Name: Mr. Sourajeet Pradhani
Company and Job Title: Founder and CEO of “HolisQ”
Sourajeet is a junior state cricketer during his younger days. He has featured in the cricket reality show CRICKET STAR- “Lakhon Main Ek”. He is a noted columnist with a number of newspapers like ‘The Pioneer’, ‘Deccan Herald’, ‘Dharitri’, etc. He has authored a book ‘An Introspective Mind’. He has worked as an Investment Specialist at Icici Bank Wealth Management for five and a half years, managing the portfolios of high-profile individuals as well as corporates.
How did you achieve your current role or position?
Sourajeet has spent his entire professional career in Bangalore, which is the startup hub of India. His exposure to the startup ecosystem, interactions with founders, etc. had a major impact on his decision to take the entrepreneurial plunge. He found that the common trait in all the founders was their passion for their vision.
Sourajeet’s decision to venture into entrepreneurship went through a series of both tactical and strategic parameters. He received the ‘go ahead’ signal from his wife after doing a thorough financial analysis of the cash flow as well as available reserves. Once the decision was made, there was no looking back.
Who has significantly shaped your life the most?
The biggest influence in Sourajeet’s life has been that of his father. The senior Pradhani has always been Sourajeet’s role model and he always aspired to emulate his father. Sourajeet believes that in different phases of life, he had different people to look up to as benchmarks or reference points. He was inspired by Debasish Mohanty, the first Odia to represent India at the international level. During his professional career as an investment banker, he looked up to his seniors to draw inspiration.
On a personal level, his international chess player wife plays the role of pressure absorber. He looks up to her for stability and tranquillity.
What are the biggest hurdles you’ve faced throughout your life?
According to Sourajeet, ‘being happy’ is a choice. Life will always be challenging in one form or the other. Anybody who decides to take a path less traveled, the journey will be full of impediments. This is an inevitable part of life. Once you accept this fact, you won’t be affected by both success and failure.
What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your professional journey?
From a professional perspective, the biggest challenge for someone in a leadership role is to align the vision of your team to that of yours. Every individual is unique. It is a fallacy to expect everyone’s thought process to be in sync with yours. But if you lead by example, the team will align with you.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for brands in the digital space?
In the modern digital era, there is no brand loyalty. Acquiring customers in the B2C space is the most daunting challenge for any brand.
What role does your service play in resolving your customers’ pain points?
The vision of HolisQ is to provide a ‘one-stop solution’ for a child’s overall holistic development, by combining excellence and well-being. Verticals like financial education, data analysis, and artificial intelligence are still not a part of the official education curriculum. They play a very important role in our practical day-to-day lives. Mental health is one of the most important facets in the holistic development of a child. There is the paucity of a ‘buddy’ in the life of a child when both parents are working. The working parents miss out on the progress made by their child in various indices and parameters.
HolisQ uses technology and artificial intelligence to address the above-mentioned issues.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
Sourajeet is an avid reader. He reads a lot to bring solace to his mind. Movies are great stress busters for him too.
Do you have any tips for aspiring entrepreneurs or chief officers?
According to Sourajeet, there is a huge difference between doing business and entrepreneurship. Whatever may be the dictionary meaning of a startup, the most important characteristic of a startup is the value they are creating. The three basic questions to be answered before you startup is ‘problem being addressed’, ‘differentiation’, and ‘scalability’. The fourth parameter which was recently added to the list is ‘use of technology’. If the idea and vision address these four parameters, then you are on the right path.
Personally, there will be multiple times when you will feel despondent and low, one must realize that these things are part of the journey. One must stay strong and persevere because the journey is long and full of challenges. Once you accept it, more of the other things will fall into place.
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