Swathi Business Solutions Founder Arun Thiyagarajan's Interview

We invited Arun Thiyagarajan, Founder of Swathi Business Solutions for an interview with Most Popular Stories to know more about his entrepreneurial journey.

Arun Thiyagarajan is the Founder & CEO of SWATHI BUSINESS SOLUTIONS and it was initiated in December 2000. He also heads an organization called IntegWrite Technologies a group company of Swathi Business Solutions, which focuses on consulting on Technical Writing & Documentation projects, Social Media Audit & Workshops on various domains.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur

I am the founder of Swathi Business Solutions. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Science from Annamalai University, Chidambaram & a Masters Degree in Business Administration specialized in the field of Marketing from the University of Madras. I have an overall experience of 19 yrs in the consulting industry. Expertise includes Business Development & Client Relations, Resourcing, Corporate Training & Software Development activities both in the domestic & global markets.

He was also instrumental in setting up of Swathi Business Solutions LLC in Atlanta, GA, the USA in 2011. He also heads an organization called IntegWrite Technologies a group company of Swathi Business Solutions, which focuses on consulting on Technical Writing & Documentation projects, Social Media Audit & Workshops on various domains. The recent add-ons are consulting on various process implementations to our clients.

Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?

The main business idea behind the establishment of Swathi Business Solutions (SBS) in December 2000 at Chennai, India was to generate positive relationships and provide complete business solutions, under a single roof.

At SBS, we provide high-quality IT Service & Solutions with planning and passion. The inspiration to start this enterprise was my brother Krishna .S. Kumar, currently heading the US entity as its President and CEO, who guided me by introducing to well-established brands and companies providing global innovative solutions and services.

What was the vision behind it?

We practice convergence of Information Technologies, ideas, skills, languages, and cultures. We are flexible with new ideas and technological advances, which help recognize upcoming requirements and constantly endeavor to exceed expectations of all at different stages of development.

Moreover, with the quality of services we provide, it has resulted in the repetition of business inquiries from the existing clients and getting new client accounts through references, apart from new direct client accounts. Above all this the confidence of the client that if the work is entrusted to us will get delivered to their maximum satisfaction.

Describe the services that you offer to your customers and in what way they are unique?

Our area of expertise is our in-depth knowledge and understanding of the various Information Technological needs. We take care of building an excellent relationship with clients thereby providing professional service globally. We offer our services in the given areas,

IT consulting
Staffing (Contract & Direct Hire)
R2D – Ready to Deploy Resource
SAP Consulting
Corporate Training and Workshops
Recruitment Audit
Social Media Audit
HR Audit & Process Implementation
Software Development
Multimedia
Technical Writing & Software documentation
Advanced Certification Programs

Uniqueness:

Business is always in the air, but the most valuable commodity in this scenario is a healthy and supportive client relationship. We seriously keep a note of maintaining a balanced client loyalty to avoid denting our relationship, thus affecting our market reputation. We practice regular follow up with our clients.

This is to ensure relationship building measures and also make them aware that we are available to cater to their proposed or future business needs. We take time to listen to them as to what their feedback is with regard to their previous work or in pursuance to their pending work with us. We take time to understand their issues and prepare ourselves to address their concerns if any. This helps us with learning a lesson to forego such challenges in time ahead.

Our line of communication is not just phone or emails, but we pursue regular contact with our clients through brochures, posters, pamphlets, videos, e-mail marketing, and other digital marketing souvenirs. We try to send in questionnaires to update our knowledge base and FAQs to recommend alternate solutions, appropriately.

What difficulties which you have faced or you are facing?

The difficulties which we have been facing is the lack of proper process-oriented structures with most of the clients. Most of the clients are focussed on the quantity and not quality.

The next aspect is about the client’s mindset in terms of their expectations they set. There is a proverb which says that all 5 fingers in your hands are not the same. In the same manner, you cannot get anyone with 100% fit to match your criteria. The key aspect
to be seen is that if the resource has an open mind to learn new things and adapt to the situation.

In most of the organizations, the human talent forms the backbone of it which is ultimately the T.A. (Talent Acquisition) domain. But, this is not given proper recognition as it is given to other functional areas like Business Development, Marketing, Sales, Finance, etc. Unless proper resources are not hired, all other functions will not be able to move smoothly. Just by setting up processes and policies will not yield any positive results.

The second aspect I would like to mention is about the Human Resource function not being considered as one of the organizational pillars when strategic decisions are taken. One simple example would be when any organization bids for a project, in most cases
they do not involve the human resource function in their strategic decision making. The result is there is no analysis, market survey/research on the kind of resources they need, the cost at which the resources are available, etc., On multiple occasions, have seen the TA teams communicating to us saying that they want resources on specific cost & specific skills which is not the prevailing market standard.

There have been a lot many instances as a vendor for our clients, we have prepared the indexes for setting the benchmark based on which they work on the proposal. This has taken place with our clients both in the domestic and global markets. The sad part is that after getting all the inputs from us most of the clients do not turn back and they get their services executed from other sources. As an organization, everything comes with a cost (i.e) effort, time, and resources utilized for this purpose.

We had a bitter experience about 6 months back, a client from Thailand who was in the process of setting up of an offshore in India, including the NDA document format, the market analysis, work methodology more (or) less like a complete proposal assuring of signing up with us for their offshore requirements. Even the top management of the organization had calls and mail interactions in this regard. After some time there was no response from them. Finally, when we made a call, they said they have signed up with someone. From that point onwards we decided to provide in-depth information to clients, only when the client signup with us, so that nothing is provided free of cost at the cost of our effort and time.

I would also like to mention one more scenario, wherein a client approached us through a reference offering vendorship but once the resource got short-listed, they wanted us to come through another vendor which we refused.

The funniest part is that the pass-through vendor is the one who was not able to close the requirement for almost 2-3 months, which was closed in a fortnight from our end.

The greatest pain is that you do not get recognized (or) provided a chance to prove the quality of the service you offer.

One more uphill task is the payment part. Most of the clients do not pay the payment on time. Being a vendor, we are made to wait for a long time. I would request them to understand that even vendors have commitments both officially and personally which could be met only when the client clears the payment on time.

There have been some clients as well who were prompt and have fulfilled the commitment by crediting it on time. Of course, there are exceptions as well like this but they could be
numbered.

How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?

Pressure and stress has been a part and parcel of my life and have been used to it. I should be grateful to my father who taught me the art of managing it.

He has served in the Indian Army as a Commissioned Officer during the Emergency Commission after which he served as a Senior Gazetted Officer in the State Government. He used to tell me that there is no life without pressure and stress, and it might be different for each one of us. When we feel that we are under pressure (or) stress it will exert us too much. As a result of which one will not be able to use his mind to think about what should be done next.

The best way is to try to keep it aside and to think about what could be done to come out of the situation. Try to analyze where we went wrong as this would be most crucial to take the next step. There may be some instances, wherein one gets stuck in the middle of something from which he can neither get out of it (or) proceed further. One such example would be in the case of making investments in something.

A thorough analysis of what we are going to do, exploring both plus and minuses of the act, what should be done to overcome if something negative happens during the process to make it positive. The best thing would be making a proper analysis and setting up a strategy before you act.

What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?

Strategies help reach specific business objectives and it is materialized when the performance leads to business growth with a strong financial and successful leader position. To accomplish growth and success, we take the help of technology to improve our operations. Our main aim is to increase our market share by inviting more customers by using web-based technologies for cost reduction and efficient service.

This leads to increased productivity and ROI. We continue to network with other organizations in relevant industries to learn about their tried and tested innovations. We participate in industry-related seminars, sessions, and symposiums to understand the latest innovations to keep abreast of all technological developments and ensure that our business is taking adequate advantage.

We revise our ongoing activity as a continuous improvement approach to maximize our business and productivity gains. We also invite external agencies or resources to study and devise the necessary plans to help grow our organization.

How your company is helping India to grow?

Being more process-centric is the major criterion that would result in the growth of any organization. This would collectively contribute to the growth of our country. Apart from being process-centric, the most important fact is adapting to emerging technologies in a short span, helping customers to be in line with the current market trends.

But one should be given an opportunity to exercise this transformation.

In your opinion what are the keys to success?

In my way of thinking, success is a process that is not instantaneously achieved. Hence, there is no just one thing, but a combination of different traits, which helps me reach the destination. I believe in starting from the beginning of an assignment or contract and this needs proper planning and strategized execution. I get inspired and motivated to take up challenges with more energy.

Any business helps you build and grow your career, but also helps you establish as a person. I try to identify the circumstances on which the requirements are based upon and allocate my team who are accountable for the activity, thus tracking the progress from its initial stages.

I keep reiterating that my desires and objectives just keep on winning and that brings me the satisfaction of performing the duties without any lapse. Commitment is my accomplishment and the result it gives is a success, sweet success.

What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?

Be clear in your objective
Should have a fighting spirit to achieve your goal.
Do proper analysis before venturing.
Should be willing to work as a part of the team besides leading the team
Should be a good leader and do not try only to be a boss, being a good leader will automatically make you a boss.
Care for your employees, as employees form the backbone of any organization.
Have a constructive approach
Do not be negative.
Take a calculative risk only when you start.
Try to grow at a steady pace as this would set a strong platform
Do not try to develop in a short span as that may result in a catastrophe.