Feature
| Aimee Phillips

Verve Rally Founder Darshana Ubl: The Secrets to Success

The Sybarite spoke to Darshana Ubl, entrepreneur, keynote speaker and SME advisor, about her career, favourite luxuries and her newest venture, Verve Rally.

Darshana Ubl describes herself as a “101% kind of girl”, and it’s not hard to see why. With a mass of business experience under her belt and a self-promise to live a life filled with “fulfilment, passion and gratitude”, she doesn’t do things by halves.

“Five years ago I set myself what looked like very stringent goals. I worked hard at them and I must say I have been able to achieve things beyond my imagination. I am grateful for all the challenges life sent my way, the learning and the triumphs.”

Darshana’s appetite for business was inspired by her late grandfather, who set up a business that would support his family for decades to come. “Although I grew up in a family with a business background, in my early years I worked for several businesses and enjoyed my time building capability. Then came a time in my life when I knew that I had to invest in myself, and if I wanted to start a business it was now or never.”

Ubl is currently the Director of Verve Rally™, a car rally that brings together like-minded professionals for a luxurious adventure across six European countries this summer. The idea came when she and co-creator, Marcus Ubl, tired of driving their car at 20mph in London, and frustrated with the temperamental weather Britain is so well known for, decided to start a rally of their own. “I wanted something luxury, lifestyle and about 4 hours of driving a day at an easy pace. I made a list of things I’d like in a rally and we looked for it. We couldn’t find anything that fit what we wanted, and so with that, we decided to put our combined 20 years of marketing and events experience to use with the creation of Verve Rally.”

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Darshana’s interest in cars stems from the feeling of freedom they bring her; “a little piece of heaven”, she calls it. “I’ve always enjoyed turning on some nice tunes and driving a scenic route.”

An avid traveller with a taste for luxury brands, Darshana lists Bali, Singapore, Sydney, Santorini, Monaco, Ibiza, Positano, Goa and Pienza as her top destinations. In the past month alone, Ubl has been to the Cannes Film Festival, the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco, as well as Nice and Bulgaria. Her favourite luxury brands include Prada, Dior, Felio Siby, Omega, Chanel and Christian Louboutin.

Calling London her home, her favourite restaurants include the Octagon Restaurant in Home House and the Duck and Waffle. “Octagon has a great atmosphere and the food is infused just the right pan-Asian flavours; whilst Duck and Waffle is a modern twist on British cuisine.”

With such a busy professional life, how does Darshana manage to maintain a good work/life balance? “It is a conscious decision. No matter how much work I have, I try not to work evenings. Evenings are for relaxation, going for a walk, spending time with family, banter and sometimes a drink or two with friends.”

So what is the key to success? Ubl lists her three-step plan:

  1. Know the game you’re playing and be good at it.
  2. Be creative and have fun.
  3. Work in partnership. I recently delivered a TEDx talk on the Triplewin™ method, where I explain the concept in more detail and how attraction has come my way in the recent years.

“I’ve learnt that no road is smooth sailing. There are ups and downs, but what is important is to always have a positive frame of mind, do what you say you’ll do and focus on the right outcome.”

To participate in the Verve Rally, see our exclusive experience for more details.

By Aimee Phillips

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