In the past two years, abreast of India reinventing itself, the direct sales industry has manifested a huge potential and it can possibly touch Rs.64,500 crores by 2025. In virtue of these numerals, the number of direct sales companies needing to grow/set up or expand in India has been on the rise, and interestingly, most of them seek assistance from the consulting professional – Koyalgeet Kaur, CEO, Arrowhead Consulting, Inc. Alongside being a well trusted advisor to various departments of the Government of India dealing with direct sales industry, Koyalgeet over the years has become an irreplaceable presence for direct sales companies in India & abroad through her organization - Arrowhead Consulting, heavily leveraging her immense knowledge and experience. Today, eight years later, she has taken Arrowhead across the world to geographies including Europe, U.S., Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Experience Does the Job
The opportunity to establish the Direct Selling Association, manage its entire Asia operations, and work with hundreds of successful MLM, Party Plan,& direct selling companies for almost 14 years was the turning point for Koyalgeet, though her career before entrepreneurship spans across many other organizations such as Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Citibank, Business India and JAFRA Cosmetics International,in different roles and geographies. “I had a feeling that I could contribute to many more companies in a consulting role,

rather than driving a solitary organization. That’s when I started Arrowhead Consulting in 2009,” reminisces Koyalgeet.

Without any startup hiccups, Koyalgeet commenced helping big organizations to understand the Indian market, which opened the doorway to have strong international affiliations with people abroad

The immense market & client exposure Koyalgeet had in the past made her path crystal clear, and in fact, placed her in a commanding position from the very beginning it self. “When you work in multifarious roles, especially in the international markets, you start to earn the know how, develop a perspective and understand the strategies that would work in different countries,”adds Koyalgeet. In addition, she was very well recognized through the Direct Selling Association as well. Thus, without any startup hiccups, she commenced helping big organizations to understand the Indian market, which opened the doorway to have strong international affiliations with people abroad. She never had a turn back in life then.

Needless to say, consulting business calls for minimum investment and involves comparatively less risk factor. But when you fail to keep a tab on the industry trends that change on a daily basis, you get buried by even the companies born yesterday. “Here, the rule No.1 is not to rest. You have to keep your self updated, informed and plugged in on a daily basis. I leverage on social media, my colleagues, events and every other possible chance to comprehend what’s coming in the

future,” adds Koyalgeet. Even though an expensive catch, she often used to spend money & efforts to attend conferences.

Taking Bulls by the Horns
In fact, no matter business challenges are bigger or smaller, on the flip side, as a women entrepreneur in the consulting business, Koyalgeet is awaited by an entire gamut of security risks. She says, “A man can meet any person at any time. But I have to be very careful and disciplined while choosing the timings. But one of my strengths is that I am fearlessly independent. And when it comes to work, I believe in discipline”.

Out from the office, being extremely disciplined in terms of timing helps Koyalgeet in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She even switches her phone off after the office timing. “My family has been an irreplaceable part in my entrepreneurial journey,” asserts Koyalgeet. Atop of supporting & encouraging, her family understands her work pressure & frustrations better than anyone else. “Happiness is important than anything else.And to keep myself happy, work-life balance is extremely important,” adjoins Koyalgeet.

Furthermore, she shares her way of being with her associates by providing them with freedom.“I only prepare tasks for my team neither suggests templates nor restricts them in terms of creativity. They have the freedom to choose any formula, since the only thing matters is a quality result,”says Koyalgeet. Her wise words explaining what entrepreneurship is can be the soul rising moment for many. She says, “Entrepreneurship is an anecdote of self-motivation, reinventing yourself, working hard and eventually creating your own path. Thus, if you are looking for security and a plush cushion on your seat, leadership is not your cup of tea”.