurs need to watch out for is being married to their ideas. Oftentimes, it’s necessary to iterate or even abandon your initial concept based on user feedback and market demands! I can go back to my original business case for HHQueen and point out countless pivots that all led to a stronger, better solution. *And I anticipate more pivots in my future!
Students should also be careful of neglecting user-centric design. A well-designed product that meets user needs can significantly enhance your chances of success, so it’s important to always keep the end-user in mind when designing your product.
Finally, students cannot overlook the value of financial planning. The best way to avoid the trap of underestimating costs or overestimating revenue is by careful financial planning early on in the process and evaluating and understanding how you will financially support your endeavor.
To keep up with Payal, check out the HHQueen website, follow her on Instagram, and connect with her on LinkedIn.
Visit the ANTrepreneur Center website to learn more about programming, speaker series, Micro-Internships, funding, and more. You can also learn more about the Center’s collaborations with Blackstone LaunchPad, Tech Coast Angels, Tech Coast Venture Network, OC Startup Council, and SoCal Celebrates Entrepreneurship. Keep up with the Center’s latest news by following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.