Your Work Should Speak Louder Than Your Name: Sanjana Desai of Mother's Recipe

If you haven't tasted the awesomeness of chatpata flavors of all the chutneys and pickles of the brand Mother's Recipe, then you my friend have been living under a rock. The Desai Group which has many diversified industry interests is now being run by the fourth generation- Sanjana Desai who is a strong believer of letting your work speak for yourself.  Breaking out of the shell of "entitlement" and learning the rules of the business is what has earned her the position with merit.

Sanjana Desai, Mother's Recipe

The one quality that sets women entrepreneurs apart is Passion

The origin of Mother's Recipe.

" We at Desai Group started expanding our business verticals into diversified industries in early 2000 and entered into the food business in 2002. In the year 2003, we started aggressive expansion of our Mother's Recipe brand by extending our distribution network to 20 states in India and exporting our products globally. Our key to success with Mother’s Recipe is strong emphasis on quality and authenticity which we will continue to offer along with providing authentic & great tasting products to Indians all over the world. At present, Mother’s Recipe has a strong presence in India and across the globe, especially in Middle East, Australia, UK, Europe, US, Canada and Africa.

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The challenges of being a woman boss.

"Given my background, I have always seen my dad dealing with critical business situations and hence it was an intrinsic part of my growing up phase. I was the first woman in 4 generations to join my family business where I walked into the office with no fear or any biased expectations. After completing my graduation, as a 23-year-old 'entitled' girl, the first thing was to learn the basic ropes of the business I was getting into and subsequently earn respect and position based on merit. Also, being the youngest one in the top management, I knew my work needs to talk louder than my name."

The glass ceiling has broken.

"I believe women after they start a family still have to balance society’s conventional expectations at home along with ambitions at work. If they have a supportive family and can master the balance, then sky is the limit. We have a healthy gender balance in our company and are proud of it! Girls cannot spend late hours at work is a passé which is constantly being proved by the young and motivated women workforce in our enterprise. We have created a very conducive environment for women. "

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Breaking the glass ceiling: Sanjana Desai

I believe women after they start a family still have to balance society’s conventional expectations at home along with ambitions at work

The essential qualities of a women entrepreneur.

"Amongst the many qualities that women entrepreneur must possess, the one that is most important and sets us apart is Passion. With passion, a woman will be intrinsically motivated to give her best in terms of efforts, making her more persistent. It will also allow her to focus on the bigger picture and on what she is good at while delegating the rest to a competent team."

The work mantra.

"I believe in commitment; commitment of providing the best product to my consumers, commitment of time & efforts to my team, commitment of maintaining highest integrity & work ethics and commitment to grow this business with all my stakeholders."

Taking pride in her work: Sanjana Desai

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The management lessons of the business.

"I believe it is important to be observant at all times. Listening to your stakeholders both internal and external is the key. It helps in gaining respect and loyalty from your team as well as easy motivation. Also one can’t be complacent in life as it curbs an individual’s growth and learning. Another key aspect that I have learnt is the importance of clarity in expectations and deliverables, without which there will never be synergy in business operations. Strategies should be made by top management and communicated to the team with measurable performance expectations. Additionally, it is essential to have appropriate systems and policies in place to run a successful business with least reliance on any single individual. "