She might not be a management professional, but she has managed business setbacks well. A postgraduate in resource management from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi, Dayal got a scholarship from the government of Netherlands to pursue urban environment planning in 1993. Following the course, she took up city planning projects with
HUDCO, UNICEF and other agencies. Alongside that, she also started designing gardens and balconies of individual clients. Her love of gardening
finally made her take the plunge in landscaping, and she decided to set up a boutique to showcase her talent and to get corporate projects.
The boutique opened at Centrestage Mall, a prime location in Noida, close to Delhi. Dayal had taken the land on a 11-year lease, at a monthly rent of Rs 40,000. Add to that the cost and effort of procuring material, employing a manager and gardeners, and the effort of keeping plants in a healthy condition, and one realises what an enterprise even managing a garden is.
However, that venture proved to be short-lived. The complex was sealed in end of 2006. At a short notice, the family managed to safely ‘evacuate’ as many plants and pitchers they could, but the immediate problem was, what to do with the manpower she had employed? And how to attract the clientele in the absence of an office space? Dayal says she was able to overcome the rough patch because “I don’t react too strongly to a situation. I have the same approach that a farmer has to the failure of monsoon.” With the retail side of business closed, she started focusing on getting large-scale projects — hospitals, hotels and townships. For example, she is doing the greening project at Savoy Heritage Hotel, Mussourie; and Hero Honda campus in Haridwar. “I missed the ambiance and stability of retail but opportunities didn’t stop.” One project led to the other, and a few months ago she was asked to fill a quotation for greening of Delhi airport. Competing against big-time horticulture companies, Dayal got the dream chance on the strength of a realistic quotation, and the work she has done with other corporates across North India.
Nursery of enterprise
Winning the contract for the airport means new demands on her time. In the scorching heat of Delhi in the month of June, oblivious of the sun tan, she was preparing the groundwork for the project, quite literally, when we met her. Instructing an army of gardeners on the site she has taken on loan for housing the plants; coordinating with her managers at various sites; keeping a check on the cash flow; requisitioning right equipment, containers, soil and accessories on mobile; moving to and from nursery, godown and various suppliers, offices, keeps her tied up all day and late into night.
The Airport authorities are stringent in their requirement, and specifications include plant type, height of each plant, number of leaves that each plant should have, type of pots and pitchers for each plant, proper covering so that soil is not visible… These stringent requirements mean that Dayal has to get plants of exact size from as far as Kolkata, in good conditions. Any damage to a palm that costs more than Rs 2,000 would hurt.
The layout and the plants have to change every few weeks, the maintenance work at the airport has to be done during night time, so as not to cause inconvenience to the travelers. This translates into hard work at night too. Not to forget travelling on rusty roads to neighbouring states to supervise her other
projects.
Nurturing manpower
The ambitious infrastructure she has created wouldn’t be possible without a retinue of manpower. One among the seven managers she has employed is a PhD in horticulture, to ensure that quality doesn’t suffer. There are 200 gardeners posted at various locations, all dressed in green, for day-to-day care of plants. The key to success, says Dayal, is delegation. “I have learnt to trust my managers and have left decision-making to them. They must have the right to recruit or fire.”
Success, says Dayal, also depends upon the ability to remember finer details. “Every morning I sit and jot down what all I have to do. At the end of the day I make it a point to get back to the list to see whether I was able to achieve all the tasks.”
Much of the business, Dayal claims, is managed because of her ability to pick up lakhs on credit. For a person hailing from a doctor’s family averse to business, that has done the trick. “I never avoid creditors’ calls and make it a point to pick up their phone. That’s the reason they are willing to give me material on credit. The world is fed up of aggressive businessmen.”
In hindsight, given the current workload, she feels the closure of the retail outlet proved to be a
boon, as she is able to supervise her work, as well as take care of youngsters and adults at home, all in the same stride. “Everything has a good side, and I have got my answer now.”
|