Leading by example, the women who reconstructed the housekeeping space with Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd.
Women Entrepreneurship is a growth catalyst that holds the power to drive the development and economic growth of a country. India, which is still working on her framework to promote women empowerment, lags in providing a cultivating ground for women entrepreneurship to flourish, over the years, has witnessed many women leaders going beyond the imagination and proving their mettle in the uncharted boundaries.
Bharathi Kamath’s journey to success is the apt personification of the above lines. She is the leading lady behind Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd. A woman entrepreneur and business owner in Bangalore, she started her career in the Hotel hospitality field. Throughout her career, she has always taken up good challenges. Bharathi underwent management training with the Taj Group of Hotels. Her thirteen-year professional stint in the hotel hospitality field was with the Taj Hotels and ITC Welcom group’s Windsor Manor Hotel. Armed with her learning, Bharathi went out on her own over two decades back to start Carewel in 1995.
Her story has, in many ways, shaped and defined her. An expressive personality, a mentor to some and a protégé to herself, Bharathi keeps the trust and vulnerability of others very close to her heart. Her ability to stay true to her core values has enabled her to be a successful leader and an inspiration to many.
I was fortunate to hear the tremendous journey of Bharathi Kamath and her venture Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd. In her interview with us, she narrates her journey of becoming a leader and the learnings she gained.
Here are the edited excerpts
Describe the Brand Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd.
Over 20 years ago I started Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd., as a solution for Corporates in Bangalore to have professional housekeeping services in their office facilities. We have evolved into a comprehensive upkeep and maintenance vendor for companies, residential and commercial complexes, educational institutions and hospitals. We are now also focusing on home space.
Carewel Facilities India Pvt. Ltd. has been a tough leader in the IFM space since its advent and has left an indelible mark with its sound practices and quality. Being one of the frontrunners in the Housekeeping Industry, Carewel today enjoys a valued position among its clientele. Carewel has catered its high-calibre services to its multifarious clientele- including its former associations with large corporates like Hewlett Packard and Philips for over 15 years. At present, Carewel is currently associated with Harman International and Harman Connected Services, NXP, Fanuc India, Gallagher and Yuken India and Bagmane Group to name a few.
What was that intrinsic factor that made you realized that you wanted to do this (being an entrepreneur) for the rest of your life?
Being able to make a multi-fold impact has been a high-level driver in my entrepreneurial route. By focusing on solving one pain point or issue, one can have an impact on the workings of many businesses and several individuals lives. This journey has been a tremendous learning experience for me and I eagerly embrace all of it.
How much has women entrepreneurship evolved in the last decade in India?
The acceleration of women entrepreneurs in India, and especially Bangalore has been notable over the last ten years. This is just the beginning and I see this trend blossoming and growing a lot more in the years to come.
Read our 20 Innovative Women Entrepreneurs In India Here
In India, the proportion of women in paid work is among the lowest in the world, at just over 23%. How can women entrepreneurship help in changing it for the better in the coming times?
This has to be a top-down and bottom-up effort. While women entrepreneurs and executives get a lot of the spotlight for their successes over the past decade, equal if not more focus must be given to the grassroots entry-level labor force participation of woman. The most important near-term focus of women entrepreneurship should be to accelerate and place the spotlight on the equal and greater participation of women in the entry-level skilled workforce.
How important it is to promote the term Women Entrepreneurship specifically?
This should be considered of foremost importance. Placing a strong emphasis on this mandate is an optimal way to uplift the participation of women in the nation’s workforce, and give them exposure to the most rapidly growing parts of the economy. This will also allow them to change the course for several future generations of young women that enter the workforce in the years to come.
What are your plans for development?
One of my biggest focus is on the downstream, home level services for women professionals. Women compromise a majority of the workforce that services homes and households in this country. However, they lack the infrastructure, development and benefits which most of the nation’s labor force in other sectors enjoy. I am working to develop the structure and model to allow women who work in homes to be compensated fairly and enjoy professional benefits through Carewel’s recently initiated Home Services initiative.
Our secondary focus is on establishing a skill development institute that will skill the grass-root level workers in all segments of the service industry.
What has been your biggest challenge and subsequent learning from growing the company?
The biggest challenge changes, and constantly being able to evolve to meet that dynamic. Along with India’s rapid prosperity and growth has come a large wave of changes, something that an entrepreneur needs to constantly adapt to. However, in a labor-intensive field, this can prove to be quite challenging as it requires steering a large ship in new directions. Learning to evolve and tackle this paradigm has been a great learning experience over the last two decades, and focusing on new management and technology strategies are my focus for further growth of the company.
To every woman out there who aspires to be an entrepreneur this decade, what would be your advice to them, especially after this pandemic?
Your time is now! Go after your vision as you have the backing and support of other women entrepreneurs, as well as a country and culture that is looking to help you succeed.
Website : http://carewel.in/
