Aakanksha Bhargava is a dynamic live wire second generation entrepreneur who has learnt the tricks of the trade with commitment. Her determination to make her business go places stems from her resolve 'to be on the move always'.

She is the CEO of 3-decade old enterprises PM Relocations who are leaders in the Indian packing and moving industry in their own right. “Ours is one of the most exciting and fast growing businesses in India,” she says with all smiles.

Aakanksha joined PMR when she was hardly 21 as Manager, International Sales. She was quick to change things around and soon the results of her efforts were beginning to bear fruits. Ever determined, she went on to handle PMR's corporate sales, marketing, and operations, amongst other departments. The first thing she began working on, in all these capacities, was to organize a largely unorganized sector. She focused on introducing systems, procedures, and planning. Small steps had surprisingly large effects. PMR, which was already a successful company by then, reached unconquered peaks under Aakanksha's dynamic leadership. With her clarity of vision, she brought immense efficiency, transparency, and productivity to PMR's already smooth functioning.

Under her leadership, PMR expanded its base to 14 offices across India, including Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in a few years. The bottomline grew manifold too. From a turnover of INR 2 cr in 2010 to over INR 40 cr in 2015, is no mean achievement.

Taking a cue from her father and idol Rajeev Bhargava, MD, PMR, Aakanksha didn't let the male-dominated industry's rigid ways keep her down. With the outstanding results and leadership that she has displayed, Aakanksha is the face of the young, emerging India that is fearless, original and versatile. To commemorate her outstanding achievements at such a young age, she was conferred with the very prestigious 'Best Woman Leader Award' at the Business Today SME Awards in 2015.

SME WORLD in interaction with Aakanksha Bhargava:

Tell us about the state of packing and moving industry in India?

The relocation industry is highly unorganized in India and the perception of a relocation / moving company is trucking, or a tempo with laborers. I believe that the sensitivity of the industry is not explored and is not considered a career option for many. There are plenty of small and unprofessional players because of which the perception is that the business demonstrates low quality of packing service, and no personalized touch. People also equate the industry with transports and uneducated group of people. However, my vision lies in changing this perception and this is what keeps me going. There are no entry restrictions to the relocation industry since everything can be outsourced.

What is the potential of the industry?

Today, the industry is amid radical change, one will eventually have to recreate the old businesses and implement innovations to make it prosper and flourish in today's competitive industry. The need to understand change in the industry may seem obvious, but such knowledge is not always easy to implement. There have been numerous changes in both the industry and in my organization in the last 10 years. The industry today has become much organized in comparison to what it was earlier. People today, know what a relocation company is and look up for professional service providers when it comes to relocating their personal goods.

What is the USP of PMR?

Our USP lies in our ability to customize according to the needs of our clients. We believe in offering personalized services to you. We understand relocating to a new city/country could be a nervous activity but with PMR all you must do is sit and relax while we do the hard work for you. We believe that you have strong sentiments with your goods hence we take extra care while moving them.

Explain your journey in the PMR and what kind of challenges you faced and are facing?

The relocation industry has always fascinated me, and the journey has been full of experiences since 2007 when I joined. The journey was tough in the beginning since in India it is considered not a place where women usually work. The moving and packing industry had dominance towards men in the earlier times but now things have changed. The job to deal with suppliers, labor, packers and, in fact, for that matter premium clients as well is nothing difficult for me now. I have spent close to 10 years in the relocation industry now and each day is a new challenge to me. Having started with 40 team members to 500+ members now, it has been an extremely inspiring journey, so far!

Expanding a traditional business was an uphill climb but what was equally challenging for me, I wanted to excel in the field women seldom venture into because I believed this to be something that can be worked upon. One of the biggest issues was that the journey was tough since in India it is considered a man's job to deal with suppliers, labor, packers and, in fact, for that matter premium clients as well. "Time can change a lot of things, situations, circumstances… but it can never take away your will, courage and determination to chase your dreams. It can make or break you but cannot stop you!!!" is what I believed in back then.

Getting work done by male subordinates was difficult initially. People didn't take me seriously. But when I constantly interacted with them, they knew I meant serious business. I learnt a lot about the industry and the market. Hence, through high level of commitment, patience and conviction I could spear head the company to success.

One of the biggest challenges was to source people since we were stagnant for all those years, not many from the industry wanted to join us and fresh blood didn't know about this industry. Over this period, I had to lead by example at all levels right from selling to building the brand, to keep upgrading the processes and systems with increasing work and manpower, setting up a professional culture and most importantly all of this had to be done in budget since we have not been funded by anyone. The business demands a lot of working capital whereas we work on credit; hence balancing the same was a challenge.

What is your vision for expansion?

PMR wants to be recognized as a one-stop service provider with all relocation needs looked after. The company is planning to work on a larger scale in the future and that is why is constantly improving the working standards, similar ones which will have details on making your move simpler and easier. We are looking forward to extending our business to few more cities. We are looking at strengthening our foothold in the Global relocation market too. We have done few of the high-end art moving as well as exhibition assistance for top galleries and hence want to expand our Art moving division catering to a larger market which is currently a smaller unit in comparison to other sections. An app for PMR is on the cards as well.