Aakanksha Bhargava is the CEO and President of PM relocations. A passionate entrepreneur and a homemaker, she shares with us her journey........
"Its important to have goals , desires and ambitions , however challenging they seem to be ….And you gotta enjoy the ride to these . Sometimes on that learning curve we explore ourselves and what we can achieve . It is important to dream and keep yourself always engaged into something that you enjoy and feel passionate about . There is no formula and no set route to success …just listen to the heart …Sometimes the right ways and answers are found there …"
I was born in Kolkata but soon after moved to Delhi in the year 1992. Growing up in Delhi has been a wonderful experience. This is the city where I embraced independent thinking, made friends, knew the mighty, met my mentors, married my childhood friend Sumit Bawa and learned to live , love , weave my dreams and work towards them . The city is the reason for the passion that I have for everything that I do. I have done my schooling from Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, post which I joined Hind College to study B.Com Hons and later joined SP Jain School of Management, Singapore, and Dubai for an MBA.
I was always interested in the relocation industry, and it turned it into a career. From the beginning, I had seen my father help people move their household goods. I am a second generation entrepreneur and wanted to explore and learn the art of moving. I began my professional journey as a Manager in International Sales at PMR. During the first couple of years, I set up and drove International sales. Later I worked with the corporate sales, marketing and operations verticals of the company. This gave me the exposure to different departments and helped me understand the business in greater depth.
I have travelled to different Tier-1 cities to set up branch offices for my company. In a short span of time, I set up 8 offices across cities. My current role involves overseeing all the major internal operations of the company. However, my main area of focus is overseeing the career development and growth of each employee. Everyone here is extremely passionate about their work and have a sense of satisfaction in what they do.
Dealing with employees, partners and clients had been challenging during the first few years. It was difficult to work in the industry but motivation, hard work, and conviction paid off. I strongly believed that surviving in this industry all about the strength of your mind and the faith in your heart.
A major learning for me from all the challenges which I have faced is that when you really ride on something your courage eventually kicks your fear. Take the plunge… and you will see the miracles of life. The most difficult thing is to manage people, especially when you are in the service industry. Here we deal with niche services We need to be very careful while serving clients and employees.Another key take away is that,”No Success Is Possible Without Sacrifices And Beliefs, Sometimes Not Yours But of People Around You”..
Here are five commandments which I swear by:
1. Passion - The Only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet keep looking. Don’t settle for anything less.
2. Intent - It is just about the strength of your mind and having faith in the intent of your heart. I can bet when you really do decide on something, your courage will kick your fear!! Take the plunge and you will see the miracles of life.
3. Love- Love has power like nothing else… It can make you do things beyond belief, and unconditionally.
4. Changing Lives - When you walk into your office and when you leave for the day… between these, should be the learning and fun you have never experienced.
5. Enhanced Experiences - Your wealth should be your experiences.
After spearheading the company for the last 9 years ,I have realised my career has changed in many ways. The responsibility has only grown over the years , I have a very strong sense of responsibility towards my customers and employees. I don’t feel like I have a job in the traditional sense of the word , I don’t feel any difference between work and leisure . My job is my source of happiness. As the CEO of PMR I get to do what I love everyday. Never have I dreaded going into the office or working with my team.
A typical day at office is full of meetings, spending time with my team, understanding their concerns and mentoring them.We have an open door policy at office and whenever any employee gets stuck we are there to help out. Relationships are important, friends and family are my constant source of support.
It is wonderful to see how your family takes care of you. We really cannot do anything without a supportive family and a healthy personal life. People often quote “Behind a successful man there is a women" but my version would say "Behind every successful married woman are the in-law and the husband who help maintain a healthy work-life balance." The best piece of career advice is the one where I start my new year with- a note from my father every year . For all these years the one thing that has always remained constant has been to remain honest in what you do.. The intent is very important.
There is a quote by Rumi which says that, "Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart." When I began my journey I didn’t have a career plan with goals and timelines but I fell in love with the word 'moving'. I found my passion in the idea of 'being able to transform the lives of other by offering stress-free, end to end moving solutions'. My father Mr. Rajeev Bhargava is an entrepreneur. In my formative years he always encouraged me to join the business , he has been my biggest support, inspiration, mentor, and friend. Another person I greatly admire and respect is Mr. Eric Lim, the head of Asian Tigers Mobility. He has groomed, mentored and guided me all along.
By- SHEROES.in