Passion Should Be Visible From Head To Toe.
We at Investors India, had the privilege of interviewing the only Indian woman entrepreneur who actually personifies a success story. In this up-close interview, you will learn how a woman at just an age of 21, stepped ahead, to make a difference in her adopted venture by championing the idea of Relocation, which was at that time completely unknown to the people of India and was considered as an “unorganized sector” and would one day be recognized as the “Best Woman Leader”.
At such a young age, she had a lot of energy and wanted to make mistakes. She had in mind that if she wanted to achieve something, she has to give it a start.Her parents didn’t really thought that their daughter would join them in their journey where the industry was unorganised, hugely labour driven and male-oriented . She graduated from the illustrious Hindu College where she held 3 prestigious positions - President of Placement society, President of Choreography society and the Cultural Head for the College fest Mecca. Moving families had always been her passion hence, she completed her MBA from the world-renowned SP Jain School of Management (Singapore and Dubai). Post completing her MBA, she joined her father in business as an executive. Her father had a small office in Bangalore, she packed her bags, went to Bangalore and her father just gave her 1 BHK flat and a car and said that now this is your journey.
And what made the actual difference was that she was completely fearless and independent, and eager to reach somewhere… We hope you find it as inspiring as we do!
What motivated you?
Born in Calcutta, settled in Delhi, just at an age of 21, I knew what my aim was. I wanted to help my dad, wanted to be like my father. I never had a dream of a huge office, I just wanted to make him proud. Being the only child, I never had a comparison with anyone. My parents made me independent and made me take all the decisions by myself. So the main reason for my motivation was my Dad. I don’t believe in sacrificing; I have always prioritized things in life. According to me, the journey is very important, not the destination. If one doesn’t enjoy the ride, then one cannot enjoy the destination. I balanced everything: be it studies, co-curricular activities, playing etc. Moreover, I always had a very strong support system, be it my parents or my husband.
Give us an insight of your business PM Relocations?
PM Relocations is all about Global Mobility. It provides complete household goods relocation and setting in services like - home search, city orientation, cultural training, school search and tailor made modules. One does not need to think much before moving into a new home, because the ease this portal provides. We started with a small office in Kolkata, with a handful of people , At present we are close to 500 members in the PMR family. The turnover has grown from 3 crores to 40 crores plus in 10 years, with 14 offices across India. But for me, the journey has just begun. I want to expand my retail business, reach out to people. I want people to give me business not because I am good, but because, they trust me. I feel, if the people are unaware of PM Relocations (PMR) then, I have not done anything. I want the brand to be known in every aspect.
What were the challenges that you faced?
Whenever, I used to go somewhere, people used to ask me as to why have I come alone and where is my senior, as I was too young. I used to get up at 3 a.m., as I had to connect with the overseas market. I wanted to prove myself. People used to say BOSS KI BETI HAI, too young to handle business, I was compared with men. I faced lots of highs and lows in my life. Whom I trusted, they left me in-between. I had to travel a lot i.e. 170 days in a year. I did this for about 3 years. It was very difficult for me to make people work together, to lead a team in my early days.
How do you Manage your Finances?
My mother manage the funds of the business. According to me, only a woman can be a homemaker as she is very passionate about her home. Women can bind all things together. She is the one who knows every aspect be it finances, home etc. My mother is the backbone of PMR. Some Inspiring words According to me, everything is commercialized these days. I feel glamour side is not important, what is more important is that your team must remain happy. You should be proud of your team, believe in them, maintain a good relationship with them. According to me one should not sacrifice anything. I continued my dancing, travelled 34 countries, travelled alone to Iceland for about 7 days.
What message do you have for the people?
I always had a strong support system. My father never questioned me, I did, whatever I wanted to. I believe that trusting your children is very important. If you don’t trust your children, they will never become better individuals. According to me, what I became is because of my parents because they trusted me, made me believe that my viewpoint is also important. I never had to lie to my parents because of the support and trust that my parents provided me. At 21, I told my father to put his home on mortgage and take up the money and my father agreed. He had faith in me and was always proud of me! I believe, one should have comparison with oneself, not with anyone else. If your intention is pure then, nobody can stop you from achieving greater heights.
What is your success mantra?
For me following things define success:
1. You should love what you do. I believed in romantic relationship with work, I applied love to my work, as I was a big Bollywood fan.
2. Intention must be pure
3. Passion should be visible from head to toe.
4. Employees must remain happy. They should remain close to your heart.
5. At the end of the day, ask yourself, have you done something which satisfied you? If not, then where did you go wrong?
6. Ego should not come in between your work. I easily say sorry to my employees.
7. For me, respect is very important. You should respect your work.