Women Entrepreneur... New Face of Women

Women constitute almost half of the total population of world. Similarly in India also women constitute fifty percent of the total population.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Till the turn of the century, man has enjoyed a dominant position. But change in position technological innovation and modern way of thinking can reduce the disparity between man and women, and bring about equality and equity between them, the need of the hour in women empowerment both through provision of employment and enterprise creation. Typologically, the former leader to endogenous empowerment and the latter give rise to exogenous empowerment.

Women entreprenurer's have been making a significant impact in all segments of the economy in Canada, Great Britain, Germany Australia and US.

The areas choosen by women are retail trade,  restaurants, hotels, education, cultural,  cleaning insurance and manufacturing.

It is the group of women or single women running an enterprise or company in order to earn profit. Now days because of   women empowerment women are stepping-stone into the industries and are taking the place of men. Now a day's women's are running several business like beauty parlours, switching shops, boutiques, etc.

Women entrepreneurs may be defined as a woman or a group of women who initiate, organize and run a business enterprise. In terms of Schunpeterian concept of innovative entrepreneurs, women who innovate, initiate or adopt a business activity are called business entrepreneur.

The Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs based on women participation in equity and employment of a business enterprise. Accordingly, a woman entrepreneur is defined as an enterprise owned and controlled by a woman having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of the employment generated in the enterprise to a woman.

They have made there marks in business because of the following reasons:

• They want to improve their mettle in innovation and competitive jobs.
• They want the change to control the balance between their families and responsibility and their business levels.
• They want new challenges and opportunities for self fulfillment.

Role of women as an Entrepreneur's:

1) Imaginative: It refers to the imaginative approach or original ideas with competitive market. Well-planned approach is needed to examine the existing situation and to identify the entrepreneurial opportunities. It further implies that women entrepreneur's have association with knowledgeable people and contracting the right organization offering support and services.

2) Attribute to work hard: Enterprising women have further ability to work hard. The imaginative ideas have to come to a fair play. Hard work is needed to build up an enterprise..

3) Persistence: Women entrepreneurs must have an intention to fulfill their dreams. They have to make a dream transferred into an idea enterprise; Studies show that successful women work hard.

4) Ability and desire to take risk the desire refers to the willingness to take risk and ability to the proficiency in planning making forecast estimates and calculations.

5) Profit earning capacity:  she should have a capacity to get maximum return out of invested capital.

A Woman entrepreneur has also to perform all the functions involved in establishing an enterprise.These include idea generation, and screening, determination of objectives, project preparation, product analysis, determination of forms of business organization, completion of formal activities,  raising funds,  procuring men machine materials and operations of business.

Fredrick Harbiscon, has enumerated the following five functions  of a women entrepreneur's :

• Exploration of the prospects of starting a new business enterprise.
• Undertaking a risk and handling of economic uncertainties involved in business.
• Introduction of innovations, imitations of innovations.
• Co ordination, administration and control.
• Supervision and leadership.

In nutshell, women entrepreneur are those women who think of a business enterprise,  initiate it organize and combine the factors of production, operate the enterprise,  undertake risk  and handle economic uncertainties involved in running a business enterprise.

By:

Mrs. Shilpee Adhikari
Sr. LecturerSaroj Institute of Technology and ManagementLucknow

Source: http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC801/fc801.html

Laxmi Khanolkar

CEO & Co-Founder

Apar Games

Short Description

Entrepreneurs in gaming industry.Dream! Follow it! Make it happen! You’re the one whom people look upto to make their dreams come true!

Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company

Apar Games was found in May 2007. We have a widespread range of products right from outsourcing art work to conceptualization and developing games on various platforms like PC, smartphone, tablet and social networks. From a 4 member team, Apar games has culminated into a 60 member team with a head office in Mumbai and a support office in Chennai. We work in technologies like Flash, HTML5, Unity 3D, Objective C, Android NDK and Augmented reality games.

Risks involved in business and way of addressing

Information security is crucial , Developing talent is a challenge (not risk really), Retaining skilled talent.While offering game development as a service, as gaming is all about developing experience, every thing cannot be defined in  the scope of work. You have to introduce certain features that may not be part of the initial defined scope and yet deliver the product on time. This may hamper  your budget for the product and the entire thought process goes for toss. However, we minimize these risks by having detailed GDDs and prototype in the production cycle.Secondly we believe to build a long-term relationships with our clients to get an advantage over the competition.

Some of the difficulties faced while building product/ solution

When we were a 4 member team without any “brand” backup, we faced various issues  like attracting  talent, retaining them,  making the global market believe in us to give us the “First “ chance etc. Only way to tackle it, was the determination of creating a difference. 

Different actions if I rebuild my company from scratch all over again

Nothing! Each step in building this company, consider it as a pros or a con, has added to what it is today. ‘Experience makes a man perfect!’ It’s the same here. Every experience in terms of may it be a project, client or resources have been the ladder to Apar Games success.

Motivation and Drives factor

 “Creating a GAME”

Unique about my way of motivating troops

Nothing in specific that is individually practiced by only me. I am just passionate about games and I know the idea of creating, designing, talking, playing & living GAMES is what motivates me & my troops both. I believe creative people are motivated to evade into another world by even a ray of light in the dark.  

Way of choosing my people

Hiring a talented person is easy but nurturing and creating a cutting edge talent is what a company should look at for every individual they hire since it’s beneficial for both the company and the individual. We at Apar Games believe in the same and hence have always inspired people to take up challenging projects guiding them through the process. With Intel as our partners, we research and keep ourselves and the team updated with the upcoming technology and give them freedom to explore it. 

The challenges and lessons learnt to get first customer

When we started the company we all had our share of experience working in the gaming industry. The combined experience and exposure of our team convinced the client that we could deliver the desired product in the said time. Our approach is to “help” rather “service” them in their game development need, gave us the big break.  

My role at different dimensions as the company evolved

The journey of starting from scratch and leading the company to this level in a matter of just 5years means you have been through all phases involved in the company. Right from identifying the right talent, to training them in the desired manner to deriving the desired output. Apart from pitching for clients, conceptualizing the game, design, programing, stemming, we also maintain the game till the said time. Initially I was involved in even minute processes rather I would say I still keep a tab of each minute processes but now obviously it has scaled down a lot. 

As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots

A leader is never a one if he/she does not possess the qualities of being one. Being calm, listening and acting at the right time with precision is my mantra. Of course, I have had my share of falls but important is we were able to stabilize them. 

Best company I admire globally

POPCAP. They create games to entertain people, do not really go by the set path. But they have a specific goal and follow a specific process, eye for detail. etc. 

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs in gaming industry.Dream! Follow it! Make it happen! You’re the one whom people look upto to make their dreams come true

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Laxmi-Khanolkar-hUQRDwAl.html

Naheed Muqeetulla

VP

Mastibids

Short Description

Naheed Muqeetulla : Naheed Muqeetulla is the Vice President & Treasurer of Imperial Online Services which owns and operates the auction website Mastibids.com.

Company Profile

Mastibids.com, which is owned and operated by Imperial Online Service Pvt Ltd, was founded by Sameer Masarath and Naheed Muqeetulla. We started operations in June 2011. Mastibids is essentially a disruptive startup that aims to revolutionise the E-Commerce sector by introducing an element of entertainment in the users’ online shopping experience. It is an auction website with a twist, where members will have to bid against one another to become the last bidder and get a variety of products for incredibly low prices. We offer a wide variety of products ranging from electronics to accessories and vouchers.

Leadership Quality

Although we have had only a few, our mentors have provided us with invaluable tips on how to efficiently run a business. Perhaps the greatest contribution they have made is on how to go about raising capital and how to scale operations. We have learnt from them to always stay focused, but to allow room for flexibility so as to adapt to changing market conditions and consumer preferences. They have also taught us the importance of execution. Anyone can have a good idea for a business, but only a few can turn a good idea into a great business venture through their skill and dedication.

Getting Customers

The first few customers had signed up with us even before we were operational. Once the site was ready for business, we started an SMS campaign to draw in traffic quickly, followed by some affiliate marketing. Some of the challenges we faced were that the quality of the registrations were not that good. We learnt that targeted marketing would have been more beneficial since that improved our registration to sale ratio dramatically. Customer acquisition, media buying and marketing are very tricky areas of business. It is difficult to determine the right mix when one is starting out and a trial-and-error method is the only way to determine the proportion of funds that must be allotted to the various marketing methods. What we also learnt was that different industries find different media more effective in delivering results. Social Media is mostly for branding and PR while SEO proves more successful in customer acquisition. For quicker results one has to employ Affiliate and PPC campaigns. However, the effect of these will be more short lived.

Work Culture

We encourage a relaxed atmosphere so that each member can work to the best of their ability. We’ve realized that if the work place becomes hostile for any one person, the standard of service we offer to our customer drops. It is important that the work culture is such that there is freedom for each employee to work in a manner most comfortable to him, but at the same time focus should remain on attaining the company goals. The importance of customer service also forms a core part of our work culture. No matter what the issue, no matter how small, the customer should always be made to feel important. It is this attention to customer satisfaction that has helped us become one of the key players in the industry.

Sharing Experience

Never lose sight of your goal. When one starts a project, they will first think of the idea and how it works and why there is demand for it. Once you start working towards that goal, many obstacles and opportunities may come your way and it is very easy to get side tracked. It is best to remember why we started in the first place and aim for that goal relentlessly. Have a clear-cut plan in mind as to what needs to be achieved and in what time frame. Without a proper paln of action and budgeting for different activities, it becomes very difficult to guide an organisation in the necessary direction.

Advice to young entrepreneurs

Trust your instincts! If you think your idea can make you lots of money then it can as long as you put in the work. If you are surrounded by people who have only negative thoughts then it is best to leave them behind. Put in the hard work – It is a pre-requisite for success (and luck).

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Naheed-Muqeetulla-c0taSbn6.html

Meena Shah

Co-Founder

iView Creations & iView Labs Pvt Ltd.

Short Description

She have done bachelors in Computer Science, Have more than 6 yrs of IT experience. Worked with companies like Lionbridge Technologies, Benq India Pvt Ltd and Atos Origin India Pvt ltd.

Company Profile

iView Creations, started in March 2011 with a concept of providing innovative technology solutions for branding which generates a unique experience for the consumer to recall. Soon in six months we realized that the business model, which we had, would not generate the value for thecompany, which we had foreseen. We pivoted and started focusing and building interactive solutions, which engaged and enhances user experience. Our core remains same but our business model and market focus areas changed. We offer touch /multi touch based solutions and gesture recognition interactive solutions. Our prime focus is to get natural interaction in the technology world. We incorporated our new company with this focus as iView Labs Pvt Ltd this year.

Critical Decision

The most critical decision was to pivot and change our business model completely. As when we started we had a picture, which was completely different than, actually what was the fact.Its truly said that business teaches you a lot of dynamics, where every decision is critical especially when you are a startup. Each decision is a make or break decision, which can either, lead you to success or failure.

Doing things differently

If I were to build this again, I found start it from garage ;-), as most of the companies which were built from there became successful. Just Kidding…If I were to rebuild this again, I would choose to start it from a different location.Though my current city has lot of benefits of keeping the cost low, but getting the talent and right customer who values these solutions is difficult.

Motivating Employees

For us, nobody is like an employee and no babu system here. Firstly as the technologies we develop solutions on are very interesting and exciting for them to be motivated to learn about new things. Also we offer solutions like product equity for the right person and right product. (Courtesy Steve Jobs, As I was inspired by this model from his book)Every order we receive we have a party to celebrate that. Though these are few moments ;-) considering a startup.

Making correct decisions

I don’t know whether the dots are right or not. I am just connecting them and realizing it later whether they were right or wrong. In entrepreneurship, there is no full proof system. You have to fall, accept and rise.

Advice for entrepreneurs

•Right team can always make you cross boundaries. So find the right talent for your company. •Don’t look at today’s overheads but look at it against the revenue you could generate out of them, so go ahead and take risks.•Be adaptable for the changes as per the market demands.
Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Meena-Shah-iW6zdOfI.html

Payal Doshi

Founder

Prime Softech Solutions

Short Description

She is a Founder of Prime Softech Solutions.

Company Profile

Prime was found in August 2011 with an aim to take quality education to nooks and corners of India through the medium of Internet. We decided to start this effort by launching 'PREXAM' which an Online Test Series, initially started with commerce courses and now expanding to other branches as well. PREXAM allows students to customize their own tests, view performance reports and points out their weak areas and allows them to retake test on the questions they have answered incorrectly. PREXAM now has 5000+ registered students from all states of India.

Most Critical Decision

Prime was started with an aspiration to be only in to product development. When PREXAM was launched we decided to keep it for free until we have good number of students. But this meant there would be no cash inflow until then. Funds were essential to grow and hence when we were approached by other companies to provide similar educational services, we moved into the service sector and did provide software solutions. This was indeed a critical decision.

Doing things Differently

Nothing as of yet. I believe in thinking before taking decisions and never look back once decision has been taken but rather work hard to make it the most appropriate one.

Choosing People

When looking out for technical staff, I look for someone who is passionate to try and learn new things. At a startup like Prime, lot of innovation is required to stand out of the crowd and staff has to be ready to take up any challenges. While looking for non -technical staff, I would look for sincerity in work which I feel is more important. All members at Prime work together as a team and everyone is always encouraged to bring in new ideas. Some of the features in PREXAM were brought up by the staff and were included in the product.

Making right Decisions

As a leader, my main job is to handle the team and make right decision for both the company and the team. I try to involve the concerned staff members in the decision making process. This helps in two ways; when decisions are made they are taken thoughtfully considering more possibilities than I can think of alone and the team members develop a sense of belonging to the company. Each decision is made only after calculating its feasibility and associated risks.

Advice to young entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur most important thing is to believe in yourself and your ideas and dedicated efforts to get these ideas working. Patience is the most important quality when you are starting something new because it would take time to bring back returns.

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Payal-Doshi-7xQp364h.html

Vaishali Sharma

CEO

Purplechai Technologies

Short Description

I am a CEO of Purplechai Technologies.

Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company

Purplechai Technologies is a mobile applications & web development firm. We provide mobile application development services, affordable web designing, branding and advertising options to companies, businesses and individuals. So far, we have developed more than 30 apps and games with excellent design and content.Initially, we started with the development of in-house apps but now Purplechai is more focused on developing B2B or high-end customer applications. We started in Nov. 2010 with a team size of two people and we have now grown to a size of ten.

Risks involved in business and way of addressing

Certainly, there is a risk factor involved in every business, but we believe that business is not about taking risks but managing the risk involved.1 Operational risk: We dealt with this by setting up a firm which delivers excellent products and services to customers.
2 Financial risk: We made sure to understand what revenues and costs must be in order to make business financially viable. We took the time to understand what factors impact revenues and cost the most.3 Talent acquisition: We have hired committed people and trained them in a specialized field.4 Market reach: We reach people through the internet, developer conferences and attending events.5 Changing technologies: We are constantly updating ourselves about new innovations.

Most critical decision

We had to decide to focus on a particular segment for the business to grow and that’s how we decided to focus on mobile apps. Secondly, we had to focus on selecting the right candidate because hiring good talent and retaining it, is always a challenge.

Some of the difficulties faced while building product/ solution

As a start-up challenges begin from the day you think about an idea and want other people to validate and endorse it. It then moves towards building a prototype and getting some industry validation. The next sets of challenges begin when you have scale up and build revenues. I think if you are focused and determined then 50 % of your challenges are solved. The remaining 50 % are tackled by building a culture of transparency, innovation and listening to customers across your organization.

Three big lessons/ mistakes encountered while building company

Three major lessons learned:1.Be focused, committed and prepared to sail through any situation.We lost our partner and mentor at a very critical growing stage. But, we managed to get our focus and commitment back on track – plus, a hunger to grow. It was not at all easy but, we set our goals and we created a plan to reach those goals.2.Be honest and transparent with your clients: This creates credibility and trust to build a long-term relationship.3.Learn from every mistake or failure: We always learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them.

Doing things differently

Have a strong marketing and branding strategy.Find the untapped market and create a business plan for that segment.

Motivation factor

The passion to create something from scratch and build it to a successful model is something every entrepreneur thrives for.There are several other reasons such as the freedom to accelerate growth, generating employment for others, building a global brand and learning new aspects of business.

My way of motivating troops

We have a very open culture, where everyone has the freedom to throw open new suggestions and ideas. We also reward the best ideas. This process gives immense confidence to our team. They are always charged and ready to take ownership. Plus, having a one-to-one relationship with each individual also helps us discuss their scope for improvement.

Way of choosing people

In the software industry, attrition is very high. We spot the right candidate through a reference system. Then, we train them on a specific platform.

lesson learnt to get first customer

As a start-up company, signing up an international customer as your first client was a hard-nut to crack. But, with the help of our mentor we were able to present ourselves successfully before the client. Our presentation impressed him and convinced him to sign us up within six months. We continue the association even today.

reaching out to potential investors

Currently we are self-funded and have not looked for investors yet.

My role

I evolved from a software developer to entrepreneur and the journey was not easy at all. I learned a lot with every single mistake, failure and success. Still there is a lot to learn and achieve. With time and experience I have realized that one cannot micro-manage and look into every aspect of the business oneself. You need to work smartly and delegate. Over a period of time, strong teams have been built for various areas such as technology, design, marketing, finance and administration. These teams are handled by dedicated and expert people. Currently, I am focusing on the overall management and strategy plans of the business.

As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots

A decision turning wrong is a mistake. But, mistakes can teach you good lessons. With constant introspection and learning from our mistakes, we have devised a simple model:a.While brainstorming for new ideas, we discuss previous lessons from mistakes.b.We implement ideas.c.We grow to the next level with each project.

My thoughts related to entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a journey where one needs to constantly innovate and accelerate offerings to the customers.

company I admire globally

Undoubtedly, Apple Inc. for the brand value they have created, for technology innovations and of course, last but not the least, for Steve Jobs.

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

Be honest, passionate and hard-working. Create a well thought of strategy for your business. Plan your goals and work hard to achieve them.

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Vaishali-Sharma-mFQJn0VN.html

Hemalatha Sriramulu

Founder & CEO

Rossitek Software Solutions

Short Description

As the CEO of the company, I am responsible to make sure every staff is well advised on the direction the company is heading towards and what their role is. Though most of our staff have no experience working over seas, i make them see the outside the box perspective of the industry. My exposure to working with Japanese and Western companies has helped me explain my experiences. This interaction has helped the staff understand the short comings of the processes followed earlier and the advantages of following the processes in place within Rossitek .This has helped us to drastically reduce the mistakes many outsourcing companies have done , which has given Outsourcing a bad name .

Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company

Rossitek Software Solutions is not just a mobile app development company, but a mobile solutions provider. We look at how we can provide end to end seamless mobility solutions not just apps.Our focus is on producing quality applications with our sights set on enterprise applications, and providing business solutions on the mobile platform for our global clients. Rossitek was initially formed in 2009, when we noticed a paradigm shift in the market towards mobility. We had seen a need, and moved with the market. Rossitek was created out of a need to provide high end, innovative and cost effective solutions to our growing customer base.

Risks involved in business and way of addressing

Every business or market will have risk. We have to try and reduce these risks to ensure the company is a success. A)As a start up, you need to watch your outgoing costs. Our biggest issue was infrastructure. We needed to accommodate staff with new Mac Computers, Mobile Devices etc., which can become costly. Ensure to allow for extra overheads and having a close watch on your budget. B) Competing against other well established companies which are established and already have existing customer bases to undertake and market their mobile development to. We had ensured that we are noticed through website, events .A good business plan and speaking to people who have gone through these experiences which also helped us to identify the shortcomings of our competitors and identifying markets to focus on. Read, research and know the market we are in and step out a plan to implement and improvise Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to speak up and say you don’t know or understand.

Most critical decision

Throughout your business we were faced with challenges which are key or critical points that has determined the direction of our business. Everyone will have a story, we have one too. Prior to Rossitek, We had tried several freelancers and some well known established development companies, all with disappointing results. A critical decision was made at this point to create Rossitek in India, and employ our own people and manage our projects on our own, to our satisfaction. For me the most critical of all decisions was to live away from my family to get Rossitek started, up and running. This had now taken our business from a small one bedroom company to a business half way around the world. This critical decision allowed us though to deliver on the quality & solutions that we wanted to provide. It was a key decision, and one that wasn’t taken lightly considering the sacrifice the whole family had to do.

Some of the difficulties faced while building product/ solution

Being away from India for a long period of time has contributed the many difficulties which I had to endure from the setting up of the company to complete build a product. Which I think, I have over come with more understanding of the work culture here. Having lived in Japan and Australia, I am used to believing in what is said. There are many examples.  Time Management - I have found the lack of respect for TIME in most of the areas. Quality - Lack of Focus on the quality of end product. Interview and Appointment -> many a times it is a very tedious and tiring process to find that right person to do the job , even though you find them and wait long notice period for their joining , they back off and I am back to level zero again. Though we had staff with skill set in place, there was a lack of passion, enthusiasm, commitment to my expectations. I had to personally ensure the quality and timely completion. Creating the sense of belonging to the company was another challenge. We had clients, jobs, staff and resources but we needed to find a way to weave all this together to come up with an almost automated process to ensure the best outcome for our clients and us.

Different actions if I rebuild my company from scratch all over again

Seek an Investor or Business Partners to share the load. Use Expert Partners where you are unable to provide that level of service or expertise. Spend more time, researching, planning, and then putting into action. Focus on small high skill set team and pulling them together

Motivation and Drives factor

To hear positive feedback on the end product. The urge to try and  remove the wrong notion about the   Outsourcing experience to India.

Unique about my way of motivating troops

I motivate our staff with incentives and encourage them to give their ideas and be innovative. We like to see our developers come up with new ideas. We would rather; they come to us and say, they would like to try implementing something new and innovative even if it takes extra time, because we want to be seen as being innovative and cutting edge in our industry. Why follow what others do, when you can do as you wish to do? Give your staff all the right tools to do their job correctly. Setup mentors in your office environment, so that younger staff can sit, watch & learn. Finding key staff is paramount. It is difficult to hire very experienced people in a startup environment if you do not have the lucrative offers for them.  However, you need to try offering them security. Explain your plans, your market and how you see the growth in your business to sell them the idea they can be part of something new and exciting. Your staff and especially your development people will be the engine of your company. Quality people will equal quality results. As a CEO I walk the hallways, sitting with staff from the ground up- ensuring that I understand their job, what they do and identifying any areas change or improvements can be made. “Ensure you engage with your staff” .

Way of choosing my people

I am always looking for talent and the right person to be with us. Being a start up company, not many experienced persons would confidently join a start up. We look for key characteristics on our staff. Number one is passion. We want people who are passionate about mobile apps, innovative and have a desire to better themselves and for the good of the company. A person with a good attitude, punctual, great work ethics would be employed by us over a more highly skilled person. Staff with the characteristics will soon learn and grow and be more than just a highly skilled worker.

The challenges and lessons learnt to get first customer

We started a simple web site offering mobile app development, earlier when the market was young. We had no SEO, no programmers, no idea how a mobile app process worked. We got an enquiry and we were off and racing. We focused on providing friendly and courteous service and as we went along we learnt the steps ourselves. Your clients are everything. Having an approachable company is key to building up relationships. Ensuring you can be easily accessed by key clients. Small factors such as having the office telephone answered in a timely manner and with a nice greeting script to follow will ensure that the company shows a professional attitude in everything we do. Treating every call as if it were, Steve Jobs calling us.

Experience of reaching out to potential investors

Rossitek is still yet to secure any investors. Not out of trying but mainly out of focusing on getting key products, strategies and business plans in place to provide maximum returns for our investors.

My role at different dimensions as the company evolved

As a single person trying to setup a company with only a couple of technical staff , I did everything from meeting with clients, doing the accounts , to making chai for the staff. I had gone from managing all areas of the business, at an early stage to the point where it is too much for one person. I have had to find people to undertake some of my responsibilities and let go of the things I would have normally handled myself. Not one person can manage everything. You need to create a good network and support group around you, to help you carry the load. Your role will forever change as the business changes. As an owner and CEO, I will live my business 24/7.

As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots

As the CEO of the company, I am responsible to make sure every staff is well advised on the direction the company is heading towards and what their role is. Though most of our staff have no experience working over seas, i make them see the outside the box perspective of the industry. My exposure to working with Japanese and Western companies has helped me explain my experiences. This interaction has helped the staff understand the short comings of the processes followed earlier and the advantages of following the processes in place within Rossitek .This has helped us to drastically reduce the mistakes many outsourcing companies have done , which has given Outsourcing a bad name .

Three big lessons/ mistakes encountered while building company

Every Day teaches me a lesson, some small and easy to learn and some very hard to believe, understand and act. To pick up three of them -1) It was difficult appointing staff, as I had tried to interview, source and scan candidates myself. As a lot of candidates were out of Bangalore, it was difficult determining what was on paper and what they truthfully could do. So many training courses & certificates undertaken by people, but difficult to understand what weight these courses carried and the level of expertise these people really had. I would advise not to rush, interview face to face, and if possible arrange a highly technical skilled person to help find the right candidates. Even if they are not in your organisation, find someone who can assist. Look for positive people. Don’t believe everything you read or hear. 2) Try not to undertake everything yourself. The time you spend trying to do everything can be better spent planning & growing your business. You are the face of the company so you need to be positioned to provide your vision, innovations and aspirations to prospective clients and your staff. 3) Never put all your eggs in one basket. Look at different product markets, assess the assets you have in your business and see if they can be used elsewhere for other opportunities. Our focus was originally on providing highest level of service & attention to our client’s products. We should have created a R&D Team to simultaneously develop our own products right from our inception.

Best company I admire globally

Google : the live and let live policy , which has encouraged a many entrepreneurs. The company has innovation and never fail to try . Even small things like the google search, the changing image is refreshing and lets you feel that they care.

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

In summary I would encourage all persons seeking to go down this path, to do your homework, talk with as many people as possible, research the market, spend only as necessary, employ the right people and do the job right first time, all the time. Attention to detail, quality and being innovative will help secure long term clients, and at the end of the day it is about securing the future of the company. If I had to do everything over again, I could change a million things to make my life easier, however the lessons, the knowledge, the experience that I gained through the good and bad allows me to be better prepared, understand and make more informed decisions about the future of the company.  This experience is something money cannot buy, and all entrepreneurs will have their own stories of heartache and joy. Best of luck on your journey.

Source:http://www.siliconindia.com/startupcity/entrepreneurs-stories/Hemalatha-Sriramulu-59VaE8zF.html