Every day, businesswomen in India are charting new territory with their grit, innovation, and courage, even as they surmount overwhelming challenges. Their stories have always spurred me forward, filling me with determination during tough times and always reminding me that we can achieve anything we dream. That is why I was honored and humbled beyond words when I discovered that I would be receiving the prestigious ‘WeInspire Award’ by WEConnect International, an international organization that supports and promotes women-led businesses, at their annual ThinkBig 2018 event in Hyderabad!
This award would have only been possible due to the eco-system at PMR and my family, that has given me immense support. My company, PM Relocations (PMR), is the brainchild of my father. Right from my childhood, I was always fascinated by my father’s professional ethics. He used to take me on the surveys scheduled on weekends, and I was always curious to know how things are going to be handled and I used to observe how my father passionately made sure that our customers are happy and stress-free while they moved with us. Ultimately, it is his love, hard work, commitment and passion that sparked my interest in this industry and lead me to join, strengthen and expand PMR.
My father has been my biggest inspiration. Growing up watching him, I always knew what I wanted to become – an entrepreneur, making my career on my own. I have always believed that to be a successful entrepreneur one should have confidence in themselves and show people something they have potentially never seen before. If you are working for someone else, you help them with their vision, but as an entrepreneur working towards your own defined vision and belief, you make your employees & colleagues breathe your vision and together work hard to make it a successful reality. One of the best things you can do as an entrepreneur is to make sure your team grows with you.
When I joined PMR in 2007 (then PM PACKERS), I realized that this was the place where my heart lies. As a company, we always strived to be more innovative in how we could serve our customers better. By including destination & settling-in services as part of relocation, we became a one-stop destination for our clients and worked hard to make their experience stress free by keeping them regularly updated at every stage of our highly organized and technology-oriented relocation process. We also started supporting the needs of our customers that most businesses had issues with, such as relocation of pets and shifting fine art. Our sincerity and intent reflected in the immense appreciation we received and the rewards and recognition we earned for our personalized service.
To lead an unconventional business in a male-dominated industry is quite challenging, and women often get side-lined in such scenarios. Initially, I encountered many problems in getting work done by male subordinates that were much elder than me, and it was more difficult because the whole relocation industry in India was highly unorganized back then. But I was passionate about my work, and used the learning curve to explore myself and what I could achieve. I strongly believe that if the right intent is coupled with ambition and determination, there will never be limitations. It wasn’t as if there were no setbacks; they surely existed, but I took them as a learning experience and continued moving ahead.
My experiences taught me something very important - dream big and do everything in your power to make it a reality! Take the plunge and you’ll see the miracles of life. Also, success has nothing to with your gender. Be it a man or a woman, if you have the intent, you can achieve everything you want to. Always be passionate about what you do and stay focused. I believe one must have a long term goal in order to achieve what they want to and then there is nothing that can stop you from excelling in your field!
