Hitesh Bhatia & Rozina Charania, Founders, Think People Solutions

The cornerstone of the company’s ideals lies in finding the right match between employers and candidates, thus ensuring mutual satisfaction to both parties. So while clients secure high calibre employees, employees find careers that not only suit their profile but also their personality.

The company is presently working with over 100 active clients, helping them source talent. On an average, it places close to 600 people annually and offers prospective employment to over 1000 people annually. Moreover, the fact that the company reaches out to over 300 potential clients every day, talking to them and understanding how it can help them get ahead in their career, is commendable. 

The company’s unique operating model sets it apart from other recruiting firms in the industry. And as the founders say, the key differentiators of the organisation are its distinct hiring verticals that focus on organisations in specific industries. Teams in these verticals constantly indulge in evaluating the market and sharing competitor info with clients, thereby helping them stay ahead in competition. In fact, Bhatia and Charania claim that the company follow practices that are unheard of in India. 

In an exclusive interview with Yourstory.in Bhatia and Charania shared their vision for Think People Solutions, asserting that they plan to scale up the business both horizontally and vertically by catering to a more extensive industry line and expanding geographies. The duo also plan to use human resource as a window to provide related services such as training, contract staffing, salary surveys etc.  

“By 2015, Think People Solutions will be a global organisation catering to the entire spectrum of human resource needs, thereby increasing the turnover to a billion dollars and leading the Indian markets,” said Bhatia.

“We have recently launched a training program called STAR (Smart, Talented, Aggressive, Recruiter), wherein we train individuals on becoming better recruiters. We partner with the best in India as well as on the international front, thereby offering the best of services to our clients” added Charania.

For people as ambitious as the founders of the company, nothing could have been as satiating as a risk-fraught entrepreneurial journey. The duo was lured to undertake a venture, well aware that if successful the enterprise would fetch them recognition and money, not to mention the freedom that they would enjoy all along. What also motivated them to take on the challenge was the desire to set up an enterprise, where people are valued and the firm is known for its people-friendly practices and culture. “I believe most entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs by accident not by choice,” said Bhatia.

When asked about the challenges they faced during their entrepreneurial journey, Charania said, “Challenges were many, and each big in its own way. Working capital, billing cycles and tough customers were the initial ones we learnt to tackle gradually. But the most daunting so far was finding good people, which seemed a little unnerving since we are in the people business. People with strong ethics, values and beliefs were rare to find and the task seemed mammoth, not only to our clients but us too.”    

“We eventually settled don on following a model, wherein we hired only freshers since we felt they are easier to groom and mould,” she added.

Equal in strength were the mistakes the duo committed as amateur entrepreneurs, but they learnt to take it in their stride. “But if I were given the chance to go back in time and change one ting I regret doing, I would start afresh to ensure that the company grew horizontally and vertically at the same time,” admitted a candid Bhatia.     

Interestingly, the duo started the venture with a seed capital of Rs5,000 from their savings. The rest was hard work and sheer good luck. “We knew that if we are strong in our conviction the rest would be a cakewalk,” said Charania.    

What kept the biz minds going was the positive feedback from the clients, who are associated with the company for over six years. Moreover, despite the fact that the company went through its first economic slowdown, it managed to retain all its employees without any pay cuts, and came out shining from the crisis. “Our strategy to cater to other industries and our model of delivery kept us going and profitable through the slowdown phase,” said Bhatia.

The enterprise has received numerous awards, recognitions and testimonials from its clients for its excellent performance. It has been declared as the number 1 partner for Wipro Technologies and is also awarded by them for its services. This besides, the company has received numerous awards from Accenture, HP & ICICI for being their top performing partner.

Tip for budding entrepreneurs — Be strong and focused. There are times when ideas are successful not because of innovation, but because of the ability of the entrepreneur to take the right decision at the right time. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, but it is definitely the most rewarding experience.