The success of any organization depends on dedicated CEOs, who spearhead their company confidently. These CEOs lead by example and are driven by the zeal to make a difference through their dedicated endeavours. They take on every challenge as opportunity to transform their dreams into reality. Such inspiring CEOs are quick thinkers, passionate, and goal driven. They always come up with innovative strategies and lead their team to growth and prosperity.
“Continuous learning and improving our skills help us in achieving our goals”
One such industrious and astute personality is Prachi Chopade, the CEO of Apple Hair & Beauty Services Pvt. Ltd. She believes in making a difference in the world and helping people in realizing their dreams and accomplishing their goals. In an interview with Insights Success, Ms. Prachi shares about her journey, challenges, achievements, and future goals. Below are the highlights of the interview between Ms. Prachi and Insights Success.
1. Describe your professional journey as an inspiring CEO.
My journey has been a roller coaster since it started, and I think that’s what has helped me to learn and execute the right things and to also achieve the trust of the directors and the team in the organisation to have achieved this post. After my professional qualification, despite being into family business of salons, I was made to start as an assistant in the salon. From there, there was no looking back.
Working and acting as a salon manager to a technical person then a trainer my journey went on and on. Later, I was chosen to be the managing director and my roles were more into developing operations and sales. I was promoted as a CEO after a span of 10 years and trust me being the CEO of an organization is not an easy job. But being called upon as one of the inspirational CEOs to be mentioned is an absolute honour.
2. Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep making a difference in the respective industry you are catering to?
I think continuous innovation and learning through the failures is what I have experienced so far. Amongst 3 siblings, I feel blessed that I got an opportunity to carry the legacy ahead, but it was never my dream to someday be a CEO or not, but I guess my dedication, passion, honest efforts and understanding and catering the minor details of this business, made my Mother and the company trust me and to reward me with this position.
3. As the CEO of your company, what challenges have you faced while establishing and running the business?
The difficult part of the job is the journey that I came across to be a CEO.
Through ups and downs, I have experienced throughout this journey of 10 years that it takes so much patience and appropriate team members to successfully run an organisation.
I think majority Of the CEOs and many others face a hell of a lot of challenge and rose to the occasion to meet it. For me as well, at times there were high risks but I knew that the high reward was worth it. Making a difference in the world whether it is in the company or developing an amazing venture and helping people grow alongside is what has kept me motivated to take up this position and I try my 200% to justify the same each day.
4. Brief us about the operations of your company, its mission, vision, and core values.
- Vision-Our vision is a world that makes people take pride in being well-groomed, give due care to their appearances and feel confident about themselves. We see our role in it by offering cutting-edge glamour trends, artistry and finesse.
- Mission-To offer bespoke grooming
- To be known for our customer-centric approach
- To offer value for money packages
- To successfully and profitably run our franchises in order to generate employment opportunities and promote women empowerment
- Our Values-
- Integrity-Integrity is the foundation of our success at Salon Apple. Whether it is with fellow stylists, our students, franchise owners or clients, we always do what we say and stick to our word. Honesty has been the key element that’s common throughout our company and our goals.
- Trust-A strong trust in our company helps us build secure relationships with our clients, franchisees, and our employees. Over the years, trust has promoted ownership, accountability, stability, confidence, and happiness for Salon Apple.
- Excellence and Innovation –We never settle for mediocrity. Instead, we continuously put our best foot forward for our clients and it’s the reason why they keep coming back. We deliver above and beyond service that builds relationships and connections with our clients. Not to mention, we get so many opportunities to make someone’s day, and we do it with excellence and pride and with innovative ideas which helps us to deliver better and better.
- Team Work- At Salon Apple, we support individual strengths while achieving group goals. Together, we’re much stronger and happier. We work with plenty of friendship, fun, and creativity while uplifting each other.
- Learning-We strongly believes that our drive to continuously learn and improve our skills keeps us moving forward to success. We gain immense inspiration and excitement from our constant education and training which promotes confidence and growth.
5. How has the current pandemic affected your business and what steps have you taken to safeguard your employees while catering to your clients?
Covid has been an extremely difficult phase in any business for that matter.
At first, the majority of the business and its persons had no clue of how to cope up with the situation.
But, at the end of the day, I believe the one who is stubborn and believe in no plan B’s pass through any hurdle that comes in the way of success.
Apart from these, the core team was left sleep deprived due to a sense of responsibility towards the franchisee partners, staff, clients who love us, vendors, etc. to come back stronger. We evaluated the situation, the future cons, safety, and hygiene additions, etc. By taking inputs from our loyal customers to what is that a client will expect after the salons restart the operations and with their valuable inputs, we made a strategy and implemented it after the lockdown was uplifted.
This lockdown has helped us to look at lateral business opportunities that we would have never thought of otherwise. As home service is restricted as per our core value within the organisation, we came up with a new concept and business, that Is “Salon on wheels “for our customers who would keep the value of the organisation intact as well serve the clients need and would cater the pandemic situation in the best way.
Our van is in process and soon to be launched. We also started online education through our Institute and most of the team got hands on to the virtual and digital world which is I think is a huge achievement for the organisation and individuals as well which otherwise would have been very difficult to inculcate within the organisation.
6. What creative ways have you employed to make the work environment of your company vibrant?
There are lots of different actions an individual can be inspired to do, and ultimately, those actions equate to a better attitude toward life, which itself impacts your work as well as how you interact with others. In our organisation, we have built a culture and allow and welcome all kind of debates and suggestions as we believe that by doing so the outcome is way better than it should be. We keep pushing each other through the tough times. We inculcate a sense of responsibility in our team members through explaining case studies and regular pieces of training to work with integrity and be ready to work for anything that comes in the way despite the job roles. We work for a common mission and not for our designations.
For all this, 8 days of training is a must for anybody that joins the organisation and that helps the individual to understand the values and systems and be on the same page as others are within the organisation. We believe and practice straight forward communication and make each other’s life easy. We allow our teammates, to be his/herself. We do not settle for less in our business; after all, it’s where we spend most of our time each day. And we all function in a way where we are always at the service of our clients.
7. What would you like to share with the young generation of entrepreneurs who are looking to step foot in a leadership role in their respective businesses?
To the future generation, I would only say that We Need Permission only from ourselves first, to be an Entrepreneur. If you are convinced and are passionate and have a vision towards achieving something, only then the universe affirms it.
So instead of blaming the situation, our team virtually started brainstorming and planning strategies for surviving in the business. Of course, financially also there were challenges as the business was shut altogether, but I think we are blessed that none of our team members resigned and the support from each one of them was spectacular and with proper communication, planning and giving timelines, etc for everything, helped us to surpass this challenge and we are still together making honest efforts to survive the current pandemic situation which is back to what it was a year.
I think, it’s all about first accepting the fact or issue, then mourning on it for some seconds (as any human would naturally do it as it’s a human tendency) but then without wasting a minute, getting up again with full force by proper planning and execution and extra hard work is what all it needs to cater such tough times.
8. In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself and your company?
Anyone, who joins our organisation, is shown a growth chart despite any designation they apply for, in short, we have a growth chart for all who works with honesty and with dedication. Hence, to mention, growth is the aim for all of us. The years of experience of the organisation itself and the people within, their hard work, our perfected systems and processes, teamwork etc., currently having 50+ outlets in west India, 2 offices and an Institute, we now aim to be reached PAN India with 100+ outlets in the next 2 years and even go international in the next 5 years. The ultimate goal is “IPO”.
So, I believe, my growth or any individual’s growth in the organisation is equal to the Growth of the company/ organisation. If we work towards the growth of the organisation with a common vision, we grow automatically as an individual. So, for me, it goes hand in hand. In fact, I want the company to grow continuously with heaps and bounds even after me or anyone for that matter.
