1. How did your career journey start? Or Who/What inspired you to start this business/ entrepreneurship? Post my MBA, I was working as Human...
Post my MBA, I was working as Human Resources Manager with an IT company. I was happy with my career, but I realized that I was unable to exploit my potential within a set of listed job responsibilities. As a student of management, I always wanted to start my own business.
The idea of Image Management struck the right cord. I realised instantly that this was my true calling. It was certainly a huge turning point in my life. It was a career which was the perfect amalgamation of my skills and interest, providing the creativity, flexibility and challenges of entrepreneurship.
2. Kindly share some information about your Business, products and services here.
In the words of Dale Carnegie, “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: What we do, How we look, What we say and How we say it”
Thus Image Management provides a framework addressing aspects like clothing, communication skills, grooming practices, etiquette, body language and behavioural skills. These elements contribute towards creating the right image for each role that one undertakes in their professional, social and personal life.
My company, Avancé Image Management specialises in Corporate Training and Coaching. We have a clientele of the top organisations from industry verticals like Banking & Finance, Manufacturing, Education, Media, IT and Consulting. We have conducted programs for brands like Oberoi, Femina, Religare, Thermax to name a few.
3. What kind of challenges did you face while starting/doing business?
Being the first mover in any industry has its own set of challenges and opportunities. I was well aware that Image Consulting is a niche and developing industry in India. But I wanted to have the first mover advantage. The biggest challenge was educating people about the importance of this concept. However, this is also a great opportunity as we have introduced this concept for the first time in various organisations.
4. Do share with our readers about your discovery period when you were facing difficulties in your business?
As mentioned above, being a new industry, there were no benchmarks or rules for success. I have experimented with various formats of training & coaching as well as marketing the services. We learn from every experience and try to get better.
5. Share with our readers about your experiment period after the discovery period?
Through my initial experience, I realised Image Management for Corporates is a great offering. This allowed me to leverage my education and corporate experience. This is where our focus lies today as an organisation.
6. What are your future plans? Or now what is your vision for the next five years?
I will be focussing on providing services to Corporates in various industries on Image Management and Soft Skills. We have a consultative approach and will be playing a strong role in the growth story of various organisations.
7. How would you advice/suggest new entrepreneurs who want to start & sustain in business?
There are 3 components to be a successful entrepreneur i.e. 3 Ps – Passion, People and Perseverance.
When one gets into entrepreneurship, one needs to be extremely passionate about their line of business. This is absolutely essential for success.
One also needs to be people oriented so as to be able to coach, counsel and communicate with people.
One needs to have perseverance and should not be afraid of taking risks. Entrepreneurship is all about facing challenges, but how one learns from these experiences and keep going ahead, is what sets one apart.
8. LinkedIn profile URL link : http://in.linkedin.com/pub/greeshma-thampi/8/52a/169
9. Facebook profile URL link : https://www.facebook.com/greeshma.thampi
10 Twitter profile URL link: https://twitter.com/greeshma15
11. Personal blog URL link: http://www.greeshmathampi.co.in/
12. Company website & Company blog URL link: http://www.avance-imagemanagement.com
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