We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sonal Soveni. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sonal below.

Sonal, appreciate you joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

My business did not have employees when I started, and I knew this venture would require an army. But before I positioned myself to hire, I wanted to ensure I understood each task and responsibility clearly and efficiently. I tried to better understand each area’s pros and cons before handing over the task to someone else. Understanding each task meant understanding the individual’s role to ensure that the project would be successful. To recruit the right team members, not only did they have to be in alignment with my mission and vision, but they also had to be open to learning.

Setting a healthy working environment was one of my priorities. Having experienced toxic workplaces, I was mindful and intentional about my expectations and needs. I took the time to learn about each applicant and invested time to build the relationship. It did take time, but I was keen on hiring slowly to ensure employee retention and camaraderie.

Building a team requires understanding, patience, and empathy. The word ‘team’ in itself is an acronym that I remind myself of: Together Everyone Achieves More. With that in mind, I can grasp the power of collaboration and community when building.

If I were to start again, the only thing I would do differently would be to ensure I outlined these expectations in an employee handbook. We need to remember our small milestones when discovering talent, and these talents become crucial factors in work performance that deliver the highest quality of service.

Sonal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an entrepreneur, filmmaker, artist, philanthropist, and currently doing my PhDc in Psychology, I grew up in the hospitality business, it’s what I know. What I love is art and filmmaking. The hospitality industry, especially the restaurant industry was toxic and male dominated. I vowed that I would never go back to the industry ever again. As a result, due to personal misfortunes, I decided to travel and heal my traumas. It was during that time of healing that I immersed myself in a natural environment that allowed me to reconnect with myself. But the question that lingered was: where do I belong?

This space emerges as a haven for healing and transformation that was Influenced by my recent journeys to India and Japan, where I discovered the intrinsic connection between art and personal growth. Serendipity led to the discovery of this extraordinary space, and in the spirit of James Baldwin’s words, “The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it,” The Table
& Gallery came into being. Where the world of Arts collide to create an immersive Culinary Arts dining experience.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I started The Table & Gallery, I was anxious to open and in the midst of my anxiety I accidently cut my finger. As a result, I was forced to stop and slow down. During the delay, I ran into self-sabotaging thoughts where I started to second guess my decisions. It wasn’t until I started to doodle in an old 18th century book, that I realized I was changing the narrative of my life. I was the author and I was able to rewrite a life that I had dreamed of. As each day passed and while my finger healed, I healed further and realized that you can’t build a business if you can’t build yourself.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was that productivity is the ultimate measure of success. For a long time, I believed that the more I worked and the more I produced, the more successful I would be. This mindset was ingrained in me from the early days in the restaurant industry, where the pace was relentless, and the demand for output was high.

When I took a break and went on a sabbatical, I began to see the value in slowing down and being more intentional with my time. My experiences in India and Japan, where I discovered the deep connection between art and personal growth, played a significant role in this shift. These journeys taught me that success isn’t just about output but also about the quality of the experiences you create and the impact you have on others.

Creating The Table & Gallery has been a way to embody this new understanding. It’s not about how much I can produce but how deeply I can connect with people and create meaningful, transformative experiences. I had to unlearn the idea that constant productivity equals success and relearn that being present, mindful, and intentional is what truly matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thetableandgallery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetableandgallery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetableandgallery
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonalsonal/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6upe6im4zvs&t=844s
• Other: https://sonalsoveni.com/

Image Credits

Awe in Art Films