Arvina’s Effort to Redefine Indian Education – SkillTree

SkillTree knowledge Consortium was started in 2012 to disseminate knowledge through various mind-sharing avenues. Started by Arvina Purkayastha and Shekhar Bhattachrjee, it is India’s most appreciated Higher Education think tank and advisory firm. “We aim to put a renewed spotlight on India’s education sector by promoting India as a global destination for education,” says the womanpreneur.

I didn’t get where I am by thinking about it or dreaming it, but I got there by doing it!

Luckily for Arvina, her parents were always supportive of her decisions. “From a very young age, my parents instilled in me a sense of responsibility and inspired me to lead by example. My father’s aspirations and ambitions have always encouraged me to become a leader in what I do,” says Purkayastha who joined hands with Shekhar right after her completion of Masters in Business Studies.

I never really cared on what people had to say.

Arvina believes that there are two sources of knowledge – mostly from people we meet and experience we have followed through the books we have read. “A lot of who we become is influenced by those 2 things,” she says. A very optimistic and easygoing person, Arvina believes that an entrepreneurial path is a very risky life choice which can lead to many life setbacks.

I haven’t planned out my life and I think that’s the secret of my little success.

Being an entrepreneur has its basic challenges like giving up the stable job and regular pay check can be one of these challenges. Many of the first-time entrepreneurs are aware of the risks and are ready to face any obstacles. This can affect the course of this important decision. Skill tree founder for instance had challenges with Cash flow management. “We were on a strapped budget for a very long time,” says Arvina.

As an entrepreneur, Arvina always starts her day with positive affirmations. “The moment I open my eyes I begin with ‘an aura of power’ -whatever I determine that to be. Morning is a great time to focus on your thoughts in the direction you want them to go all day, I start with a morning prayer,” says the lady. She believes that working hard and having confidence in the idea has a lot to do with building an entrepreneurial spirit.

While she started at a very early stage, Arvina could not do what usually her friends were doing in terms of fun. “I would consider ‘me time’, ‘friends and family time ‘ , ‘exercise’ plus few of my favourite hobbies are less attended but these are the things that can be given enough attention and focus with time,” says the womanpreneur. She has her priorities set on schedule and hopes to find the balance soon.

Like many other entrepreneurs, Arvina’s challenges revolve around building  an innovative product and formulating a sound strategy to resolving hiring issues to finding a complete new marketing formula to building a reputation to strategic investments. But, she considers hiring the right candidate to be a tough task. “The key to a person’s worth is integrity, honesty, intelligence, the ability to communicate, and the ability and willingness to learn. Technical skills are important, but without the key ingredients, the technical skills of the applicant may be irrelevant,” she says.

Arvina advises the future womenpreneurs to believe in themselves and have confidence in their individual talents. “You need to completely love what you are doing or you will not be able to keep the pace in order to succeed,” she says. “And don’t quit, you never know when your next step will be the one that finds you your biggest success yet,”says the founder.

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