PEAKLIFE

An IT Thought Leader with expertise in Strategy, Technology Assessment, Risk Assessment & Management, and Best Practices, Bhavna Juneja comes with more than 2 decades of value creation to her credit, has been a serial entrepreneur across sectors as diverse as Interiors, Manufacturing, Life Science, CPG and Technology, which she built and grew single-handedly.

An asset management solutions firm, MPowered helps property owners convert their real estate liabilities into chic profit-generating ventures for long term use.

Here’s PeakLife in an exclusive conversation with this maverick entrepreneur sharing her experiences and much more.

What was the whole idea behind MPowered and how did the idea for your business come about?

India is still relatively new to the concept of organised Asset Management in real estate and we saw immense scope to tap this otherwise untapped space. People investing in property with the expectation of yielding high returns and then not knowing how to go about is the premise on which MPowered was founded.

Our business has been specially designed to cater to landlords and property owners who are not equipped to monetise and capitalise on the real estate they own. Our specialty lies in transforming B-grade unutilised real estate into A-grade profit-generating ventures for long-term use.

We invest in such properties and deploy a suitable business model to it as per its size, location, infrastructure, among other things. With on-point Business Intelligence coupled with our acumen for building new models of shared economy and Technology, MPowered provides the best-in-class Asset Management Services in the domains of commercial, residential, and retail real estate spaces. It is a melting pot of innovations, unique ideas, and first-of-its-kind services in the real estate space.

Since our business model is equally in the benefit of MPowered and the property owners we work with, it has worked out beautifully for everyone involved in the ecosystem, even during the pandemic that caused a massive dent on all businesses last year.

How did you come up with the name for your company?

Powered as the name suggests, emphasizes on empowering property/asset owners, business owners who are currently struggling to retain office spaces and cover rent costs, women who wish to make a thriving career in real estate, brokers and the industry as a whole.

Aside from each of these segments that stand to benefit from MPowered, we especially cater to anyone who owns real estate but does not have the expertise, funds, or the bandwidth to convert it into an income-generating asset. Thus, we empower organizations and individuals with our expertise across real estate, technology, design, infrastructure, and business intelligence.

You have a diverse experience in multiple fields, then why did you enter real estate in India how do you see your role in the real estate sector post-pandemic?

Before launching MPowered last year, I had wanted to get back to running a business in India for several years, given this was the starting point of my professional journey. I owned a successful venture at the age of 17 in Design, Interiors & Furnishings for brands importing from India into the USA, which gave a headstart to my career.

After running multiple technology ventures globally, I felt it was time to start a business in India all over again. Also, the real estate industry in India as you know does not have many women leaders as it is assumed that women cannot make for a successful career in this field. This also became an influencing factor that positively challenged me to start a business in the real estate sector and step up the game for women. A few successful examples are enough to encourage others to join the bandwagon and turn things around for the better.

Speaking specifically about the post-pandemic era, given that technology has taken over our lives completely and the dependence on it has only grown during the pandemic, its integration in real estate will now be more than ever before. It is here that my rich global experience of technology and real-tech, which is going to be the future of the real estate, will prove to be invaluable to the business, as well as the industry.

Could you tell us about the culture in your organisation and how did you establish it?

Speaking of the work culture at MPowered, I would say that whether it is complete technological enablement, flexible working hours especially for new parents, pregnant women, and those with old dependents, or even wellness and me-time leaves, we stop at nothing to ensure the well-being of our team members. Additionally, we go the extra mile to ensure the health & safety of employees and even support them with health plans/insurances.

Owing to Covid, we have now also come up with a ‘Covid Safety Culture App’ to monitor the cleanliness standards of the workplace. This App helps us in identifying spaces within the office where cleansing may be required and also gives us a map to maintain the required social distancing.

Additionally, it helps identify people who have been within a 6-feet radius of each other and efficiently tracks down this chain, for us to be able to take all the precautionary measures in a timely manner. We have established these after intently listening to employee feedback and also with our own understanding developed over the years, of what company practices make for a great working culture.

What was the key factors to become an entrepreneur?

I turned an entrepreneur at the age of 17 years, as I had by then already developed a strong sense of self and was quite aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I fully owe this to my mother, as it was, she who pushed me to keep enhancing my skills, and never let me back down. Given that I was so young and raw, setting up a business at that age was quite challenging but it was also equally rewarding, as I came out of it much stronger, wiser and self-aware. So, I would say identifying your skillsets early and honing them further with complete persistence and motivation, are extremely vital to becoming an entrepreneur and acing at what you do.

If you had to suggest 5 must-read books during the pandemic, what would they be?

While I’m not much of a book reader, my all-time favorite is “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. During the pandemic, I particularly got addicted to LinkedIn and reading about women around the world who are in leadership roles, their journey to where they are today and co-relate with my path as to what is there success is probably one of the challenges I’m dealing with. Every journey counts and one only can learn and get wiser with it.

What is your definition of an empowered woman?

Women who are ambitious without apology. I enjoy being deeply invested in everything to do with women’s empowerment. I am always keen to build, invest in and grow various platforms that can enable, encourage and support women in achieving their maximum possible potential, professionally or otherwise. As an immigrant woman in the USA, my journey has been a roller-coaster ride and I feel immensely blessed to have come this far on my own. As a show of gratitude, I would like to extend all the support that I can to other women, that can help them chase their career dreams as well.

Any advice you would give for our budding entrepreneurs?

Never let your dreams die. If you have a vision, make it happen no matter how many attempts it takes. Always be prepared for failures and have a contingency plan. The comfort of knowing you’ll have something to fall back on if things go south, will reduce the pressure and improve performance. And god forbid, if things do not work out for real, there will be a plan B in place to pursue.