Advertisment

Vijayalakshmi: Hitting the Bull’s Eye!

author-image
Prableen Kaur Jubbal
Updated On
New Update

Vijayalakshmi Moorthy is the founder and managing director of Coimbatore based IT sales/service and solution provider, Vijaya Infotech. She also steers the operations of Vijaya Comnet-Internet Service Provider for Coimbatore and East Godavari SSA-as director. Prior to getting associated with Vijaya Infotech, she worked for Access Business Machines in the field of sales.

Advertisment

FAMILY BACKGROUND: Moorthy was born and brought up in a middle class family in Coimbatore. "My dad is my mentor for business," claims Moorthy, adding that it is a first-generation business in her family and that her parents were only school-educated. She also takes pride in her supportive and adjustable siblings. "My sister and brothers are my first-level friends. We share information and take each other's advice wherever required. I also have an excellent friends' group to support me in my business," says Moorthy.

FROM ENGINEER TO IT ENTREPRENEUR: As a child, Moorthy wanted to become a doctor, but ended up with a serious note on engineering. She did BE (electronics and communication engineering) from VLB Janaki Ammal Engineering College. Her dream was to get into IIT to further pursue engineering and establish herself as a known personality in the field, or contribute to the society as a faculty. "Originally, my idea was to fund my engineering dream by way of working and saving. But in my first job as a sales executive, I tried to explain products highlighting the advantages to the end user, which was more often 'product pitching' rather than selling. This worked well for me and my passion started drifting towards sales," recalls Moorthy. This was a turning point in her career, when her ambition etched into becoming an IT entrepreneur. She met new customers for more products and business came automatically to her. "Now, though not into promoting the concepts, I am associated with selling the packaged IT product with solution," says Moorthy. Keen on updating herself with knowledge, she is now honing her business skills further by studying Master of Business Laws from National Law College, Bangalore.

MALE DOMINATION DOES NOT MATTER: Moorthy feels that gender has nothing to do in her business, provided one gives full justice to his/her job. "Though a woman cannot socialize like men in a society, the knowledge I had about products and the customized solutions I provided for my customers generated a lot of longstanding goodwill and references. With regard to competition, the customer is not worried about the person who sells, but the product he/she buys. My interaction was only with the end customer and not with my competitors, and hence I was privileged to give my customers the right product which was their money's worth," says a confident Moorthy.

Advertisment

STRENGTHS: "Self-belief and hard work always pay you back. Besides, I am passionate towards my work. Over the years I have gained customer trust, which is very important for business. Being efficient at man management and resourceful are my added strengths," feels Moorthy.

ADVICE TO WORKING WOMEN: A piece of advice Moorthy would like to share with working women-"Have self-belief and understand your self-worth. Be passionate, and work towards shorter goals to reach the top." Moorthy also believes that managing family helps in managing workplace. As such, she feels that spending time with family and friends is a great way to relax and get motivated.

BALANCING WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE: A MULTI-TASKER: Moorthy swears by time management to balance professional and personal life. "Time management is very important both for a working woman and a housewife. If you know how to manage time efficiently, balancing between life and work is a cake walk," confesses the businesswoman. Besides, she considers her mother a guru for her personal life. "Her dedication towards family taught me lot," she says.

HOBBIES: Moorthy loves to read and surf internet to keep herself abreast with the latest in the technical world. "I like to indulge in technical information sharing, technical forums, and update my knowledge on new products," she shares. Apart from this, the lady also relishes cooking, listening songs, and visiting temple.

FUTURE PLANS: Moorthy has big plans in store for her company as well as for the field of education. "I want to create job opportunities for a minimum of 500 plus employees in my company," reveals Moorthy. She also aims to make her company a 'One stop IT solution' by 2013, and spread her company's presence across south India within the next 5 years. Comes next in her to-do list is opening a school for KG to +2 level. "I feel technical education should start from the school itself, and not at the college level. Quality education, at par with international standards, should be available for middle- and low-income families at an affordable cost without any compromise."

Advertisment