Don’t Stop Pursuing Your Dreams, Dear Daughter-In-Law

There is no area of work where women cannot succeed. Slowly but steadily, women are rising to the top, breaking stereotypes and defying gender roles. One such woman is Ms Nidhi Aggarwal, Executive Director at Indo Innovations - providing furniture solutions ranging from offices to home. She talks to us about her business, the challenges it comes with and how she overcomes them. Read on!

It is common to hear that women stop pursuing their careers once they get married and bow down to the social and familial pressures. In case of Nidhi Aggarwal, the story took an unpredictable turn though. Executive Director at Indo Office Solutions, Nidhi has played a pivotal role, along with her husband, in the evolution and launch of ‘Indo’ as a house brand. She has been central to the process of modernization and digital transformation of the organization.

Encouraging In-Laws

She credits her in-laws, as their support and encouragement has helped in shaping up her professional life. She mentions that working with them has proved to be of great advantage, as their timely guidance and support has helped her blossom as a confident individual.

What drives her to perform better each day is her parents’ unwavering faith and their vision to see her as an independent woman. It is this vision that leads her through the day and keeps her brain moving on a rollercoaster of thoughts - thoughts when put to action, would bring her closer to her goal.

Nidhi Aggarwal with her husband, Ashish Aggarwal

Right after she got married, she was involved in the family business. Her technical and management education background, helped her grasp the details about the product and the whole business quickly. She realised quite early on, that office furniture is not just a chair or a couch that is thrown in the reception area or in front of the workstation - it includes a number of innovations and defines the character of the place one calls office. “After all, you spend a majority of your productive hours in office.”

Everyday Challenges

In her journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur, she mentions three of the biggest challenges that she faces every day.

While the technological end of the market is ever evolving, there is a visible shift in the requirements of the user. As the needs of the user are changing, there is a want for the furniture to change as well. So while there is a demand for continuous improvements in furniture design, there is a need for constant efforts to ensure good returns for the company. “Maintaining this balance becomes a challenge,” Nidhi says.

The second challenge she talks about is to maintain a positive environment and high motivation levels among the employees, especially in difficult times. “It is important that I make time for my colleagues, whenever they need me. It keeps the morale high and develops a stronger bond.”

The work-life balance is another challenge, probably one of the more critical ones. “I live in a family setup, where I want to go and pick up my kids from school. Meanwhile, there are pressing needs of strategic decisions to be made at work.” This balance between the two proves to be quite a challenge for her.

The limits of a work day are stretched with the help of smart phones these days. “But it is a big help to me, as it provides me the much needed flexibility.” So a typical work day starts with Nidhi checking mails and their internal pipedrive account. This helps her chalk the day out and schedule things. Regular meetings are held on different days with different teams, to ensure a two way exchange of inputs and feedback, which helps them maintain an inclusivity of employees.

Nidhi Aggarwal
 

Future Plans

When asked about her future plans for the organization, Nidhi has a clear plan, “As I see my children gain independence, it definitely gives me more time to engage with my professional requirements. In doing so, I plan to focus more on my work, while evolving ways to enhance the brand value of Indo Innovations and to deal with competition from other prominent names in the office furniture industry.”

Nidhi has pursued Civil Engineering, when not many women went for it. According to her, whatever your chosen field, do not let it deter you from achieving your goals and dreams. The office furniture industry has seen many women in the role of designers. However, there is an increase in roles being played by women, even in the field of sales. Nidhi’s advice to other women is, “Just play on your strengths and you will do great. Life is more beautiful when we relish our happy memories. I take time out to reflect on the positives of my life which inspire me further, to keep moving.”

Do you know of women like Nidhi who are breaking stereotypes? We’d love to know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.