Pooja Naresh is the founder of PANR International and one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the country. She holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Science Engineering, and a trail of awards & scholarships follow her academic record. Pooja was very young when she started leading and effectively managing teams for tasks under strict deadlines. Her breakthroughs in the staffing industry exposed her to enormous amount of knowledge pertaining to the hiring processes worldwide. She has worked and lived in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Jaipur before laying the foundation of PANR International. She is also a passionate speaker and hiring coach.
PANR International is helping startups and new businesses take the leap ‘from nothing to everything’ by hiring awesome workforce for them. It is a recruiting and hiring platform which is catering India’s emerging new businesses. It offers customized recruitment solutions specifically designed as per client needs.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
PANR International provides cheapest recruitment and hiring services in the country. We specialize with startups and new businesses because we have a dedicated team who works on the requirements in real time and saves them time and huge amount of money, which is very crucial for new businesses. We are not just another software solution or hiring SaaS. We are operational in Delhi, Bangalore and Jaipur. We have a pool of 11,000 people already who want to work with startups specially, my team developed these with years of persistence.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
I wanted to do something which touches people’s lives and makes something easier for them. I understood it early that in business having the right person to do something is like a blessing. Besides I have always loved screening, interviewing and spotting the perfect match for a skill. This passion made me come up with PANR International. Human resources is an inevitable part in any businesse’s success. My early experience in recruiting gave me the opportunity to add value to the lives of many striving entrepreneurs out there.
What is your life mantra?
My life mantra is never underestimating and judge anyone. I am a firm believer of “live and let live” ideology. I believe that humans hold enormous power in them and can do anything.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
My journey had been amazingly thrilling. I have worked for more than 18 hours a day continuously, for as far as I can remember. I wanted to build a quality service and trust me quality doesn’t happen overnight! There were many challenges to be honest because once you start nothing goes the way you planned. The most challenging part of my journey was to stay away from my family and start a company from scratch in a new place like Delhi.
How did you overcome those challenges?
As you know having the right people with you is a blessing, in my case it was my business partner and best friend Alec. I have been truly lucky to have some amazing friends who have been there and stood with me no matter what. In the early revenue stage, when I needed more customer traction, my brother Roby entered PANR and revolutionized the whole process. Having some strong shoulders to share my dream with, was very helpful and it made me overcome all the hurdles.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
We are a completely bootstrapped company. PANR International has money from me, my family, my family’s family, my friends, you name it. We haven’t invested a penny so far through official funding processes.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
I am a person who can work for hours at a stretch in darkness or sun. So brain drain wasn’t something that I fought with! Although I practised ‘detachment’ to have additional grey cells working. I like reading and watching flicks to re-energize. It is really not what you do to keep your head detached for sometime, it is how detached you can stay to come back refreshed. As for my people, they are all handpicked who know when they need to work, so everyone is free to have their own working hours
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
- True passion for something
- Perseverance, to not back down whatever happens
- Faith in your abilities.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
We use LinkedIn and other social media channels. Dropbox for file sharing and Skype.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
Nothing makes me more productive than reading. And of course coffee!
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
I am a night owl! I am working on becoming a morning person.
Answer in less than 50 words
One tip to success:
Keep your head straight not high. There are more kings thrashed out of shere pride than anything else (Art of War-Sun Tzu)
One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Dont judge anyone by their mistakes, instead make them your learning’s and respect the person.
One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Nothing in life holds any meaning than the one you give it. So keep pushing yourself ahead with all the wishes and positivity you can gather.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
- To meet and discuss the life journies of as much entrepreneurs, as I can.
- To scale my business to other non-metro cities.
- To read all the books in my list.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
Surprisingly, I would do the exact same things again.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
This is tough! Every place has a special memory and hence a special meaning to me. I can name getaways which refresh me-
- Kasol
- Jaisalmer
- Pondicherry
Share a quote that inspires you the most
“Your life doesn’t have to subjective to your past. You can live many lives, just start somewhere”.