Living Like A Boss
After getting the taste of the corporate world, Sahil Sood is all set to dive into the ocean of entrepreneurship. Sahil helps his father run their family business amidst the snow-clad mountains of Himachal. Having travelled across India for education and job, his homecoming after almost two decades was nothing short an achievement for Sahil. In conversation with Corporate Citizen, Sahil opens up about his hostel life, his stint in the banking sector and his obsession with running his business. Read on!
“Be it studying, working or running your own business, work with all your heart and integrity. If you do so there will never be a dull moment in your life. There is no greater reward than working from all your heart and then tasting the sweet fruits of success”
For him, work is worship! Be it working as a customer relationship manager or now joining his father in their family business – he works with all his heart. “The apple does not fall far from the tree. I grew up watching my father work hard to grow our family business. And I am a proud child that I get the same qualities from him,” smiled a proud Sahil. The Sood’s are running an apple business in Himachal Pradesh. “Be it studying, working or running your own business, work with all your heart and integrity. If you do so there will never be a dull moment in your life. There is no greater reward than working from all your heart and then tasting the sweet fruits of success,” said Sahil.
Planning is everything!
Born and raised in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Sahil got a chance to travel through the country courtesy of his education. Having finished his schooling from Shimla, he moved to Chandigarh for his higher studies. After his graduation in Commerce from Jalandhar, his love for education pushed him to move to Pune, where he pursed his PG in International Business.
He did travel a lot, things changed and he was ready to put up with it. But the only constant thing was learning, planning and working according to the plan. “Plans are nothing, planning is everything. A goal without a plan is just a wish. All through my educational journey, I made it a point to plan things ahead of time. It made things easier for me,” he explained. Further adding, “Courtesy of my planning and working according to it helped me get good grades in school and college. Frankly, I wasn’t that good at Math and Physics, on the contrary languages and other subjects were my forte. Which is why I would jot down a proper schedule and give proper time to each subject.”
Lovin’ the hostel life
Owing to a family emergency, Sahil had to study in a boarding school. He must have been around six-years-old when he started living away from his family. He never had any issues living that life, rather he was happy that he got to learn a lot. “Agreed, I had to stay away from family but the life lessons I learnt living the hostel life is impeccable. It taught me how to traverse through to difficult times and how to enjoy the best days. In short, it helped me evolve into what I am today,” he explained.
Sahil would come home during vacations and those were the best days for him – as he would get to spend some time with his family and secondly, he would spend time learning on the apple farms. “Every time I got home, I would learn something news about the apple business. It was a treat to watch my father work on the field,” he said.
Placement journey
Since the time he began his PG, he was sure of companies he wanted to work. “I had three companies in my mind and I wanted to get through any one of them. Campus placements are very crucial and everyone should take it seriously,” he said. Sahil wanted to work with either Bajaj, Deloitte or ICICI Bank. After diligently working on his plan, he got through ICICI Bank. Talking about the preparations he said, “To prepare for the aptitude round, I had downloaded a few apps that helped me a lot. I anyway liked staying updated with the current news which is why I would go through the newspaper or news apps every day. Before sitting for any company, I would do thorough research about the organisation and what were their expectations.”
Although the world might portray that the corporate world is a bit too harsh but it was never an issue for Sahil. Fortunately, he was working with a prodigious manager who helped him grow leaps and bounds. After working for a year with ICICI Bank, Bengaluru, as their relationship manager, Sahil decided to hang up his corporate boots and move back home. “I wish to experience everything that life has to offer which is why I chose to work in a firm before stepping my foot in the business world. My stint with ICICI bank taught me many things. I would always cherish those days and bank on the life and corporate learnings that it had offered me.”
“To have a healthy batch of apples, we ought to take care of the tree for more than five years. We have to nurture it and take care of the tree as a child. It has taught me patience”
Sahil (second from left, standing) with his friendsThe homecoming
Moving home after almost twenty years was a dream come true. It was as if he was eagerly waiting for this day. “Each day I get to learn something new. I always wanted to run a business and working with my father at our family business means the world to me,” he said. His days are usually very hectic but he loves it. Further adding, “To have a healthy batch of apples, we ought to take care of the tree for more than five years. We have to nurture it and take care of the tree as a child. It has taught me patience. And made me realise that to achieve anything in life one needs to plan ahead of time, work hard and be patient.”
After venturing into both the corporate and business world, Sahil is now settling in well after getting the hang of the respective work ethics. On that note, he passes on a few tips to his juniors for the campus placement.
Set a target and achieve it: You are a human after all, and you cannot ace every subject. Understand your shortcomings, set a target and achieve it.
Understand the concept: Instead of mugging up the subjects and their concepts, keep a clear mind and understand every concept. Trust me, getting good grades becomes an easy job.
Do your groundwork: Before appearing for any interview make sure to understand what the company does. Read about the company online.
Apps for aptitude: There are several apps will surely enlighten you. Spend at least half an hour every day to solve the aptitude questions on those apps.
Stay updated: At the end of the day, go through the newspapers, news channels or news apps to get a hang of what’s happening around the world.
Calm and composed: Be it PI or GD, never panic! Be calm whenever they throw a question at you, take your time to answer and when you answer, be composed!
Follow your heart: When you follow your heart, instead of blaming others, you would be responsible for your actions. Have the courage and follow your intuition.