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“Corporate culture matters. How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything for better or for worse” ... Simon Sinek AAPNA truly believes in this quote and works upon this to ensure that every member of the team feels like an owner of the organization. AAPNA Infotech, a dream company of Abhijit Roy, began its journey in 2007. AAPNA is derived from the Sanskrit word “Reliable”. Time and again we have proven that we stand by this no matter what. AAPNA started its journey with a small team of reliable and highly qualified people with only couple of clients to work for. Nothing comes to anyone so easily. AAPNA too faced ups and downs, like any other IT company. But this does not change the focus and belief of Abhijit Roy in his team. It gradually increased year by year along with the team growth. Today we are a team of 180+ commandos serving prestigious clients from various industries in India, Australia, US and Nigeria. We are now a CMMI level 3 company; UI Path Partners, MS Gold Partner; DECISIONS Partner; ISO Certified 9001:2015; ISO Certified 27001 and have been recognized as the Top Software Development Company by various industry evaluations. Abhijit Roy is a manager by example. He leaves no stone unturned to make his team comfortable while at work and has always believed in an “Open Door Policy”. AAPNAite of any level can meet him any time to discuss and share their thoughts and opinions.Our Leadership Team constantly thinks and works towards the growth of AAPNA and how to take it to the next level. 2020 – 2021 are undoubtedly the unfortunate years for everyone in the world. However, AAPNA utilized these years to grow and show to the world that they are unstoppable. One of the toughest decisions taken by the management was to go completely virtual and operate in work from home mode permanently. As an organization, we decided to continue this even once the restrictions imposed by authorities were eased for physical presence of AAPNAites in office. This resulted in attracting talent which was earlier not available. This came with its own set of challenges and we had to quickly roll out new tools, systems and processes to manage this new normal. We have been able to expand our team without considering geographical constraints of our potential team members. We have also been able to re induct former women members, who had to quit the workforce due to familial constraints previously. Both the above have helped us in making AAPNA a more inclusive organization overall. Our team members are now able to deliver world class software from the comforts of their home across the country. Last year we invested heavily in learning and development and in new technology areas. We have setup an active innovation lab and new technology group. We will continue growing, and focus on building an amazing culture, where people are genuinely happy and serve clients with extreme passion. AAPNA HRD along with Leadership team is investing more time and energy in training our Commandos and issuing them the Certificates on every achievement. After having decided to go Virtual, the company has put in motion several initiatives to support this new way of life. Some of these are listed below – Strong IT support to ensure virtual server access, while ensuring security Strong HR support including virtual onboarding Infrastructure support in form of WorkPod at home (needless to say – laptops, wireless internet, and headphones are provided) Gifts and awards sent to home Various HR engagement initiatives such as Virtual Coffee rooms, Gaming sessions, Cricket Club, Yoga sessions, coffee sessions and a lot more Improved insurance cover And lots and lots more During this pandemic many people lost their jobs either due to recession or companies shutting their offices due to bad economy. AAPNA welcomed many with an open heart, this also includes our team members who left AAPNA for a better future. This can happen only when the AAPNAites believe that this company never shuts its doors even in their bad times. Our team members’ opinions matter a lot to bring improvement in the work culture and company policies. They are always being asked to share their views on our website page – “Employee Value Proposition”, which is especially designed for them. A great organization culture must foster respect for everyone, and a true sense of inclusion, where team members are treated with equality. Then only every member contributes with full heart and soul to continue building the culture, which is a “MUST HAVE” for building a GREAT organization. Our team works with an aim to win the ‘Great Place to Work’ award this year. Website : https://www.aapnainfotech.com/

Innovation is a process that begins with an introduction to a plan of an idea and will become a new function and so it is different from creation, so with this idea Priya Nevagi from Pune came up with her own company Newton Software Pvt. Ltd. (Newton). Newton is a Software company who strives consistently to build innovative products for automating manual working processes into automated software solutions. Newton is a well-known name in the field of innovative software solutions, with a strong focus on civil engineering and real estate, as well as the corporate world for contract labour and visitor management with the integration of face/biometrics and allied products. This company is made up of a group of industry experts who upgrade existing products and introduce new ones. Newton Software provides the construction industry latest techniques which are highly important at the very initial phase of construction that helps them to plan their construction cost in advance and track the developments of their construction site by not being dependent on the manual methods and which causes delays in the process. Her contributions can be summed up as changing the construction industry as a whole and bringing about automation in its processes which was not the case before. . NSPL is majorly in Business Services business from last 16 years and provides various solutions like E-GATEPASS VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM E-gatepass is an ultimate Automatic Gate Pass System. Where the visitor management System is simple to use & no supervisor is required, And the visitor can simply enter the visiting card & gate pass can be made automatically by using simple touch-screen operation. While scanning the card the photo of the visitor is also printed on the gate pass. Visitors can also type the data on the touch screen if required. The unique feature of the visitor management solution is that it can record both the entry & the exit of any visitor in the premise. Visitor management system enables you to close the loop of the entry exit system. Where the data of the visitors can be easily maintained & accessed at a later date. This data can also be sent on the web for online communication from site / factory to Head office. Even SMS Alert to concerned people on arrival of a visitor at the Gate Alert also available on the lan as a ‘POP UP’, if it is connected to the Newton gate pass management system. NEW RANGE OF FEATURES IN CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE The company provides exclusive CRM for sales, with no loss of enquiries. It also optimised Estimation & control of Cement & Steel. NEWTON LAUNCHED AN ERP AND AUTO SCAN Autoscan software gives Bill of Quantities from ACAD drawings in LBD measurement sheets and abstract formats. It gives BOQ for concrete quantities for footing, column beam slab with shuttering and all the major finishing items like flooring, skirting, dado, paint, plaster, waterproofing, masonry and many more. It is a very user-friendly product that generates quantities within minutes. Ideal for giving quick estimates. Saves manual errors and it is 50 times faster and reliable and accurate than the manual process. It is independent of human expertise and dependence. This software company was awarded by MCCIA in 2014, and today Newton is a family of 1340 happy clients and 2254 projects with 2124 hard working hours. City : Pune Country : India Website URL : www.newtonindia.com

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Kumar Saurav: I have been an entrepreneur most of my Professional Journey. I started into Renewable and IOT way back in 2011 with college friends and was successful there in terms of projects and commercial revenues. But Since 2017 I started having a knack for Data and AI. Being in IOT domain for long and understanding complex electronics and rise of AI, I swiftly started self-learning and soon in 2018 Started working as a freelancer. Then In end 2018 I started Prescient Automation with a small team and a vision for AI for NLP and CV application products. We have worked upon hundreds of projects for clients across globe so far. Currently we are also working on our own two Products related to AI Powered Automated Phone Call Solution and AI in Fashion other than our premier services to clients. Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Prescient Automation Kumar Saurav: Our Company provide a complete cycle of Product Development to help clients build success in their highly competitive entrepreneurial environments. We provide solution mostly into Chatbots, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision and Algorithm Trading. Great Companies: What makes Prescient Automation different from hundreds of other similar services providers? Kumar Saurav: Most of the company in AI space are into executing stuff available in open source or replicating it. At Prescient we work hard on the Research Part of the Open-Source Technologies and Build it from Scratch. Like one of Our products into Chatbot for our clients can work as millions of individual chatbot and as a sole one chatbot with capabilities to talk to user in more than 100+ Languages. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Kumar Saurav: The Major struggle with AI related companies is finding the acceptability in Market. So eventually the cost of Marketing and teaching your client is always more. Hence Currently we are working on a Voice/Phone based Product which will be a SAAS platform for SMB and Big enterprises where necessity of Human Manpower will be decreased and will help other platforms and SMBs to grow faster and provide a better customer experience. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Prescient Automation? Kumar Saurav: Currently we are focused on our product and raising pre-seed funds for it in start of 2022. Hopefully within next 5 years, will be planning to build this organization which will be another Indian Unicorn. Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Kumar Saurav: There are two suggestions for being successful: Now is the best time to take risk, if you think your skill and idea is unique. Nothing in this world can take the place of Persistence and determination. So just leave your comfort Zone, Start Building your dream and Bootstrap till you succeed. Website : https://prescient-automation.com/

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Prakashan B V: I have been operating in the areas of Sustainable Engineering Products & Technical solutions to the Core Engineering Industry {Infrastructure, Coastal, Construction, Environmental and other cross-functional areas like Geosynthetics) across various geographical regions from the year 1990! Ever since I graduated in engineering from NIT(Calicut). So, in the year 2012, in a particular situation, I had to take a call on either one more relocation(with the change of job again!) or continuing in my base location at Bangalore by leveraging on my strengths(acquiring new customers, gaining market capitalization across geographical regions apart from implementing various business development and business improvement measures). A lot of introspection coupled with brainstorming with Family members, Well-wishers, and my mentor(Shri PSN) and one of the probable partners( incidentally became our first customer!) and discussions with other business owners whom I was in touch with, resulted in me taking that leap of faith! in the year 2012 by forming bvprgj consultants. So, with hindsight, I could tell you now that this was an opportunity that resulted from a peculiarly difficult situation and some of you who might be following me on LinkedIn might have already read the detailed article I shared titled "How BVPRGJ Consultants Started". I like the quote, "The choices that you make every single day make you stronger than you think" and this is quite true in my entrepreneurial journey! Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Bvprgj Consultants Prakashan B V: We Provide Business Development and Business Improvement Support to MSMEs / SMEs / #Startups apart from Business Owners involved in manufacturing engineering products. We are also providing management consulting support to technical solutions providers to help them directly reach more end users! This is one of our USPs and an area of immense help to them where the benefits they derive out of this equips them to move forward even in these trying times. We have various cost-effective business improvement methods for increasing the bottom line for those business owners offering products and services to the core engineering segment and this is our forte and we have been helping them grow for close to a decade now. The efficiency of our marketing strategies and sales support measures is highlighted by the very fact that we have a nearly 100 % customer retention record. You may also like to read about various customer retention strategies we have published online on LinkedIn and elsewhere about converting all customers into brand ambassadors, in fact, that is what we aim for. Great Companies: What makes Bvprgj Consultants different from hundreds of other similar service providers? Prakashan B V: We are passionate about what we do! Before anyone thinks that this might look like a common statement, we would request you to see what our tagline says. That says it all. #Wehelpu2grow. Yes, we mean that. We help You To Grow. Our work also revolves around taking forward sustainable engineering products and solutions that are going to make a positive impact on our community. We are proud that in our product promotion and lead generation support to Geosynthetics manufacturers we help them take up sustainable project implementations involving the protection of precious lives and property by harnessing various geosystems such as coastal protection measures etc., Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Prakashan B V: The pandemic has put all of us in some form of challenge. We are all forced to think in a little different manner to realign our objectives due to the unprecedented and unexpected challenges we all face in these new normal periods as business owners. While tackling this has been a little tougher for people like us operating in the conventional core engineering segment as manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, execution and all such has gone haywire! Well, we all are trying to figure out and getting back on our feet. The challenges are inevitable and how we tackle them matters a lot! Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Bvprgj Consultants? Prakashan B V: It is important to have a long-term and short-term goal and in the normal scenario, this would have made a lot of sense. However, most of us as business owners are forced to look more intensely in the current scenario in the short-term period to get over the trying times! That said, we all need to have a proper vision and plan. At BVPRGJ Consultants we are working closely with many manufactures, business owners, and start-up founders. Ideally in the next five years, we would like to see them all growing up to the next level. We have this dream for our Indian engineering products manufacturers that they become global operators. Also, one of our first clients from the manufacturing segment that I mentioned earlier is also trying to expand phenomenally. Our dreams and aspirations are all linked to our partner organizations coming up in the future and we hope to be instrumental in getting them to succeed and as many of them as possible. Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Prakashan B V: Well, this is that one single piece of advice for them all. Research well and come out with something very meaningful and unique well before you start on your own, though you might still need to market it very wisely to succeed. If you are a startup enthusiast reading this and brainstorming with various ideas and wondering if that leap of faith! going to be in the right direction, consider talking to those who have already moved in this direction. We will also be glad to chat with you , just in case you would like to share your thoughts before you get into the action. Website : http://bvprgj.com/ SMEs / Startups & Others: Would You Like To Take Forward Your Business Positively Despite The Slowdown? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/would-you-like-take-forward-your-business-positively-despite-b-v/ {Growth Hacking Tips For Small & Medium Organizations}: Are you experiencing problem in retaining customers? #Wehelpu2grow https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/already-mistake-has-taken-place-what-next-can-take-prakashan-b-v-/

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Amit Sharma: Last year in December 2020, I lost my Marketing job due to a major project delay from the company side. Due to uncertain times, it was very difficult to find “Happiness”. My brother had gifted us Christmas Holiday outing and I was keen to carry my favorite drinks along. To save upon the costing of markup pricing, we bought our drinks directly from the store. Carrying them was a big pain as these expensive bottles might get damaged and will not remain cool for a long time. This requirement inspired me to lookout for ideas for carrying expensive glass Bottles in the most elegant and discreet manner. We started our research from this idea and found a big gap in this segment. Hence, we started developing our first 3 Bottler Cooler Bag to see on the market receptiveness. We launched our first Bottle Cooler Bag on 26th Jan 2021 on Amazon India. Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Outer Woods Amit Sharma: Outer Woods (A Dozy Cozy LLP brand) is a DPIIT Certified Startup (Govt. of India) in the Lifestyle sector. We strive to bring “Thoughtfully Designed Products” in the Lifestyle sector. Our initial range of products include Thermally Insulated Bottle Cooler Bags that helps consumers carry their favorite drinks wherever they go. Outer Woods Bottle Cooler Bags range (1,2,3,4,6 Bottles Capacity) is designed: • To keep your drinks, cool for up to 6 Hours • To keep your expensive bottles safe • To carry the whole set of drinks, glasses, accessories and snacks • To keep your party plans a secret Our most innovative product for this season is the 4 Bottle Cooler bag with Laptop Compartment. Once can carry his favorite drinks and work together. With Outer Woods 4 Bottle Cooler Bag you are always ready to celebrate your success. Great Companies: What makes Outer Woods different from hundreds of other Lifestyle firms? Amit Sharma: Outer Woods is dedicated to carry forward the “Make in India” initiative along with putting real life insights into the lifestyle products. Our team puts a lot of thoughts into product research by gaining real life insights from consumers and develop practical designs that carry our motto of “Thoughtful Designs”. Outer Woods as the name depicts is a sustainable and environment positive company. Our current product range is already helping to reduce the usage of plastic. Every Outer Woods Insulated Bottle Bag can be used more than 1000 times over the years and hence help save the environment by removing the usage of plastic. Hence every Outer Woods Cooler Bag saves more than 1000 plastic bags from being dumped into our mother nature. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Amit Sharma: Being funded by us – the two Co-founders (Amit Sharma & Ali Abbas Hitawala) the major struggle we face is to gain the initial market share with limited investment. Since we have started a new product segment significant number of efforts are required to help people understand the product and its capabilities. We believe that with continuous team efforts your struggles become challenges and that’s when your startup DNA kicks in to solve the problems in most effective manner. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Outer Woods? Amit Sharma: Outer Woods will continue to bring “Thoughtfully Designed Products” that will bring happiness into people’s lives. In the next 5 years we plan to dive deep down into primary and secondary consumer research and gain real life insights. The lifestyle sector possesses a huge opportunity for growth with scope of designing and improving products. All our products will be “Made in India” to help employ the locals at the most and contribute to the growth of the country. Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Amit Sharma: “Look Around, Open Your Mind, Observe Your Surroundings and You will Find Opportunities” Website: https://www.outerwoods.in/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outerwoods.in/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outerwoods.in/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/outerwoodsin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outer-woods/?viewAsMember=true

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Arjun - My primary aim in life has always been to run a successful company of my own. Even while completing my degree in psychology, I knew I was headed in the direction of setting up a business, and thus, was always scoping out new ideas. By the end of my 3rd year, I knew I wanted to bring something new to the Indian F&B space. The sub-segment of desserts and bakeries piqued my interest the most, which led me to the decision of starting 7th Heaven. Most importantly, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of freshness in most bakery products, even in the bigger chains. Most dessert companies bake their products in advance and display them at their stores for hours or more, which leads to stale desserts ultimately reaching the customers. This was a gap in this industry that I wished to solve. That’s how I arrived at the idea of starting a bakery that promises quality & freshness. Once the very 1st 7th Heaven store had been established, we received a lot of positive feedback, which we mostly interpreted as key insights. For instance, the idea to turn this venture into a franchise came after several customers inquired if we follow the franchise model. We always wanted to be the go-to option for anybody who craved a freshly prepared cake or dessert and give them a plethora of new options to always choose from...a one-stop destination for all kinds of cravings. That’s how we came up with a menu spanning so many different kinds of desserts, as well as dishes and cuisines. Great Companies: What are the various services provided by 7th Heaven? Swati - As India’s largest and most well spread bakery chain, we sell pretty much every category of baked products one can think of. But we do so by adding some services and elements that customers can’t find at other places. That explains a statistic we are very proud of - every 6 seconds, someone in India enjoys a 7th Heaven product! We assemble our cake orders using fresh and high quality ingredients in 7 minutes, and let our customers watch the entire process. That’s 7th Heaven’s unique LIVE kitchen model, and over the years it’s allowed us to win the trust of countless customers across the country as they get to verify the quality of our desserts with their own eyes. We also offer same day delivery of customised cakes, another extremely convenient service that our customers love. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort creating a vast menu with over 300 SKUs, including different categories of food even beyond desserts, like Pan-Asian meals, Continental snacks, hot and cold beverages, Ice creams and gift solutions. We wanted to be loved by every kind of foodie, even those who don’t particularly enjoy sweet dishes. Every single month, we continue to update this menu with newer innovations based on the latest dessert trends. Another element that explains our large customer base is the perfect note of affordability. We wanted to stand apart from both expensive chains and cheaper ones that compromise on quality, by setting reasonable rates for our high-quality offerings. 7th Heaven also gives its franchise owners access to several perks, like continuous training, free mentoring, and standardised recipes with listed ingredients. Because of our easy-to-start franchise model, the 7th Heaven franchise network currently employees more than 1000 people directly, and indirectly. Great Companies: What makes 7th Heaven different from hundreds of other similar service providers? Arjun - First and foremost, it has to be our LIVE kitchen. Personally, I am yet to come across another bakery chain that maintains this level of transparency. The kind of freshness you will always, without fail find in each of our baked goods has simply been unmatchable so far. Second, is our unique franchise model. It allows us to keep expanding as a business with every passing day, while giving inexperienced business enthusiasts the opportunity to run an entire bakery. Because everything has already been set in motion and all practices are standardized across our outlets, it's extremely easy for first-time franchise owners to set up shop and keep it running. This has enabled us to give back to society by generating employment on a massive scale! Third is our same-day delivery promise to customers. Because of this one USP, we’ve managed to become a part of so many last-minute celebrations throughout the country! Another thing as I’d mentioned earlier, was how extensive our menu is. While most competitor F&B chains are extremely specialised, in that they either dabble in desserts, or dinner, or breakfast….we do it all. Any kind of hunger pang can be satisfied at 7th Heaven, whether that’s a sweet tooth craving or a big appetite for a yummy meal. Our menu not only consists of desserts, beverages, tid-bits and meals from different cuisines, it's also continuously updated. Our customers know that, which is why they're always excited to find out what the next new thing in store at 7th Heaven is! Great Companies: What are the struggles & challenges you face? Swati - In the process of expanding 7th Heaven’s business, we’ve had to grapple with a few challenges, particularly related to our franchise model. The bigger we get, the higher is the number of franchise stores under the 7th Heaven umbrella, which, in turn, increases the need for continuous standardisation. We want each of the 200-odd 7th Heaven stores in India to seamlessly deliver the same quality-driven experience to our customers, which makes it critical for us to standardise every single thing, starting from the recipes and the ingredients to the menu and the operations. We also have to ensure constant training and 24/7 support for all 7th Heaven staff members including the owners, chefs, and the servers. Support teams need to be available around the clock to resolve issues in any franchise store, quickly and efficiently. It’s taken a lot of dedication, hard work, and multiple rounds of trial and error to overcome these challenges, and institute an efficient system that functions well, and fulfills all of 7th Heaven’s franchise model needs! Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for 7th Heaven? Arjun - Currently we’re looking at aggressive expansion, both within and beyond India’s borders. Our total store tally in India is upwards of 200 across 75 cities, and we want to keep this number growing. We recently launched an outlet in Dubai, and are now scoping out other International territories. We want 7th Heaven to be present in multiple cities in every country of the globe. We want to move from being India’s largest bakery chain, to being the world's largest. Great Companies: If you have one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Swati - Throughout my years of working as an entrepreneur, I’ve learned 3 rules that I always abide by, and would recommend to anybody just starting out. The first is to set clear, tangible goals. Vague objectives like “I want to be a great businessman” won’t fare as well as specific, measurable goals like “I want to own 2 stores by the end of this year”. The second is to never make excuses. Everybody has bad days and lazy moments, but what differentiates you from the crowd is how you deal with them. Excuses may put off the work and give you temporary respite, but they have a way of sneaking up on you. This brings me to my third mantra, always get the work done. I pride myself on being result-oriented and the kind of person who finishes what is required, no matter what else may be going on. I’d also like to add that resilience is a critical ability you will have to master if you want to become a successful business owner. No matter what you face, keep at it! Website : www.7thheaven.in

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Anubhav Sahni: I have been in marketing for the last 12 years. Events make an important part of marketing. So, this idea of one easy way of finding venues for events, Commercial activities was always there at the back of the mind. When I got an opportunity to get associated with Holiday Keepers, a vacation rental company, this idea took a concrete shape that a single place for all types of venues. Being a family man, Who loves to travel places and at the same time needs convenience for business, I could resonate with the thought of the target audience that I had in mind for this business. Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by FabVenues Anubhav Sahni: FabVenues is a booking portal for booking all and any type of Venues, be it for stay or for events. Be it an event for a full day or even for few hours. This platform gives complete flexibility to the venue owners (we call Them venue partners) to list their property as they deem fit for their business. In addition to various venues, the platform gives flexibility to the owners for collecting payment in up to 3 installments, which is a huge value add to the customers who wish to book a place with high value ticket item much in advance. Customers typically book marriage/ wedding venues or business venues much in advance. This feature will help them pay with convenience and securely. Further, the platform provides option to book F&B in addition other services that the venue partner can provide to the customers, so that customers can get all offerings under one invoice. This in turn gives more control to the venue owners as well as an opportunity to improve their booking value. As a first, this platform provides a direct chat connect between the owner and the customer for price negotiations/ doubt clarifications etc. that’s not available with any other Indian service provider. Great Companies: What makes FabVenues different from hundreds of other similar service providers? Anubhav Sahni: The answer lies mostly in the last question. While there are a few venue types that is common with some of the leading booking platforms. This is the first ever booking platform for all venues types with as much control and flexibility built in. This platform is unique in many ways. The only platform to have all types of venues under one umbrella. The first ever platform for listing and booking venues like Mall Spaces, Apartment spaces, community spaces. We give complete flexibility to The venue owners, and that makes this model highly scalable with minimal cost inputs. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Anubhav Sahni: Like all the new concepts, It takes time to make the venue owners understand the concept and the benefits that they can derive out of this. Further, since it’s a new name with limited brand reach and limited brand recognition, customers need time to get accustomed to the brand and have the trust to book. Last but not the least, it’s an era of excess information, and to make a mark in reaching out to the target audience, it takes a lot of effort in marketing and outreach, and that takes a lot of marketing money. Being a start-up at bootstrapping level, availability of funds is a challenge. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for FabVenues? Anubhav Sahni: We plan to grow both horizontally as well as vertically. Horizontally, starting from Delhi NCR and a few popular destinations in North India, we plan to grow PAN India in next one year, starting from Mumbai and Goa in the West, and Bangalore and Chennai in South in addition to continue to expand in North India. We plan to go international with operations in the US by 3Q (apx Sep) in 2022, and then to other locations across Globe. In next 5 years, we strive to be a trusted partner and a the preferred booking portal for all venues across India and other parts of the globe. Great Companies: If you have one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Anubhav Sahni: If you believe in the concept, believe in yourself, in your team and continue to hammer until it gets done. I would like to borrow a quote and learning from my last company, IBM which is one of the most iconic brands ever on this planet that says, “Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships”. That’s the mantra I abide by.

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Ashish Kumar: I have always been an intuitive person with a creative inclination. I was always keen on helping out my friends and family who worked in advertising agencies for designing concepts and ideas. Being interested in this field for the longest time, I wanted to put my ideas to life. Red Dash Media stands for everything I have ever been passionate about and it is something I enjoy doing for a living. Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Red Dash Media Ashish Kumar: We are a full-service digital marketing agency providing one-stop solutions to all our client’s expansion needs. We provide services in the field of web designing, SEO, digital marketing, social media management, and brand consultancy. Our creative campaigns and advertisements are designed to deliver a powerful and enduring impact. We strive to provide 360-degree digital marketing services to our clients. Great Companies: What makes Red Dash Media different from hundreds of other Marketing Agencies? Ashish Kumar: We are different from other marketing agencies because we believe in putting forward out-of-the-box ideas and executing them in the best manner possible. Red Dash Media works along the lines of ideation, conceptualization, and execution. For an idea to thrive and leave an impact, it is important for it to be executed in the right manner. What sets us apart from others is that the ideas that we conceptualize and execute are customized according to our client’s every need. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Ashish Kumar: We love challenges, which is why we work with clients from all over the world and different industries. It helps us to gain valuable insights and in-depth knowledge of the client’s industry. Working with a diverse range of clients allows us to step into our client’s shoes and develop our problem-solving skills as we move forward. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Red Dash Media? Ashish Kumar: We see ourselves working with clients from all the major countries across the globe. Our expertise lies in both digital marketing and advertising services in India, moreover, we would love to expand our advertising services internationally in time to come. Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Ashish Kumar: Just be patient, hang in there. In order to be successful, you have to take risks. Nothing great happens on its own, and you can’t sit on the sidelines waiting for it to happen. Downfalls happen to everyone, what you need is the consistency to rise back up again.

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Annand Khatpe : 20 years back when I was studying designing I realized that I would be of good help to the community with the inborn talent of having different material and aesthetic sense of houses and peoples lifestyle, where I thought my knowledge would make a difference in people’s life, that is when the idea of doing things in a professional manner and in stipulated time frame kicked in. Weather it is • Small Space, Large Furniture • Large Space, Small Budget • Big, Bare, Bland Walls • Harsh Lighting • Formidable Floating Rugs • The Forgotten Foyer • Establishing the function of the room • Ensuring the furniture is just right and in proportion and scale to the room • Identifying the focal point of the room • Overcrowding the room with too much stuff • Keeping the furniture away from the walls • Selecting the right paint colours and here I am doing the same and getting lots of overwhelming smiles on the faces, those who otherwise would have to through endless Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Spaces Alive Interior Designers Annand Khatpe : We do TURN KEY PROJECTS At Spaces Alive, in addition to delivering end-to-end home interior solutions in stipulated time frame (design, execution, installation, handover), we also offer a matchless 10-year warranty to keep you shielded against inevitable wear and tear. Our service philosophy, coupled with our ethos of ensuring elevated customer experiences, has led us to being awarded the ‘Most Innovative Interior Design Company’ by Forbes India Magazine. Our projects are rooted in aesthetic designs, and functional interiors. • Meeting the clients on site and identifying the feasibility of the property • Conceptualization of the designs as per client’s requirements through different mood boards which gives the clients a fair idea that we have understood their requirements and taste. • Developing schematic designs / drawings • Converting them in to 3D photo realistic images • Budgeting • Contracting – Putting in place the approved designs with various agencies and vendor – Civil, false ceiling, electrification, painting, modular kitchen, appliances, carpenter • Selection of loose furniture and décor item Great Companies: What makes Spaces Alive Interior Designers different from hundreds of other similar services providers? Annand Khatpe : Spaces Alive has an upstanding quality code, with award-winning, interior designers, intelligent designs and functionality-first protocols. Our designers are among the crème de la crème of the industry. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Annand Khatpe : Being in this industry for long there aren’t any challenges as such for us in the industry that we are working. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Spaces Alive Interior Designers? Annand Khatpe : Spaces Alive is one of the leading companies in the field in Pune and would be expanding in different states providing our services Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Annand Khatpe : Invest in Art. Make use of vertical space A good mirror is a must Add in plenty of texture Consider curtains Think about what you need the space to do Don’t forget about natural lighting Make a statement with paint But also think beyond it Listen to your gut Bring nature inside

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business? Kishor Maloo: We both were working together and have engaged with clients at different levels. We realised that the retail client isn't sure how investments work. When one looks for investing, that person trusts you with their money. We felt that clients are not financially literate, especially the retail client. Money management is still not thought of as expert work, as investing is still thought of in old ways. We found that a major, financially gap, which led to the foundation of moneyphi Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Finstone Technologies Pvt Ltd. Kishor Maloo: Moneyphi is a solution-driven investment company with a focus on making money management easy for clients. As a company, we aim to provide our clients with access to financial literacy. Our clients have various options to start investing from, mutual funds to Digital gold, from Indian to US stocks. We are also working to provide NPS and Fixed deposit options for our clients. Great Companies: What makes Finstone technologies Private Limited different from hundreds of other Fintech firms? Kishor Maloo: We are not a product-driven or transaction-based platform. One of the aspects of money management is the client relationship. In today's digital era, when knowledge is freely available across different mediums, a client's mind is getting financially cluttered. Our team regularly interacts with a client irrespective of their investment amount. It's our duty to make our clients understand the risk of investing, its benefits and all the nitty-gritty of investing. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Kishor Maloo: Hiring the right mix of employees who are in sync with your company vision. Apart from hiring, we live in a dynamic regulatory framework which becomes challenging to make changes, though regulatory in financial products is a boon for the industry and clients. Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What do 5 years down the line look like for Finstone technologies Pvt ltd? Kishor Maloo: We are working to create a phygital eco-system for our clients. We are looking to have a presence across cities in addition to our digital footprint. Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be? Kishor Maloo: Set your company vision straight and hire the right mix of employees. While overnight success is good to hear but, Patience is the key to success. If you are looking to stay relevant, the old basics of business: ethics, integrity and transparency are still relevant.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has been very challenging for Small and Medium Business Entrepreneurs in the Year 2020. The market landscape has been disrupted impacting the way the business is being conducted, employees now need to be managed remotely, and technology adoption demands are increasing. Business Owners are now finding solutions to meet the changing needs of both the consumers and employees. This is leading to new trends which are beginning to gain traction. Great Companies brings you the experts analysis of the trends for Small Business Owners should be ready to capitalise on. Experts Prediction for Small Business Trends in 2021 Collaboration and Advancement in Technology With the COVID-19 pandemic importance of Technology has never become so important as now. Technology which was used mainly for work related task - now is used increasingly to keeping connected for both personal and professional reasons. The current pandemic has spurred the adoption of technology with AI capabilities and features. Advancement in AI related applications is connecting people in realtime without having to be physically close to each other. COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a hard lesson that we humans are vulnerabe to both Human and Economic disruption. This perhaps has for the first time in history of mankind that collobaration is now done at a global scale with data sharing and transparency and also the speed at which the governments are working to minimize the threat and improve the economy. Suneil Stanly - Founder Tink Tank Business Transformation in the New Age Adaption to the changes is the key to growth in 2021 2020 has been a great realisation for Business owners. Majority of them had processes in "Chalta Hain Attitude" and that backfired when the offices were closed; work from home was challenge as the data was stored in office computer. Small Business has to rely on Technology like moving their data to cloud space and work on backend automation so the customers/vendors get the response as they want to get updated as they work with business owners. If they don't adapt they will not grow; Adaption to the changes is the key to growth in 2021 Bharat Jethani - Founder ESTUARY LEARNING ACADEMY LLP Entrepreneur Development Coach Change yourself or your Business Strategy I Think It doesn't matter whether you have a Small Or Large Business. The Only thing which does matter for every Business Is Change. See, I can share some technical stuff with all of you for 2021, like Go digital and Build Your Brand Online Etc. But Instead, what I want to focus on mainly is - What's the Common Problem Due to which Business Owners Fail? Which is the inability to change. Most Entrepreneurs Resist Change, and that's why they fail when a new trend comes along. So I Will Suggest The Small Businesses that - Be Ready to change Themselves. Be Flexible So that you can Change yourself or your Business Strategy according to the current Market Situations. For Example - In this Pandemic, many Trainers and Coaches went broke Just because they didn't adapt to the Online Business Model. And still, they are not Understanding. On the Other Side, We Grew our Business 5 to 6 times Because We were Flexible, and we changed according to the market Scenario. Understand Consumer Behavior and Change Accordingly. Be Flexible, Be Ready to change, and Keep Learning new things and Trends that are currently upholding in the Market. Bhupenddra Singh Raathore (Coach BSR) International Motivational Speaker| Business Coach| Author| India's No.1 Motivational Speaker of 2020 - By CEO India Magazine Automate the Process and develop solutions which add real value Covid-19 has fast-forwarded the whole world at least by 3 years. There's an urgent need for businesses to now take 3 things extremely seriously: - How they present their products / services online - What customers have to say about their products / services online - Developing solutions which add real value to their customer's lives Key focus areas to work on will include: - How to reduce the cost per acquisitions by fine tuning the reach out mechanisms these businesses use - How to increase longevity of existing clients & further new clients - Keeping costs low by automating processes as required, avoiding burdening costs like rent Deep Mehta - Co-Founder DigiChefs Digital Marketing Agency With Right Mindset, drive and Skill, nothing is Impossible A virtual 2021. More work from home, more work online. More people learning digital skills because they need it for their job, or simply to order products they want in their personal life. As a digital nomad, I can continue my work, though travel is a real challenge depending on countries' regulations. As clarity coach for mid-career professionals, I notice a huge increase in those who decide to start their online business as an entrepreneur. Making money online is definitely an increasing trend: e-commerce, coaching, YouTubers, MLM's, online courses, VA's, etc... The world online is more competitive, but with the right mindset, drive and skills, nothing is impossible! Rachel Smets - Founder Rachel Smets Online Entrepreneur, Coaching Collaborations with the Freelancer Pandemic has make us understand that how to build our network online and generate good business by going online. As we Tatweer Consulting & Training was Providing Occupational Health & Safety Training to Construction Sector, Industrial Sector, Corporate Sector, Residential Communities, Education Sector etc. offline training's but since march 2020 the world has changed completely no social gatherings no personal meetings going on, Online Meetings and Training's has given new boost to the Market. Our Future trends in 2021 is maximum collaborations with the freelancer Trainers in EHS- Environmental Health & Safety and companies all over the country and out side the country - International. Mohammed Faraz Uddin Ahmed - Managing Director / CEO Tatweer Consulting & Training Occupational Health & Safety Training's Carve a niche and remain relevant Small companies will have to carve a niche to survive against large companies. Quality, Flexibility, Personal attention and involvement are some traits that large organisations lack. They will have to present a strong case to remain relevant Sukhbir Sahni - Managing Partner Sukhbir & Associates Management Consultant Big opportunities for making Money for small business Small Business have a Big Opportunities in coming years, as there are many companies which are coming in India. Its all about how the companies take up those opportunities or convert their work into money making business. I find the upcoming years are a great going years. Nancy Hatgaonkar - Founder Liftup Consultancy Recruitment and Corporate Gifting Your MINDSET in 2021 will determine how you succeed. The opportunity to make money is now. The opportunity to grow your business even more will happen in 2021. You will either have a negative or positive experience next year, depending on your top 2”. Your MINDSET. There are many negative people out there. Run away from them - as fast as you can. They shouldn’t be in your Circle of Influence. Be positive and think positively. Make sure you do your affirmations every day. Your MINDSET in 2021 will determine how you succeed. Pete O’Keeffe - CEO & Founder Global Business Success Business Coach SME's Need to have Digital Foot Print With an exponentially evolving market, a lot of products and services became obsolete and many more became necessities like Zoom and Twitch. To flourish, all the small and medium companies need to have digital foot print! As internet is fundamental to all devices today, not maintaining a well-defined online presence could be the worst decision a company could ever make. Digital personality could be the king to all outbound communications that a company would make. It would help a company represent itself independent of the founders or the owners! Creative joint venture is going to be another big thing in the coming decade. This pandemic has taught us that collaborative efforts and constant touch base with similar companies would help the small fishes survive longer. Rishi Singh - CEO Awesome Sauce Creative Pvt. Ltd Branding and Communication Build empathy and trust with your customers Pivtoting businesses online is most important and essential thing. Customers won't just expect you to be online rather they want seamless experience. As economies would shift to more responsible consumption, customers would buy in lesser quantities compared to pre-pandemic world. Hence to retain customer base, small businesses would serve customers with more empathy and that would eventually build trust and draw brand loayaties. Vidyadhar Prabhudesai, FRSA - Co founder and Board Member LeadCap Ventures Research, Consulting, Analytics Cloud Computing and Digital Transformation The future has already changed. It won't be "business as usual". The truth is, things won't be "usual", at least not for a while. Maybe not ever. Some of the future trends which I anticipate for Small Businesses in 2021 are 1. Cloud Computing — Adoption of Disruptive Technologies — Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure. 2. The digital transformation will continue to be the focus of organizations around the Globe. The small business needs to get tech-savvy. No doubt, it will be survival of the fittest, the stronger and fitter will survive. But the future will depend on adaptability, so the businesses which have embraced techno gig transformation will be able to sustain and scale-up. There are no other options besides gearing up for online and digital business modules with disruptive technologies. In future, businesses can navigate successfully, only if they are fast in embracing technology and being more reactive and agile than their competitors. Sarla Sharma - Managing Director Pioneer Management Consultant Pvt Ltd Recruitment Service Businesses that have scaled online or are planning to scale online will thrive. Businesses that have scaled online or are planning to scale online will thrive. Business will happen, just the mode will be different. People will definitely be spending, though not as much so businesses need to start inventing bite sized packages or services that can solve a problem and not be too hard on the pocket. Considering people have got used to working from home, management related services and software’s will see an increase in demand along with essentials. Commercial real estate may see a massive decline though. Diksha Vohra - Founder & CEO Content by Diksha Vohra Digital marketing Top 3 trends in Mortgage Tech for Small Businesses in 2021 - Digitization and extensive use of Artificial Intelligence will play a major role in revolutionizing small businesses. - Intelligent digital capability is the key to any successful business in 2021. - Machine learning and Predictive and predictive analytics will drive business value leveraging business insights. Arindom Basu - CEO Digilytics AI Financial Services Era of collaboration and tie-up Important trends which i foresee or anticipate is KYC-Know your customer-small business need to understand their clients and embrace applications like CRM .Secondly I call it a era of collaboration and small Business will need to collaborate or tie-up with Digital marketing service providers and make sure that brand is well differentiated and positioned amongst the Target audience. Thirdly every Small business will need to have an agile and adaptable Manufacturing, Operations ,Business development and finance process which gets controlled on hourly or daily basis using IOT or AI based ERP system and i see long term Business planning (1 year,3 year plans) dying out. Rajesh Radhakrishnan - Cofounder and CMO VRITTI SOLUTIONS LIMITED Technology, Media and Marketing More Business Opportunity than ever before New normal for the coming year would be Online Platform. There shall be lot of relaxation of services not only in IT but also in Non-IT to provide services online. THE PRESENCE may not be a key factor for any business. People will have more business opportunity than ever before. Every gap may be converted as a new business. Bavani Sivam - Director Samarthana Corporate Services Pvt Ltd HR & Statutory Compliance Share your Views on and we will publish online in Great Companies, business magazine "What are some future trends you Anticipate for Small Business in 2022".

What is your definition of bold? Being a woman you all must have heard this word ‘BOLD’ many times in your entire life. Worn some revealing clothes- Oh she’s too bold to be wearing that, come home late night- Aren’t you too bold to be roaming so late, keep your own point of view firmly- Wow you are very bold to say like that. This word ‘BOLD’ is often used to indirectly shame women. However, this word has a great meaning in itself. ‘BOLD’ means being confident, not afraid, brave, brazen, and everything in a good sense. The true meaning of ‘BOLD’ is explained by three really beautiful and amazing entrepreneurs who decided to portray the real ‘BOLD’ woman through their brand. They have shown the real side of being ‘BOLD’. They have portrayed a different side of women in Africa. With a common motive, these women started a brand named ‘Bold in Africa’ which now has turned into an inspiration for a lot of women. Their brand has been a place to showcase women with their true selves. Nunu Mugyenyi, Angel Nkwaya, and Janet Mugume were friends and fresh undergraduates who had an aim to do something in fashion. At first, they had a small vision. They just wanted to open a boutique. And to the contradiction, they used to re-sell second-hand clothing. But it didn’t take long for them to face problems. The first problem they faced was a very common problem that every reseller would face especially in a place like theirs. It was an issue to purchase affordable local-made clothing. Secondly, there was no place to open a convenience store outlet. So, within a year of starting their outlet, they moved from secondhand to Ugandan-made pieces and then to African-made clothing. They started their journey in 2021 and after 7 years of ‘Bold in Africa’ in 2019, they started to include home décor and kids apparel in their business. All they have tried to fill the gaps in the market and make people more conscious about ‘BOLD’ women and African-made products. The main focus of ‘Bold in Africa’ is on showcasing ‘Bold Women’. With that, they have a mission to portray their African culture and creatives through their fashion and home décor, nationally and internationally. Through ‘Bold in Africa’ they provide a chance to various small designers who want to portray their skills out in the world. They are Bold Women who produce and sell Bold products specifically Made in Africa. Although being the first of its kind, ‘Bold in Africa’ has successfully created a space for more than 40 designers representing more than 10 African countries collectively. They believe in collaboration with a spirit of enhancing the local. They work through one physical store right now located in Kampala but they also deliver within the city and soon will be launching their online store delivering across the world. ‘Bold in Africa’ is not just another fashion store. It is their way of showing Bold women through their culture. These three such great women started it from scratch and now they have achieved heights. They are an inspiration for many women out there. They are even motivating us girls and women to be Bold and do what we dream of. They have shown that there are no limitations for us. No matter where you live or what you do, if you have the passion and courage to follow your dream and choose your path then there is no one to stop you and you are Bold in the most beautiful way. Edited by Mallika Malvia