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Great companies:Can you please tell a little about ExTtravelMoney? George Zachariah:ExtravelMoney.com effectively brings the hyper-local e-commerce model to the foreign exchange & remittance market, by creating India's largest ‘forex search engine’. We are an online aggregator and marketplace of forex services provided by RBI approved Foreign Exchange Companies & Banks in India. We help people such as students and travellers going abroad or foreign travellers in India, to book forex services online at super low rates, directly from banks and money changers. Foundation Year: Dec 30, 2014 Featured Person(s) Name and Designation: Brief details of the founders 1. George Zachariah, CEO 15+ years of banking experience with a consistent history of leadership, driving sales and successful operational management in retail foreign exchange and remittance space. Worked with Reliance Capital, Centurion Bank of Punjab, after which he founded Finex Forex. 2. Ashwin Narasimha, CTO 9+ Years of experience in IT, including web development, server administration, Enterprise architecture, Software development. Previously co-founded Veeble Softtech, a web infrastructure management company with a client base across 130 countries. 3. Nisanth Issac, CMO 7+ years of business development and digital marketing experience. Knowledgeable in planning, developing and implementing effective marketing campaigns. Well versed with marketing analytics and attuned to changing trends in marketing and SEO. Achievements 1. Selected for NASSCOM 10K StartUp programme – 2016 2. Winner CISAT - Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Startup Award (FinTech) – 2016 3. Finalists of India FinTech Awards, 2016 4. Winner, "IT Startup of the Year" category, KMA-NASSCOM IT Awards 2017 5. Winner "Best Emerging Startup in Kerala - 2018" by Project Management Institute of Kerala (PMI Kerala) Milestones 1. ExTravelMoney launched with 3 money changers on board and 2000+ forex stores in 2015. Currently, 25+ money changers and banks with total 8000+ forex stores across India have been successfully added to our online forex platform. The major ones are Thomas Cook, EbixCash, Unimoni (formerly UAE Exchange), Cox & Kings, Muthoot Forex, Muthoot Fincopr, Manappuram Finance, Orient Exchange, BFC Forex and Transcorp. 2. Also, in the last 3 months, we have successfully concluded negotiations with RBL Bank and Axis Bank and have on-boarded them to the ExTravelMoney platform. Great companies:What are the services ExTtravelMoney provides to its customers? George Zachariah:The services offered by ExTravelMoney are ; 1. Buying Foreign Currency 2. Selling Foreign Currency 3. Buying Forex Card 4. Money Transfer Abroad Great companies:How do you manage your clients? George Zachariah:We have a dedicated customer support team to address the issues of and provide stellar service to the people booking a transaction through ExTravelMoey.com For customers, we are a way to search for and book the best forex rates in their locality easily from the comfort of their home. All forex related processes like rate enquiry, order booking, KYC sharing, ease of payment with different payment methods, quality customer support etc are available under one umbrella. We educate the customers & help them to complete a foreign exchange/remittance transaction within the limits prescribed by RBI & FEMA rules. Forex offered through ExTravelMoney is cheaper than market rates, so customers benefit by saving money. They also save time by finding the cheapest and best-rated forex store near their location online itself. Great companies:What is the main strategy to attract clients? George Zachariah:There are a few factors that mainly attracts customers to ExTravelMoney.com when it comes to booking forex transaction online. Unique features of ExTravelMoney; 1. Forex Comparison - Customers can compare exchange rates of forex services offered by forex centres near them on the basis of exchange rates, location and customer ratings. The best forex service can then be booked online. 2. Marketplace Model - Our online platform is designed as an open marketplace. That is, when customers search for forex services, only those money changers offering the best exchange rates and service get chosen more often by customers. This directly results in competition between money changers to grab customers and thus competitive exchange rates are offered by them. 3. Best Forex Rates - We have a special agreement with money changers to provide forex services at the wholesale exchange for customers booking forex through ExTravelMoney. 4. Maximum Forex Stores - ExTravelMoney has tie-ups with 25+ money changers including RBL Bank, Axis Bank, Thomas Cook, Muthoot Forex, UAE Exchange, Cox & Kings and Orient Exchange. Currently, we have more than 8000+ forex stores spread across many towns and cities in India. Great companies:What is the “success mantra" of Ex Travel Money? George Zachariah:The one “success mantra” of ExTravelMoney can be said to be our supreme dedication ensuring customers find the best exchange rate on their forex transaction. When customers benefit from our service, we, in turn, benefit from their patronage.

Great Companies: What is your success mantra that has helped you for years? Apoorva Kumar: Hard- work with belief in what I do and its cause has helped me alot. Any work with good cause always pays you off and it shall always bring success. Great Companies: What are the various services that you provide? Apoorva Kumar: We are a boutique Law Firm and provide Legal Solutions to corporate and individual which ranges from Civil and Criminal Litigation to Corporate Advisory and documentation alongwith Commercial disputes and Arbitration. Great Companies:  How do you safeguard that the best quality service is provided to your clients? Apoorva Kumar: Our Client's interest is always primary and we keep that in mind before strategising for them. We invest time, knowledge and resources in each of Our Client and provide them efficient solutions. Great Companies:  Out of 100 cases, what is the number of marriage dispute cases that you have had to deal with. And what do you think are the reasons for a high rise in marriage disputes in the country? Apoorva Kumar: Out of 100 we deal about 20 matrimonial disputes and they have largely increased in the country due to various reasons. Awareness, Empowerment, Independence, freedom are few of them. It is like two sides of the coin and each aspect has its own pros and con. Great Companies:  What do you have to say to the budding law students? Apoorva Kumar: Law is a brilliant field and it not only gives you knowledge but empowers you. However, it is on you to either use the power to your benefit or others. This field requires a lot of patience and calmness, brace yourself because its a roller coaster ride. All the Very Best.

Great Companies: What is your success mantra that has helped you over years? Angad Pal Singh: I pursue a belief, which inspired me to leave my job and bring this firm into existence in 2012 and this belief is something that has been a success mantra for us. I believe that in everything we do professionally, we have to take care of three things: incorporate the fundamental principle of excellence, endeavour to bring simplicity to the user and to ensure value creation from the service you offer. Our firm has lived by these principles, and this is why our clients trust us and we not only earn their assignments, but also their patronage. Great Companies: That's intriguing. Can you little bit brief us about these three aspects and how do you make them come true in every assignment? Angad Pal Singh: Excellence & accuracy, are, I believe, indispensable. They are not even a trait, They are the basic reasons for which a client outsources a process. Now with the tendency to earn more out of an assignment, firms usually leverage through trainees and less competent staff and then get the supervision done from an expert. We have done an excellence innovation by putting in place a system, wherein every task in an assignment is executed by the expert only, and that doesn't mean we earn less, we ensure our earnings in an assignment at par or at times higher than our market counterparts, by engaging technology to do major tasks with excellence accuracy. By simplicity we mean, the interface for the client has to be very simple. The interface to provide us the inputs and to enjoy the output. We tend to achieve this by a deep interaction with the client in the beginning of the assignment to let him speak his heart out from where we gather the real objectives of the client behind deciding to entrust the assignment. We ensure that we deliver him the synopsis depicting what is of value to him instead of long lengthy reports that encapsule almost everything which the client may not need. And value creation is something that needs no explanation, though, but in our industry, while few assignments are by nature value creating, but as you know the compliance assignments are seen as a burden, which is true to some extent because they do not create any value. We ensure to bring valuable insights for the customers from the compliance assignments as well, so that every time they pay us, they have the perception of earning out of it. Great Companies: Why did you choose to be a boutique consulting firm? Angad Pal Singh: My personal experience says, in India we believe in interpersonal dealings. Businesses want to trust one person or organisation for as many things as possible. So to bring many solutions under one roof for the clients, we chose to be a multi-speciality firm while ensuring the focus by having a strong team of associates specialising in their own respective areas of study. Great Companies:  What are the difficulties that are being faced by new consulting firms? Angad Pal Singh: I cannot be very sure of that but from what I've gathered from my limited interaction with junior professionals, they face lack of negotiation capabilities with the client despite the fact that they are much competent to handle the work. This is disappointing because CA is a profession, it's not a normal service and every CA is equally competent to do the job. I personally recommend every professional to join toastmasters where you learn leadership qualities, communication and negotiation skills, and alongside you build a network of global presence. I have been a part of toastmasters since long and it has indeed helped me a lot. Great Companies:  Are you thinking of recruiting more advisors any time soon? Angad Pal Singh: We do not recruit, we associate. Our tendency is to have more partners than employees. We associate with specialists to widen our scope of assignments. Yes we are open to build new associations at all times, provided the person on the other side has the same mindset of delivering with excellence, simplicity and value creation.

Great Companies: Can you brief the aim of your company? Aninder Singh: The main motive of my company "Vision My Art" is always one, Customer Satisfaction. But the Aim cannot be one after achieving the one also. I always want my company to become the best digital marketing agency in the world, and we can call its a dream if it ever gets a chance to represent the digital marketing industry on behalf of India. Great Companies: What was the motive behind the founding of this company? Aninder Singh:  "Vision My Art" was a dream during the old days of Job, but the vision was something different. I always believe that one day people will definitely understand and focus on the "Vision" behind "My Art". Great Companies: How do you assure that your clients have been provided with the best fit for their requirements? Aninder Singh: "Satisfaction Level" always defines the way your work, rather than words you speak. I along with my team is fully responsible for the design - creatives, web and social media what we deliver to our clients. Great Companies:  What are the struggles that you commonly get to face while recruiting? Aninder Singh: This is seriously very tough competition, while hiring staff with the right approach, we always gets too many challenges but we always strive to get their test before joinings. That makes them justify. Great Companies:  Do you provide the training of candidates? Aninder Singh: Yes we always provide internships to the freshers after joining our company and Experienced persons most of just need to understand the way we work and deliver the client's expectations.

Great Companies: What all services does your company provides? Nikhil: End to End solutions for sports events which includes VENUE , EMCEE , FABRICATION & BRANDING , CATERING , OFFICIALS , DJ , AUDIO & VISUALS , PHYSIOTHERAPISTS , YOGA TRAINING , FITNESS TRAINING , completely customizable packages , Introducing AMC - Sports & Fitness for corporates . Great Companies: What all challenges did the company face since its inception in 2017? How did it manage to overcome them? Nikhil: We had had to see some of the difficult phase in business overcoming the impact of DEMONETIZATION which acted as a huge barrier but we believed in our ability and passion drove us throughout and we have managed to organize 100 + events Great Companies: How do you manage to cater to the various needs and requirements of your clients? Nikhil : We are having a planning team which analyses the requirement of clients and based on the understand we suggest them options of services with different price points & quality and make sure the event is organized in a efficient way. Great Companies: What gives your company an edge over other event managing companies? Nikhil: We are a EXCLUSIVE SPORTS EVENTS management company , We are a company which organizes GSEM events & also manage events for clients so we know best as we understand the requirement in a sportsman point of view.. Great Companies: What is your vision and mission? How far have you been successful in achieving it? Nikhil: Our vision is to create platform for youngsters / sports enthusiasts to be able to participate and compete at advanced levels and We have organized 30+ GSEM events so far and are bringing people together..

Great Companies: What all services does your company provides? Manoj Krishnan: The Compass Team provides a bouquet of services from Student Evaluation Programmes to Career Guidance and Assessment for high schools students, Parenting support services , Faculty engagement programmes and clinical services to address a variety of problems. Great Companies: What does your programmes focus on? Manoj Krishnan: Our programmes focus on holistic and overall development of all the communities involved-students, teachers and parents. Great Companies: Why do you think that your company is the best place for  the development of children? Manoj Krishnan: We work on a 360 degree approach and ensure that we take teachers and parents into confidence and involve them in the development of children. We don't just identify strengths and weaknesses, we provide intervention in those areas too. Great Companies: How far have you been successful in providing satisfying results to your clients? Manoj Krishnan: Our close to 10 years of work in the area has given us deep insights into problems faced by students, parents and teachers. We have screened more than 40,000 students across schools , added value year after year on our programmes and guided high school students into the right courses for an ideal career, conducted engagement programmes for thousands of teachers and helped as many parents in enjoying what they do for children. Great Companies: Can you tell us more about your service HOPES? Manoj Krishnan: HOPES (HOlistic Programme for Evaluation of Students) is the only copyrighted outreach programme in the country that screens students, identifies shortcomings and provides intervention wherever required by using a 360 degree approach. It is done with a team of specialists like psychologists, special educators speech language pathologists, audiologists,  nutritionists and doctors  to address specific areas  like IQ, academics, behaviour, life skills, speech language and communication, food and nutrition and more to ensure that every child is brought to the mainstream. Great Companies: What is your companies mission and vision? Manoj Krishnan: Mission is to create and spread awareness and provide remedial intervention for problems related to academic backwardness, behaviour, life skills, speech, language and communication and nutrition through effective management of related disorders and highly ethical clinical practices which are cost effective and innovative. We also aim to guide high school children to scientifically find their right career path based on their Aptitude. Our Vision is to be a social enterprise  that gives shape to a physically and mentally healthier and happier society through a 360 ° approach involving students,         teachers and parents, through Holistic Evaluation, outreach programmes, seminars, workshops, counseling and remedial services to ensure that every child is brought to the mainstream.

Great Companies: Can you tell us a little about yourself, your company’s mission and vision? Abhishek Bhatia: I have been in the IT software industry for the last 20 years and had the opportunity to work with few Fortune 500 companies over these years. Started off Value Edge Solutions to bring my extensive expertise in Software Solutions to the customers. We work with our SOUL and touch SOULs of our customers. Our Mission –Offer sustainable business solutions, thus creating value for CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS &SELF. Our Vision –INNOVATE: Strive to innovate in every association, be it CONSULTING or SOFTWARE SERVICES INVIGORATE: Strive to bring freshness, be it SERVICES or CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP SUSTAIN: Strive to provide SUSTAINABLE Business Solutions and achieve SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIP Great Companies: What does Value Edge Solutions specialize in? And how do clients benefit themselves from it? Abhishek Bhatia: Value Edge Solutions is into providing Customized software solutions like Cloud/Business Process Automation solutions, System Integration, 3 rd Party interfacing, Enterprise Mobility solutions (native mobile apps), Augmented Reality, Sales Automation & Customized CRM solutions. Benefits to Customers: We speak the language that our customers understand as we work as Technology Partner, not as a Vendor developing something. We understand the BUSINESS NEED. We have our libraries which makes our time required to deliver faster. We handhold our customers during the rollout thus bring comfort and satisfaction. Great Companies: How has Value Edge Solutions branched over the course of time? Abhishek Bhatia: Two bifurcations that we created over a period 1) We developed few products like CRM (which can be customized as per the need apart from the features that are readily available). We also developed a Sales Automation solution. These products help us cater and target an audience which never existed for us 2) We ventured into Augmented Reality, which brings in a very different WOW factor and also enabled us to target a very different market segment. Great Companies: What do you plan to achieve in 5 years down the line? Abhishek Bhatia: We plan to have our office in US with in the next 5 years, offering some extensive Business Solutions into Business Intelligence and AI going forward. Our objective is to create value for our Customers and for our Employees. Great Companies: Value Edge Solutions seem to have a lot of satisfied customers, how do you manage to keep them so happy? Abhishek Bhatia: Our biggest USP is that we work with our SOUL and touch the SOUL of our customers. As we understand the language that our customer speaks, we are able to create that trust and deep relationship with all of them. Of-course we back all this up with the product deliveries for our customers and being available for them all the time. We also ensure that are employees are in sync with our philosophy, that ensuring the same experience even when our customers interact with our employees. Happiness is a way of life in our organization which also infects our customers

Great Companies: Can you commence by telling us a little bit about Giovani Boutique? Prateek Kapoor: Giovanni Boutique Furniture is a luxury brand that bring a complete range of interior solutions for our clients. The philosophy was to bring the idea of affordable luxury to India without the slightest bit of loss in quality and feel. We customise each and ever one of our products based on our clients or the architects needs paying attention to every detail. We aim to provide the best in class comfort and style and educate our clients by informing them about the materials that we will be using to make their products, hence making it very niche and unique. With our brand presence across the world we cater the world in the Home, Luxury office and Hotel segments. Great Companies: How did Giovani Boutique come into being? What is its success mantra? Prateek Kapoor: The idea of Giovanni Boutique Furniture came in to existence when I (Director) was building my own house. The number of variants and options available, the lack of proper knowledge provided by the manufacturers, the constant dealing with labour, disrupted and delayed deliveries but most of all the lack of attitude to take responsibility when things go wrong.  What makes us different -  We follow a studio based approach wherein we have samples and aesthetic designs for the clients to choose from. Instead of a showroom based approach where one is expected to pickup goods and that’s it, we believe in customising the dreams of an individual and fine tune them to whatever they like. It took us years to hone the skills to manufacture everything one can imagine or consider as a scope after seeing  the internet and bring it all under one roof.  We make sure that clients have been provided with a quotation that mentions all the fine details such as the wood type, foam type, polish variant or top coat used etc along with the reference images and a deadline for delivery so that the client is aware and does not have to worry about anything. We allocate a manager for each project so that the clients tensions from initiation to  execution tntil implementation is taken care of. We have innovated and developed technologies that no one else has so far been able to develop hence giving us the additional edge over the rest of the world. We proudly say that we are the only ones who have over 32 different types of silk polishes.  Concluding the segment Giovanni Boutique Furniture was able to taper its expenses and create a lean management system, create an infrastructure that can customise and execute difficult designs and orders, create one of a kind R &D and hence offer our clients products that no one else can , offer complete solutions for all the clients interior needs under one roof (except cloth manufacturing), remove the middle men and create a transparent system which clarifies everything for the client in writing and give the clients a feeling of oneness with the ambiance.  Great Companies: Do you have your own interior design and space planning staff? What are their accreditations and experience? Prateek Kapoor: Giovanni Boutique has detail designers, architects and pattern designers who aim to create designs and products that are practical and unique. We do have a team of architects with majors in B.Arch and M Arch from various institutes in India. We at Giovanni Boutique work with architects across India based on their designs as manufacturers alone. It is our belief that creativity needs expression that we try and execute at our workshop, if an architect wants to execute their own design. Hence we execute the architects design with the architects name and do not replicate it anywhere else. We believe that the only true form of expression is creativity. Great Companies: What is Giovani’s idea of great service, and how do you enforce it? Prateek Kapoor: The environment around Giovanni’s boutiques have been created in a way that it transports the clients to a different world as they walk in. We want them to see the world through our eyes, experience the Giovanni Way Of Life and see the fine print that the world does not want to show them. Our dedicated manager showcase a walk through -  the studio in order for our clients to understand what they actually want and what they can expect out of a product.  Once the client finalises what they want we give a copy of the order on a letterhead with all the details mentioned and begin work. Our clients are free to schedule a visit to the workshop whenever they want to see their products come into existence. We deliver the goods on time, wherein our team along with the manager arrange the products on site (For big orders) and then have them checked by our clients for any imperfections. It flows in a sync, its absolutely tuned to suit our customers needs and requirements. We ensure that our clients world is a beautiful one.  Great Companies: Do you have any references or client testimonials that we can add in our article? Prateek Kapoor: We have a lot of reviews on Facebook - 1. Very good collection n quality very good@reasonable n affordable prices 2. I was recommended by a friend as I had been looking for upholstery and decor for our new home in Delhi. Everything was customised exactly how my parents wanted it to be and completed and delivered without delay. Looking forward to the furniture for our dining and bedrooms. 3. Very friendly people with nice range of collections perfect to fit in most theme, they tailormade your requirement as well.

Great Companies: Can you brief us a little about the concept behind the Revelation Management? James Vineeth: Revelation Management Consulting aims at providing an Eco System for Entrepreneurs where Scaling up is not only a Theory but it is practical possible by co learning and being accountable to the scaling up systems. Presently our focus is within the state of Tamil Nadu. Therefore all our Digital Coaching Products are designed Bi-Lingual (Tamil and English Mixed). Global concepts presented locally. Within a year we will create systems for International Audience as well. Great Companies: Do you think Revelation Management will be able to successfully empower more than 1 million entrepreneurs worldwide by 2035? James Vineeth: Absolutely Yes. It may look like an impossible number. But we always believe in Visionary Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship. Our Vision is so powerful that the Purpose itself will take us where we need to be! Our existing community members are enjoying our weekly hand holding coaching support so much that they are referring new Entrepreneurs to take up our Digital Coaching Bundle. (When the Vision is Purposeful, People will take care of that). Great Companies: With the onset of Global Pandemic Coronavirus, do you think it will be a major setback for budding entrepreneurs? James Vineeth: Yes. It will be a Challenge. But it is all how we see it! Right Mindset is very important to battle with this situation. We have requested all our clients to work on segmentation of business prospects and plan accordingly. There are three segments of prospective customers : A : I Need it and Can’t Wait : Irrespective of the Product you sell of service you offer, there will be people who need to buy your product / service to come out of a situation or avoid going through a painful process. Ex : Mobile phone is Broken / Vehicle Battery is Dead / Wedding was Postponed and now it needs to happen B : I Want it and Can Wait + Can Research : Most people are worried because of this segment. These potential customers will surely convert. But it is going to be a matter of time. We never know when this will turn into a Sale. They are prospects who have a requirement, but can put the purchase decision on hold or even evaluate other alternatives and thus can take more time to buy. Ex : Thinking of Changing the Car, Mobile performance is Slow (These customers don’t need to buy immediately but will wait, think, process information and decide on things. They will inquire but will buy slow) C : I Love it and Can Pay: This would be a highly untapped market if we don’t strategize and position ourselves well. They are going to be the top 20% of the market who are strong buyers. They have enough resources and want to grab the chances to purchase they favourite products or services in times like these because bank interests may give them low returns or great products could even be bought at a low offer price. Ex : Someone having more money and wants to Buy BMW as the offer seems to be very good. Someone having more money and finds Real Estate investment better than Fixed Deposits. Someone just have a Matured Chit Funds amount and wants to spend it on home furnishing. Great Companies: What all services does Revelation Management offer? What is the price range? James Vineeth: Our Core Offering is called as Business Scale-up Blueprint. This is a 12 Days Course with many other free courses bundled along with lifetime access to our Community – Growth Foundation International) – Worth 80K in value given for 9999. KPI Gamification for Business : 4 Months Projects starting from 1L One Day Custom Crafted Program for Companies : Starting from 25L Great Companies: What is the success mantra behind your company’s progress till date? James Vineeth: Our Key to success have always been the following things. - God’s Grace – God connects the dots in our Life to make it Meaningful and Purposeful for others. - A Perfect Balance of Strategy, People Management and Powerful Execution of the Strategy - We understand Customers like no other. We operate from the Customer and Employee Perspective and design every step in our Coaching Process very practically. - We have worked with 500+ Companies from 100+ Business Categories. It has equipped us to know the Modality of each business and Coach them accordingly. - We believe in Action. Learners don’t Grow. Action takers Grow. Learning is a waste of time if you don’t implement or event try what you have learnt.

Great Companies : Please tell me something about the business and how did you come up with such an idea? Chetana R Bhosle: Well, my business helps me to get satisfaction as I help my clients to grow exponentially from a subtle level of their lives. I had interest towards occult science since childhood and also aligned towards science, hence I could combine my interest towards passion. Great Companies: What are the various services and products provided by your company? Chetana R Bhosle: Vastu consultation and Numerology of vastu. Great Companies: Why should one choose you over others in this field? Chetana R Bhosle: I help to grow considering all the 8 directions of the vastu. Great Companies : What are the struggles and challenges you face? Chetana R Bhosle: Basically, I am very much introvert, I am not good at sales pitch. Great Companies : What do you think are the few main things which are most important for a successful business? Chetana R Bhosle: Honesty, patience, confidence, and Junun.

Great Companies: Please tell me something about the business and how did you come up with such an idea? Gargi Kucheria: We deal purely in hand-loom wear . It was my mom's 50th birthday when my brother Mudit and I launched the retail store in Yojna Vihar. Since childhood, we have been observing our Dadi's and Nani's closely involved in hand embroideries and emphasizing on craftsmanship. Our travel helped us meet a lot of artisans across India and see the traditional art very closely. Hence, we thought we can help these artisans by creating a link between rural and urban cities.. Great Companies: What are the various services and products provided by your company? Gargi Kucheria: We are specifically making women apparels , tribal silver jewelry and cruelty free footwear. we also do men's wear and kid's wear on make - to- order and very soon we will be launching ladies handbags. Great Companies: Why should one choose you over others in this field? Gargi Kucheria: At Folklores India , our clients get one point solution to all their hand-loom needs. They have an option to customize products as per their needs. Also, we are known for our quality, transparency in dealing and timely delivery. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Gargi Kucheria: Our biggest challenge is that a lot of people still finds it difficult to understand Indian hand-loom. Hence, they do not value and appreciate is as much . Great Companies: What do you think are the few main things which are most important for a successful business? Gargi Kucheria: Hhmm!! according to me, a successful business is when you get repeated customers. Be matter what your customers stand by you. Given their love, support and trust in you, one should always keep updating their stuff as per the change in the fashion.

Great Companies: Please tell me something about the business and how did you come up with such an idea? Bannya Basu: People often form opinion about us within a few seconds of meeting just by looking at us. In order to create a positive impact in the professional, personal and social space, it is extremely important to take care of your appearance i.e. clothing, grooming, body language including etiquette. An image consultant works with people to improve their appearance and soft skills for enhancement of personal, professional and social situation. Your shadow can leave you at times but your image does not and that is where image management helps to empower people. Earlier , I had been part of the hospitality industry having a combined experience of 14 years with Taj Bengal and Air India, in the later as a cabin crew. These assignments required of me to remain well dressed and well groomed coupled with a well mannered persona. Image Consultancy was a natural extension to my previous experience in the hospitality industry to create my own independent platform and to pass on and share my knowledge and experience with others with whom I engage now in this business. Great Companies: What are the various services and products provided by your company? Bannya Basu: I do corporate training, one on one consultations, workshops. This involves undertaking extensive range of sessions for diverse kind of entities such as corporate, universities, schools, retail and hospitals to enhance the participant’s, appearance, communication and behavioural skills. It is important to customize the program and provide solutions after understanding the requirement of the client. This goes a long way in conducting activity based training program to maximise learning, help retention and make the sessions interesting and interactive. Great Companies: Why should one choose you over others in this field? Bannya Basu: I am a certified image consultant, soft skill facilitator and a corporate trainer. In addition to the professional qualifications, my background in the hospitality industry where I had put in 14 years is unique which perfectly blends with the business of image management. Both assignments in the hospitality sector as well as in the business of image management requires great personality, good body language, sharp communication skills and good expression which comes naturally to me because of my initial stint in the hospitality industry. My experience of attending to and dealing with different types of people in the hospitality segment to a certain extent gives me a head start in the image consultancy business. Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face? Bannya Basu: When I started 5 years back, people did not have much clarity about the concept and role of an image consultant. It was mostly confined and restricted to the highest echelons of society concentrated mainly with film stars and HNIs taking services of image consultants. Consequently, the market was very restricted and there were not many opportunities for image consultants to showcase their skills. Over a period of time, people across segments wished to enhance their ABC of image consultancy (appearance, behaviour and communication) in their professional, personal and social life. Great Companies: What do you think are the few main things which are most important for a successful business?                                Bannya Basu: To be successful two important things have to happen simultaneously. First is to get an opportunity to perform and secondly you must perform when the opportunity comes to you as one doesn’t get a second chance. One should never become complacent and continue to pursue the business and it is just a matter of time before the opportunities come to the fore. The product and offering has to be innovative with the flexibility to customize and once you know the product very well it is only then that the desired flexibility can be achieved. Last but not the least, the image consultant has to be the brand ambassador himself/herself for the business.