Working With a Force Called Mansi Panchal: A Chapter That Changed Me

  When I first started my internship with Mansi Panchal at FounderX , I thought business was all about numbers — crunching data, hitting KPIs, closing deals. But very quickly, Mansi flipped that entire mindset for me. She showed me that the real game-changer in business isn’t just your strategy or your hustle — it’s emotional intelligence, or EQ, as she calls it. And not just some “soft skill” checkbox, but a daily, deliberate habit that fuels every decision she makes. One moment that really stuck with me was when Mansi shared a story about being on hold during a call with her dad. Instead of wasting time, she overheard him genuinely connecting with an employee — listening, empathizing, sharing stories — not barking orders like a boss, but leading like a human. That was her EQ lesson in real-time, and it shook her thinking. Mansi made it clear: emotional intelligence isn’t something you learn once and forget. It’s a choice you make every day. Because if you’re only chasing numbe...

  Interning under Mansi Panchal at FounderX has been an eye-opener. I thought I had a solid grip on entrepreneurship - all the buzzwords, the hustle, the excitement. But watching Mansi navigate the startup world with razor-sharp focus taught me something crucial: rookie mistakes don’t just slow you down, they can slam the brakes on your entire dream. And the worst part? They’re often so basic that missing them feels like a slap in the face. Mansi’s message to every founder, newbie or seasoned, is clear: don’t underestimate the fundamentals. Here are the key rookie errors she drilled into us during my internship and that I’m committed to fixing before I even launch my own business. First up, market research is your survival toolkit. It’s not a box to check off or a chore to delegate. It’s the foundation. Mansi says too many founders get cocky, assuming their idea is a guaranteed hit without truly knowing their audience. But assumptions? Those are the silent killers. You’ve got...

  When I first started interning under Mansi Panchal at FounderX , I quickly realized how much entrepreneurship really feels like parenting. Everyone loves calling their business their “baby,” and for good reason, those early days are magical. The first sale, the first thrilled client, the first sleepless night that somehow feels worth it. It’s all charm and excitement. But Mansi was quick to warn me that this baby phase doesn’t last forever. One day, you wake up and your sweet little venture has morphed into a full-blown teenager - messy, unpredictable, and a bit of a pain. Scaling stops being cute. It becomes chaotic, emotional, and sometimes straight-up disrespectful. This is the real talk I’ve absorbed working alongside her. Running a business beyond that initial startup spark is not just about hustle and passion anymore. It’s about managing growing pains, the kind nobody posts about on Instagram. Mansi described this stage as being a “business mom in the rawest sense”: putt...

  Before I joined FounderX , I believed weekends were for switching off completely. Shut the laptop, binge a show, ignore Monday until it shows up. That was rest, or so I thought. Then I started interning under Mansi Panchal . She once said, “Founders don’t rest the way others do, and that’s okay.” And it made more sense the longer I worked with her. Mansi doesn’t disappear on weekends. She shifts gears. Her weekends aren’t about escaping work but staying connected to it in ways that feel energizing, not exhausting. Take her idea of a Brainstorm Brunch.   Slow mornings, good food, no pressure. She lets ideas come to her instead of chasing them. I’ve seen her take a casual coffee and turn it into a moment of real clarity. I used to believe inspiration had to be scheduled. Watching her taught me to create space instead. Then there’s what she calls Network and Chill.   It’s not networking in the traditional sense. It’s a quick check-in with a friend, a voice note, a relaxed...

  I used to be the “one more thing” person. One more course. One more prep day. One more confidence boost before I sent the email, pitched the idea, or raised my hand. I thought I was being smart — strategic even. But truthfully? I was just scared. Scared of messing up. Scared of not being “ready enough.” Then I started interning under Mansi Panchal . And everything shifted. Mansi doesn’t do fluff. She doesn’t wait for permission. She builds — now, not later. If there’s one thing she’s drilled into our heads from day one, it’s this: stop waiting for the perfect moment. It doesn’t exist. At first, I didn’t fully get it. I still caught myself hesitating, still overthinking every move. But then I watched her work — not just as a founder, but as a force. She doesn’t wait for green lights. She becomes the green light. She moves first and figures it out on the way. That mindset? It's electric. It pulls you in. It makes you believe that motion — any motion — is better than standing sti...

  When I first entered the world of sales, I thought my biggest challenge would be hitting targets. But as time passed, I quickly discovered that for women, the battle often starts before the pitch even begins. That’s exactly what Mansi Panchal addresses so boldly in her mentoring, the untold struggles of women in sales that no one prepares you for. Listening to Mansi , I finally felt seen. She doesn’t sugarcoat it. From being mistaken for an assistant to being interrupted, overlooked, or underestimated - women in sales fight battles that rarely get talked about openly. But instead of playing the victim card, Mansi flips the script. She teaches that these situations are tests of character, not setbacks. One of the biggest takeaways for me has been her concept of guarding your time and qualifying your clients ruthlessly. In the beginning, I would often engage with every prospect, thinking it was my job to please everyone. But Mansi’s advice shifted my mindset completely: not ev...

  One of the biggest shifts I experienced in sales came directly from something Mansi Panchal constantly emphasizes,  it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. That one sentence changed my entire perspective on how sales conversations should be approached. In one of her mentoring sessions, Mansi broke down the difference between a basic sales script and a real conversation that connects. She shared two versions of a cold call, one that sounded robotic, like someone ticking a task off their to-do list, and one that radiated genuine energy and excitement. The difference was striking. The second version didn’t feel like a sales pitch; it felt like a conversation you actually wanted to be part of. That’s where the psychology kicks in, something Mansi drills into everyone she mentors. Sales isn’t about following a script word-for-word. It’s about understanding how human emotions work. Energy is contagious. If you sound dull, your prospect mirrors that. If you sound upbea...

  When I first sat down with Mansi Panchal , founder of FounderX and a name that commands serious respect in the UAE startup scene, I expected sharp business insights, maybe a few tough-love lessons about grit and hustle. What I didn’t expect was a takedown of one of the most glorified mindsets in entrepreneurship: burnout as a badge of honour. Mansi didn’t sugarcoat it. “Burnout is not a badge of honour. It’s a warning sign,” she said, leaning forward with the kind of clarity that comes from lived experience, not just theory. “It’s a flashing red light screaming that you’ve been running on empty for far too long.” In startup circles, especially the kind I’ve seen through B-school case studies and late-night hustle reels, burnout is often romanticized. Founders wear their 100-hour workweeks like medals. Sleep is optional. Breaks are for the weak. But Mansi called it out for what it really is: toxic. She’s been in those founder rooms where war stories are traded like currency. Th...

  Interning under Mansi Panchal at FounderX was more than just a learning experience, it was a mindset overhaul. If there’s one thing she drilled into all of us, it’s this: You’re one habit away from everything you want. Before joining FounderX , I was the kind of person who believed I needed more motivation, more inspiration, or some grand strategy to finally “make it.” Mansi quickly shut that down. She doesn’t buy into vision boards or endless manifesting podcasts. Her message is clear, unapologetic, and honestly liberating: You don’t need to chase more ideas. You need one rock-solid habit and the discipline to do it daily like your life depends on it. At first, it sounded simple to the point of being boring. But Mansi’s approach isn’t about glamour or hype. It’s about the relentless, quiet consistency nobody talks about. Think of it like brushing your teeth. You don’t negotiate with yourself on that one. It’s a habit. You do it every day. And that’s exactly what Mansi teache...

  Interning under Mansi Panchal has been one of the most valuable experiences of my career so far. Of course, I’ve learned a lot about marketing, sales, content creation, and business, but sometimes, it’s not the technical lessons that leave the biggest mark. Sometimes, it’s one simple post that makes you rethink your entire approach. That happened to me recently when Mansi shared her perspective on LinkedIn. In her post, she wrote about how companies often prefer hiring reliable people with average skills over geniuses who can’t show up when it matters. She explained that skills can be taught. You can always learn how to sell, pitch, negotiate, or build systems. But if someone doesn’t show up on time, can’t take ownership, and disappears when responsibility knocks, that’s not a skill issue; that’s a character issue. And no crash course can fix that. Reading that as an intern, it hit me harder than I expected. I had been focusing so much on building my skills, learning new strate...