Told by a Teen

Told by a Teen / Female Founder Stories

Episode 11Rajani Baker · 21 April 2026 · 25:03

From TikTok to Textile Artisans: Victoria Harman & the Story Behind Rajani Baker

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”

Victoria Harman, Rajani Baker

The conversation

Victoria Harman was heading for the C-suite. A neurological illness stopped her first, and what she does now looks nothing like what she left.

It stopped her dead

Out of nowhere, and life threatening. She had the senior title and a team across two countries and none of it was the thing she thought about next.

She was also honest about the financial reality of stepping away, which is the part that normally gets left out of this kind of story.

TikTok, FedEx and Levi’s, and then Indian craft

She worked at all three before starting Rajani Baker, which blends Indian craft with a Western audience. Her point was that businesses can come from anything, and usually from the stuff you were already into.

She had been into this the whole time. It just took the illness to make it the thing she did.

The moment her answer changed

Her definition of success used to be the size of the team and how well known the brand was. She had all of that, at TikTok. Now it is small artisans in India, a craft kept alive, and jobs.

She said it’s completely fair for your answer to change at different points in your life, which I had genuinely not considered. Most people work out what success means to them after a setback. She pointed out that you do not have to wait for one.

What I took from it

That’s not a bad thing, being influenced. But what do you really want out of life?

  1. Businesses can come from anything. Usually from the stuff you were already into.
  2. You can make it personal. You can get the work life balance right at the same time.
  3. Most people work out what success means to them after a setback. You don’t have to wait for one.

From this episode

The lines worth keeping.

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Victoria Harman

About the guest

Victoria Harman

Founder and CEO of Rajani Baker, a London fashion and consumer goods brand working with small artisans in India. Previously at TikTok, FedEx, Levi’s and the UK Government. Named in the Top 50 at the UK Small Business Awards.