National Women’s Day

National Women’s Day Special – Interview

Reshma Hajite

 

9/8/2024,

A successful woman can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her.

From politics to sports, women have shattered the glass ceiling in many fields, and continue to pave the way for equality and representation.

National Women’s Day is a great opportunity to appreciate, honour and celebrate women in the local community and all over the world!

Today, in Postbox India, we will get to know such personalities who have made a mark as women in the Real estate & construction sector, and whose work is giving energy and direction to many women. She was interviewed by the Aniket Thakur –  On the Occasion of National Women’s Day.

Reshma Husain is a Founder and Director of Excellence Farms. She has set a benchmark in the Real Estate industry by creating India’s first Online Plot Booking facility. She is instrumental in aligning strategic tie-ups in national & international markets. She has, with the support & help of renowned planners, instituted a complete sales organizational structure with a clear distinction between domestic sales & International Sales. Under her Guidance & leadership, ESPL has ventured into sales & marketing in countries like Dubai, Singapore, USA and now, is also planning on targeting countries like the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia in future. ESPL received a 5-star rating for our “Purple County” Project under her guidance.

1. What inspired you to pursue your career in real estate and how has your journey evolved over the years?

–              By profession, I am a computer engineer but while working in the corporation I also realised I want to work for society and that’s where I started a foundation with 4 of my friends. After working for a year in a foundation we realized rather than getting funds from outside why not start our own. That’s where our journey into land investment has started. We started our first project in Solapur and we realized that security and safety are one of the most important things that people look out for when they invest in the land and there is no structured player in the market. So from there, we started working professionally and one after another to date we have projects in Pune, Mumbai and Solapur which are non-agriculture plots and now we are coming up after COVID into liveable farmhouse gated community projects. So in the last 15 years, we have a presence across 7 countries, 1550 plus clients, more than 1 crore square feet of government-sanctioned non-agriculture projects developed and more than 86 acres of land, agriculture land which is acquired, developed and sold. So that’s how our journey has evolved. We have been awarded different awards throughout our career in terms of the Brands Academy award. Most Promising Real Estate Developer of the Year award. We are the only company in India where our all ongoing non-agriculture plot development projects are rated by Crisil.

2. Can you highlight the specific achievement of your career that you are particularly proud of? And what does it represent?

One of the things I’m proud of is that when we started walking into the land, we realised that safety and security is one of the critical things, especially when it comes to the legal security of the land. That’s where we were the first company in India we apply for the CRISIL rating specifically for the real estate project on the land. That’s why we were the only company in India where all ongoing and plotted development projects have been rated by Crisil. Why, it is very important for us because a lot of our clients are internationally in the US Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Australia and that is where they need legal transparency much more when they are dealing in India. And crystal rating has brought this to us. There have been very rigorous processes that CRISIL follows when they give real estate ratings and we were fortunate enough to clear that and get a five-star rating for all our ongoing non-agriculture projects.

3. How have you navigated the challenges and the barriers as a woman in the real estate industry?

I feel one of the critical challenges when it comes to the land overall as an investment is gaining the trust of the people when it comes to the safety and security of the land. The second important thing is acquiring the land from the farmers. I am fortunate enough to have the right partners who take care of land acquisition as well as land development. So for me, it’s not my success, it’s overall my team’s success. When it comes professionally to overcome the challenges, I have the right partners with me who help me in terms of land acquisition, and land development, when it comes to the finances, and that’s where I can focus on the business development and sales and marketing. And when it comes to overcoming the challenges, It’s most important my back-end support system. My parents, in-laws, husbands, and kids who support me on every front.

4. What role have female mentors or role models played in your career development and how have you been mentored by others?

I feel the first mentor is my mom because she has been a working woman and my second mentor is my grandmother because she has been also a working woman. So being a working woman facing day-to-day challenges and at the same time handling a home at a time, I have seen since childhood so I would say that’s in my genes and that’s where directly or indirectly just looking at them I have followed what they have done so it was not very hard thing for me to take it ahead and at the same time when it comes for female mentors I feel this is the amazing time where we have lot of female entrepreneurs around guiding us on marketing guiding us how to climb the ladder. At the same time I don’t feel as restricted to only female mentors because when it comes to the business challenge, the challenge is the same. It’s about learning from different mentors.

I do have more than 15 coaches who coach me on different topics starting from sales and marketing to working on my passion to technically upgrading myself and I keep on learning from each one of them despite whatever gender they belong to. The second question is how I have been a mentor to others I see it’s more of how we behave that people around us just copy so that’s where wherever I go I make sure that I collaborate with people and allow them to speak up about the challenges they face and I try to connect them or solve their problem when and it comes for the new entrepreneurs. Especially I run a program called WIRE, which is Women in Real Estate. I want more women to be in real estate because the passion and compassion we bring across the table are very important to the real estate industry, I feel. And that’s where I run a program where I train women entrepreneurs or women to become real estate entrepreneurs. That is WIRE Women in Real Estate.

5. In what way do you think the real estate industry has changed for women since you started and what furthest changes do you hope to see?

I feel when I started in real estate; there were not too many women who were opting for a career apart from just designing part of it. But nowadays when I see and look across, there are a lot of women who are coming into sales and marketing, finance, administration, even in operation and even when it comes to managing sites. So that’s where I see women becoming valuable day by day when it comes especially for sales and marketing to talk to client-customer relationships. So it’s not just biased to the real estate industry, but we have we are overall getting a lot of exposure rather a real estate industry is very much open to take women employees across and I see further changes going ahead for a woman is accepting different technologies that are coming into real estate especially with artificial intelligence coming into picture the way it is affecting.

designing part, marketing part as well as different structural parts even a few women entrepreneurs are crafting their careers into sales through videos or through different digital media that’s where I see just sitting at home also you can run your business by managing your home responsibilities as well as the office. So that’s where I see this has never been possible earlier like you have to be on all the time on the site to sell. But nowadays you have that flexibility to manage your home, go to the site whenever you want, rest of the time you can work it from anywhere when it comes. So that’s where I feel mobilizing our time and talent, that is one of the things which we are getting overall opportunity as.

6. How do you balance the demands of high-stakes careers with personal commitments and well-being?

I feel it’s more of our commitment to whatever we have decided that we want to do. Like I am currently on a mission to help 1 lakh people fulfil their dream of owning a farmhouse. So when it comes to my professional goal, obviously my personal goal is linked to it. So, when it comes to office timing or personal timing, there is no segregation for me per se and I always see that if I serve enough good to my clients, I can serve enough to my good to my family and it’s vice versa. So, there is no life and work these are the two different eras I feel rather we are I believe to enjoy life wherever I am. So, the responsibilities are growing on both ends, on the professional end and the personal end, being a mom of two, and handling kids, these responsibilities are growing. But moreover and more importantly, I enjoy the journey in the entire scenario that matters to me a lot.

7. What advice would you offer to young women aspiring to make their mark in the real estate sector?

I feel this is the best time when you can think of coming into real estate because the market is very much open. There are a lot of opportunities available, especially there are certain roles that are exclusively reserved nowadays for women. The only thing that we have to make a noise of, like real estate is the field, which is much prestigious sector we should be proud of. After agriculture, we are the second largest GDP contributor industry, and that’s where we should see the opportunity just come out of the boundary because I see there is a taboo in the market where people feel real estate for women would not work. But that’s the myth, and that is no more there in the market. So when it comes to real estate, make sure you decide to take hard work as your priority.

Get yourself equipped with the knowledge of the industry. Make sure that you do a lot of good groundwork to meet your clients and your stakeholders, and don’t think of it as just the kin job or AC job. Think of how I can create value for my client and how I can solve the problem of my client. If you go with that attitude, any kind of obstacle that comes in between that you will overcome.

8. How do you celebrate and recognize the achievements of other women in your field particularly on National Women’s Day?

I feel that every moment like my company’s celebration is one of the biggest values and we celebrate every day. Be it a sale, no sale, be it a best day or off day we celebrate each moment. So I feel every day is women’s day that way we should celebrate being women because we come from both worlds. that’s what I believe in and how do I celebrate one of my ways to celebrate or recognize is to make or cook a portion of good food and serve it that’s the way I celebrate it.

9. What key lessons have you learned throughout your career that you believe are important for other women to know?

The first is to find your tribe, that is, whatever the goal you have, find the right mastermind alliances with whom you can work and how you can achieve your target, making sure that each one of you succeeds. The second thing is, to put your 100% to whatever you do. Sometimes it happens that we question ourselves whether this is right, whether this is if, what if? If it goes wrong. But just take a decision; I’m over the time corrected. Most people fear putting the content or putting their opinions across. Most of the people say What if people don’t like my content? They don’t start doing it. But the first step is my third advice. That is, just start. Don’t think of how it would go ahead, because the first step that matters a lot and the rest of the things fall apart. Fourth is about. Take guidance from an industry expert. If you don’t know something, make sure that you go to the experts in the market and ask them to have the right advisor that matters to matters the most when it comes to your career goal fifth, surround yourself with powerful impactful and successful ladies because they would bring a lot of life experiences to you.

10. Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations in the real estate industry and how do you plan to achieve them?

So looking ahead, my goal is to help one lakh people to fulfil their dream of owning a farmhouse and creating profitable assets. How I’m going to achieve it. One of the important ways I’m currently working on is creating such liveable farmhouse gated communities, which are ideal ones. We are already created, uh, completed two of our projects in Mulashi, and our third project is already in the pipeline, which is in Mulashi and for Pune East Region. We have an early concern, which is a co-retreat weekend home. So one way is creating our gated communities. The second way is educating people about investing in farmhouses. So when it comes to investment, my objective is that people should get the right solution for whatever the requirement of the farmhouses. So I do create a lot of videos. I create the content through which I educate people, and I conduct different seminars and webinars to guide people about the farmhouse investment. And the fourth thing that I’m planning is doing 1 to 1 consultation when it comes to the individual farmhouse requirement. The fifth part I’m going to do is about there are different developers in the market who come up with farmhouse projects. So I’m also going to consult the developers when it comes to creating farmhouse communities, where we can fulfil the dream of actual farmhouses where people can come, stay, and enjoy the location, or they can put it on the rent, depend on whatever their goal is, rather than just holding a piece of land.

Mrs Hajite received recognition from the Rotary District 3131 Conference and was felicitated by popular Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla. The award cemented the company’s leading position amongst the Country’s Top Real Estate Companies.

Mrs Reshma is also the Vice President of Excellence Dhyas Foundation with her co-founders and spearheads the Foundation’s initiatives in Women’s Welfare and Child Development. An avid writer for various literary publications, she strongly voices her opinions on the social interests of Women’s Welfare, Femina being a notable example to cite.

She has conducted a Program for ‘Branding for Women Entrepreneurs’ for 50 women entrepreneurs in Solapur and Laws for Women with the Maharashtra State Woman Commission. Powered with a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology from the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP),

Awards:

– ‘Rayat Gaurav Puraskar’ for Social Upliftment -‘Mauli Puraskar’ -Abhivyakti Puraskar by MIT

– ‘Indira Brandslam Award’ by Indira College

-‘Manini’ award by Rotary.

-Best Women Entrepreneur Award 2022 by Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao organization.

Highlighted in magazines:

  SME India, Story of souls, women At Work

Writer for-

Femina magzine, Postbox India 

Seminars-

-addressed 10+NRI forums, and 5+ doctors’ associations on Real Estate Investment Planning.

– Ran a radio show on Akashwani called ‘Splotches Pardarshi Vyavhar’ 40 episodes. She is the most-watched YouTuber on land education.

-was a finalist for super 250 of realty show for speakers, of success Gyan among 2Lakh speakers across India

 

 

Interview By