“I was never told in my life that only men can do a specific task and women couldn’t. I grew up in an environment where I saw my mother work equally hard as much as much as my father did. They helped each other at the same time. I was made to take decisions, make mistakes and learn from them, at a young age. Throughout these years of my journey, I always believed that entrepreneurship is about creating value. It doesn’t require a particular gender to do this” courageously says Akanksha Bhargava, CEO of PM Relocations, a one-stop solution for mobility needs for anybody relocating within India or overseas.

Having been brought up with the thought that there is nothing she couldn’t do, Akanksha believes that it’s her parents who are the reason for everything that she is today. Made to grow as a multitasker since school days, she believes in action with high momentum. Having finished her graduation at Delhi and MBA in Marketing at SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore and Dubai, she still recalls the day she walked into her business college filled with students who had had experiences in different industries already. Her confidence never deteriorated even a bit.

After graduating, she immediately jumped into the ocean of relocations industry. She was still 21 when she decided she wanted to start all on her own. “We had just been preparing to set up our branch in Bangalore. I told my father about my decision and he felt it was the right time for me to gain more experience. He came along with me to Bangalore, stayed with me for 3 days helping me settle and left, back to Delhi. I was all alone, staying in a small house, was given a car and a small office place for me to go. I would be the only person at the office, along with a packer to help. That was all. I remember walking on the roads of the busy area of Koramangala in Bangalore, finding out the details of the offices there, making calls, connecting with people to get our sales going. My first client wasn’t very sure about working with me since I was young and he might have thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. But he believed in me finally and there has never been a look back in these 10 years of journey” states Akanksha, whose first client still works with her every time he relocates.

Surviving in the male-dominated industry and more importantly an unstructured industry, is never believed to be an easy one for women. More than just the exposure, knowledge and skills, getting the work done by the male subordinates was definitely challenging when no one took her seriously. Not to forget that it is considered a man’s job, in India, to deal with labours, suppliers and packers. Not being valued and working in an unorganized industry could never stop her from pushing herself much harder with conviction to achieve.

Akanksha breaks the stereotypes, while she has not only been managing to hold on to the industry, but has also helped standardize the field in itself. Joining as a  a manager in international sales, then on to handling corporate sales, marketing, operations and then being promoted to be the CEO in 2012, She has been the reason to build the company from 40-45 employees to nearly 600 of them,  and from a 2.8-crore turnover company to a 35-crore turnover one – definitely a surprising and shocking fact, but also a really inspiring one!

One of the most important entrepreneurship lessons she believes is, “An entrepreneur has multiple people to sell to – sell your product/service to the customers and sell your vision every day to your employees and others associated.” She never failed to amaze people around her who thought that a young girl could never do something as big. She believes in reinventing herself every single day. also states, “You need to groom yourself every single day. You need to become a more capable person.”

Each of us have something that drives us to do what we do. For Akanksha, it is the fact that 550+ families are dependent on her, that pushes her harder. She says that every time she sees the employee, the thought that she can never fail, gets reinforced in her.   She believes that the 3 most important keys to succeeding in life are intent, passion and love.

She mentions that, as an entrepreneur, it is about how you make the employees feel. “I always ensure that the employees feel PMR as more than just a workplace. The employees are made to feel like a family. Also, being one among them is important. There have been times when the driver was late and I had to drive the vehicle. I never hesitated to do something that I never had to. Creating value not only to customers but also employees has always been the goal.”

People can always see when you are committed at what you do. Her 10 long years of the tough journey, striking the work-life balance, is an example journey for anybody who dreams to do the impossible. It’s a pride to see more women breaking the old beliefs and creating, what we call, a revolution. Wishing you the very best Akanksha!