2021 | Vol-07 | Issue-04
Women Inspiring
Leadership Traits How Female Leadership Has Evolved Over Time?
in Business 2021
Remote Working Dynamics Overcoming Challenges Faced by Business Professionals in a Remote Setting
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THE RISE OF WOMEN LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS
here’s something to be said about the people, both men and women, who feel that a woman can’t do certain things. On second thoughts, there’s nothing to be said about this mentality. It’s all been said before. These are relics of the past, and we should just leave them in the past. At present, many women occupy the most dignified roles as some of the top thinkers, creators, entrepreneurs, educators, politicians, and world leaders. And they are just getting started. In the business world, significantly more women are CEOs, and business leaders of Fortune 500 companies and firms, than ever before in the 65-year-old history of Edgar P’s Fortune 500. These fierce and motivated women have, time and time again, challenged the status quo and redefined what leading a business is all about. Charged with an indomitable spirit and a fervent passion for their work, ladies are breaking all stereotypes of being ‘unsuited’ or ‘weak’ or ‘emotional’ for any of kind of profession and acting as a source of unlimited inspiration for young girls and boys worldwide. And the fact that women traversing through the business world in every way possible has been nothing but beneficial for the business world, as we get newer and, in most cases, better perspectives on the same problems that have always troubled the business world.
Aditya Umale adityaumale@insightssuccess.com
The notion that someone must lose in order for someone else to succeed has been debunked time and time again. The word compromise, which once had a negative connotation in the corporate world, has been given a new lease on life. Compromise – according to the feminine perspective – is about listening to the other person, understanding their requirements, and then finding an appropriate solution accordingly. At large, the psychological community agrees that males are generally more interested in things or devices, whereas females are generally more interested in people. Studies further show that females are more inquisitive of others and open to pursuance of knowledge about other emotional and mental well-being, desires, goals and needs. Women being more people oriented, make better team builders and leaders. In a nutshell, women make the best people-whisperers; they are better at dealing with people and negotiating as a general rule. These aforementioned things are barely scratching at the surface of the multitudinous ways in which women are transforming the business game. It would be cliché to state that women are “making new paths for themselves” or “breaking the glass ceiling” or some bromide of that sort. The fact of the matter is – owing to their skills, competencies, exuberance, vitality, never-give-up attitudes, patience, adaptability, and
steadfast devotion to their goals – women are already the top players of their respective arenas. In this fresh edition of the Insights Success Magazine – ‘Inspiring Women in Business’, we are honoured to feature the stories of some of the leading female leaders in the Indian business landscape, who are thriving at the top jobs with a happy-go-lucky smile. The time has come to shed the need to differentiate between ‘leaders’ and ‘female leaders’. The time has come to watch as these ladies take the centre stage. So, sit back, relax, take some time off the drudgery, and brew a fresh batch. Because it’s going to be a good one. Happy Reading!
male U a y t i d A
10 Ar. Ekta Ahuja A Veteran Architect and Interior Designer Breathing Life into Luxury Interior Designs
14 Jayanti Gupta Streamlining Operations for You
20 Mahalakshmi M Ambuli Transforming the HR Solution Landscape with Innovation and Dedication
24 Sanaz Hooman A Serial Entrepreneur having Diverse Experience
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Leadership Traits
Remote Working Dynamics
How Female Leadership Has Evolved Over Time?
Overcoming Challenges Faced by Business Professionals in a Remote Setting
Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Deputy Editor Abhishaj Sajeev
sales@insightssuccess.com
Managing Editor Darshan Parmar
JULY, 2021
Assisting Editor Ananda Kamal Das Contributing Writers Trishika, Vinayak
Corporate Offices: Chief Designer Priyanka Rajage Designing Head Vishal Pawar Co-designer Rashmi Singh
Operations Head Megha Mishra
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Management
Company Name
Brief
Tejomaya Architects & Interior Designers
Ekta is a veteran architect with over 20 years of experience in architecture and luxury interior design
Jayanti Gupta
Ivalue Plus
Jayanti, a proactive founder brings more than 21 years of rich industry experience with an insight to provide innovative solutions
Mahalakshmi M
Maatrom Solution
Mahalakshmi founded Maatrom Solution in the year 2015, with a vision to provide quality HR services, collaborating with client organisations to enrich their business
Sanaz Hooman
Opulence Global
As a respected and successful entrepreneur, Sanaz has become a mentor to many and is dedicated to helping others reach their goals
Ekta Ahuja
Ar. Ekta Ahuja A Veteran Architect and Interior Designer Breathing Life into Luxury Interior Designs
They are putting in their best efforts to ensure that every target is achieved at the designated time period. These dedicated business leaders treat every employee as equals and provide them the opportunity to nurture their skills and grow as professionals. These inspiring businesswomen are not only achieving their business objectives but are also inspiring others to achieve their best through their dedicated endeavours. One such noteworthy and inspiring woman who is transforming the business world through her constant efforts is none other than Ar. Ekta Ahuja, the Business Owner of Tejomaya Designs. Exploring the Seasoned Veteran Ar. Ekta is a name well-known in her industry with over 20 years of
experience in architecture and luxury interior design. She is the principal architect and founder of her company ‘Tejomaya’. The term ‘Tejomaya’ means full of light the essence of which Ar. Ekta whole-heartedly endeavours to bring into all aspects of her professional and personal life. She is an alumnus of Dr B. N. College of Architecture and has done her schooling from St. Joseph’s High School, Pashan. She has worked with well-known architects before striking out to chart her course. A Focused Entrepreneur Ar. Ekta is an avid traveller with a keen interest in technology. Part of her wanderlust is the thirst to learn about and incorporate ever-evolving style, conveniences, and trends from the international design industry and technology into her work. She refers to her design style as ‘maximalist, layered with unique colour combinations, textures and exquisite artefacts, yet uncluttered. Her clients rely on her for her sophisticated yet entirely liveable design vision that remains unique to each client’s personality. Ar. Ekta lives in Pune with her husband, in-laws, and two children aged 15 and 11 and her pet chihuahua.
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While performing each project, I take inspiration from the spirit of the client, the essence of the space, and lastly, its surroundings
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ucceeding in any business requires grit, determination, hard work, passion, and an innovative mindset. Only dedicated businessperson with the zeal to achieve their goals and a knack to push their limits can transform their dreams into realities. In today’s modern age, women are equally participating in business activities and are transforming a small business into a huge corporation.
Inspiring Women in Business 2021
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this firm is known for transforming basic brick and mortar into extraordinary spaces. This professional enterprise visualizes, ideates, and implements residential, commercial, and/or industrial projects that redefine a particular area's architectural landscape at large. It has the know-how to cater to a diverse set of industries spanning hospitality, education, healthcare, IT, and retail. Each architectural project this firm undertakes employs a dedication to design excellence, efficient delivery, and sophistication in building technology.
A Figurehead in the Luxury Interior Design Industry Ar. Ekta Ahuja is one of the most sought-after luxury interior designers in Pune. It was her relentless passion for design when she was 18 years old that kick started her iconic career. Ekta’s ever evolving style is best defined as a ‘classic contemporary’ creating a non-chalant and stylish dialogue. Her use of neutral tones in the furniture and adding colour with artwork, artefacts and soft furnishings brings in the distinctive point of view to create memorable and inspired spaces. She gives a timeless and refined vision to every project she undertakes with a marked understanding of antiques and artefacts, textiles and textures, fine art and bespoke design, and scales and proportions. While performing each project, her philosophy is a combination of three sources of inspiration: the spirit of the client, the essence of the space, and lastly, its surroundings. By combining these three variables, each ‘project
equation’ yields a bespoke, ultrapersonalised and coherent result. Ekta’s portfolio is a diverse selection of luxury projects spanning across Pune. Her team has put their stamps on penthouses, bungalows, chalets, apartments, offices, showrooms, retail stores, facade designs, and landscape. Recipient of Several Laurels Throughout her illustrious career of crafting numerous masterpieces, Ar. Ekta has received many awards and recognition. She received the ‘Achievers Award’ for the Most Innovative Interior Designer in the year 2019. Ar. Ekta’s work has been featured in ‘Family Interiors’ magazine and ‘Architecture and Interior Reflections.’ About Tejomaya Tejomaya Architects & Interior Designers is one of the leading architectural firms in Pune. It is known for architects, interior designers, and much more. Armed with an in-depth knowledge and extensive expertise in the realm of architecture and design,
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Delivering Excellent Services Ar. Ekta has an experienced, highly qualified, and dynamic team of interior designers, architects, technicians, and project managers specializing in multiple aspects of design. The combined skills of the team and their extensive network of professional and highly skilled consultants, artisans, construction experts, and manufacturers of bespoke services allow them to offer the consummate design experience for their clients. This depth of knowledge has allowed her to undertake a wide variety of projects with varying budgets and divergent levels of specification and intensity. Ar. Ekta takes on projects ranging from a straightforward interior design refurbishment through to the complex architectural design, development, and construction of substantial properties. Tejomaya is renowned for its turnkey integrated lifestyle design. Ar. Ekta and her team manage the entire process from conception through to completion. The team is equally accustomed to working on both residential and commercial projects, in and outside Pune.
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Innovation for me is finding the right solution
for the customer in shortest time possible,
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maintaining the
core competency of quality
Jayanti Gupta Founder/Managing Director
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nderstanding business needs, objectives & the associated dynamics and then proposing a tailored approach adhering to the allocated budget is a crucial task performed by iValueplus. Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. But for Ms. Jayanti Gupta, the Founder/Managing Director of IVALUEPLUS, innovation was finding opportunities in challenges, be it the current pandemic or any other day in office. Innovation for Ms. Gupta was in finding the right solution for the customer in the shortest time possible, maintaining the core competency of quality or applying ideas that improved the way things are done or can be achieved. The idea of innovation should be part of the company's genetic code in order
to transform challenges into business opportunities. Ivalueplus is one such company that closely monitors the execution of the proposed solution under well-defined processes and procedures by leveraging deep industry and technological knowledge.
geographies, to expand operations in India. The challenge was to come out with a unique turnkey solution and that triggered to start an innovative venture as Ivalueplus, putting in practice all she had learned in her career till then.
Ms. Gupta's passion for entrepreneurship came much later in her professional career. She graduated from university in an era when entrepreneurship was not very common. Ms. Gupta was a young computer engineer ready to dive in the realm of software industry. Her postgraduation, and MBA in IT-Ecommerce helped her to have a successful career with multinationals such as NIIT and Hewitt Associates. In her job tenure, she had experience of working with diversified teams across domains.
Ms. Gupta's Inspiration There is no single person who inspires Ms. Gupta, but different people who had a similar mindset as hers, innovators who were able to think out of the box, adapting continuously to the changing environment and trends. For Ms. Gupta, a young graduate who shared his/her sustainable and innovative idea on any platform to a TEDx talk was an inspiration. These were the people who idealistically looked for ways to make their contribution for a better world.
It was during her stint with Hewitt, Ms. Gupta realized the huge scope and need for providing services to small and medium-sized companies across
Building a business from scratch is always challenging. Building a services company which caters to setting up or expanding any business
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Inspiring Women in Business 2021
Streamlining Operations for You across domains was exponentially more challenging. The scope, scalability and the business insights kept Ms. Gupta going and inspires her every day. Challenges Faced Being into services business, Ms. Gupta had to face many challenges. The nature of the business was such that it took a lot of effort and time to understand the business need of their prospect and then tailor their services accordingly. Also, it took patience and right mix of team to successfully run the organization. Operations, Mission, Vision, and Core Values of the Company IVALUEPLUS was founded as a managed service provider to enable business houses setup their existence in India keeping the costs within budget. The company’s mission is to provide its customers with the best suited services and solutions to achieve their business goals. The company's vision is to be the trusted managed service partner for businesses across the globe. The company's core values are to work with total transparency, authenticity and commitment thereby adding value to business and driving efficiency to go beyond. Effects of the Pandemic COVID-19 had completely changed the dynamics of the world causing
major disruptions to many businesses. Things did not change much for Ivalueplus in the current pandemic. Regarding employees, work did not change much while moving to remote working. Most of the key business processes were robust enough to handle the heat of remote working in pandemic. It is their USP- managing remote teams. The team at Ivalueplus is proud to say that none of their employees lost their jobs or had to face any salary cuts. In addition to this, Ivalueplus gave them confidence by getting them insured for COVID-19. Creative Ways for Vibrant Environment Some of the creative practices that kept the work environment vibrant were: • Supporting WFH for the employees • Celebrating special moments in the employees' life through parties and lunch treats • Rewarding the best performers with gift coupons and bonuses. • Conducting open house sessions on Fridays • Ongoing trainings to keep the employees at pace • Planning frequent outings to break the work monotony Essentials of Being an Inspiring Business Leader To be an inspiring leader, one must trust his or her capability while having a clear focus on the vision and mission set aside for the organization. The essentials of being an inspiring JULY 2021 | 15 | www.insightssuccess.in
business leader are: • Taking equal accountability for both success and failure • Being consistent and resilient for learning through mistakes • Setting the directions to anticipate and navigate challenges • Motivating others to grow Advice for Young Generation of Entrepreneurs The young generation needs to understand that leadership always comes with qualities like generosity, hard work, reliability, authenticity, perseverance, resilience, and inspiration. One can become a leader only when they feel their own values strongly and accepts their own flaws without regrets. Technology should be seen as an opportunity, as it opens various avenues specially in today’s time. Future Growth Aspects Ms. Gupta strongly believes in the phrase “We grow, you grow”. If an organization progresses, the employees will also progress. Having said that, the entire team should work towards the growth of the organization with a common vision. Innovation, improvisation, dedication, commitment and adopting to new technology are key ingredients towards the growth of an organization. Ivalueplus has some target geographies where it wishes to expand its customer base. To achieve this, the team has already set its strategies for the subsequent years.
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Leadership Traits
How
Female Leadership Has Evolved Over
Time?
If Your Actions Create A Legacy That Inspires Others To Dream More, Learn More, Do More And Become More, Then, You Are An Excellent Leader. -D o l l y P a r t o n
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omen for most of history have been subjected to several societal oppression. Even though this has been the case for the species, they’ve managed to show their strength and potential every time they got even a flicker of hope and opportunity. They’ve not just stood up for themselves but also for the rest of the population and proved the significance of feminine energy in the world, which had long been made to feel inferior. In this article, we will explore how female leadership has evolved over the years despite of the extreme challenges posed by the society.
Early female leadership legacy – Females in the ancient society faced a lot more adversities than what we get to witness today. In spite of this scenario, some brave women rose to strength and addressed the pressing issues of those times and made meaningful contributions to the society. From Ahilyabai Holkar (1725-1795), the philosopher queen of Malwa, who took over the kingdom after her husband’s death and made the kingdom prosper under her rule to Kittur Chennamma (1778-1829), the queen of Kittur, a fierce warrior who led an armed rebellion against the British East India Company and defended her state until the British captured her to imprison until death. Likewise, we have Rani Laxmibai (1828-1858) in the West, who most of us have heard of because of her bravado in the war of independence against the British. We’ve heard the folklore of how she fought with the enemy bravely while also fulfilling her duty as a mother. These are some of the amazing women leaders who set example as warriors in 17th and 18th century India. Their valour is something that everyone can take inspiration from. Furthermore, women leaders also contributed to other sectors of the society. There are leaders like Savitribai Phule (1831-1897) who sacrificed their life in serving the society. Her core contribution was towards women’s education and rehabilitation of pregnant rape victims. Even after all the backlash from the then conservative system, she persistently kept educating girls and opened the first school for girls in 1848. Similar story is of Abala Bose (18651951), who worked towards the upliftment of women and stressed on getting them educated. In the field of medicine, Anandi Gopal Joshi (1865-1887) is a pioneering and prominent name. Born in the revolutionary state of Maharashtra, she was one of the first Indian female doctors alongside Kadambini Ganguly (1861-1923). Even though she died at a tender age of just 21, she set an
example and became inspiration for the young girls of her times to pursue STEM studies. Personalities like Captain Prem Mathur (1910-1992), who was the first Indian commercial pilot have left a remarkable name for themselves for their sheer resilience in pursuing their dreams. Captain Prem Mathur was rejected by eight private airlines just for being a woman before she landed a job with Deccan Airways. There are so many other prominent names in plethora of other fields like social work, politics, astronomy, law, and so much more but trying to accumulate all those great names would probably compile a whole book. Taking forward the legacy of these early revolutionary women leaders, there are quite a few modern Indian women who are setting example for the current and future generations to come. Starting with Kirthiga Reddy, a former managing director at Facebook India, who’s currently a venture partner for SoftBank’s US $100 billion vision fund. She’s been listed among the 25 most influential Indian women and 2011, also became Fortune India’s Top 50 most powerful Women. That’s quite an achievement in a predominantly male dominant sector. There are other personas like Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma in the world of banking who’ve successfully spearheaded their respective institutions to take them to new heights. Vanitha Narayana is another leading personality who’s currently the managing director of IBMVerizon relationship. Previously, she served as the managing director of IBM India. Ending the list with a very young and bright name in the tradition, Roshni Nadar Malhotra. Roshni is the first woman to head a listed IT company. Nadar took over HCL Technologies in 2008 as the CEO and Executive Director of the company. She indeed is representing the modern female leaders well. The list becomes exhaustive when one tries to name all the important women in the history and present who are changing the norms of the society with their effective leadership. They are all a perfect example of how when you give a woman the slightest of opportunity to show her potential, she will shine through. And needless to say, there is so much more that women have to offer to the world and they rightfully will, given the liberty to do so.
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- Trishika Rokade
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Mahalakshmi M Ambuli Transforming the HR Solution Landscape with Innovation and Dedication
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The biggest asset in the world is your mindset and your knowledge
edicated businesswomen are characterized by hard work, dedication, creativity, and a never-say-die attitude. They are driven by the goal to take their business to the heights of excellence. They never back down from any challenge and tackle every difficult situation with innovative solutions. These leaders treat every employee as equals. They not only focus on the development of the company, but also ensure that the employees grow professionally and enhance their skills. One such prominent business leader who is changing the face of the business with her dedicated leadership and innovative endeavors is none other than Ms. Mahalakshmi M Ambuli, the Founder and CEO of Maatrom HR Solution.
This further gave Ms. Mahalakshmi the exposure and confidence to work with people from diverse backgrounds and different industries. Based on concepts and knowledge developed from insights gathered over two decades of domestic and overseas experience and the support from her family, she took the initiative to start “Maatrom HR Solution” in 2015 giving wings to her dream thereby providing a platform for young individuals to learn, grow, and innovate through Maatrom HR and become successful HR professionals with positive attitude, helping to shape today’s workforce. Ms. Mahalakshmi is inspired by the feeling of providing jobs to young aspirants and by her dream of becoming a successful women entrepreneur. Braving the Storms
Ms. Mahalakshmi worked as an environmental engineer for few years right after her engineering education at College of Engineering, Guindy (Anna University). Subsequently, she pursued an MBA with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur to serve the society and help shape the careers of several other individuals. After her marriage, Ms. Mahalakshmi went to the USA with her husband who was on an overseas work assignment. There, she had the opportunity to work for few years in multicultural environments in different cities such as Minneapolis, Detroit, and Atlanta. JULY 2021 | 20 | www.insightssuccess.in
As the Founder & Director of Maatrom HR Solution, Ms. Mahalakshmi took on numerous challenges to take the company where it is today. She was involved in talent management- she retained the right personnel, motivated the teams, and increased their morale, engagement, and commitment to the organization. Ms. Mahalakshmi led across multiple groups – transforming Maatrom HR Solution into collaborative organization, that sees broader potential.
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Inspiring Women in Business 2021
Ms. Mahalakshmi M Ambuli Founder and CEO
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training to the employees who lack skill, and solving any legal issues related to HR Statutory. These services are based on strong concepts and knowledge developed from insights gathered over 20 years of domestic and overseas experience. Emphasis on Digitization and Innovation
She upgraded the business operations and performance by raising quality standards across the organization and focused on transition of organization from startup to successful operation. Tackling the Pandemic Challenge Head On With all the changes brought by COVID-19, Maatrom HR implemented remote work policies and made sure employees feel engaged. “We maintained the same work culture during this time also”, states Ms. Mahalakshmi. She further made sure that everyone is vaccinated and is covered with medical insurance for covid. Promoting a Vibrant Work Culture Under the ardent leadership of Ms. Mahalakshmi, Maatrom HR ensures that the employees feel valued after becoming a part of the company. As such, the company provides flexible work culture which enables work life balance for both female and male associates. Employees are allotted work based on their inclination and interest, apart from their skills.
Ms. Mahalakshmi also ensures that Maatrom HR provides the scope of open communication and job rotation facilities to the employees. The company offers a performance-oriented employee recognition program, which allows the employees to learn, grow, innovate, and develop. The company has zero tolerance for unfair practices and makes sure that the workplace has a fun and cooperative environment. About Maatrom HR Solution Maatrom solution is an end-to-end HR solution providing company to various industries like IT, manufacturing, architect and interior designing, banking and financial institutions, auditing, automotive, hotel & restaurant, insurance, and education and training. So far, they have placed around 2000 white collar candidates and have around 200 clients. Maatrom Solution partners with client organisation to enrich their business by offering a wide range of HR services and help client to solve the HR issues like hiring suitable smart candidates for the open position, providing JULY 2021 | 22 | www.insightssuccess.in
Ms. Mahalakshmi lays tremendous emphasis on digitization. She believes that it is of utmost importance. Under her able stewardship, Maatrom HR is serving its payroll services as cloud based. Employees can login from anywhere and access their data. The company is also focusing on social media recruitment through websites such as Linkedin. “We also add video interviews of candidates and shared with our clients, which helped them by saving time and getting quality candidates”, opines Ms. Mahalakshmi. Words of Inspiration for the Emerging Entrepreneurs Addressing the young business leaders of tomorrow, Ms. Mahalakshmi states, “The biggest asset in the world is your mindset and your knowledge. So, empower it with positivity and enhance your knowledge in current trends in your respective businesses”. Marching Ahead Confidently Speaking about the future endeavours of Maatron HR, Ms. Mahalakshmi states that the company is planning to expand its services to US and Singapore. In the next five years, she believes that the company will transform into a global HR Services/ Solution Provider and will provide the best services to the clients.
Inspiring Women in Business- 2021
Sanaz Hooman A Serial Entrepreneur having Diverse Experience
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ifestyle today is an amalgamation of various parameters. It includes dressing, accessories, beauty, and health. Since these reflect the persona of an individual, it is very important that these products are par excellence. With competition in the field of fashion, beauty, personal care and health, one needs to do things differently to become a global name. One such designer fashion house that has revolutionized the fashion industry and has chosen to stand apart is Opulence Global, under the able leadership of Sanaz Hooman, Senior Vice President and Chief Designer.
Sanaz is an International Business and Marketing graduate, in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. During her education, she received a scholarship to further her studies in international business and trade in Japan. It was that very trip to Japan that inspired and evoked her passion for world culture, and international business. Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Sanaz founded her own company at the tender age of nineteen, delving into the world of fashion and client care. She spent her early 20's learning about MLM and entered her first MLM business in 2002 and quickly developed her business as a distributor. With over two decades of business experience, she eventually left the sales field and took a position in 2006 with Opulence Global, while they were still in their infancy stages.
With hard work, dedication, and perseverance Sanaz eventually rose to become the Senior Vice President and Chief Designer at Opulence Global. Established in 2005 as Global Wealth Trade Corporation, Opulence Global is Canada's largest designer fashion house dedicated to design and manufacture products that impact your life. Opulence Global's mission is to provide clients with an optimum lifestyle, optimum beauty and optimum health.
the Norwegian Spruce tree grown in Finland and are manufactured to become to help protect and preserve well-being by addressing the free radicals causing oxidative stress in our bodies.
Opulence Global's wide range of lifestyle products comprise their FERI and POSH fashion pieces, which include fine 950 silver jewelry and luxurious red-carpet collection, handcrafted 100% European made leather shoes and bags, high-quality sunglasses and much more. Their spagrade anti-aging FERI Flawless skincare regimen is designed to provide people with a simple solution to address aging skin issues and improve the appearance of the skin. Through the development of FERI Flawless, the research team has discovered the remarkable power of Microsilver and Norwegian Spruce Tree extract, two key proprietary ingredients used extensively in Opulence Global's personal care products, FERI Microsilver Protection Toothpaste, FERI Microsilver Protection Natural Spray, POSH Captive and Sensual Body Wash + Shampoo and Conditioner.
Anyone can do it anywhere in the world even with no experience.
In health, Opulence Global has harvested one of nature's most powerful antioxidants – lignans from
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Through social selling and sharing Opulence Global provides its partners with a state-of-the-art online shop loaded with the finest fashion, personal care and health products exclusive only to Opulence Global.
Opulence Global is best known for developing leaders and creating fulltime income on a part-time basis in record time. If being consistently recognized for achievements and being able to receive residual income from over 200 countries and territories is what you are looking for, then you are in the right place. Living an opulent lifestyle is no longer exclusive to a few privileged people. If you have the will, Opulence Global has the way. The Inspiration Sanaz Hooman's family is her biggest inspiration. Arriving in Canada as an immigrant when she was a little girl, with her family in pursuit of big dreams and new hopes for the future, she saw the hard work and dedication her parents put into building a life for her family. Their work ethics inspire her every day. Knowing and seeing the lives of entrepreneurs grow and evolve
“
Entrepreneurship has massive rewards for personal growth and development, but remember
you are paving the path for others,
you are leading others. Lead with strength, lead with passion,
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lead with conviction. Failure is not an option.
Sanaz Hooman, Senior Vice President/ Chief Designer
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over the years from the work that she does is also very motivating. Sanaz asserts that is at peace at the end of a long workday, knowing all the efforts she put in are making a difference in the world. Challenges Faced Growing any business has its own challenges, there are standard ones such as building your brand image and creating impeccable products, developing a loyal customer base, and assembling the right support system for the business. Being an international business, Opulence Global also encountered these challenges on a global scaled such as logistics matters, regulatory restrictions, and localized market expansion complications. “If it exists, make it better; if it doesn't exist, create it.” is Opulence Global's Founder/CEO, Ramin Mesgarlou's philosophy, which Sanaz applies when faced with adversity. Creating new ways, thinking outside the box and rising above all the challenges that come your way. Travelling around the world, being on the ground and fully immersed in the local culture, also allows her to understand their challenges and better able to work out solutions for each localized problem when Sanaz is back in the office. During her 15 years with Opulence Global, she learned many lessons and developed a set of leadership skills she may not have otherwise. Effects of the Pandemic The pandemic has most certainly affected Opulence Global and brought on its own set of challenges. Under the leadership of Mr. Mesgarlou, Opulence Global was able to thrive and had a record-breaking year in the middle of the pandemic with revenue growing 364%. Opulence Global's ecommerce platform, allowed them to run their business virtually, servicing their customers worldwide with
minimal interruptions when most of the world was under stay-at-home orders The pandemic inspired Opulence Global to create products that help support well-being, making microbe cleansing a proprietary in their product development. Since then, they have further expanded their FERI Microsilver Protection line, which now includes the natural spray that cleans the microbes off their cloth face masks in between wash. Opulence also has a hand and body moisturizer releasing soon, utilizing the micro cleansing power of Microsilver and the antioxidant power from the lignans found in the Norwegian Spruce extract. Furthermore, Opulence Global has a new product in development to complement one of their top-sellers, the FERI Microsilver Protection Fluoride-Free toothpaste completing their oral care line. Microsilver is nontoxic making the products familyfriendly. Essentials of Being an Inspiring Business Leader Passion. Enthusiasm. Integrity. And your reason. Sanaz believes everyone should have the opportunity to thrive. When you are driven by passion, work is enjoyable and you are able to work harder and even more devoted, she advises. There will always be bad days. “Your passion and enthusiasm will help you wake up in the morning and get to work. And never, ever lose your integrity, like trust - once it is lost, it is very hard to regain. And last but not least, as the CEO of Opulence Global always says “Your 'why' should make you cry.” What that means is that you are so emotionally attached to the reason you started your business journey that when you think about it, it makes you cry. When in doubt, remember why you got started,” she emphasizes. Advice for the Young Generation of Entrepreneurs
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“Entrepreneurship has massive rewards for personal growth and development, it is about challenging yourself, being open to new opportunities, evolving and adapting to the ever-changing world. Entrepreneurs are leaders. Lead with strength, lead with passion, lead with conviction. “Failure is not an option,” describes Sanaz. Views on Innovation “Innovation means growing, creating and evolving. It is about creating new products and creating new ways for business to grow. “For example, when we created the Microsilver and Norwegian Spruce Tree extract infused FERI Sterling hand and body moisturizer, it was about providing a complement to hand sanitizers in supporting the microbe cleansing process. We are leading our product development with these proprietary ingredients, using state-of-the-art technology on our e-commerce platform to improve the quality of lives of our consumers worldwide. In business, we have adapted to the stay-at-home economy and created global virtual products and business showcases to share the benefits of our products and distribution opportunities worldwide without leaving the safety and comfort of our customers' homes,” said Sanaz. These are some of the innovative ways which Opulence Global has been able to work, to create a better environment for its partners, giving them security, giving them opportunities, and most importantly giving them products that create opportunities for them to grow and create a niche in their marketplace. For example, the home diffusers that Opulence is researching on, is inspired by the notion that more and more people are going to be staying in their homes and the increasing awareness of creating a more comfortable home for themselves.
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Remote Working Dynamics
Overcoming
Challenges Faced by Business Professionals
in a Remote Setting
T
here were the days when people dreamt about their jobs – no need to travel to the company, no manager is hanging over your shoulders, no more frustrating colleagues. Just sit at your home, do your work, and get paid for it. It was just a dream until the world was shaken by COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic did not only stop the world, but also changed the dynamics of working culture. Offline working shifted to online, and it led to the new normal – work from home. Different studies demonstrate that remote workers are more efficient than office workers. Remote working provides more healthier and positive work environment. It eliminates the traveling time and cost. Though remote working seems to be more attractive, it is not a bed of roses. Despite all the advantages, there are number of challenges that arise from remote working. Let’s begin with the most common challenges of remote working.
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Collaboration Between the Team It is one of the major challenges that impacts working of every organization. Team leader has to manage the workload and for this, regular collaboration between all team members is much needed. But it is always difficult to gather a team under one roof, especially when the team members are working from different locations. This problem can be cured by using technology. There are many software tools that provide a single platform to all team members and make face to face conversations. It eliminates the collaboration problem and sharing of ideas and concepts become easy. Overworking and Time Handling Remote working always shuffles the timetable. Employees feel that their work is infinite and never-ending. They never know the correct time to stop. Hence, they end up with the stress of overworking. To avoid this, you can make a timetable of the work. It should include the starting time and ending time of working. Timely brakes should be included as they freshen the mind and increases concentration in the work. Setting alarms is the best way to deal with it. These alarms will indicate that you are going with right speed. With fresh mind, employees are more productive and take less time to complete their work. Connectivity Problems and Technological Break Downs Technology provides great assets to remote working. However, working from home is impossible without internet. Connection error is the most common problem that occurs during working. Poor internet connection creates obstacles during the ongoing meetings. Many companies use domains that require high speed internet. Failure in connection can stop the whole process, which leads to the frustration among workers. Hence, to eliminate this unwanted situation, there should be a backup plan. You should keep an extra device that provides the alternate options. For example, while working on laptop you can use mobile hotspot devices. This will save your time and efforts and eliminate the server issues.
upgrading of software is important for smooth working. If any part is not working, replace it immediately to avoid further problems. Meeting the Deadlines Many people struggle to meet deadlines of their work. The habit of doing so many things at the same time creates confusion about the work. Therefore, prioritising of work is essential. If you are working on a specific project, just concentrate on it. Avoid multi-tasking at same time. Prioritise the work in reverse pyramid i.e., focus on difficult and challenging projects first and then go for the regular ones. It will also help you to overcome the psychological barriers. Once you complete the most hectic task, you feel more relaxed and able to focus on less important tasks. Also, never ignore the submission dates, complete them on priority. Such prioritization of work is crucial to meet the deadlines. Interruptions at Home Interruptions at home is a difficult situation to deal with. If you are working from home, family interruptions are always on cards. Sometimes your young ones interrupt you, sometimes doorbell rings, your neighbours have different plans, these kinds of situations are always going to lose your concentration. It is not easy to create a boundary between your work and family. It becomes difficult to avoid these problems as they have emotional angles. So, to deal with them in a gentle way, set up a kind of signal that lets others know that you are working. You can simply set a sign board saying ‘do not disturb’ on the door. In case of your kids, plan to work when they are asleep. Minimizing family interruptions will save your time and allow you to better utilize it. Life is changing every day and managing the manpower and workload is an art. If you are able to overcome these challenges, it will increase your productivity and save time. You can enjoy your work-life along with the family-life. In short, Mondays won’t be blue if you know how to colour them.
In many cases, electronic devices can cause some technical problems such as shut down during the work, battery backup problem of laptops etc. To overcome this, you must check the devices before starting the work. Regular
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- Vinayak Ghorpade