I’m Dr. Chitra Rajan, Founder of Radix Lifespaces, and this is how I Lead from Within
Dr Chitra Rajan is a serial entrepreneur, and frankly, as bold as they come. Her experience pans over four different industries – IT, construction, coffee production and renewable energy – stemming from a thirst to continually learn and find the next exciting thing. Hoping to work until her very last day, Rajan’s adventurism is admirable. A committed parent and a thorough professional, she shares with us her unique journey.
The Journey
In any middle-class family it is drilled into you that after completing your studies, you have to get a good 9-5 job. I went with the flow until my masters, during which I realised that I don’t want such a job; it’ll be safe but it won’t be exciting. Call it naive but I wanted a job where I could have breakfast in one country, lunch in another and dinner in a third. My father thought it was far too aspirational for our means. I joined the IT industry, which was booming then, and soon realised that my dream can come true there. That was the time when every country was interested in hiring software professionals from India. I made a lot of money in IT but beyond a point I would raise in ranks but there wasn’t much learning for me. So I decided to quit and pursue a PhD in Organisational Leadership in the US. It was an extremely fulfilling learning experience because it was intellectually challenging.
Upon return, I decided to enter the construction industry because I had about 20,000 sq ft of land, on which I wanted to build a commercial or residential settlement. The land had huge potential; I could build 50 flats on it! Lucky for me that construction was a booming industry in Bangalore then – I sold all the flats before we even started to lay the foundation. That’s how my journey into the industry began. I learnt everything from scratch because I don’t have a background in construction, nor am I an engineer.
I managed to sell another big project after that and then, foreseeing recession, I changed lines again. This time to coffee production.
I bought a 300 acre estate with, frankly, no commercial interest initially. I thought it’d be a good place for my son to interact with nature, away from the concrete jungle that Bangalore was becoming. It took me some time to make the decision to turn the land profitable. I learnt farming, coffee production, and how coffee is graded, sorted and sold. I also started converting organic waste from the plantation into organic manure, and set up a biogas plant for the same. I then set up a small one in my house in Bangalore, which got a fair share of attention. It led to enquiries, which then led to me setting up small biogas plants in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
It was around the same time that the High Court gave orders to BBMP to not dump its waste in the nearby villages since it created a stink and spoiled ground water in those regions. I decided to use that opportunity to create a bigger biogas plant in the city. The government refused to help so I reached out to banks. Little did I know the discrimination that was to come my way, on the basis of my sex. The banks did not see a great idea that was socially and environmentally viable, but a woman trying to enter the renewable energy sector. Assuming I’ll be incapable of running the business, they refused to lend me any money. I struggled for three years.
Long story short, today I’m in the process of setting up a plant in Punjab where we’ll be processing about 200-250 tonnes of paddy straw to make 15 tonnes of gas and methane, and another plant in Bangkok where we’ll be using fish market and supermarket waste to generate methane, to be sold as an alternative for CNG.
What Fuels the Adventurism
> Overcoming the fear of failure: Trying something new, professionally, is harder when you’ve had a successful career in a certain field. Taking a risk at such a stage makes you wonder what will happen if you fail, and what will people say. This is where overcoming the fear of failure is imperative because inherently, the possibility to fail is higher when you’re moving to uncharted territories – you are unsure of how things work, your strengths and weaknesses in that domain, and even the skills that you will need to succeed.
> An appetite for risks: If you don’t have that, you should not become an entrepreneur; that journey will require you to face hurdles over and over. When you’re working for someone else, it’s much easier. But when it’s your own venture, you don’t have as many luxuries. There have been days when I’ve gone at 2am to release a truck stuck at a police check-point, or pick up inter-state delivery for material coming in at four in the morning. There are all kinds of challenges in entrepreneurship and you must have the propensity to take them in your stride.
> Financial stability: I invested almost all my savings into my businesses. This was only possible because I had established financial stability for myself, which sustained me during the periods when there was no inflow of revenue, especially from my renewable energy business, which took close to seven years to start generating an income.
> Family support: Managing both your career and home is difficult as it is, if on top of that you have an unsupportive family/spouse, taking a professional risk becomes near impossible. No one wants a situation in the house where they have to keep fighting or justifying their position at every stage. I am lucky that I have an extremely supportive family. My husband, mother-in -law, and siblings are always available, emotionally and otherwise.
On Managing Stress
> Taking work home: It’s difficult not to since my husband and I run the business together but we make sure, as much as possible, to not discuss work at home.
> Meditating: I spend at least 30-45 minutes in the morning meditating and practising yoga. It makes me feel grounded and in control.
> Socializing: I’ve realised that it’s quite de-stressing for me. I ensure that I’m associated with a lot of organisations and attend meet-ups and gatherings so I can meet new people, even if all I’m talking to them about is their business and its challenges.
> Reading: I read for at least an hour before I go to sleep – not just technical stuff, I enjoy philosophy and fiction too. I can spend entire days reading without remembering to eat; I get so engrossed.
My Core Values
> Keeping a clear conscience: I want my businesses to succeed but at no cost will I do something that is illegal or unethical, or simply that which my conscience doesn’t allow.
> Making time for my children: No matter how busy I am, I ensure that I have enough time for my children. After all, bringing them into this world was my choice, so it’s necessary that I dedicate quality time and effort towards their upbringing.
Raising my Children
I’ve always planned my work such that I leave home at 7:30am when the kids leave, and am back by 3:30pm, half an hour before they return. I ensure that as much as possible I’m there for them; that at no point do they feel that their mother is too busy to make time for them. I have never missed any of their PTAs or sports day or any other events. It actually became a bit ridiculous at one point when my children, who were very young then, would tell anyone who asked them what their parents did, that we did nothing! They didn’t know we had work lives because everytime they were home, we were home too, so they assumed their parents did nothing.
I started taking my children to work with me – be it the coffee estate or construction work or even the renewable-energy site. Whenever they have a holiday I make sure that they go and work there to understand how difficult it is to make money – I didn’t want them to grow up thinking parents are like an ATM and can get them whatever they ask.
Advice for Young Women Leaders
There are way more professional opportunities for women now than there were say 20-30 years ago. Today, every possible aspiration can be a reality. Whether you want to get into music or art or technology, there are plenty of options to explore – and you must explore them!
It’s not only the opportunities for work that are countless, but also those for improvement of skills. You don’t even have to step out of your house; you can learn whatever you want to, from aeronautics to rocket science, online. Exploit these opportunities.
