You don’t need all the answers on day one

At eChai Ventures, our Unforgettable Lessons series captures the moments that shape how founders and leaders build, lead, and grow. These are not always stories of success but of the doubts, risks, and decisions that define the journey.

For Charu Mishra, CEO of AMRTM (Dholakia Foundation), that moment came when she stepped into an industry she knew little about and discovered that leadership is less about having ready answers and more about showing up with responsibility every single day.

Here’s how she tells it:

If you had asked me a few years ago whether I’d ever find myself leading a social enterprise in the water sector, I would’ve laughed. Water? It felt too simple, too basic, too ordinary. But the truth is, nothing about water is simple once you try to build a purpose-driven brand around it.

You must be wondering what AMRTM is? It started with a purpose. Dholakia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd., has worked extensively on water conservation initiatives. We looked at the dry, cracked earth of rural Gujarat and chose action over apathy. With a deep commitment to water conservation, the foundation led the revival of over 160 water bodies and conserved over 36 billion liters of water, bringing life back to dying rivers, empowering farmers, and creating sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.

AMRTM was born from that mission. What if the water we worked so hard to conserve could reach people not just as hydration, but as a symbol of revival, sustainability, and hope? That’s the heart behind AMRTM.

My journey into AMRTM started without a blueprint. I had no prior experience in the industry, no ready answers, and no “playbook” to follow. What I did have was honesty towards my work and a belief that whatever role I take up, I must give it my all, never half-heartedly. Maybe that’s why, when the opportunity to lead AMRTM came, I didn’t step back despite not knowing everything. I trusted my ability to learn, to adapt, and to build from scratch.

And it wasn’t easy. There were days of doubt, when I wondered if we were even moving in the right direction. There were nights that stretched endlessly with discussions, planning, and re-planning. I never imagined that something as universal as water could demand so much, from quality checks to building trust with consumers, from understanding production processes to strategizing brand positioning. Every small decision carried weight.

But here’s the unforgettable lesson I carry from this journey: you don’t need to have all the answers on day one. What you need is the willingness to ask the right questions, to keep learning, and to show up with responsibility every single day.

Becoming a CEO may sound exotic from the outside, but in reality, it’s about accountability. It’s about ensuring that your team feels guided, supported, and trusted, while also keeping a close eye on quality, because ultimately, the responsibility is yours. And in my case, the responsibility became even greater because AMRTM is not my own venture. The trust placed in me to lead it, without gender bias and purely on merit, is something I deeply value. It makes me double the responsible and double the committed.

Building AMRTM wasn’t just about launching a water brand. It was about becoming a student again, learning a completely new industry, making mistakes, correcting them, and moving forward with resilience. It was about bringing together a team that shares the same heart and vision, and about holding myself to the highest standards of honesty and hard work.

Yes, challenges still lie ahead. Yes, mistakes will happen. But I am not afraid anymore. I feel prepared. Because this journey has already taught me the toughest and most beautiful lesson of all: with patience, intention, and belief, even the most complex journeys can be built step by step.