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SPOTLIGHT
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www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
EMPOWERING AND EMERGING FACET OF THE BUSINESS IS A WOMAN Connect, I can resonate and get inspired by their courage and unsurpassed spirits of determination. If we see our grandmothers, mothers or any other women closely, then we can say that women are blessed with a superpower of Patience and Empathy, which are the most essential traits of empowering people or leading any company.
Accept it or not, but the truth is that since ages, a woman is the strongest facet of any system or process. Why don’t you take a look at your own house, college or company? How sensibly she is fitting in each role of her responsibility besides a lot of criticism from inside factors as well as outside one. Yeah, things have changed a lot on the positive fronts. Increasing enrolments of females in colleges plus the awareness of the importance of girls’ education have changed the scenario, and made them superlatively confident and independent. This leads to a remarkable contribution of women in the business world that has truly changed the face of entrepreneurship. Be it Indra Nooyi-CEO of Pepsico, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, Priyanka Chopra, etc., these eminent female forces with behemoth talent and entrepreneurship skills have carved a distinctive niche. Business Connect is fortunate to scribble some sterling and great stories of a multitude of women entrepreneurs in the edition, ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year, 2019.’
In a girl’s life, getting married and giving birth are the life-changing moments, if she is working. She can’t avoid any of these. Of course, these moments are so precious, but unfortunately, many of them can’t get back to the same path of her career. Reasons can be her partner or in-laws may not be supportive or any other concern. On the contrary, there are some fortunate ones or the warriors who have turned the facet of their destiny, and believed in the ocean of their skills and talents. Knitting the stories of these inspirational legends and their crosses plus their attitude towards them really moved me, and inspired me to walk fiercely with the dreams in eyes. One of the prominent faces of women empowerment is Srinidhi Naidu to whom we are featuring on our Cover Page. In the arena of business and education, she has showed her excellent contribution through her brainchild, EduconIndia.
It’s a fact, a woman of these contemporary times have to manage home and career, both efficiently. Lacking in one or both would definitely put a question on her credibility by the people around. Keeping this in mind, she, with unrivalled vigor and potential, is ruling the business world. Be it the management of finance or employees or the whole company, these leading ladies set a phenomenal example for others of their kind in this competitive age. As a woman and a Managing Editor of Business
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Vol 2 |Special Edition|November 2019 Publisher & Editor : Abhishek Kumar Dubey Editorial Team Rashi Saral | Kapil Mishra Yashika Sabharwal | Vikas Jha | Dr. Amit Mishra Sugandh Bahl | Avishek Singh
Business Head Ashish kumar
Corporate Team
Satyam Singh | Sunny Pathak | Pradeep Pandey Himani Parashar | Harsh Pandey | Asha Dudeja Kartik Das | Rahul | Vikash Kumar | Subham Kumar
Co-ordinator (Business Connect-Clients) Komal Verma | Sunaina Gupta
Data Research & Analysis
Satyam Tiwari | Shubham Mehra Amit Kumar | Himani Rathore Priya Singh
Finance Team
Gourav Singhal | Reshmi Monika Aggarwal
Circulation Team
Sonia Tiwari | Anurag Tiwari
Creative Director Ashutosh Ojha
Creative Team
Chandan Sharma | Rajat Pathak | Reena Kumari
Legal Affairs Mukesh Kumar
Human Resources Nivedita Basu
Digital Marketing Manager Ravikant Singh
Registered Office
Corporate Office
RZC 4, A/2, Street No. 21B, Sadh Nagar - II, Palam Colony, New Delhi-110045 Ph. 011-42636209 Email: info@businessconnectindia.in
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Publisher & Editor : Abhishek Kumar Dubey RNI No.: DELENG/2018/76695
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www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
Contents COVER STORY
30 ExtraMile
32 Image Station
36 Deccan Health Care Limited
38 Nextgen Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.
40 Seven Hats Consulting
46 Shree Hatkeshwara Cargo Movers
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SRINIDHI NAIDU
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TRULY EMPOWERING AND INSPIRATIONALFACET OF WOMAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Study9
20
Spotlight
54
M K Caterers
The Studio Verve
26
56
Arya Risk Solutions
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UMMEED India
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24 42 17
28 44
Contents 48
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COVER STORY
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SRINIDHI NAIDU
TRULY EMPOWERING AND INSPIRATIONAL FACET OF WOMAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Rashi Saral | Business Connect Oprah Winfrey, a role model to a multitude of aspiring women, said, “On my own I will just create and if it works, it works and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.” Holding a true essence these words point to the bountiful potential existing in the bosoms of each woman on the planet. Breaking the shackles of doubts and stereotypes across, females are emerging as the RISING SUNS from the grey clouds and leading others with unrivalled confidence and boldness. Srinidhi Naidu, a stupor of abundant positivity and potential, is creating a positive influence among the students who want exposure in academics and want to pursue studies abroad. Travelling a long way, Srinidhi always desired to find a path which had the potential to create a difference in a person’s life and education was the sector which showed her the way. Carving her own space in the education sector, she followed her instincts, refusing to join her father’s giant Interior Designing business, thereby paving way to the inception of EduconIndia.
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Srinidhi states
Honesty, quality and consistency are the three key words I’ve followed and will continue to. Also, the learning environment is free and thought-providing. Students have the freedom to put-forth their point and ask for more, anything they feel could lift their grades apart from all the methods we provide; I will not shy away to even consider all the options to make it happen.
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SRINIDHI NAIDU Founder & CEO (EduconIndia)
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In broad terms, EduconIndia is a growing professional organization that offers Overseas Educational Consultancy Services to its students who are passionate about studying abroad. EduconIndia has a peculiar reputation for its Student Training and Consultancy Program methods, targeting Global Professional Entrance Examinations, including GMAT, USMLE, GRE, IELTS and TOEFL. Right from supporting the initial application process until the student’s settlement, EduconIndia travels through the student’s career journey and serves to be his/her most reliable career counsellor. Specializing in the USMLE vertical, EduconIndia offers a unique curriculum, which includes the exclusive live classroom lectures hosted by the globally renowned Kaplan faculty. EduconIndia flies down faculty from the US for the benefit of the students, customizes the study material and the learning process, which can best serve a student to deliver a sure examqualifying shot. The program includes live lectures, a truly beneficial add-on, the question banks- a quick look-to book which is a must for every aspirant. Also self- assessing examinations, consultancy services and future residential services are provided to the students. EduconIndia stands unmatched among various overseas consultancies, and have succeeded in setting standards of excellent coaching and magnificent guidance.
Adding on, Srinidhi shares her gratitude to another important team, which she says has almost been an integral part of EduconIndia’s success journey, Team VHonk. At the right hour, they had met this young and brilliant team of digital marketers, VHonk Digital Media and Marketing. Right from the moment the prominence of these programs was explained, they were up on their toes; strategizing to the core, enquiring and researching on all marketing details and driving the sessions to the desired audience, the medical students and graduates. Srinidhi with high regards states, “I take this moment to thank the Founder of VHonk, Mr. Binesh Gaddam for executing all the plans consistently, driving the desired results. From what I have seen, I believe that they are the masters in Search, Social Media and Content Marketing.”
The workforce at EduconIndia is exceptional, fully trained, long standing and Srinidhi garners a pleasant experience working with the team. The workflow is preplanned and accordingly executed.
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HOLDING THE GRIP OF TECHNOLOGY Technology is a wide spectrum of never ending ‘AWE’. Speaking of which, hosting Kaplan Medical’s globally acclaimed USMLE Step 1 classroom’s lectures for the very first time in India, endorsing Kaplan’s global brand recognition was not an easy decision. It produced a feeling of both pride and anxiety as it involves bringing down the elite faculty of Kaplan, all the way to India from the USA to train the students. The news of Kaplans classes which otherwise happen only in the USA, had to be marketed across in a very short span, so as to benefit the maximum possible aspirants. Although, EduconIndia has its own reach, specially across South Indian Medical student fraternity, this was something new, big and unheard of atleast in India. Right marketing strategies, using
the right channels & technology, by the right team has made it possible. However maintaining the momentum, spreading out further and reaching out to the maximum is the underlying challenge. STRUGGLES IN AISLE, BUT SRINIDHI BRAVED THEM ALL There are roadblocks in every path you take. But when you choose your path, you pick those challenges and you fight to demolish them and not just win over them. Initially, she faced the most basic problems, the foremost was being a woman and the solo manager of the company. There were moments where she had to face comments like ‘do not travel in the night’; ‘its impossible for a woman’; ‘how far would you reach?’ and certain others. ‘’Its about facing a roller coaster of emotions, it’s not easy to single handedly build and manage a company; there was a
lot of negative marketing done too. But fortunately, I braved them all and succeeded in building what I started all this for. With a true passion and selfless desire, you just know how to walk ahead. More than anything, I was a bundle of challenges to myself. I imposed one each day, at every step, only to better myself. I constantly mended ways and molded habits to only build EduconIndia better with every passing day. When you watch the globe, you find growth and advancement at every nook and corner. It’s a crossword you need to keep answering and implementing to watch yourself and everything around you grow stronger and wiser.” QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR THAT KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE CURVE Being a bold and fierce woman, Srinidhi always stays true to her words, and more importantly stands by them. One of the most desirable qualities of an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur states, “You pass or fail, doesn’t matter. But if you fail to even try owing to the fear of failure, that is when it matters.’’ There will be a lot of negative talk around you, which puts questions on your worth, potential and work. Some negative folks always try to bring you down regardless of your infinite capabilities. You are going to absorb the negative stuff also, but do not create an opinion of yourself from their opinions. Stay true, humble and always follow your conscience. It’s a misfortune for the women in our society, as at the behest of 24 or 25 years of age, the pressure of getting married hovers around. Family, relatives and everyone around her want to see her settled despite her sky-touching ambitions and aspirations. Srinidhi urges the female force of this country, “Don’t succumb to the knot when forced upon, only do it when YOU feel right
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about it, chase your dreams, career and ambitions. You are the sole proprietor of your life.”
confidence of students. EduconIndia works on confidence, fuels their passion and keeps their determination undeterred through their experienced faculty, lifting up their spirits and being always beside the students to help them cope.
EduconIndia stands as a pioneer in terms of a quality service provider for Medical Students and Doctors for Residency Training over years now. This enriching trait has been invincible; no other consultancy can claim to be. They are a full power package involving educational options, exam preparations, visa process assistance from the initial stage till they come out as successful Board Certified doctors from the United States. They specially work for doctors which no other consultancy does. EduconIndia, apart from having tieups with the universities, also has direct associations with many government departments, including the US Department of Education, with respect to getting clearance for the medical licenses. In addition to this, they also provide future residency options.
In India you always find students to be extremely passionate about studies and highly ambitious about their careers. Srinidhi believes that this had the ability to turn pages into the new era. There are companies that creep into the educational sector to only make undue benefits while not adding any value to the students. You cannot have targets to match or numbers to count in the form of admissions or any other. When a student approaches, it’s an amalgamation of his dream, passion and maybe his family’s too. It is important to restrict education to growth and quality of life so that it could support anyone in the mere future.
Speaking of the curriculum, they draft it according to the ever changing platform requirements to rightfully guide and train their students. Further the In-Person Live Lectures are provided, bringing down the elite Kaplan medical’s faculty to India, thus raising the standards of training for the International examinations.
Witnessing the changes in the education sector, the maestro thinks the change is happening. Now this has to do with the mindsets of a group of individuals. There are sessions, campaigns and propaganda all around. Beyond this, people are realizing education is not mere comfort or a medal to hang; it’s a way of life altering lifestyles. With education comes a change in the mindset of the reader and a family; an upgrade in financial stability and
Srinidhi says,
“I believe there are traits one has to imbibe to develop the attitude to attaining success that solely doesn’t come from the preparatory books. This reflection of my thoughts is our key implementation at EduconIndia.”
the shift in lifestyle. Srinidhi says, “I think with time, the concept of education is rightly reaching minds. The very few parts stuck to the wrong conception are changing and I hope there won’t be any in the future. Education is a right for all the rightful reasons.”
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She elaborates on the subject and shares her valuable insights. She empathetically says to those women who don’t have the strength to achieve their ambitions, because of the ‘n’ number of reasons, “it’s fine if you can’t surpass the desires of your family or husband or anything else. Just accept it and find the real happiness in your shell and live without regrets. Just be aligned with your inner contentment and happiness.”
VIEWS ON THE WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN THE BUSINESS WORLD We can’t undermine the worth of a woman in these contemporary times. Each one of them has a valuable treasure hidden; the right attitude, a sense of freedom, strong inner belief and confidence are quintessential attributes that make the route easier. The world knows that women are the best multitaskers; managing home and work is not a child’s play, with grace and dignity, they create magic. That’s why today, women already hold big positions in the business world. Strong, fierce and bold they are! Walking on the independent routes, they bring the required difference with their exceptional work.
For empowering the women of society, it is crucial to be an exemplary Role Model. Be number one in your arena, and with your exceptional work, inspire the league. FOR THE DETOXIFICATION OF THE SOUL The business woman in her spare time loves to enjoy serene music. Going on a Ride fascinates Srinidhi. On an interesting note, she books a resort or villa to detoxify her spirit where she can be herself. Basically, a time in solitude calms her senses. No one is there to watch or advise her. There she loves to eat scrumptious food and enjoy the serenity around.
With a sense of pride, she says, “A woman is capable of being anything she dreams to be. I believe women are filling pages of the world with spectacular accomplishments. The scenario is changing slowly but definitely. And with every change, there will be an uprising.”
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BCM Review
A HEALTHY DIET FOR A HEALTHY NIGHT The most important thing in every entrepreneur’s life is a good sleep. We all work continuously in order to get relaxed nights, especially in case of entrepreneurs, the efforts they made in busy day life is commendable, tight schedule, utter stress , sorting situation thoroughly makes the mind and the body physically and mentally ill. The sickness or absence of sleep may even leads to disaster. In order to capture relief in eyes and mental health, we the team of business connect magazine has tried to draw a sheer line in the frame of healthy diet for healthy night. Our mind has its automatic clock alarm called circadian rhythm. These rhythm of subconscious mind tick tock the bell of sleepy head. When the body lacks tryptophan hormone levels, the frame of mind relaxation reduces. Though maintaining bedtime rituals, consistent bedtime and turning off phone screen 30 minutes before the bed is recommended points.
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Collecting the natural tips and tricks, the team has prepared the canvas of mind relaxation. Let’s have a slight walk through the natural world:-
1. CHEERS FOR GLASS OF CHERRY JUICE Fruits are always been bulk providers of healthy vitamins and proteins. Study shows that cherry owes tryptophan orders that can effectively sooth sleeping habits than any other chemical substances. So cheer up for healthy glass of cherry juice before the bed so as to maintain the body’s circadian rhythm.
2. SAY NO TO ALCOHOL There is a Big NO for alcohol intakes as alcohol hits a major throw on the healthy sleeping behavior of an individual. It seems to diffuse the body relaxing hormone levels in the busy and hectic life especially in case of entrepreneurs. For them it becomes very necessary to have sleepy nights and mental stability.
3. DOSE OF MELATONIN SUPPLEMENTS For the ones having sleeping disorders, medical practitioner suggest the dose of melatonin supplements to build a slight change in tryptophan hormone. The treatment features healthy and happy sleeps. 3-5gm of the supplements are advised half an hour before the bed so as to promote mind relaxation.
4. TRY SOME WALNUTS AND ALMONDS Almonds are rich source of magnesium and walnuts owns high concentration of amino acid sequence to raise tryptophan orders. These are the best way to get relaxed nights and drift off to the bed so easily.
5. BOWL OF HONEY AND FLAKES Having honey at night re-stocks the liver with glycogen and ensures good sleep. It reinforces the fact that one can use honey for good sleep. The recent discovery of revolutionary Hibernation Diet has revealed that eating fructose-rich foods such as honey before bed helps burning fat and to increase stamina. It also pens best time to burn fat is while sleeping. Taking honey at bedtime can activate our body’s natural recovery and help to beat insomnia.
So, we wrap up the sleepy discussion and hopes that these do’s and don’ts will gift you healthy nights. Wish you a very happy sleeps!!!☺️ 17
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SCRUMPTIOUS FOOD FOR YOUR TASTE BUDS AT MK CATERERS- PROVIDERS OF SCRUMPTIOUS CATERING SERVICES Kapil Mishra | Business Connect
Whether the gathering is small or big, without luscious food, it lacks the vibrancy. Occasions become more happening and delightful if the food served in them is palatable. With the flavors of taste and distinct style of food presentation, MK Caterers provides exemplary catering services, serving tempting and lavish food in celebrations.
ified catering professional curator is the brain behind the entire process and holds the reins of ensuring a smooth management process. Food Styling & buffet designing by Meenakshi Kesarwani which come into the presentation is the key to food design today. UNFOLDING THE COMPANY’S INSIGHTS MK Caterers, Lucknow based Caterers, are full- fledged catering service providers, who keep introducing fresh and new vegetarian menu ideas to accomplish the needs of its diverse range of customers. The company occupies
Meenakshi Kesarwani, a woman of today with exceptional leadership and management qualities, is the director of MK Caterers. Meenakshi Kesarwani (M K), a qualwww.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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a pivotal stature of being one of the most popular vegetarian catering services in the city of Nawaabs. It is also popular for its unique presentation, remarkable taste, and innovative ideas in services. They provide quality food & services with a blend of personal touch at the modest pricing, using high quality of ingredients in the entire process of preparation with their trained and qualified chefs in their team. By offering a special menu for destination weddings after food planning, MK Caterers are expanding their horizons.
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Employees, at MK Caterers, are enthusiastic and quite motivated towards the work they do; loyal & engaged. Performing better in a more supportive environment encourages astounding work culture. It’s a matter of elation and pride if your oldest employees work for you for the longest run. Yes, at MK Caterers, many of the oldest employees are associated with it till now.
With the help of proficient workforce and unique approaches, MK Caterers served Bollywood celebrities such as Legendry Amitabh Bacchan, Abhishek Bacchan and Aishwarya Rai Bacchan in Lucknow. Their incredible multicultural teams of chefs facilitate the firm to serve a large variety of selection, all gourmet and tasty to corporate like Orange Castle (Lucknow’s biggest real Estate company), SLMG Beverages and coca cola Plant, Eiffel and Infra developers Eldeco Green. The food tasting is done before the buffet is laid out, on all actual event days, to ensure the food is served hot as per the decided taste. M K Caterers stands in a distinguished light for the catering service. Besides vegetarian cuisines, the venture bestows typical Asian, Middle East, Italian French and Continental cuisines, and always planned and customized menu with the foremost possible presentation, food planning for its extension selection of service.
MOTIVATED AND VIBRANT TEAM IS THE CRUX FOR COMPANY’S SUCCESS It’s crucial to keep the workforce happy and content, but keeping employees happy in any sector is hard. Because happiness is primarily an inside job. Meenakshi Kesarwani
On special occasions, they organize parties or feasts for the workforce to charge their spirits and also plans out to greet their team members personally on a timely basis. My team is young passionate & bubbling with creative ideas on the food, bringing a fresh perspective to your plate with the team of professional chefs and food stylists. I bring in the midas touch to your wedding spread with tempting food, tantalizing aromas and unforgettable taste & remarkable taste.
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It employs a mixed team of chefs and food experts who give ideas to maintain the nutritional value of food. Expert food carves and sales personals present the haute Indian & International cuisines with subtle simplicity, fine ingredients and cultural heritage with an authentic flair.
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IS CENTRAL A woman is a full circle. Within her, there is a power to create, nurture and transform lies. Diane Mariechild
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Taking the route of professionalism along with efficiently managing the chores of household, women are impeccably and fiercely propelling in areas they decided to explore.
Providing end to end services, MK Caterers undertake certain important elements of events, as they also offer their personal stalls to manage host efficiently. They design customized food stations exclusively for each wedding with the matic food dedicated to the bride and groom or the family.
According to Meenakshi, females, nowadays, are entering the business planes in great numbers, which in turn making them professionally experienced to a great extent. Patience, managerial skills and empathy are abstract values, which are embedded in women’s persona since birth. Because of these valuable traits, the participation of female folks in the entrepreneurial world has quadrupled.
The basis of their first class gourmet food with superior quality and commendable services is their 17 years of culinary experience. Their USP is to make clients’ events successful by offering the best catering services.
The empowerment of women is central to achieving the objective of inclusive, equitable and sustainable development and it is not only a national goal but also a globe agenda.
Moving toward complete customers centric and tech savvy epoch, MK caterers have created a unique online portal that keeps uploading its social media pages frequently and even provides the upcoming updates and latest work via phones and emails to customers worldwide. A balance between social media engagement and face to face making connect THEM with new customers. Their perfect equilibrium between the organization, analytics, and marketing is the flux of their boiling success. Enriched with such features, the venture desires to hold a catering for more Bollywood celebrities and Destination catering in the coming future.
Meenakshi Kesarwani, with boldness and pride in her voice on the subject of women participation, says, “I feel women today face equal competition than facing its okay’ attitude towards entrepreneurship, it’s just because when we come up with women empowerment it includes the action of raising the status of women through education, raising awareness, literacy, and training. Hence, now women know her right to fight for her right and to achieve her goals in the competitive market now days.” 21
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SCOPE OF THE CATERING BUSINESS A nation where festivals and rituals are celebrated frequently, thereby organizing delicious food for numerous festivals and ceremonies is in great demand. Hence, the scope of the catering industry in such a country is worth taking a note. The catering industries in the country are finally extending its reach beyond marriages and catering companies are enjoying a good time. The good thing about the catering industry is that it does not undergo any major negative effects during the period of recession. There is a drastic transformation that is happening in the catering industry that is quite distinct in comparison to the time when MK Caterers entered this specific domain. The catering industry based on service that too improved in the country in the post few years. People who are looking for an organized way to set their wedding & festive ceremonies, they prefer to choose outdoor service with a professional industry. Therefore, they keep updating themselves in every season. A FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AND AUDACIOUS WOMAN Meenakshi, the virtuoso, with her indomitable and warrior spirits is rocking in her endeavors. A truly independent and confident woman she is! She says, “We are living in a day when we refuse to let gender block the progress of a woman.” Unfortunately, various stereotypes prevailing in our country for women have imprisoned the liberty with countless taboos and preconceived orthodox beliefs. This is a saddening truth. Women just give up on their dreams. On this, the maestro states, “I am a woman born with a dream to make myself a person who is self-dependent and confident. As a woman, I have an unstoppable force to be reckoned with a good rise and when opportunities are created.” For an independent and professional woman with family and kids, life definitely has its own roller coaster. Meenakshi Kesarwani has also experienced or is experiencing the same. She underwent a series of crosses during the start of her career. The catering industry, a few years back, was a male dominated one, and when the ace entrepreneur started her professional excursion, she was quite shocked that there was no woman in the industry. www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD BY PADAMSHREE MADHURI DIXIT NANE IN THAILAND FOR THE BEST CATERER OF UTTAR PRADESH
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PROVIDE FOOD TO THE NEEDY ONES Meenakshi’s role is not limited to catering services. She always takes care of the maintenance of food quality and its wastage control. She cannot see the wastage of food in front of her eyes as post events there is a huge amount of leftover, which is a matter of deep concern. Thereby, she gets along with multifarious NGO’s for which she cooks fresh food in venues and supplies it to the needy ones. The entrepreneur always looks upto the catering and hotel industries for these types of small contributions to society.
CONSTANT LEARNING IMPETUS YOU TO INNOVATE I am a game changer who always learn everyday to keep a distinguished stature in the changing market. Meenakshi Kesarwani
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For spreading wings and extending limits, learning is essential. Meenakshi is a firm believer in this mantra. Thereby, she travels and attends a multitude of events and seminars to learn more about industries and events. She flew to many countries to know more about the gourmet industry. This upsurges her dimensions of growth and achievements.
FUTURE PROJECTS
The Company is in the process of knitting its clients’ dreams. This year, MK Caterers is planning to step ahead for the destination Food Catering. Meenakshi creates the topmost food plan with regional flavors & International cuisine, which includes typical Asian Middle Eastern, Italian, Continental and more. Apart from this cuisine, she tries to add new spicy flavors to the Chaat Menu whilst maintaining authenticity. This year they are trying their hands on global cuisine designing Avant-garde Menu adding and innovating progressive menu, with complete food planning & menu designing. This all sets to destination weddings in Thai land Dubai, Sri Lanka & Colombo.
And surely this is the reason that she pays great heed to the process of Research and Development. The magnate says, “I believe that it has a prominent role in the success of a business. Every failure in R&D increases the pressure of performance on the company. R&D helps a business to have a competitive edge over its competitors.” For inspiration, she always looks up to herself because she carved her own benchmark in the expedition of business by establishing her own Brand that is MK Caterers Pvt. Ltd. The connoisseur, with inspiring instincts, has a message to deliver, which states, ”I convey a message to those who look up to me that they should keep going ahead, create their own and push themselves to learn every day in their project, work space, and industry.” 23
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BCM Review
Why India needs a new brigade of Women Empowerment Companies?
A nation grows by the collective efforts of both men and women. You can’t think of a developed economy without allowing half of its population to participate in the development process. A country’s growth is just like a relay race. You run to the best of your ability and pass the object to your partner, but if the partner doesn’t contribute, you lose. There’s a very similar situation India has been facing all these years. The mindset over the last 70 years has been that a male member of society should work and the female should look after the household chores.
bag and all these fascinating things which she should have been an equal owner, were taken away from her. When she looked at things creatively and asked out of curiosity, the people around made her feel a fool and thus she stopped looking at things creatively and her curiosity died within. As she reached her teens, the family began looking for a groom and eventually got her married and the world around her changed immensely. Despite all these changes, most women never run away from their responsibilities. In most Indian houses we see a brigade of women who very honestly fulfill their duties towards their home. And this is where the potential lies.
The society has been very rigidly killing the dreams of the girl child through its senseless explanations. However, when I call the society as senseless, it has very much to do with the kind of education they have been imparted. A society is the result of its education. This is so interlinked. The country was looted by the Britishers. When they
If we can channelize their management skills in a way that more women gather the self-confidence to share their thoughts, to express their needs, the entire nation grows. Not sure how? Read this exam-
left the nation, India was an extremely poor nation with a rift between religions, lack of resources, poor infrastructure, and complete uneducated society. Eventually, as things began improving, one thing which grew at a slower pace than others was ‘mindset’. This mindset still believed that boys are the assets for the family and girls as a liability. Thus, the education of girls was considered as the least priority stuff. A human without education will be so much underconfident to make decisions about life. Girls grew up seeing their brothers getting new books to read, a new pair of shoes for school, a new www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
ple. 7 Gujrati women with Rs 80, started a venture called ‘Lijjat Papad’. Today the company employs 43000 women and has a worth of Rs 800 crore. This is what happens when everyone gets a chance to contribute. India still lags behind when it comes to talking about sex education, women’s health, and female hygiene. These are still considered as a stigma, a taboo. Our conservative society needs a brigade of women who can step up and talk more about these. A start-up in the field of women’s well being is a need of an hour. At an individual level, we should begin to pro24
mote the growth of women through social media platforms. At a societal level, we need to be courageous enough to challenge the fixed mindsets. Women’s empowerment can bring in a muchneeded change in the perception of society. We need more of Neerja Bhanot a flight attendant who chose her passengers’ life instead of hers in a plane hijack. Mary Kom, who faced all the hardships from society and yet became a champion at boxing. Kalpana Chawla, who just defied all the stereotypes and went into the space making India a proud nation. There’s a lot to it. The message though is, there’s hidden talent in every Indian household. We must be proud of it and create more opportunities. As a father, brother, husband and in whatever role we can, we must at present and in the future always support the women in our house to be contributing factors to the nation. There’s a lot we can do as a nation when people unite and work together. This is the time when we should all be tired of the stigma and difficulties faced by women around the nation and let them step out and learn a new skill, choose a career, innovate, experiment, try, fail, manufacture, sell, invent and do a lot more of these regularly. Such approaches will make companies grow stronger. A new brigade of women empowered companies will make for a more empowered nation.
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www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
Arya Risk Management Systems Technology & Quantitative Partners in Financial Trading Technologies
ARYA RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS LEAVING THEIR FOOTPRINT WORLDWIDE Yashika Sabharwal | Business Connect
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rya is a financial services firm delivering technical solutions in financial sector to partners who are looking for Data and Machine Learning Algorithms for business value. Talking to the CEO of Arya Risk Management Systems, Pallavi Pardesi Ghayalod, Business Connect looked into the workings of this reputable Fintech Company, and the highly competitive marketplace of technological services. PLEASE WALK US THROUGH YOUR COMPANY PROFILE AND YOUR SERVICES.? Arya Risk offers Portfolio Modeling and Data Analyst as services to our US-based partner. With expertise in creating customized trading applications & quantitative research models, Arya now also serves global leaders in the US capital markets engaged in trading in energy, oil, equities and fixed income. It uses the best technology tools available, including AI and Machine Learning. Arya has started offering subscription-based trading tools and is launching Alpha Trading tools and technologies product line for various sectors like wealth management, news aggregation, real estate and twitter news. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? We have the unique advantage of having significant on-ground presence in the world’s financial center, New York. Arya also has multiple technology centers at various strategic locations. We’re the experts in the financial domain. We provide to our clients customized and unique solutions to build, integrate, and customize software systems in trading technologies.
Pallavi Pardesi Ghayalod (CEO) In our space, service and the product, both have to be perfect with support also being a very key element. Thus, experience and reliability is of utmost importance for any user.
We provide innovation & excellence using cuttingedge technology tools while integrating AI and ML. We are one of the first technology companies to create a custom campus curriculum program with our partnerships and with various Indian universities. This program would allow us to hire custom talent that was specialized and trained with specific statistics and programming requirements. This was before Big Data and Data Science were popular terms.
WHAT KIND OF CLIENTS DO YOU SERVE ANY SPECIAL MENTIONS? Arya’s elite clientele includes various Trading & Investment Desks, Hedge Funds, Wealth Management Companies & Major Exchanges all over the globe. HOW DO YOU ENSURE UNBREAKABLE FAITH OF CLIENTS IN YOUR COMPANY? Creating profitable and scalable trading models and creating profitable trading applications has enabled us to win new clients as also have unending relationships with multiple clients.
DID YOU SEE ANY TRANSFORMATION HAPPENING FOR STARTUPS, OVER THE YEARS IN YOUR FIELD? Startups have played a big part in transforming the industry. In capital markets, startups have a tough time surviving and scaling as there is no room for error and the results are also instantaneous. www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
Smooth processing of development, analysis & execution along with all-round support keeps up this faith. 26
• Founder and President, The Act 20 22 Club of Puerto Rico • Board of Director, Girls Scout of Suffolk, NY • Board of Director, Indian Network of Eastern Long Island, NY
HOW DO YOU KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGING MARKET TRENDS? Investing in our processes, intelligence & ability to handle pressure with the changing Market Trends is what we focus on. Arya is aggressive in adopting major emerging trends including AI/ML, Big data and machine accessible data. We have a big focus on piloting new technologies and methods to allow incubation of improved or new products and services.
APART FROM WORK, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME DOING? I have two wonderful grown-up kids. I very much enjoy spending time with them whenever their schedule permits. That is what I love the most.
This enables Arya to deliver technical and seamless, profitable models and solutions to our financial services partners.
As I travel so much I have friends and loved ones in many part of the world who I love to visit. My favorite places to travel are France and Italy.
Arya Risk also has data science capabilities with the ability to analyze large data sets with creating custom tools.
Besides these, working on new projects with new areas of focus and testing my personal limits and intelligence is something that drives me the most.
DO YOU STILL COME BACK TO WORK WITH THE SAME ZEAL, LIKE YOU DID WHEN YOU STARTED?
WHAT ARE THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND MILESTONES OF THE COMPANY? In less than a decade, Arya Risk is known in financial sector as a provider of reliable products & services on the trading side. Our quest for constant innovation and groundbreaking services & solutions has gained many accolades and recognition from our clients.
Yes! Work is all about passion. Off course, one has to put in a lot of perspiration also, but finally it all boils down to what you want to be known for. I would say that the passion has only increased with each passing day as we dwell into newer and more path breaking areas of our business.
Creating a multi-location organization in such a short period of time and seamlessly integrating all the offices gives me a lot of satisfaction.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL IN BUSINESS/ ENTREPRENEURIAL WORLD AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM THE PERSON? I am fortunate to come from a family business background and that has enabled work ethics, strategy, employee and financial management being ingrained into my personality and character.
I believe we are at the cusp of taking the fruits of the hard work in our initial years to the next level. I am extremely excited about the launch of our new products. This will allow us to tap into the broader customer base and bring us into a wider spectrum of growth.
Being a minority woman in business made me work harder to prove myself.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE COMPANY? The company first started with developing software & then simultaneously moved on to various trading solutions.
The challenge to prove of my capabilities of founding and running a Fintech Company without formal technical education has been my biggest driver on Dalal or Wall Street.
We have been on the forefront of all major market changes.
HOW ARE YOU GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY (CSR, IF ANY)? We believe that giving back is a part of growth individually and as an organization. It reminds us to be humble, sympathetic and empathetic.
This experience allows us to respond to market fundamentals and quantitative changes and adapt quickly. In addition, we are launching our own product line of Alpha Tools & Technologies for various sectors such as Wealth Management, News Aggregation, Real Estate, and Twitter News.
Taking care of our employees and their extended families is a very important part of the value of our organization, along with supporting various Indian political and religious charities in Pune.
We want to continue to expand our expertise in Currency and other markets. This is the kind of challenge that drives us at the core.
We support schools and education facilities by periodically organizing fund-raising programs and events. I have founded and support many organizations in NY, Pune and Puerto Rico.
LASTLY, WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE TO THE READERS OF THE BUSINESS CONNECT MAGAZINE? Business Connect is a very influential magazine in Indian Business Sector. In this day of false & fake news, the readers need to know & trust the sources. Business Connect is one of those & they have made a wise choice.
It allows us to connect to the local community and both benefit at large. Some of the organizations I lead are: • Founder, Fordham India Leadership Council 27
www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
BCM Review
WAYS TO RELIEVE STRESS AND RELAX Mental illness and stress can have a variety of causes such as family problems, job problems, and disputes, financial difficulties, ill health, or even the demise loss of someone close to you. It is always important to identify the causes of stress and sometimes the stress is natural. One has to take some steps to deal with the root of the problem, and then only they can tackle the symptoms. Relax, take Pause and Breath. You deserve it, Relaxation is good for you, and this process takes less time than you think.
You never need a luxury spa or retreat dinners for relaxing. Each of our stress-relieving tips can get you from OMG to WOW in less than 15 minutes.
Try cumulative relaxation
Try self-hypnosis, which is a very simple relaxation technique and can be done anywhere, you can do it even at your desk or in the car. Another very simple example of this technique is to focus on a specific ‘word’ or ‘phrase’ that has a positive meaning to you. Cumulative Relaxation also includes normal exercise like – Start Relaxing all the way from fingers to toes (contract and relax) and then release each muscle group in the body. Start with the lower arm, upper arm, chest, back, abdominals, and the overall body. Once the whole body is relaxed, the mind will eventually relax soon. Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, and Tobacco. Reduce and at least avoid the intake of alcoholic as well as tobacco products, your consumption of caffeine and nicotine products can make your mind dull according to researchers. Any drinks containing caffeine and alcohol is regarded as a stress booster. Caffeine and Tobacco are stimulants and so will increase your level of stress rather than reduce it. Alcoholic drinks are regarded as a depressant when it is taken in large quantities, it proves to be more stressful. Therefore, the usage of alcoholic drinks as a way to alleviate your stress is not very helpful. Swap caffeinated and alcoholic drinks with the drinking of water, herbal teas, and diluted natural fruit juices, which keeps you hydrated and enable your body to cope better with stress. It also benefits your body’s metabolism and skin tone.
Indulge in Physical Activity
Sometimes the targeted exercise goes a long way toward freeing your body of stress hormones and increasing your endorphin levels - responsible for feelings of happiness. Carve out your time during any busy day to indulge in exercise for both purposes - keeping your body healthy and as a result, it naturally burst out your stress. However, the stress in the modern lifestyle is quite rarely remedied by anything and so physical exercise can be useful as a surrogate treatment to metabolize the excessive stress from your hormones and restore your body stress level and mind to a calmer healthy life which is, more relaxed. When you feel stressed and tense with any situation of life, go for a healthy walk in the fresh air. Try to incorporate yourself with some physical activity into your daily routine on a regular basis. You can either plan it before or after work or after lunchtime simple walk. Regular physical activity such as gyming and yoga will also improve the quality of your sleep. www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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Get More Sleep
Lack of proper sleep is a very significant cause of stress during your coming day or at the office and anywhere. Unfortunately, the stress also interrupts your way of proper sleep so it is contradictory to sleep and stress. As oceans of thoughts keep pondering through our heads, it stops your mind to work or interrupt your relaxing time to fall asleep. Take a bubble bath or warm bath with some reading and calming, it will help you better sleep and eliminate the stress from your body. Also take a few minutes to relax your body, try to tire your eyes and mind that help you forget about the things that worry you during the day. One should also aim to go to bed at the same specific time each day so that your mind and body get used to it and it will be your predictable bedtime routine.
Light a Candle and write your journal
Using the essential oils every night or burning a scented candle may help you reduce your feelings and help you to be energetic in mood whenever you feel down. Some candles and their scents are especially soothing and made for stress relieving. Here are some of the most calming scents: • Lavender • Rose • Roman chamomile • Neroli • Sandalwood Using this kind of scents to treat your mood is accelerating and used to be called aromatherapy. Several research and studies show that aromatherapy can decrease anxiety and improve your sleep with minoring the stress.
Keeping a Stress Diary and journal may be the one best way to effectively relieve from the stress-related symptoms. The gratitude of keeping the journal best in a fancy diary and cute pens can really help you to put things in a better perspective. So pick your daily time and make your routine according to that every day, by writing down a few things that make you happy and results in stress to get out of you. To your Dear Diary, note down the date, time and place of each stressful episode as well as the happy phase. Afterward, note down what you were doing, who you were meeting with, and how you felt about yourself both physically and emotionally. Give every stressful time a stress rating and mark improvement. Use your diary to understand what is going through your life from past episodes and what triggers your stress. Try to find out how effective you are in stressful situations. This whole writing and soothing candles interlude will help you enable yourself more and avoid stressful mechanisms.
Apart from these five proven facts, there are some other general ways by which you can easily boost yourself over the stress:• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Snack on fruit and nuts Get yourself a dog Smile more to less stress Watch a Comedy movie or thing Think of Happy Memories… and Don’t Dwell on the Past Have a cup of tea Drink chamomile tea Massage reduces the stress hormone cortisol Walk in the woods Take a walk: Nature Regular vacations Get honest with yourself about your job and life Do an art project – Be creative Practice meditation and join some yoga Solve Crossword Puzzles to energize the mind Add Some Indoor Plants for positivity Express Yourself by Writing Join a religious community or go to religious temples weekly Spend Time with Friends and Family Chewing gum Engage in physical intimacy Dark Chocolate: a delicious stress reliever Aware mindfulness Fix your diet and supplementation Play video games of your choice Schedule time for emails. Music: Listen to Soothing Music Laugh Out Loud – Spread smiles Reduce the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs Talk to someone – Go out with friends Schedule time to recharge: proper sleep Write your stresses out on paper: Journal Indulge in some light reading- daily reading
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LET’S CREATE AN ENGAGING WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT WITH EXTRAMILE! Vikas Jha | Business Connect ment of epiphany when she found out that deep inside her heart she wanted to put her foot into the entrepreneurial world.
Today, workplaces promoting a monotonous work culture that stands nowhere in terms of productivity in comparison to those companies which encourage an engaging and fun-filled working environment. Organizations which treat their employees with empathy and care are reportedly hitting the crescendo. Pooja Bajaj Chadha is the founder of ExtraMile, who through her splendid organization is propagating the notion of ‘Engaging Work Culture’ in corporates to aid employees in enjoying their work life.
In 2011, employee engagement programs were not formulated creatively or after doing an in-depth Research. Overall, no heed was paid towards the well-being of the employees-the most indispensable assets of the organization. A few treasure hunts and Diwali treats were conducted to make the employees happy, which of course was not as effective on its own and applicable for the long-run prosperity of the employees. This was mostly because the emphasis was on external customers or clients only. Today, almost a decade later, corporates and HR teams are beginning to realize the very essence of engaged employees at the workplace.
Pooja Bajaj Chadha is a true inspiration to millions of young women entrepreneurs, who despite a myriad of roadblocks in the route has emerged as a phenomenal Woman Entrepreneur. Thereby, Business Connect has decided to write about the magnate’s journey in the upcoming edition-‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year-2019.’
Pooja, whilst working in the corporate world, felt the fissure in the employee engagement, thereby, she decided to quit her job and embarked on the journey of entrepreneurship. With a vision of converting every corporate into an engaging environment for the employees, ExtraMile was born.
EUREKA!
Pooja was well-settled and satisfied with her job when a life-changing question popped up in the neurons of her brain, and it was “am I really happy here?” It was a mo-
REASONS TO GO FOR EXTRAMILE
As the name suggests, ExtraMile always tries to go the extra mile for their clients and build an incredible relationship with each one. They intently listen to, consciously observe, understand their problems, statements and evaluate their opportunities – and then step in to customize solutions that suit their needs. Additionally, they try to offer solutions which are up to date and trending with the times. Clients fondly call ExtraMile the Mary Poppins of Engagement - one with always something exciting and innovative in-store that can change the way employees are engaged. “The journey’s been nothing short of a rollercoaster, one that I’ve truly enjoyed!” ~Pooja Bajaj Chadha
COMPREHENDING THE COMPANY’S WORK
The methodologies used in the offerings range from learning with fun, quirky and creative themed communication and innovative game formats, which are suitable for both – online and offline – to engage a corporate’s employees. Think of play, laughter, bonding, and fun amongst employees – That’s the vision of any ExtraMile engagement program. Each activity designed is a result of a lot of
CEO & Founder, ExtraMile
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brainstorming, trial, error and detailing. The four attributes enlisted below make them different from others :
Group, Thomas Cook, Google (India), MakeMyTrip, Kotak Mahindra Bank, BookMyShow, Axis Bank, Crompton, Motilal Oswal, McDonalds, Glenmark, Zee TV , Tata Group and a lot more feathers in their cap.
Teambuilding: Doing away with the old-fashioned domino challenges and blindfolded treasure hunts, this offering is all about customized experiences, game-based learning and experiential scenarios to challenge the senses. Right from the new-age method of learning loaded with fun, skill-development games, and offbeat solutions, they have this in kitty along with more offline activities for corporates. This is their flagship offering.
EMPLOYEES COME FIRST! Being an employee engagement firm, they encourage corporates to help their teams to grow and flourish in their personal and professional lives. They manage it effectively by adopting the same at their own workplace. To preach looks better if they practice it on the real grounds, and they implement this mantra in reality. The maestro, Pooja says, “If there is one thing I look at while hiring new employees at ExtraMile, it’s the ones with the passion and an attitude of ownership.
Digital Engagement: It’s the time for digital and time to connect your workforce across the country under one roof. ExtraMile offers unusual and innovative digital activities that can go viral at work. They help corporates to create a digital engagement network with solutions like innovative quiz formats, online games, tambola, virtual treasure hunt, KBC, card-a-thons, mood-o-meter, and selfie games. This is their latest and fast-growing offering, with the increased use of technology in HR today.
I believe, in every company, the employees must work alongside the leadership teams and not under them. This sense of accountability allows them to grow as professionals.” An approach like this is what they use at their firm to ensure engaged employees as well. ExtraMile encourages a self-learning environment so that their team can take charge of their own development, the habit of taking feedback that helps the team to grow; it fosters a learning environment. Working closely with their Chief Outdoor Officer, they plan offbeat, fun, quirky activities for the team to identify gaps, overcome challenges, seek opportunities and collaborate to celebrate wins and appreciate each other’s work. Their month is filled with Monday morning huddle meets mid-week engagements, Thursday rewards, Friday peer-to-peer appreciations, occasional pizza parties and of course, chai and coffee breaks.
Office Engagement: There’s no dearth of initiatives at ExtraMile – they create a monthly engagement calendar for corporates – including the popular days such as ‘Women’s Day’ as well as the creative, offbeat ones of ‘Fun At Work Day’ or ‘Star Wars Day’. They plan the year-long journey of awesomeness for corporates and engage the employees on the office floor every month. With this offering, they aim to be the HR team’s right arm and partner-in-engagement in building a world of happy, energetic Mondays & mid-week celebrations. Creative Communication: Be it an activity to create a buzz or elaborate on policies and code of conduct, introduce a new app or even build an EVP campaign for employer branding, ExtraMile’s offerings, as the name suggests, add a spark of creativity to the communication. They have solutions and themes to help corporate HRs to make an impact on their employees with their mailers, danglers, posters, tent cards, standees, brochures, wobblers, etc. This offering also caters to a regional audience.
INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS AND MILESTONES The company started from scratch, now it has expanded its wings, and created a prodigious place in the entrepreneurial world. Achievements of this journey include bagging an industry giant such as Vodafone in their first year, building trust among 150+ other clients that followed in the years to come, building a team that grows with the company and retaining an engaged workforce that is happy and excited about coming to work each day.
The CEO says, “Through all our offerings, one aspect or strategy is implemented to position us as a one-stopshop for all corporates. Whether it’s a conference, an offsite, an anniversary celebration or an awards night, we make sure the HR team is supported with creative communication to build a buzz leading up to the event date, a fun digital activity to pique the employee interest and fun, themed, learning-oriented offline activities (in and out of office).”
Apart from this, the company is accredited by many awards: 1. GIWL Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for HR consulting (2019) – awarded by UBS Forums 2. Panelist on ET Now’s television show, Leaders of Tomorrow – segment covered Hiring Trends FY20, other panelists were from Gozoop, Monster India and Shortlist 3. Pioneered initiatives like Colympics – an intercorporate sports challenge, Balance For Better FAIR – a women’s day celebration across 11 cities and Universal Wellness for Corporates – a world health day package of events 4. ExtraMile has been certified as one of the ‘Top 10 Most Promising Employee Benefits & Training Management Service Providers 2019’ by Silicon India
THE CLIENTELE ExtraMile serves a 150+ strong clientele across various industries, with its presence in 25 locations and servicing corporates. The main objective of the organization is to create happy and engaged workplaces. They carved a long way since the Company’s inception with top brands as their partners-in-engagement including Aditya Birla 31
www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
TRANSFORM YOUR IMAGE FOR BETTER WITH MANAVALLI VEENA- A CERTIFIED AND ACE IMAGE CONSULTANT
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Dr. Amit Mishra | Business Connect
merging from a tight hold of stereotypes and biases, the female force of contemporary times is unfurling the flag of success and excellence triumphantly. The remarkable contribution they are exuding in their endeavors is unmatched and unbeatable. All types of odds and obscurities women are bypassing with a trace of a smile on the face. Manavalli Veena is an exemplar of infinite potential and strength who possesses astounding leadership traits. Image Station is a wonderful and colossal creation of hers. Coming from a typical orthodox South Indian family, Manavalli lacked exposure and was naïve about how to carry herself?Though she was competitive enough. Luckily she worked for corporates where she got a lucid understanding of presentation skills, dressing sense and all the cognitive and non-cognitive traits.Thus Manavalli experienced a positive change in her personality that acted as a catalyst for the inception of Image Station. A gigantic experience of more than 15 years in Banking, Finance, Insurance and Security& Deposit imbibed a layer of confidence for experimenting the expertise in Image Management and Consulting.
MANAVALLI VEENA (Director)
As a matter of fact, women are emotionally stronger, and is considered to be a stupor of Patience and Acceptance. They can manage things well; overall women have exceptional management and leadership skills. Manavalli exemplifies all the mentioned traits. Thereby, this woman entrepreneur has tremendously kept a coherence between her personal and professional realms.
Strong grip of male dominance and patriarchy worldwide especially in India put a lot of questions on the worth, capability and strength of women. In spite of putting a lot of effort and energy into the work they always occupy a second position in the corporate world or the public sector. Trespassing all these odds, questions, biases and limitations, Manavalli has emerged as a shining Sun from the grey clouds. On the same subject, Manavalli says, “Being a woman is a blessing. They can maturely and patiently manage work and life.”
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cial Media Presence on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and Linked in opens the portals to look around and intrigues, what’s new?
GLANCE AT THE COMPANY’S INSIGHTS Image Station as the name incurs is an Image Consulting and Trainingcompany; it also deals with the Woman Entrepreneurship programs. Closely introspecting the client’s needs, then offering customized solutions as per the needs of the client, Image Station aims to create an impressive and formidable image of the person. Broadly classifying the work of the company, Image Briefing and Personal Branding areits main components.
MANAVALLI’S TAKE ON WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN THE ENTREPRENUIAL SPACE Things are changing across the globe, women are coming up more openlyand showcasing their worth. But still in India, a lot of work has to be done to increase their participation. It’s the conditioning from historic times that is needed to be removed so that they can realise their worth and potential.
The scope of their work covers Education Sector where they train students, Corporate Training for making the employees best fit for corporates, Attitude for Success where Personal Branding one on one basis happens, they also run a Customized Program known as ‘Signature Image’ where the sessions of mentoring for aspiring women entrepreneurs take place, various OnlineConsultation Programs,and Skill Development programs.
Each woman is unique. She can do anything whatever she has locked in her bosom. Only the self-belief and confidence are the catalysts. The best way to bring her talent forth is to educate, empathize and mentor them so that they can trust in their own unique identity on the planet.
Image Station is creating wonders in the business space because of the sterling workforce. Manavalli always tries her best to empower the team members. The best part is that she provides ownership and responsibility to the workforce. This stimulates them to work more independently and consciously. She is a firm believer of ‘the Law of Attraction’, that’s why all the employees in the company are women. Thoughts and ideas quite resonate with each other, and there are smooth and fluid proceedings. She says, “Effortlessly and smoothly we work. We do have an apt understanding, and somewhere around our thoughts quite fall in synchronicity.”
ABOUT HER LIFESTYLE Being an artistic soul, Manavalli loves to indulge her being into arts and crafts in free time. She does pottery, paintings, reading, and tries to learn new skills timely so that they can add value to the industry. Manavalli’s mother is her constant support throughout her journey till now. She is extremely thankful to her and all those people who were the roadblocks in her excursion. Through them only she has learnt to carve her ways out. Indeed, the REAL GURUS. Bhagvad Gita is a spiritual treasure to her, and the learnings from it help her to live a more fruitful and balanced life.
Research and Development is the centrifugal force around which Image Station circulates; the maestro feels that it is quite essential for advancement. A powerful So-
MILESTONES AND ACHIEVEMENTS In her 10 years of the journey, she trained 18000 individuals, conducted more than 300 workshops on image briefing, associated with various Women Empowerment Programs, etc. For future prospects, she wants to get into the Skill Development Programs, which are running in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities by the Government of India. By this she connects with the people who are in the utmost need. Till 2020 she is targeting to train one lakh individuals, which is her much desired dream. To the aspiring entrepreneurs, she says, “They are smart, creative, and innovative. Focus on one thing at a time.” And for the women, “Be yourself, never look back, and think Big.”
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www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
BCM Review
Natural Fat Burner: Foods, and Side Effects
Business Connect Team Fat burners and supplements are some of the most controversial medicine in the market. To lose weight naturally, a person needs to burn his/her more calories than they take in during the day. Some of the natural fat burners, however, may help your body to burn more fat by increasing its metabolism or reducing the hunger. The food items you eat can also affect your weight, your internal hormones, and the health of your inner organs. Eating a healthy diet can help reduce the risk of obesity and fat.
Keeping your body healthy by making healthier food choices isn’t as hard as it sounds! Just follow these tips for a natural fat burner food diet and other natural ways to lose weight:-
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Caffeine
Walnuts and almonds
Caffeine is a substance commonly denoted for the in coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, green tea, and cocoa beans product. It’s also a very popular ingredient in simply fat-burning supplements and for good health reasons.
Plenty of studies point to nuts family aka walnuts and almonds, the best disease fighter in your diet. They are regarded as one of the best fat-burning foods you should add to your diet. By intaking of these nuts you can chalk it up to their fiber, their protein, and their nutritious fat. The result of this diet may increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, aiding weight loss according to the reports of the American Council on Exercise.
Caffeine can also help you in boosting body metabolism and help your body to burn more fat. Most of the health researches shows that caffeine can temporarily boost your metabolism by up to 16% over one to two hours of its consumption.
Walnuts are one of the greatest sources of non-fish omega-3 fatty acids, and almonds provide an extra benefit in the form of bone-building calcium and energy-giving substances.
In addition, several studies over the caffeine have shown that it can help your body to burn more fat as fuel. Hence, this particular effect appears to be stronger in lean people than already obese people.
Salmon
Unfortunately, consuming too much caffeine could make your body more tolerant of its bad effects.
Eating fat to burn fat might sound like a crazy idea when you’re trying to lose body fat, but getting more omega-3 fatty acids from best fish like salmon could be just what the diet doctor suggests. According to a research study in PLoSOne in 2015, which found omega-3 supplementation resulted in a lower waist-hip ratio it is advised to add them in the fat burning diet.
Protein
Protein transforms the body very well. Eating meals that are high in protein may help a person feel fuller and fitter for longer. Protein can support fat burning and weight loss in many ways let us show you how to deal with it. For example, the people who consume high-protein foods may feel fuller for longer with their hunger and work better. Eating protein may also increase body metabolism, allowing the body to more efficiently burn fat.
Hereby, try to eat salmon or another oily fish, like herring, mackerel, or canned tuna, at least twice a week for better results. If that doesn’t sound appealing, substitute the fish for other fat-burning foods that are rich in omega-3s that are nuts.
Some high-protein foods contain fewer calories than high-carbohydrate foods. For example, a large bowl, of cooked, plain spaghetti contains fewer calories and 7.19 g of protein.
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MOHITA GUPTA
THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WORKING TOWARDS THE NUTRITION AND WELLNESS OF PEOPLE THROUGH BE YOUNG STORE
MOHITA GUPTA Chief Development Officer - Business Strategy & CSR
Sugandh Bahl | Business Connect Following norms are going to limit you in a box of mediocrity. If you want to carve your own path then, you ought to be little eccentric, and walk on the trajectories which are less travelled or opted. Mohita Gupta, a young entrepreneur of the times, exemplifies the above traits of truly an independent soul, who listens to her heart, and creates magic through her unsurpassed determination. Coming from a family of scientists and doctors, not surprisingly, it was expected that she, too, would pursue medicine. Instead, Mohita decided to study Finance and Business Law from ‘the London School of Economics & NALSAR Law University’, where she went to spend time in the corporate world, investing in and ultimately governing companies.” I want to be extraordinary in my own way,” says Gupta. “I am pursuing my dream of social impact with prudence and passion.” Starting as a researcher, she went to build a nutrition and wellness technology platform ‘BE YOUNG STORE’ that helps people to connect with their health and wellness goals—and now her mission is to build the future of India’s nutrition ecosystem. She is redefining the face of entrepreneurship in India. GLANCE AT THE ‘BE YOUNG STORE’ BE YOUNG STORE falls in the category of one of the top-notch emerging nutritional webstores. BE YOUNG’s Nutrition food pills and meals carry the inherent goodness of nature. Through the brilliance of advanced science that helps www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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them all to connect with nature, and provides the right nutrition you need everyday to achieve improved Quality of Life. From state-of-art innovation centre and manufacturing analysis of each raw material, BE YOUNG sources the best in nature through science, helping all consumers to connect with nature everyday. This helps their formulas to closely evaluate the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) to provide nutritional solutions for optimal nutrition, thereby improving Quality of Life.
economy opportunities • Rapid digitization and an increase in social media usage have increased awareness regarding nutrition care and improved access to vital information • Changing of lifestyle is increasing the incidence of several diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, obesity and cardio-vascular problems among people. In urban areas, higher income groups are the main consumers of preventive healthcare, and this will grow at a considerable rate. Moreover, rising health consciousness, the rapid growth of the e-commerce market and rising per capita income are driving the growth of their market in India.
BE YOUNG engages with the growing number of people who are turning to quick mobile and online shopping solutions as a way of overcoming nutrition and health challenges through digital platforms. BE YOUNG is aligned with the Fit India Movement and Pradhan Mantri Skill Development Yojana, having identified Quality of Life and financial freedom gaps, and is thus creating pathways to better livelihoods. They are building a community where every person is a leader or evangelist or change maker for improving Quality of Live everyday.
WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY: OPENING INVESTOR DOORS TO FUND WOMEN-LED BUSINESS For some time, the misrepresentation of women in technology related fields has proliferated the industry. To launch a mission, you have to be laser-focused on your goals and a strong network of support like that of the #beyoungbharat team makes the journey better for those where the barriers are higher. After all, with an estimated $25 trillion to be spent annually on healthcare and only 9.7% percent of investor funding going to women-led health tech startups, Gupta says too much is at stake by leaving the world’s nutrition and wellness problems to be solved from one perspective - men.
says, Our team is working together towards “ Gupta better Quality of Life through empowering health, wealth and happiness.
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RESEARCH IS BEING INSTRUMENTAL IN REFINING THE PROCESS Their core motive is to improve Quality of Life that beats on the Science of ‘Farm to Nutritional Pill’. That’s where they control the process of growing the seeds, which make BE YOUNG’s products close to nature. BE YOUNG empowers farmers in acres of land in North India, specifically tough terrains like J&K and Indo-Tibetan region then, train them in the best and most sustainable farming. Exclusive products are innovated and designed by Dr. MP Gupta, her father, who has spent decades researching on nutrition and biochemistry along with his team of doctors, PHD students, and nutritional enthusiasts. Managed with environmentally responsible and sustainable biological intensive agriculture practices BE YOUNG’s Farm to Nutritional Pill provides ingredients with nutritional value in their natural integrity.
need to unlock the innovation in the nutrition “ We and wellness sector by putting diversity, equity, and inclusion front and center. We will never find the solutions to the biggest nutrition problems without diverse perspectives leading products.
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FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE COMPANY BE YOUNG envisions to achieve great plans in the future. • By 2023, the Company aims to build the clientele 1 million consumers. • Create an E-commerce platform engaging in RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) nutrition & skill development • First Shift is in the way that is about the Quality of Life and nutritional need • Second is to engage potential consumers and influencers through education, training and skill development • Third is to align financial freedom and Improved Quality of life
Lack of structure is one of the biggest reasons why entrepreneurs typically fail. That’s why, according to Gupta, programs, foundation and funding are so crucial for South Asia’s company culture—for men and women alike. “Opportunities are everywhere,” says Gupta. “There are no special doors for men and women. All it takes is the will to get started.” But it takes more than willpower to carry on and grow. BE YOUNG: A DISRUPTIVE PLAYER • Focused on the large market opportunity of US$ 4 billion • Training and development of young Social Influencers engaging in marketing and sales of Be Young product portfolio • Value & Cost driven • It is Technology and data driven to encash digital 37
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NEXTGEN LIFE SCIENCES PVT. LTD.
A credibly capable organization transforming business trends for innovative biological products. Avishek Singh | Business Connect
S
cience impacts many aspects of everyone’s life. Simply put, without it, we wouldn’t be enjoying many of the things that make our modern world possible. From the houses that we live in, the food that we eat, the cars that we drive, to our favorite electronic gadgets, science, and the technologies have spawned make our lives easier. Similarly, Life science is driven by constant curiosity and motivated to find the truth of innovative biological products and services. In order to cater to the untapped opportunities in the industry, Dr. Nagma Abbasi (CEO & Founder) established NextGen Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. in 2014 with an objective to become a frontrunner in the distribution of innovative biological products and services for the Life science research and diagnostic market. Apart from that they also provide the complete solutions in Instrumentation, Reagents, Next Generation Sequencing Services, Bioinformatics, and customized solutions to Scientists and Researchers. The company aims to deliver the right products of scientific needs in minimum possible time at the doorstep to facilitate research findings. The company is poised to become one-stop-solution cater to the research needs of scientists in the field of Molecular biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Healthcare, Drug Development for and more. THE VALUE THAT NEXTGEN CREATES DR. NAGMA ABBASI Dr. Nagma belongs to a family where she has always CEO & Founder been taught to be an independent woman and work towards excellence. She always has a love for science and creativity since her childhood. Hereby, she became a researcher and a Biotech professional who prefers smartness. She learned from the experiences, failures, and always updates herself about the worldly changes through reading. She worked with a difference and set an example for the future generation. She spends a decade working with Esteemed Research Institutes and leading Multinational companies in Life Sciences and Biotech industry. Her journey can describe hitherto milestones as the bitter-sweet symphony, which helped her learn a lot and it’s a new experience every day so far. She took the workplace as her second home and worked hard towards the goal. It has been a journey with lots of ups and down’s in her path to where she is today. As an entrepreneur, she better equipped herself in Facing Challenges, Decision making, and Risk-taking capabilities. CREATING THE CHANGE The Biotechnology sector is one of the sunrise sectors in India. The Indian Biotech Industry’s share in the global market is about two percent, valued 11.6 billion in 2017 and is the third-largest in the Asia-Pacific region. The Indian govern-
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ment in the Union budget 2017-2018 has projected to increase the turnover of the Indian biotech industry to 100 billion USD.
been remarkable. India is termed as the second largest startup ecosystem in the world and is now expected to grow at around 10-12 percent.
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
“If your actions create a legacy
- Billie Jean King
that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
The government investments and initiatives like the ‘National IPR policy’ are helping their industry by promoting innovation, R&D, and entrepreneurship, also laying down processes to expedite IPR filings critical for the success of this sector. They aim to capture 30-35 percent of the Indian market by 2020.
~Dolly Parton
It is observed that 48 percent of the country’s population comprises of women, and it is impossible to think about economic growth without women as a fundamental driver. Entrepreneurship is seen as a critical link between new knowledge and economic development as it facilitates the transfer of knowledge. The greater choices now available to women in the fields of employment have been the major driving force for their upheaval as bureaucrats, professionals, and executives. They have now begun to enter the fiercely in the competitive world of business and economic independence.
TURNING HURDLES INTO THE OPPORTUNITY Balancing goals with inner peace is hard to achieve, but worth pursuing. Well, there is a lot of hurdles but Dr. Nagma says everyone in this world is struggling to achieve something. So she thinks her story is nothing different. She is just doing what she always wanted to do and which got her to what she is today. During the struggling days, she always got encouragement and support from her colleagues, family, and friends. The best protection any woman can have is courage and she runs herself on the mantra of risk-taking.
WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS An eminent organization committed to being the premier and a research-intensive life science company, NextGen Life Sciences is devotedly providing leading innovations and solutions for the present and future of the biotech world. NextGen Life Sciences is keen on transforming the modus operandi of research and future need for scientific discoveries and innovations.
THE ADAPTIVE FRAMEWORK They have to adapt and improvise with the developing market to be one of the best. They worked very smart and hard and be well updated with the market. NexGen takes necessary actions to develop themselves according to market needs. They have maintained a long-term relationship without clients by rendering quality servicesTAT (Turnaround Time) for the product deliveries by managing inventories. They provide microanalysis for the basic needs of prime customers, addressing customer problems customers in time with the best possible solutions. In addition to that, they also have dedicated a team for customer satisfaction and feedback to look into the after-sales and service-related tasks.
NEXTGEN LIFE SCIENCES HAS BEEN FEATURED AS • “Top 20 Best Life Science Start-Ups” by Silicon India Magazine. • “Startup of the Year 2018” by The CEO Magazine. • “Emerging Healthcare solution providers in 2019” by Insightscare Magazine. • “Top 10 Biotechnology Startups to Look in 2019” by Biotech Times.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORKS Employees are the skeleton structure of their company. They cannot run a company without them, their employees who have been working with them are like a second family to her. The employees have helped them to grow for what this company is today. To keep the content they ensure their team professional requirements are met and they are up to the mark. They also provide a helping hand to the ones who are in need of it with all respect and companionship.
FLOURISHING FUTURE They commit themselves to scientific rigor, unassailable ethics, and access to medical innovations for all. They are proud of who they are, what they do, and how to do it. “They are many, working as one, across functions, across companies, and across the world”. Their mission is to discover, delineate and deliver advanced products and services that save and progress lives across the world.
INSIGHT-DRIVEN WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. The Traditional cultural perception perceived the roles of women to be confined within the four walls of the house, but in modern times, with economic reforms, there is a transitional trend that is observed in terms of women’s participation in economic growth and women participation in business entities has
With its augmenting spectrum of products and solutions, NextGen Life sciences empower the mounting realm of research to solve complex analytical challenges in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, government, environmental and industrial research, and the clinical laboratory.
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NEHA SUNDESHA: SHINING BRILLINATLY
IN THE ENTREPRENUIAL WORLD WITH HER CREATION SEVEN HATS CONSULTING Rashi Saral | Business Connect
NEHA SUNDESHA Fonder
T
he spirit through which women these days are enthralling in their respective interests is mind boggling. Be an artist, a student, or infact a business tycoon, each one of them carries the immense potential to serve this world by their incredible talents. Ambitious, creative, sincere, and patient they are, which help them to carve their own distinctive space in their domains. Neha Sundesha is a woman who has created ample influence in the entreprenuial world with her remarkable contribution. Seven Hats Consulting is the brain child of this young and versatile lady entrepreneur- Neha Sundesha. Seven Hats is an education consulting company that primarily focuses on extremely high-performing mid-career professionals who have graduated from some of the top institutions in India and around the world, work in fields from consulting, private equity to technology and entrepreneurship, and wish to pursue their MBA at top global schools. They also work with those who wish to switch careers but they are not a placement agency. They serve as mentors and professional coaches and have a very high success rate in molding those at a very critical stage mid-career to build the foundation for the next 10 years of their career and future aspirations. For their clientele, Neha Sundesha has to say, “They all have a special place in my heart, and even now after 8 years, I remember all their stories, their lives, and my experience working with them like it was yesterday. I am deeply invested in all my clients.�
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SOURCE OF HAPPINESS
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It’s life and there are twists and turns in it with which we all need to live. There is a multitude of responsibilities which we ought to fulfill sometimes for ourselves and sometimes for others. We bake cookies, we read stories to our kids, we exercise and meditate to keep ourselves sane then we work, we spend time with family and friends, we do it all. And we miss out on a lot of things too in search of this elusive work-life balance.
But, I believe that is what makes this exciting. I believe the quality time I spend with my children makes me a happy person. Living with family and spending time with friends makes me a kind person. And working for my clients, and seeing them grow, and learning from them builds in me a global, current and astute awareness of the world, which I can bring back home to grow my family’s intellectual and idea fabric more holistically. I don’t like walls, assumptions, being myopic, and I don’t want my family to be like that. I want them to live in an open world with big ideas. If I do not mold myself to grow, then how will my children grow? ~ Neha Sundesha
Neha Sundesha hails from Calcutta and grew up in home-grown women entrepreneurial system. From art classes to clothing stores and leather factories- she liked the way women around her hustled, kept costs low, gave their best and managed businesses. The enthusiast says, “My mom turned into an entrepreneur at 50+ years old, and everyday I pick up valuable financial management lessons from her on how to run a business successfully.’
balance. I look upto various women in my life, family, and friends, who make my world lovely, warm, happy and centered. I look upto all those friendships which I have cherished my whole life with women who have pushed me when I have slacked and reigned me in when I have erred. I believe we women are each other’s biggest supporters. And finally, I also look upto men in my life who have always been my biggest champions, my husband who has always supported me wholeheartedly and my two little sons. My older one always tries to copy me when he sees me working, and I am glad that my two boys will grow up in a household with a working Mother.
But she firmly believes that three things need to happen for more women to become entrepreneurs: a society that builds more support systems for its women, more risk capital allocated to women in families, and financial freedom for women at an early age so they become responsible owners, spenders, and investors of capital.
WOMEN WHO INSPIRE!
“To lead and empower, it’s really important to get inspired.” Neha Sundesha really looks up to women who have defied precedent to make a dent on their sectors and industries. She is particularly drawn to the entertainment sector, where women writers particularly have found it quite difficult to find success. She admires and respects the tenacity and boldness of women like Amy ShermanPalladino and Phoebe Waller-Bridge who are not afraid to use humor and tell some pretty amazing stories. She also appreciates ladies like Melinda Gates who have used their tremendous resources to help others. She wants to mention a plethora of unsung women whom she looks upto. All those women who are struggling with various issues in their lives, but still showing up everyday to work. She looks upto women who leave their families to go and make a better life for their families back home. The visionary says, “I look upto women who help me to live my life in a way that I can maintain my work-life
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I fervently believe in work-life balance. It is not always possible. But I could not live and do what I do without it. So I look upto all those people in my support system. And I wished there was a way to build more of these support structures in our society, so more women could go into the world and bring back the best of themselves to the families they hope to lead.”
TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE MARKET CHANGES
In order to progress and ensure long term success in the business world, companies ought to maintain synergy with the changing market trends. Neha Sundesha has a great interest in the literature; she reads a lot. She loves to convere with people and learn from them. She asks questions constantly to know better about things. Travelling excites her because she doesn’t want to believe that the world around her has all the answers. So, she likes seeking the answers. And for that, you have to learn new languages, walk new streets, and be curious about those who are different from you.
ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
The entrepreneur has an opinion regarding the technology, and on this, she says, “I believe the biggest things we need to work on today are poverty, climate change, and hatred in societies across the world. I believe technology can help us to combat these in a way that nothing else can. I care less about the next food app delivering me food instantly than something that can actually help me to manage my consumption footprint, or help me finance a woman entrepreneur’s business in a remote corner of India as easily as it is to buy diapers on Amazon! “
SOME INSPIRING WORDS TO WALK THROUGH
“If you are an entrepreneur, work hard. Do good work. If you are a woman entrepreneur, build a support system. You will need it! Be vulnerable, count on friends and family, you can’t do it all. It takes a village to raise a child, yes. But it also takes a village to grow a company. My support and best wishes to everyone out there looking to make a difference! You can do it. And if you think of giving up, drink that coffee and get right back up again!” ~Neha Sundesha 41
www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
BCM Review
In olden days, if you remember people use to live longer lives than the men and women of today. Have you ever thought, ‘why? You all are aware of this; I may be acting as a pointer, who is pointing you all the readers to have a deep look inside your life style and then the lifestyle of your grandfathers and grandmothers. In their times, the lives were not robotics, they use to enjoy everything whether it’s work or their relationships. They were indulged in lot of physical activities and lead balanced lives. But if we closely look into the livelihood of today’s generation, then we will know everything is so haphazard; they are running, running and running. No peace of mind, happiness and purpose are there. This article, I am writing for all the working people to provide an aid so that they can balance a healthier life and enjoy the true meaning of life i.e. happiness and peace. Right food, sleep, health, work are the ingredients of happy and beautiful life. Let’s find out the article below and get to know how to lead a life with healthy life style.
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Food
Today’s generation is pizza eating generation; they are surviving on junk food. There is no conscious diet they are taking. So, it’s the prime requirement to eat right. Eat green vegetables, fruits, pulses, etc. Be a conscious foodie rather than just a foodie.
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Sleep
Sleep becomes the second priority, if we look closely to the life style of our youth today. They spent uncountable hours just scrolling what’s app or Facebook account, I find it quite insane, because people of older generation also lived a way happier lives than us. It’s quite important to take 8-9 hours of sleep. I know because of work stress or some other personal reasons, it becomes quite hard to maintain it. But let’s just try to not scroll the mobile phones 1 hour before going to bed.
Exercise
Doing physical activity is really beneficial for the livelihood. Gym becomes the modern trend for the girls and boys to be fit, which is quite a nice way to be fit for the fitness freaks. However, 15 minute walk will also do a lot and keeps you fresh and rejuvenates your spirit.
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Meditation
Personally, I love to give myself alone time, where you can peacefully sit with your all senses alive and dig deeper insights of pious soul. Your concentration level gets enhanced.
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Deep breathing relaxes the body, reduces the stress, lowers the daily anxieties, and makes you more focused. Meditation keeps you rejuvenated and the feeling is so surreal.
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A balanced life can be lead in your busy hours also. This depends on the priority. Work is an important part of life, undoubtedly we cannot live without it, but it cannot shade the other aspects of life, so this is quite important to give heed to other aspects of life. The good bonding with the people around also makes you live a longer life.
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BCM Review
Business Connect Team
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Y
grows though, its small company culture can drastically meant to change into one that’s the bigger and more disparate concern from what it once was.
our company has an excellent organizational culture? That means you have access to a fancy break room where you can play some Games and Involve together... Right?
For example, in a short company, employees may wear multiple different hats and generally communicate in an informal and frequent way – Language/Slangs. As an office to grows, it can be harder to communicate with higher amounts of employees when it increase, and the loyalty and commitment to the company can wane if employees begin to feel replaceable. Fortunately, you can take certain steps to ensure that your small-company culture continues even as your business flourishes.
No... Not by a long shot.
Even though it is all around us, and it determines how employees experience day-to-day life at their companies, it is very difficult to define “organizational culture” (mostly because its definition is being discussed since 2013). However, having one is essential: it prevents organizational chaos, it provides people with a sense of security and creates a base for further company growth. Plus it can be best tool for Tight-Knitting the organizational culture.
IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE TAKES TIME
But, how to create and utilize a tight- knit organizational culture? Which aspects should you strive toward, and what should you avoid? We reached out to business owners, managers, and CEOs with these questions and represented you by selected answers which inspired simple, straightforward advice.
Like the other process, the implementing organizational culture is a very slow and tedious task. However, it will reward you tenfold - if done properly. It took almost a year for Companies to grow the upper management to introduce their set of unspoken rules employees should follow. Benefits of Tighten culture:-
CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS BEFORE THE COSY CULTURE
1. Work smart - work hard, but do believe in work life balance one always want their team to view work as an integral part of their being, not as the thing they have to do for 8 hours a day to fund the rest of their life.
The fact of the matter is: you cannot deliver good service from unhappy employees. Tighten is always not the solution. That is why having a great organizational culture can be a huge competitive advantage. But there is no point in worrying about which espresso machine your employees would like the most if your business cannot afford one.
2. Work as a team - Put all new hires into a dedicated slack channel during their on boarding process so they can experience the best culture, banter, and terrible jokes before they join. This way they can tell if our company suits them, and can tell if their attitude suits our company’s culture.
YOU CAN SET ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AT THE BEGINNING, AND STICK TO IT After you’ve laid the foundation of successful business and hired the right people, it is time to choose: either you set ground rules and stick with them for the years to come, or you adapt as employees, time and trends change. The successful companies that usually opted for “everything-written-down” can easily approach to organizational culture. The company which is based around remote teams, they rely heavily on their cultural values to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
3. Enabler - All of the team members are autonomous, creative, and driven people. Owner’s job is to give them the structure and resources they need to achieve their goals. It roughly took 12 months of focused to the work to get this culture into place and a process for making sure new hires can fit in as seamlessly as possible. The result has been reduced employee turnover, a much more efficient development process. Throw an office party once a quarter. Orchestrate the party to take place either during office hours or after work, and pick a location that is easily accessible by your employees, such as at a nearby restaurant or public park. These type of party and gathering can allow employees to bond with each other on more personal level with one another, which can lead to improved their employee relations, morale and a more tightknit, small-company culture.
ADAPT ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AS YOU GO ALONG Some companies have determined their organizational culture at the very beginning - others, on the other hand, have shaped and have been developing their culture over extended periods of time Some of the small scale companies, tight-knit their office cultures due to so some norms due to small staff levels in the company. When a small scale business 45
www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
SHREE HATKESHWARA GROUP
Has Created A Distinct Mark In The Logistics Domain Rashi Saral | Business Connect Women of today’s generation are equally competitive and ambitious as they are fiercely propelling with a blaze of perseverance and hard work. Despite a number of hurdles in the trajectory, they don’t quit but keep on chasing their dreams and aspirations. Mukta Adityaraj Shah falls in the category of a truly empowering woman of this age, thereby; the team of Business Connect has featured her in the edition, ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year2019.’ Mukta joined Shree Hatkeshwara Group after completing her MBA in International Business in the year 2015. Shree Hatkeshwara Group is the brainchild of Adityaraj Shah. The maestro started by driving a single milk tanker with a great vision in the eyes. Reminiscing the past days, Mukta recalls, “As a child, I saw my father struggle in setting up the company with one milk truck which he drove by himself. Seeing my parents build the company from scratch to now with more than 1500 trucks impacted me big. I don’t remember playing with dolls as a kid. I had toy cars, trucks and trains. I never really thought of another field to join.” Being the owner’s daughter has its own disadvantage when it comes to creating a niche for yourself in the company. It was no cake-walk for her to climb up the career ladder in the company. For the first two months, she merely sat and stared at the computer screen. No one told her what to do. She got frustrated, and one fine day she complained to her father. The first thing he said, “In the office, we are not father and daughter.” This hit her strongly, and at that juncture she learnt that she ought to carve her own niche. Then, she approached the staff to provide her with their pending work. When she retraced the memories, then Mukta realised that it was her father’s way of testing her perse-
MUKTA ADITYARAJ SHAH
Group Director
verance. The entrepreneur states, “I also realise now that this is the best way to learn the basics of any department, its challenges and schedules to follow and how to work towards solutions. My acid test came when I was made in charge of the receivables department, and everyone knew that there were some outstanding cases for more than a year. I proved myself when I brought in all the receivables and was finally ‘accepted’ in the fold.” DIGGING THE DEEPER INSIGHTS OF THE COMPANY Shree Hatkeshwara group has occupied a pivotal stature and falls into one of India’s leading Transport and Logistics Company. Punctuality, sincerity, integrity, hard work, effective, high service standards and time definite delivery were the pre-requisites in making it successful. They have inculcated a culture of values in their staff and developed a sense of responsibility, determination, dedication, honesty, in each of their team members. Since its inception, Shree Hatkeshwara Group has been engaged in logistics and transportation services. They operate on PAN India level and specialized in transportation of Cement, GGBS, Steel and Chemicals like LPG and Propane. They transport cargo over 20 million metric tons per year in their own 1500 ++ vehicles. They are currently one of India’s largest fleet owners of bulkers. Shree Hatkeshwara Group is amongst the top three transporters of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. in western India. They offer their customers with services ranging
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from Rail Rake Management, Inbound and Outbound Freight handling at the surface, Primary and Secondary warehousing/redistribution, Third Party Logistics and Surface Transportation services at the most economical pricing options. Their major strength lies in customization, understanding customer’s requirement and designing service systems to suit their requirements with the help of dedicated team of qualified persons.
“
Mukta Adityaraj Shah says, We believe in making our Customers Lazy. When you make your customers depend on you by giving them service on time, then they will gain trust in you and will be associated for lifetime.
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VIEWS ON THE SCENARIO OF LOGISTICS INDUSTRY The logistics industry is considered to be the backbone of any country’s economy. It helps to facilitate the flow of goods in an effective and cost-efficient manner. The logistics industry is at a brink of transformation. The Indian transportation and logistics industry majorly consists of an unorganized sector such as owner opeartors. At present the industry is not at its peak due to the economic slowdown but we see a boom in the industry in the coming months. On the role of leadership, Mukta says, “The most important quality that one should have in a leader is being honest, loyal and trustworthy. I have always felt that one must compete with oneself and always strive to be better today than yesterday. I believe in the one mantra that my father told me, which the Military teaches ‘sweat more during training to bleed less in war’. With these thoughts and virtues I have always tried to strive for the best and succeed. Not only me but my team has also inculcated such qualities.” FEATHERS IN THE CAP WITH COMMENDABLE FUTURE PROSPECTS Shree Hatkeshwara Group has come a long way from 1 milk tanker to 1500++ vehicles at present. Shree Hatkeshwara Group has won various awards for the best performance from its customers. Recently, they have opened a branch in Baltimore, Maryland, in the USA with a total fleet of 18 tractors and 54 trailers. They have started backward integration by becoming Authorised Dealer for JK tyres. They have also commenced with the Ashok Leyland Service Centre for their vehicles. They have been recognised as one of the Top 10 Promising Hire Carrier Service Providers consecutively for 2018 and 2019. Ms. Mukta Shah has won the Mahindra Excellence Award for ‘Lady Transport Personality of the Year 2017’, supported by the Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
They wish to see themselves as a winner of global infrastructure and become the most renowned name across the globe in the upcoming days. They strive towards becoming a successful MNC in the surface transportation industry. In future, they would also emerge as a multi modal transportation and logistics company. THE CSR ACTIVITIES They have introduced a unique scheme for their drivers’ children. The group sponsors the higher education of these children and helps them in the achievement of their dreams. They arrange medical camp every 6 months for eyes and complete health checkups of their drivers. They provide financial aid to ‘Laxmi Raghunath Medical Foundation’ to help patients with low financial income with their surgeries. They support the initiative by ‘Sarhad Foundation, Pune’ in the overall education and provide the facilities of accommodation to of the orphan children from Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland regions. These children have become orphan due to the terrorist attacks in these regions. Recently, Shree Hatkeshwara Group has assisted in a project for providing oxygen to Indian soldiers at the Siachen Border, the highest battle field in the world. For the readers of Business Connect, Mukta has an inspiring message to share and she states, “Be confident and believe in yourself in whatever you do. Grab every possible opportunity which comes your way, and make the most of it, others will realize it after you have done and dusted it.”
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BCM Review
Make Fast Bucks All Along Your Voyage
Business Connect Team
There could be no other amazing way ever than to make money by writing while travelling. Have you ever wondered of getting paid for the thing you love doing the most? Isn’t it really great and wonderful to earn penny for your favorite hobby? There could be no other amazing way ever than to make money by writing while travelling. Imagine yourself in a job where you will be paid to travel? Sounds perfect! Yes, exactly, you have heard it right. Travelling has the ability to be completely overwhelming and writing about the places you have travelled is a heaven and going to the most exotic places for free and getting paid to write about those moments you have lived is just amazing and highly alluring Let’s go on to the journey of making your dream job into reality with us by following these simple tips
Avail vigorous language
We see travel articles to be filled with the words such as stunning, incredible and diverse. To be unique , adopt uniquely identifying language.
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Targeted to enthrall, not enthuse
Excise your savoir- flair
Stories have vivid time, place and other things. Generally, the travel writers write approx 1000 to 1200 words article. Stick to that and make it entertaining.
Certain writers try to pack their writing with literary phrases. Writers who write about their travel are aimed to entertain people rather than impress them.
Show and tell
Have A Crystal Storyline
Showing and telling is a storytelling technique we use in our daily lives without even realizing. Showing means to pen down your writing and describe every thing in detail including the things you saw, tasted , heard , felt. You are making everyone live that moment again. Telling means to simply move the story along. To earn more, you must write perfectly using these both.
A trip is not a trip. It’s a sequence of events that took place. Not each and every event is meant to tell and show. Some events are good and some are not. Being a writer, your first responsibility is to edit those events in your mind and make a clear storyline. The utmost task of the writer is to select those particular events in his mind and tell the story to the world.
Assent Signpost
Entail Dialouge
Dialouge brings life to the scenes and brings the things in personality. Include dialogues to the writing to bring more lively effect to your writing.
Readers travel through the writer’s story to the world. Always try to leave signpost at the new place you visit because you are not the only one who is travelling, readers are also travelling with you.
Primeval Paragraph Should Be Outstanding
To start your article, you can use drama or humour or dialogue. But your first paragraph must be glued and expressive
The travel writers seeks the world we have lost – the lost valleys of the imagination 49
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PROVIDING ADVANCED IT AUTOMATION TRAINING FOR GLOBAL IT PROFESSIONALS Kapil Mishra | Business Connect
RITUPARNA MUKHERJEE Founder
Carving a distinctive niche in varied arenas, women of contemporary times are vivaciously thriving. We spoke with Rituparna Mukherjee, the founder of a Bangalore based training institute, providing training services for the last 3 years to a worldwide customer base spanning the USA, UK, Rest of Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia. Study9 is an internet based training institute for IT professionals. They are specialised in providing project oriented training over web conferencing systems. DevOps, BigData, Artificial Intelligence Cloud Computing www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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and Machine Learning are some of the learning paths they offer. Apart from online training, they also have a vast library of self-paced video training that one can purchase along with an included support service of 10 hours, which means if you don’t understand from video, you can sit with the trainer who created the video for 10 sessions of each being of 1 hr. duration. This is a unique and quite distinctive offering in the market of online training. They provide classroom training for B2B customers at their site or office spaces. In a short period since their inception, they have managed to bag contracts from prestigious companies like TCS, Oracle, HCL, IDRBT (Established by Reserve Bank Of India), TIBCO, etc.
and animations on their system to explain complex IT concepts, hand holds the student in setting up the environment on their laptop, where the student does all the lab work by himself/herself while the trainer guides the student through appropriate steps. This is vastly different from the approach opted by many of our competitors. In other places, trainers show PPTs and lab work on the trainer’s own system and students are left to follow all by themselves, when they want to do the same. Our approach instead makes the student more confident about the subject at the end of the class, due to the fact that they have done the whole thing themselves on their own familiar system. Fourth, we understand that sometimes the student may not have adequate hardware to do the lab on their systems. We in those cases, enable them with cloud based labs.
Although they focus primarily on web based training services delivery, they also have the infrastructure readiness for delivering large B2B corporate training in any corner of the globe, by leveraging their existing partnership with a global office space provider company. Corporates which wish to take training in a third party location with all necessary facilities, highly appreciate the value of this arrangement.
Fifth, we dont hide our trainers from direct access by students. Even before joining the class, we arrange demo sessions and discussions while sharing the direct contact of our trainer. The students get connected to trainer on calls and whatsapp even if they don’t register for course. We don’t micromanage their relationship. This results in not only good quality learning, but a relationship beyond the course between the student and a knowledgeable trainer.
Starting from a humble begining of being a teacher, Rituparna Mukherjee has been successful in building a stable business over last 3 years. We interviewed her and put across a few questions to understand her journey and viewpoints based on her experience.
Finally, to really keep Study9 ahead in the game, we constantly upgrade our curriculums every 3 months to match the constantly changing technology trends in the market. Students once registered for a course can always return to learn the new topics added.
Q: IT Training is a competitive industry. Business Connect readers would like to understand how do you think you have been able to stay ahead in such competition? RM: It is more about carving a niche rather than leading the competition in our case. Normally, online training services have a very high rate of student drop offs. But, Study9 falls in the category of probably one of the very few institutes with the highest rates of course completions, owing to our unique engagement model in class.
We also have a strong focus on Open Source technologies. Our goal is to create a vendor agnostic robust platform for online learning of open source technologies in various domains. Q: So you just said that you constantly evolve your courses every 3 months to match the trends in market. Do you have a research team focused on making these continuous upgrades? RM: Well it’s not easy, but it is the only way to stay relevant and one step ahead in the competition. We prepare ourselves constantly, and do forward planning proactively. So, when people come to us with their learning requirements, we are ready to fulfil the demand. It’s critical to pace up with the evolving technological landscape.
First of all, we strategically maintain small batches where a trainer can provide dedicated focus to students in a completely interactive mode. Second, unlike many of our competitors, we don’t believe in muting our students unnecessarily when the lecture is going on. The classes happen in a conversational mode where the trainer shares his/her experience and expertise and students can share their doubts and unique situations, which they are facing in their respective job roles. For that matter, we advise our trainers to treat our students like their colleagues with equal respect.
Most importantly, when people trust us that we are one of the fast movers in cutting edge technology domain, then it’s our responsibility to fulfil their expectations. Specially, in EdTech it is essential to constantly analyse and improve qualities to match customer expectation always. Discovering new verticals which are having
Third, we ask our trainers to use the laptop of the students to teach the topics rather than showing some presentation or practical on the trainer’s own system. The trainer logs into their systems, draws diagrams 51
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Q: So final question, what are your future plans from here? RM: In a very short period of time, we have been able to gain the trust of large multinational companies and government organizations to become their training partner of choice. We have also been considered as one of the top big data training institutes in Bangalore by The Higher Education Magazine. We are now focusing more on customer experiences. Education is changing. These days customers prefer online training more than traditional classroom training. But, still somewhere inside they want to get that traditional classroom feeling. We are trying to bridge that gap by involving various hardware and software tools that will lead to more effective learning. We are also trying to expand our footprint through local marketing in different parts of India. Many cities are simply unaware of these online training services, and the people in these cities are unable to upgrade their skills due to a lack of quality offline training options in their cities. We wish to reach out to such people and enable them with the knowledge of this option to get skilled through online training. People around the world are taking training from us, but we believe India itself is a big untapped market for online training. With advent of low cost fast internet, this is not even as hard to get into as it used to be 5 years back. Internet penetration is growing exponentially in India. We are working on focused marketing to make people think of upgrading skills over Internet. Recently, we have also started looking into building physical presence in other countries of strategical location advantages.
potential to stay ahead of the competition. For example, future of Devops is DevopsSecOps. The more you automate, the more it is important to secure the automation. So, by realizing this puts us ahead in the industry, we are ready with our DevSecOps training course before most of our competitors. Entrepreneurs are innovators and creators. And I always believe innovation is a process not an event. We are constantly evolving out learning delivery mechanism, by increasing the intuitiveness and better interaction options between students and trainers. We are working on leveraging more AI technologies for making the learning experience even better.
We are only 3 years old and growing at a stable healthy pace to occupy a better place of employment as well. After all, we encourage a humane culture where customers, partners and employees are treated with equal respect.
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Her message to the Readers of Business Connect: I have learned many things by reading tips from magazines such as Business Connect. If I may add, my one such suggestion would be for wannabe entrepreneurs. If you have some idea in mind, don’t just keep it to yourself. Try as soon as possible to launch a business with that idea. Even if it fails, you will learn from it and correct the mistake in your next venture. You just keep trying, and one day, one such venture will suddenly become well received by your targeted customer bases. And, you will then suddenly have a real business. But all that will happen when you get out to the real market with your idea, instead of just pondering over the idea. So start fast, fail fast, recover fast, and start fresh again.
Q: That sounds really interesting. We congratulate you on being such a technology focused entrepreneur. Can you tell us your thoughts on the participation of women in entrepreneurship? RM: Women are natural negotiators. In most cases, especially in India women are the best home managers and negotiators. So in every situation be it at grocery stores or suppliers, they inherently mastered this skill of negotiations. When it comes to winning a deal, they effortlessly succeed. www.businessconnectindia.in | Vol. 2 | Special Edition November 2019 INDIA
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DESIGN IS DEFINED BY LIGHT AND SHADE, AND APPROPRIATE CREATIVITY COMES WITH
THE STUDIO VERVE Yashika Sabharwal | Business Connect
CHARITHA KAILAS (Founder)
I am going to make everything around me beautiful, which will be my life. ELSIE DE WOLFE
Women’s have to work much harder to make their worth in this world. It really riled the feminine society that women don’t get the same opportunities as men do, or money for that matter. Money gives men the power to run the business, it also gives men the power to define their values and what’s feminine. At the end of the day, what matters most is the equal rights, it’s about how we think. One has to reshape their own perception of how to view equality in themselves. Hence, the Founder and name behind women entrepreneur Mrs.Charitha Kailas of The Studio Verve evince that she is prodigious “Arduous” of this feminine world. Being born into a business family,holding an MBA degree and having the obsession for the appearance of living spaces makes her the stupendous and phenomenal Businesswomen in interior designing world. She commenced her dreams at the age of 44, and persevered studying the course of her choice, which wasbeing an Interior designer. Afterward, she used to be a homemakerfor some time, but after her kids were old enough to take care of themselves, she decided that it was her time to follow the passion. She believes that every woman should be self-sufficient and independent with their own identity and for themselves.
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Hereby, she takes it upon herself to make the multifunctional and multitasking furniture and elite thematic furniture. Shepreneurship gives a woman true independence and identity to work with an embellishment mind-set, which is conditioned by the present scenario.
In her time she never feels discrimination in the gender by the industry as we are all equal. Although the only differentiations,she assumesin the industry is that the men and women design interior living spaces differently. But she supports strongly women entrepreneurship and empowerment as everyone has a talent, which is rarer to put to the workforce because of their family responsibilities. Thereafter, shebelieves it is important to find a balance in this as one should be successful inpursuingtheir passion.
THE ALTER AND ADJUSTMENT TO MARKET INCLINATION They have a specialized team, by whom she is always connected and have educated them on the principles of interior designing. She tries and motivated the team to value the customers and serve the needs of society. Their team at The Studio Verveconsists of a full management team, which has a group of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and CADD designers. They also do the false ceiling, painting, wall paneling, tile laying, electrical work,and most importantly carpentry.
THE R&D AND ITS IMPOTENCE She believes Research and Development are essential for the growth of their company as being a service-oriented company she values the client first. It is always open doors to know what problems people are facing from challenging space restrictions in their living space.
The current scenario of the industry calls for designers, who are talented in creating innovative designs and solving storage problems. The deforming market tendency also needs to keep in mind that the aesthetics of the living spaces. The key official thinks that a good designer should understand the client and the clientele requirements before designing a living space as living spaces convey the personality traits and style of the owner. The Studio Verve caters to all the above.
Color phycology plays an important part in people and the emotions as she feels it sets the mood and comfort of the living space. She believes in adding the value to the services she provides to the client so, she designs something unique which they can proudly say that only they possess and functional too.
A FRAY TO TOIL THE GOALS The real struggle for her was with herself only. As mentioned earlier she became a homemaker immediately after completing her studies. The Gap of study is nearly 15 years again, and she went on to graduate for the career, which shewas always passionate and dreamed for. That does not matter for her tograduate in interior designing at the age of 44 after her kids were well grown. She found this phase very challenging to become a student again and had tried very hard not to let her thoughts wander on the whereabouts of the family and things. For doing the things rightand done before the family comes to home at the end of the day, she feels completely connected with both work and home positively.Mrs.Charithaowes it all to her family for encouraging her to become the best women entrepreneur. She trusted that she wouldn’t have accomplished all this as much as she can now if her family has not played the role of her backbone support. Her family always believed in her talent for creating aesthetic living spaces.
THE REAL POWER BACKUP - EMPLOYEES Whenever the clients appreciate them for their work, she gave full credit to the employees. By doing so she turnsinstills and self-confidence in them which motivates them to work extra hours to reach the deadlines and standards of the work. Founder of The Studio Verve, has changed her mission “because of me only” attitude to “because of them”attitude. She loved expressing and appreciation with a gesture of monetary benefits as she trulybelieves that a happy employee can make the customers happy. A person who is appreciated will do more than what is expected. She values the team as the difference of options and their perspectives and gives them the opportunity to share their views. CLIMACTERIC TURNING POINTS AND ATTAINMENTS She had mastered the designing challenge andtries to constraint living spaces through her innovative and creative designing. Charitha is hoping her next stage will be commercial spaces. For example, theme-based restaurants and elite showrooms.
Mrs.Charitha’s first project was herparents’house. That first work made her gain a positive experience in the profession and she gained practical knowledge apart from theoretical knowledge. Thus she gained confidence and was enthusiastic in selecting a team of members to start her entrepreneurial journey, which led to the commencement of The Studio Verve.
She accomplishes two awards and two listings in popular magazines. Apart from that, they have been awarded as Upcoming interior designing firm from Chennai for 2018at the architecture and interior designing excellence awards of India.
THE ADMITTANCE INTO THE ENTREPRENEURIAL WORLD She looks for inspiration everywhere around and updates herself with the latest technologies available in the market place regularly. She has an eye for details in everything that inspires her like art and design. She also finds for inspiration from books and magazine and looks up to the successful designers, who have made their niche in the industry. Charitha valuesthe feedback and criticism so that she can work on bettering their services.
Afterward, as the most promising interior designing firm from Tamil Nadu for 2019, at the architecture and interior designing excellence awards of India. Besides, she has been listed one among 29 other women entrepreneurs in Silicon India magazine 2018, for the most promising women entrepreneurs of India for 2018. 55
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SALONY PRIYA A GREAT SOUL WORKING FOR THE SOCIETAL CAUSE THROUGH UMMEED Vikas Jha | Business Connect Hilary Clinton, appreciating the enormous hidden talent of women race, said,
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Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.
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Nobody can undermine the potential of women as they exude it in the form of some phenomenal contribution in art, literature, music, Science, or business. Yeah, Business! Propelling with a mammoth magnitude of energies and creativity in the entrepreneurial realm, female entrepreneurs have engraved their names in golden words because of their gigantic and splendid works. One such stupor of empathy and incredible talent is Salony Priya whose contribution towards society is unmatched. Ummeed is Salony’s creation that works for the cause of society profoundly. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCURSION Salony Priya, the magnate, is a renowned counseling psychologist working in the area of Education Management, Human Development & Training, student & teacher empowerment, parental guidance & comprehensive counseling for nearly 21 years, and her interventions have reached out to several educational institutions, corporate and social organizations. She is the founder and director of Ummeed Counselling & Consulting services-a multispecialty positive psychology institution-based in Calcutta where she empowers, enables and energizes populace with therapies, workshops training and individualized sessions. Salony Priya is also a Trustee of UMEED FOUNDATION- an organization that works for underprivileged children in the field of Mental Health.
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Salony Priya | Founder & Director Coming from a simple and rooted joint family, Salony is quite attached to her values, which made her aware of people and their impact on our personalities and our life. Empathy, strong faith, and non-judgmental approach for understanding people and relationships, were nurtured in her by her granny. She was a rank holder in Science till class twelfth. The entrepreneur’s journey took a major turn when she opted for B.A. not B.Sc. or Engineering. She states, “One of the choices that set the path for me to be an entrepreneur today, as it was a risk I took, which is needed to assert myself against the norms. Thus, psychology became a subject of interest then a belief then a means to serve and provide possibilities to communities, families and individuals and today it’s my passion, not just profession. This drives me and gives me the best experiences to experience, making a difference to organizations and educational institutions with the use of Positive psychology.” 56
After 12 years of practicing psychology, providing counseling, training, empowerment and capacity building initiatives as a master trainer, she launched one of the first positive psychology centres in Eastern India, unwilling to create hospital or psychiatric set ups, UMMEED came into existence as a platform for Enabling, Empowering & Energizing people to feel young at heart. As she accomplished 21 years of professional work, the Ummeed team has moved into its tenth year. The greatest achievement as an entrepreneur is seeing better understanding of psychological & mental health in people. The number of people who have been inspired to believe in themselves, those who had the courage to challenge and those who walked beside me with conviction, are the embodiment of her success. Today in its tenth year, Ummeed successfully touches lives of thousands across 18 states of India and five countries. Hundreds of educators are certified by Ummeed to enable children & adolescents. Special educators, counselors and psychologists follow ‘the Ummeed way’ to spread awareness of Mental Health and Hope.
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Their mool mantra is Hope
Can Heal & Create!
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Salony with a tone of motivation, states, “As a woman I feel I am diligent to follow my dreams, but I prioritized my parents and my children. All had their place as they were my source of energy. I had some support from my family, rest I built as I was never ready to give up. I moved on bringing joy from home to my work and carried joy from my work to home. To all women who work for passion, share your work with your loved ones, make them participate and your journey becomes smooth and full of surprises not struggles.” UMMEED- A RAY OF HOPE Due to increasing complexities and chaos in lives, we, human beings, have lost touch with our real selves and got blurred with the commotion around. Living with constant stress and strain has disturbed our mental health, which in turn has adversely affected our relationship with self and others. On the same notion, Ummeed-the brainchild of Salony Priya came into existence. Ummeed was incepted, with a philanthropic approach, to take care of the emotional, social and physical wellbeing of the society at large. It offers psychological services for those experiencing academic, personal, relationships, and work related difficulties and also to those who be-
lieve that they can achieve much more by understanding themselves and their environment better. Ummeed strongly believes in connecting and collaborating with students and professionals from the domain of psychology and related fields to create more acceptance for counselling as a strength based preventive medium for individuals from various walks of life. For this reason, Ummeed provides internship programs. In contemporary times, taking care of mental health becomes far more important than the physical one. May be because of today’s complex life style, it requires our conscious attention. Mental health affects how we think, feel and act. Mental health is important at every stage of life from childhood to adulthood including adolescence. It impacts the educational outcome, work performance, interpersonal relationship, physical health and overall quality of life. It affects our decision making ability and choice making. Although there are effective measures and treatments, yet there is an extreme shortage of mental health workers like psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric social workers. As reported in 2014, it was as less as ‘one in 100,000 people’. Thus, there is a huge gap between demand (people who have mental health issues) and supply (number of mental health care providers). Ummeed has been instrumental in bridging this gap in its own capacity for the last 10 years. Ummeed has covered over 1500 institutions across 18 states in India, and the interventions have also reached that created a mark beyond India. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF UMMEED Ummed has a number of plans to work in the near future. Here they are: • The building of more professionals in the field of mental health as there is an acute shortage of experienced and trained professionals. • Ummeed is launching an advanced Counselling course on Adolescent Behavior management • Publishing case studies – success stories to inspire. • Parenting manual and a parenting app • Ummeed online counseling for NRI s in Singapore, Middle east, Nepal, Bhutan
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