Association of System Integrators and Retailers in Technology (ASIRT) hosted their monthly Techday event hosting close to hundred members, who are owners of System Integration Companies providing solutions in the fields of IT, Office Automation, Security, Telecom & Power etc. Apart from innovations in HRMS by Spine Technologies to a panel discussion on accelerating business growth through ASIRT’s flagship Consortium Program, the evening also had a presentation by Image Scientist Dr Kuljiet Uppaal on ‘Enhancing your Personal and Professional Impact through PRIM’.
The Tech day began with an informative presentation on modern HRMS systems by Dharmendra Singh, Head- Channel Sales, SPINE Technologies. As technology and solutions partner to varied sectors and company sizes, SPINE Technologies serves large and SME to MSME clients across 28 different sectors. Some of the most challenging sectors, including Hospitals, often have a huge Blue Collar staff functioning in multiple shifts that are often changing. SPINE’s customized offerings to clients like this have made them successful and recognized in the market. Speaking about SPINE’s expertise and customized service approach, Singh highlighted, “Creating systematic HR processes, including payroll and fixed asset management systems that reflect the needs of small companies, fast-growing companies and large corporates, is what we strive to do through this approach. ASIRT, through its highly reputed and respected System Integrators, is key to our business growth and we are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this Techday and present our offerings to their members.”
The presentation was followed by a panel discussion of Consortium Captains, hosted by ASIRT Chairman, Jiten Mehta and Vice President, Kaustubh Kulkarni. The panellists discussed the developments and challenges of each Consortium, highlighting success stories and sharing experiences of how the initiative was benefiting Members. Designed to assist Members to grow professionally through collaboration, the Mentor, networking and business development program has been significantly adding value to entrepreneurs in solving challenges and overcoming hurdles. Speaking about his experience during the discussion, panellist Nilesh Kadakia, CEO, Neotech Infocom said, “The Consortium has proven to be very useful to all the Members in meeting people, growing connections and increasing sales with other entrepreneurs and businesses. It has also helped us to cultivate valuable one to one connect with key industry peers and that has helped us truly collaborate and build a trust factor. I have personally learned a lot from my Mentors, like the importance of delegation of work and focus on growing the business more.” Another panellist, Shrenik Jain, Co-Founder – Trend Vision LLP, added, “The Consortium has been an eye opener and has helped me adopt professionally healthy practices. This is also a great platform to connect with like-minded professionals and share knowledge; it is just not about increasing business which becomes a byproduct of meeting frequently. The Mentor interactions are an added bonus as we can leverage his experience and benefit from his insights. Our mentors have been providing us with valuable solutions to most of our challenges – big or small! ” Sharing his experience of the Consortium, Ajay Bhayani, Director, AmbiSure Technologies Pvt. Ltd., said, “The 20 people in our group who have been meeting regularly have today become trusted friends and professional partners in our growth story. Not only have we managed to increase business for each other, but have also developed a ‘brotherhood’ of sorts! Additionally, one of the best takeaways from our Mentor has been about employee management. His advice has been to focus on generating and sustaining business instead of focusing on retaining talent – an advice that has proved beneficial as a lot of our time and energy as small entrepreneurs are invested in managing internal resources.”
Another panellist, Rajiv Warrier, Regional Head, Vitage Systems Pvt. Ltd., added, “Mentors are a valuable segment introduced by the ASIRT Board as part of the Consortium initiative. We have managed to learn quite a few valuable business techniques from the experience that they have got. It is not just the bookish knowledge but it is their experience that talks who has already tasted greater success along with failures and has proven fruitful for us when we are stuck with challenging business decisions. Jayesh Barodia, Director, Janitor Data, supported Warrier’s opinion and added, “My business has increased, thanks to the support of the Consortium. It is indeed a unique initiative of complementing rather than competing. Through this, I have got 20 partners to do business with me.” Having discussed the benefits, Jiten Mehta and Kulkarni also addressed a few challenges faced by the Members and provided recommendations and assured the complete support of the Board, for the initiative.
The evening then progressed to the most awaited item on the agenda – the Evolve session by Image Scientist, Dr Kuljiet Uppaal on ‘Enhancing your Personal and Professional Impact through PRIM’. Dr Uppaal has been a reputed image scientist with multiple Records to her credit, including Bharat Book of World Record and India Book of Record for being First Image Scientist in the World. She is also known for her extensive work with women and children. Differentiating her from the other regular ‘image consultants’ is her scientific approach to the issue. Through the Mission Possible program, she has been bringing positive changes in UG and PG students, as well as women, helping them build confidence and positive self-image. Sharing insights on her unique approach to building an image management, Dr. Uppaal highlighted the significance of cultivating positive personal image and business etiquettes, especially for entrepreneurs and how this can help them gain trust and achieve approval of clients. Touching upon topics like personal grooming, dressing for business and etiquettes for positive professional interactions, Dr. Uppaal urged Members to indulge in an ‘Image cycle’ methodology. This includes introspection, a perianal observation and invests in oneself and to learn to control what one is doing wrong. Sharing her experience of speaking at the ASIRT platform, Dr. Kuljeet Uppaal said, “It is encouraging to see ASIRT as an association taking efforts to enrich their Members with such essential soft skills that go a long way to improve not just the business but also the businessmen! I think positive image management is a valuable tool for entrepreneurs where they can present themselves confidently and can be preferred over other competition, many times purely due to pleasing personality and etiquettes. I appreciate the efforts of the Board and its Members for their eagerness to learn and grow and hope my session can help them in this endeavour.”
