For a women entrepreneur, the long journey to her goal begins with a hurdle right close to her heart – her family. The society, even in today’s world takes time to digest the fact that a woman can be ambitious and would love to explore and chart her professional path. Once they are done convincing their family, the world seems a tiny spec to conquer. Niyati Rokani had the ambition, the fire, and a goal to achieve a huge success. But above all, she had her sister, a blessing, who fought the battle to convince their entire extended family in accepting that a woman can also have a career. That was half the battle won. The journey from that day to the present when she leads her own firm – Beyond Sourcing; has been ‘fantabulous’, as she sums up.
Realizing Her Own Potential
Niyati started her career as a trainee in a very small private firm. Being inclined towards learning, she quickly imbibed all the tricks in a short span of time. She thus got to learn about the various aspects of recruitment, a field which had her full attention by now. She knew it was her calling because, as she recalls, “Seeing the delight on the candidates’ face when they received the job gave me happiness and that’s when I knew this is what I want to do!”
She continued working for a few more companies and mastered the art of not only recruitment but also networking. But, something was missing – always. That’s when the seed of opening a boutique company that specializes in real estate hiring was planted and resulted in Beyond sourcing – over five years now and going strong.
Building the Firm – Talent-by-Talent
Beyond Sourcing are a specialist search firm focused on the acquisition of talent at the executive and management board levels in Real Estate, Retail Realty, and Infrastructure domains. It is a boutique search consultancy firm that specializes in mapping the right candidate for the said position. It believes in mapping the talent pool through its strong business network and industry connections rather than resume databases. It takes up specific assignments and works on them as exclusive mandates. Services that it offers include -Senior Executive Search, Mid Management Recruitment, Volume Hiring, and Strategic Talent Mapping Assignments.
Beyond Sourcing, in a very short span of time, has made its place in this cut throat competitive hiring space of real estate industry and takes pride to have a women entrepreneur who has been successful in managing complex projects with ease. Niyati reminisces, “I faced a lot of challenges initially and was advised that your work is good but you are too young to be given the responsibility of building a whole new team. I cracked my first deal with someone I had worked with, in one of my previous companies and who had trust in my abilities – after that there was no looking back for us.”
Now Beyond sourcing get clients by references. Those who have heard about its work and would like to be associated with the firm. Niyati believes, as a company, the journey has just started – it has a long way to go. Currently, it is discussing the strategic direction of the company and is looking for diversifying its clientele in the next three years.
Pushing the Limits
The most daring challenge the firm took was limiting itself to hiring for only the real estate industry. Niyati explains, “Once you limit yourself to hiring for one particular industry, the overall risk increases as if the industry goes through a rough time your entire business is affected. However, the outcomes of the same have been extremely good as we have managed to create a name for ourselves in the industry and work with most of the top brands in the real estate sector.”
A business principle that she actually puts to practice is something that her father taught her “Your work should always speak for you”. As a result, the highest standard of quality maintained by Beyond Sourcing keeps its clients happy and contended. Though the working hours are 9-5, the clients can contact the firm 24/7 which makes it easier for the two to work. The firm also gives immense importance to work life balance, as it is imperative for long-term sustainability.
Apart from family, Niyati’s role model is Jack Ma. She says, “His attitude towards considering competitors as friends and learning from them makes him stand out in the industry. He also considers ‘giving up’ as the actual failure which drives me not to stop and make my failures as the stepping-stone to success.”
A Word for the Newbies
Niyati, an established entrepreneur now, has the following advice for all budding future entrepreneurs:
“Networking and empathy are crucial but have to be backed with hard work, dedication and timely deliverance to grow in this business. Remember, there is never a right time, there will always be ups and downs, the journey might be hard but it’s not impossible. If you have dreamed it – do it! The future is waiting for the Entrepreneur in you”
Miles to Go
Niyati believes that Indian women are now finally being acknowledged, appreciated and admired for their new roles as entrepreneurs. The number of women entrepreneurs in India has been on a rise, and their success stories continue to inspire and motivate millions more. Niyati’s speciality lies in the real estate industry but she has started diversifying into another industry and looks forward to working more on it. Few years down the line, she foresees expanding her team to meet the demands of the growing business and requirements from clients. She also wants to increase the services provided to the clients and turn Beyond Sourcing into a one-shop stop solution for them.
Niyati Rokani: Destined to be an Entrepreneur
