After pursuing her Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from Sir J J College of Architecture, Sibani Chakravarty Sarma went on to pursue Masters of Business Administration in Marketing from Institute of Modern Management. She also did a Diploma in Construction Management from Annamalai University prior to her MBA.
With her knowledge about the construction industry and due to the lack of transparency in this industry segment, Sibani conceptualized Gallopper, which is an integrated platform for Construction industry professionals to learn, network and grow professionally.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
Gallopper is an integrated platform for Construction industry professionals to learn, network and grow professionally. We engage people and ideas with the following:
- Gallopper Talks: Inspiring Talk Series
- Gallopper Workshop & Seminar Series
- An e-magazine www.gallopper.com
- Gallopper TV : a YouTube Channel
- An industry focused Job Portal
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
Along with a sustainable perspective change in the Building and Construction industry, we believe passionately in travel, music, good food, great friends, long talks, broadened horizons plus a spirit of adventure. We are also 100% positive that the world would be a better place if everyone spent 15 minutes a day doing good for someone outside their families.
Gallopper was thus born as a collaboration platform for the Building and Construction industry. We help collaborate with the belief that collaboration should be as exciting and fun as the end result. Our goal is to enable work that is honest, through greater collaboration and increased capacity. Solutions that are exploratory, educational and inspirational.
What is your life mantra?
Work hard with passion and success is bound to follow.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
Throughout the history of the building and construction industry, people have used hearsay and their personal networks to make informed decisions. Our mission at Gallopper has been to make the industry more transparent, accountable and effect an image makeover. Establishing our credibility was the biggest challenge.
How did you overcome those challenges?
We’re a growing team of passionate, dedicated individuals who love to create exceptional collaboration opportunities and today we provide the most focused platform to do this in the industry and in a span of a year and a half we have, by seamlessly blending our offline activities with our online presence, established credibility.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
We are not doing this alone. Since our birth in mid 2014, industry behemoths like Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate, Godrej Interio, Pidilite Industries, Hafele, Berger Paints, NKGSB Bank, Network Media-Aquascript, Ambuja Cements, AccessWork, Box8, have supported us in various ways like sponsorships and other forms of partnerships. We remain indebted to them and are hopeful that we will be able to embrace a much larger community over the coming years. We think the future is exciting.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Focus, passion and a drive to make a difference
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
Social Media platforms, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube and Twitter
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
I wake up very early every morning, irrespective of whether it is a Sunday or a holiday and this gives me a headstart to the day.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Sometimes the focus on one activity becomes so strong that I tend to ignore other activities which may require my attention.
Answer in less than 50 words
If you are driven by passion, you will never feel as if you are working and success is bound to follow.
- One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Relying too much on others. One should be self reliant in every possible way so that no one can take you for a ride.
- One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Knowledge only increases by sharing
What are your plans for next 3 years?
We will explore newer formats and medium to be able to reach out to each and every professional within the Building and Construction Industry to join us in our mission.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
I have no regrets as far as my career is concerned as the entire path has given me an exposure to every facet of the Buiding and Construction Industry right from Designing, Financial Mamagement as well as a Research and an Advisory Role.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Whistler in Canada, Innsbruk in Austria, Goa in India
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“There is no wealth like knowledge, and no poverty like ignorance.” – Buddha