As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited yet another passionate and purpose-driven entrepreneur – Yogita Tulsiani for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is an exceptional Business Leader, HR Strategist, Mentor, Consultant and Entrepreneur. Yogita is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of iXceed Solutions. Let’s learn more about her journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Yogita:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I was a passionate individual from the beginning and always aspired to excel be it academics, extracurriculars or my jobs. I did win numerous awards and accolades throughout my academic and professional life.
I did my schooling from Holy Child School and pursued engineering from the prestigious Delhi Institute of Technology, (now called NSIT). Thereafter I did my MBA from the very prestigious Indian School Of Business (ISB, Hyderabad).
Being the first female to venture on an entrepreneurial journey in my family after spending more than a decade working in stable jobs, was not an easy move 😊I have more than a decade of experience in business development and consulting across various industries in the UK, USA, Europe, and APAC. I have been instrumental in creating a new line of business.”
My repertoire includes clientele in the Financial Services, Telecom, Retail, Information Technology, and Learning industries like Genpact Headstrong and HP.
I started my journey in this industry because of the gaps and issues I observed. I realized that technology is reshaping the economy since major players in every industry bank heavily on technology for not only automation but also to introduce process efficiencies and create innovations. There was a massive gap in the technology skill market. People were not getting the right jobs as per their skillset and ability. Witnessing such a state of affairs, she decided to create valuable relationships for clients and candidates by providing efficient talent solutions.
My current role of Director in IXCEED has been a culmination of various roles in my career. I have undertaken Global expansions with exponential revenue growth.
Today, my role and responsibilities revolve around formulating strategies and driving in the direction of IXCEED’s growth, identifying business opportunities, and exploring new areas where they can venture and develop new offerings. Along with this, I have to ensure that the delivery, sales, operations, engines are running smoothly, and customers, employees are happy. Above all, we uphold the ethos of creating value for the human ecosystem.”
We are aware of all the good work you are doing in your space; what keeps you going?
My Work does! I absolutely love what I do! Also, my mother has been my greatest source of inspiration. She had faced a lot of hardships in life bringing us up due to the circumstances we were in. She always motived us to be strong, believe in ourselves and the hard work we do and leave the rest to God. She taught me to work relentlessly towards my goals.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
1 – I always wanted to work for my own self
2 – I like creativity, freedom and want to explore new things. All this is not possible in a job
3 – Love challenges that come with entrepreneurship and the joy of success are much more than a job
4 – Create value to the ecosystem, generate employment and touch peoples lives positively
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
One challenge I encountered was the fact that I did not really have a background in the recruitment industry nor did I know the business dynamics but I still chose this path as I wanted to make a difference in the society. I also draw a lot of inspiration from Indira Nooyi as she is my role model.
Every company has to face numerous challenges while building its reputation. Similarly, IXCEED has been confronting challenges such as managing global delivery and operations in different geographies in different time zones. The company has to stay ahead of other market competitors and focus on adapting the latest technology to gain a competitive edge. Moreover, no organization has been left untouched by the impact of Covid-19 today. Not only the organization, but the entire sectors have also been badly hit. Businesses are facing the wrath of the pandemic, and HR cannot stay unaffected as an organization is an ecosystem, and everything is interconnected and interdependent. Maintaining the culture of the organization, acquiring and retaining talent, engaging a remote workforce, rising of work from home culture, to name a few, have become pain points for HR professionals today.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I am an emotional person. Being emotionally connected to for example quality deliverables, customer centricity, targets & roadmaps, employee well – being etc, is imperative as I feel emotional connection brings in the passion to achieve more.
Money is an outcome. If we do what our heart wants money follows
Other than that, integrity, fairness, hard work and respect for all, are a few must-haves for me.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
1 – Approach any difficult situation with an open mind
2 – Evaluate the best and worst outcomes
3 – Target to achieve the best outcome
4 – Be open for the worst outcome as well
5 – I have always believed that there are no failures, its either success or a learning experience
Our audience would love to know what has worked well for you so far?
1 – Customer centricity is at the core of our business
2 – Understand our customer’s requirements/ pain areas/gain areas thoroughly and tweak our solutions as per their needs
3 – Responsiveness
4 – Leverage the latest technology tools to bring in efficiency and increase productivity
5 – Equal opportunities for all,
6 – Rewards & growth in iXceed only on the basis of output/achievements of targets rather than a place in the hierarchy
7 – Hard work, integrity, respect for every thought/ idea,
8 – Compassion. empathy and understanding
9 – Approachable and connected to grassroots level leadership
10 – Employee experience as important as customer centricity
11 – A good grasp on financials
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
1 – Not a set formula as such
2 – Conviction, belief in oneself and the idea
3 – Hard work along with the risk-taking ability
4 – Being able to connect with like-minded people to form a team
5 – Customer centricity along with employee well-being
6 – Employee experience as important as customer centricity
7 – A good grasp on financials
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
There is no age to be an entrepreneur. There is no too old or no too young. All you have to believe in the dream you dreamt off and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Believing in yourself when everybody thinks what we dream of is a fairy tale is the most important thing. This is what exactly I believe in.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
