We talk to the young entrepreneur about how she set up her own company, what it takes to be a good leader and her belief in paying it forward.
When did you set up Crosshairs Communication?
Crosshairs Communication was started in 2002 with the dream and grit of opening my own communications firm. At the age of 23, I began with a single computer and plenty of hard work, drive and passion. Since then there has been no looking back.
I will never forget my mentor Pralhad Kakkar’s advice to me – “Follow your dreams; you have nothing to lose.”
How did you deal with the glitches that come with running a startup?
The early days were difficult. For almost 10 months, my team and I worked out of a single desk space, but as things looked up for us, I rented out an office space in the same building. The initial employees were all interns; that way we didn’t spend too much on salaries. However, it was impossible to curtail other expenses. We worked really hard to keep our outgoings at the minimum, and we succeeded. Crosshairs saw a profit in the first financial year itself!
How did you grow the company into the establishment that it is today?
We first got real recognition through our association with Hope Run. Anuradha Prakash Yusuf of Hope Run was keen on doing something for underprivileged kids. She got in touch with me and we came up with the idea of the Hope Run. We got celebrities like Milind Soman, Rahul Bose and Lucky Ali to support us too. The run was a success and the proceeds (about Rs 4 lakh) went to an NGO. Although I never really got paid for the first assignment, Crosshairs Communication garnered a lot of attention due to huge media publicity created by us for Hope Run. The event got good national coverage too. Eventually Anand Mahindra heard of us and was the sponsor for the second year.
Anuradha later hired me as a consultant for her gym; and so the money started trickling in. Meanwhile, other clients started hearing of the young PR agency. Fosters and Axe Pulse came calling soon after and others soon followed suit. For each brand, we created innovative solutions that made them stand out in the crowd.
Today we’ve grown much bigger. We have an office in Mumbai and Delhi and we are opening a third one shortly. We’re an almost all-women 30-member team handling many fashion, luxury and corporate brands across various sectors.
What is the key to being successful in the world of public relations?
It’s probably the world’s simplest idea – Golden Circle. ‘Why’ in the centre, surrounded by ‘How’, surrounded by a larger circle, ‘What’. Everybody knows ‘what’ they do 100 per cent. Some know how they do it. But very few people or organisations know ‘why’ they do it. People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. On the basis of this you attract people and partners. Those who start with ‘why’ have the ability to inspire those around them. My key drivers for success are passion, fun, focus, push, ideas, persistence, service and value.
You recently attended the International Conference for Women in Business where you delivered a speech on Women in India and the Future. What was the experience like?
The International Conference for Women in Business has been held every summer since 1996. The objective of this conference is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as business professionals today and to provide an opportunity for active exchange, stimulation from international perspectives, and mutual support among peers who share a strong determination to succeed.
My speech briefly touched upon the journey of my life, which includes family, education, work and the inception of Crosshairs Communication as well as my involvement in international women entrepreneur affairs. Following this, I retraced the path laid out by women leaders of then and now and the role that they played in giving women the position they have in Indian society now. I also explained how women are drivers of economic growth with the help of a few case studies. I ended the presentation by drawing a map for advancing gender equality by the year 2020 around the world!
You’ve interacted with biggies like Indra Nooyi, Warren Buffet, Tyra Banks etc at the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit. What were your most valuable takeaways?
Interacting with such stalwarts of different industries was a remarkable learning experience for me. What makes their accomplishments even more significant is their unceasing commitment to corporate philanthropy and social responsibility. I am grateful for the grace and humility shown to me by these extraordinary individuals who have set a high bar not only for themselves but for the rest of the world too.
The most valuable takeaways were humility and how one can ‘pay it forward’. It made me realise that there is a larger world out there and it is important to keep the process of learning going. Leadership is about empowering others and power expands the moment you share it.
To empower all women, each one of us should work like a chain. The first link in the chain is to find extraordinary women, then invest in their leadership capital, and the last is to hope that women leaders who have gained from this chain will pay it forward to other such women.
What does it take to be a good leader? Who do you think make better leaders – women or men?
Having empathy towards your team and the ability to turn vision into reality is what makes a good leader. It’s not about being a man or a woman but rather having a balanced view of things. I believe if we close the gender gap that will help us close the leadership gap. We must support the work of increasing women in leadership in all aspects of life to make them synonymous with key drivers of the world economy.
What are your tips for women entrepreneurs trying to make it in a competitive world?
My tips for women entrepreneurs today are:
- Believe in yourself. Have a goal and work hard towards it. It doesn’t matter if you come from a small town or a village that no one’s heard of, you simply must have the will to make it in life.
- Surround yourself with a team you can rely on. I have about 30 people in my team who I know I can trust and fall back on.
- Always be willing to take a risk. Without taking risks there is no way you’d know if you could’ve succeeded or not.
- Be professional and remember that at the end of the day you have to prove nothing to anyone other than yourself.
- Don’t ever be intimidated by any problem because every problem has a solution.
- Feel from within and have passion for your job.
- And finally, have a dream — what is life without it anyway?
Article source: http://idiva.com/interviews-work-life/stuti-jalan-on-being-a-successful-woman-entrepreneur-diva-in-focus/15377
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