By managing time, you can conquer most of your goals

"By managing time, you can conquer most of your goals in a go!" This is the leadership mantra that Aakanksha Bhargava the CEO of PM Relocations, a packers and movers company, swears by as she moves up the ladder of success every day in her life. In an exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz, Bhargava took us through her journey that inspired many women to dream big.

How to attain work-life balance as a woman entrepreneur?

Spending all these years nurturing my organisation, I have realised that sometimes you need to do things and be 100 per cent committed to them, no matter how difficult they might seem on the outside. Once you step into something, then only do you realise how easy it was to overcome and what potential you seek out of it. For me, as a woman entrepreneur, maintaining work life balance is quite the same.

On initial days, when I was blessed with my daughter, I had no idea how I am going to be the best of both worlds. It came as a necessity to devote my time to both my family and my organisation. However, not letting any such thoughts cloud my determination, I let life happen to me. And today, I believe trying to strike a balance consistently in both the spheres of my life has only made me stronger and better.

I strongly believe and practise some of the life mantras that help me balance my work-life and personal-life. I make sure that I dedicate at least one day of the week to my friends and family. It could be my weekend or a specific period of time I take off from work. It can be a small meet up, a gathering for lunch or dinner, even a shopping time together or sitting and chit chatting in a café. Because, at the end of the day, these people are the ones who stand by in all situations, and it is very important to talk to them, understand how their lives are going on and enjoy some quality time with them every now and then.

Also, as a woman-in-business, I believe that it's essential to dedicate a "Me-Time" to oneself. In this time, I unplug myself from the rest of the world and do something to help me re-energise and re-charge myself in a holistic manner. This can be done by enjoying a hobby, catching up with old folks, reading a book, exercising, dancing, etc. By having a "Me-Time", you allow yourself to come back even more energetically and with a fresh mind.

Above all, I believe that the best way to ensure that the balance is maintained is through the level of satisfaction or happiness you hold within. If you're filled with energy and supercharged for seeing the next day at work and simultaneously, you're lacking nowhere in pursuing your personal goals, then right there lies what we call "a perfect work-life balance".

What are your views on goals, timelines, and measuring success? What are the secrets to your success?

I am a strong believer of the fact that by managing time, you can conquer most of your goals in a go! I practice and enforce the same kind of attitude amongst my people as well. Talking from my entrepreneurial journey, I have learnt that by winning over time, you can progress in a way unimagined. You need to have that discipline, vision, and willingness to achieve. And this does not go by just for one day, rather, it's a practise that needs to be done on regular basis. And it is this habit or way of living that will mark one's success.

The best way of managing time is through documenting one's plan and that too with a timeline. It all starts with a plan! So, if you have a proper plan in place, you are likely to achieve your goals faster. And the faster you get there; the sooner success is meant to happen.

Above all, one must always have a vision and long-term goal in order to gain success. If that is missing, there are chances for all the efforts to turn out into nothing. A long-term goal not only helps in understanding one's capabilities and working according to them. It also makes one challenge the boundaries and stay concentrated till the prime objective is attained. And it would not be hypothetical to say that our vision and our passion towards achieving it define our success. At PMR, we have always had the vision of ensuring seamless moving for our valuable clients and customers all around the world. And it is through this vision and willingness that we have made it to becoming one of the leading global relocations companies based out of India. It is astonishing for people who get to learn how remarkably we made it to this much success even after all the challenges and as an MSME.

How do you set employees up for success?

At PMR, we strongly believe in putting our people at the heart of whatever we do. We believe in building our people rather than considering them tertiary to our vision and goals. Our working DNA is built upon the leadership principle of 'equating responsibility with accountability and taking ownership!' This work ethic has been deeply ingrained in our work culture since the time of inception. As an MSME, we might not always have the best of IAM's and IITians. However, we hire talents based on their vision, goal and zeal of working in an exciting industry such as ours.

The attitude and dedication towards PMR have been driving our people to put their heart and soul into carrying tasks out in the most efficient manner. They have created a sense of belonging to the company. They have learnt how to 'accomplish with We and improve on I.' Also, our initiatives at the human resource level make sure this scenario stays ablaze. Our learning and development programs, monthly reviews, employee engaging and wellness initiatives ensure that nothing could possibly create a lack when it comes to the growth of our people.

What are your tips for growing a company?

I believe for a company to grow; one requires a three-sphere phenomenon to make it to success.

The first sphere is having a loyal and dedicated workforce, I have spent at least a year in each of the major cities of India to open up a branch there and hand-picked my team members who believe in the vision of the company. In the challenging times, when everybody's mental health was taking a toll, they stayed, took accountability, held the belief to work for company's welfare and contributed on individual levels to make it to the 100 crore mark, despite being MSME. Our work culture ensures employee engagement and wellness at the workplace. It's a matter of pride to share that most of our staff has spent over 10 years within this organisation which in itself is an evidence of their loyalty and conviction.

Secondly, it is the management and leadership that ensure a company's growth, we, at PMR, have always believed in following our leadership values with dedication. They drive a company's culture and help building it into a legacy. I find how well my team has understood and acquired those values and ethics the company moves forward with. These ethics come from the leaders of the company, the ones who ensure the company's functioning and betterment. In short, they lay foundation for generations to follow. Hence, the best way to ensure sustainability and growth, the foundation must be made strong and shock-proof.

Lastly, the company's position in the industry defines how and why a company must be achieving success. One has to be better with each step because an inevitable industry, such as relocations, doesn't always offer consistency in growth. One has to be profitable, create revenue, bring innovations, serve customers' needs, ensure scalability, and make every decision keeping the changing industry trends in the view. By bettering with every step can one ensure the growth of an organisation.

How did you persevere through the tough times?

With an experience of about 4 decades now, I believe the toughest challenge for the company has been during the pandemic times. The world had been through a chaotic unrest which even led to shutting down of many companies and organisations. The sustainability was being put to question and surviving as an MSME was becoming a task. However, we held our belief into the intent and vision that we began with. And somewhere, these values and ethics made us sustain. Also, the only way to persevere through anything demands self-belief and the act of being the best at what you do.

At first, we used to move families, anywhere around the world. Sooner, however, we realised that our expertise laid into "moving" and that nothing could actually stop us from doing what we were best at. The families weren't moving during the pandemic years, so we had to come out with some way. Which is why we began moving laptops and desktops that fell into our reach. We moved various medical equipments as pro-bono. We even engaged in civil work when it came to delivering medical equipment, oxygen concentrators and cylinders to hospitals. We moved commercial goods to ensure business continuity.

During the Covid years alone, we relocated about over 5,000 families within India, 8,000 families overseas and moved over 1,00,000 laptops and desktops. We offered generous, pro-bono logistics support to NGOs like GiveIndia & RHA amidst the pandemic to serve a bigger cause. Hence, I believe that this could have been possible only because we held an immense dedication towards our intent and vision. We grabbed every opportunity that helped us prove we were being best at executing all those tasks where even slightest of our expertise laid.

What are your interests outside of the office?

Not everybody knows that besides being a woman entrepreneur, I am a passionate dancer, an avid reader, a die-hard traveller, and a fan of Bollywood movies. I often take time out from my office routine to watch the latest movies.

As a woman entrepreneur, what piece of advice would you like to give to budding entrepreneurs?

I strongly concur to the fact that there are many young entrepreneurial brains sitting somewhere out there. They are hunting down ways to kick-start but not having enough funds or help from any sources. But, yes, I would want them to know that you can always begin with less to progress and grow slowly and gradually. You don't need loads of backing, support, extraordinary reach or loads of wealth to begin with. When you start with what you're passionate about, doors are meant to open for you. All you need is the right intent to begin with and you will see the blessings flow. Just begin because there is no time to hold on or look back.