Financial markets may look unpredictable and daunting to the uninitiated. However when utilized well by leveraging subject matter experts’ advice, financial markets can also be highly rewarding. The operative word here is ‘expert advice’ without which users stand to lose money in a fraction of seconds as well. Here comes Asha Rathore, the Managing Director of SmartFX who not only shoulders the responsibility of helping her clients create wealth but also makes sure that they don’t lose their hard earned wealth.

A B.com graduate, Asha has been in the financial industry for the last 12 years. According to her, it’s such a vast and innovative industry that one can never stop learning. Her firm SmartFX is an international online Forex and CFDs trading organization, offering 24 hours access to a diverse range of trading products including forex currency pairs, commodities, futures, indices and stocks. She also invests in the success of employees and every individual pays back with hard work, resulting in the success of their company.

In an in-depth interview with the Women Entrepreneur team Asha speaks about her interesting professional journey that was spurred by a difficult situation in her personal life. Here are excerpts from the conversation.

What has been the motivating factor behind your professional journey and eventual success as a business leader?

Academically I am a B Com Graduate. Most of my education however, has been practical. I started working at a very young age after I lost my father whom I loved and admired the most. He was my first teacher and I have inherited my hardworking nature from him. I was a free bird with no responsibilities till the time he was there to support me. After his demise, happiness and freedom turned into rage, passion and determination to make him proud. Being the eldest one in the family with three siblings, I realised the responsibility of giving everyone the best they might have got with my father being there.

His loss was the biggest setback but his values of working hard, honesty, dedication and values kept me going. I was closest to him so I still have his impression and adopted his style of work by default. Whenever I have to take a tough call I just go back, sit at his place and try to understand what he would have done under the circumstances. I do just the same.

Tell us about the various roles and responsibilities that your current role as md entails at smartfx? What are some of the most challenging aspects of your job and how do you overcome them?

At SmartFx my role is to keep the team together and motivated; preparing them for the tough competition so that they can face the market challenges. Our standards and ethics have to be high in order to safeguard our client's investments. So I keep most of my time dedicated towards risk management with the team to ensure that they follow the standard operating procedures with no negligence. When it comes to risk management, I am old school and believe in going back to books every now and then. We may take personal risks as a company but when it comes to client's money there has to be no loop hole and no experimentation at all.

As the one leading the firm, how do you drive growth within the organization? What is your leadership mantra that has led smartfx towards success in the highly competitive financial industry?

We maintain high standards to keep trading environments secure, and offer the best tailor made trading conditions for every client. We help Forex traders to develop the knowledge and skills they need to trade efficiently and responsibly.

I believe it is consistency and curiosity that has contributed to where we are now today. I love my work and do what I believe in. Activity is the key. I tell my team to work today and now without thinking about the outcomes. I motivate them to give the best every single time. I think encouraging your team with a human touch brings out the best results. That's my small and simple contribution to this organisation. Every team member comes up with a different way of working and I make sure that they give their best every time.

“I believe it is consistency and curiosity that has contributed to where we are now today. I love my work and do what i believe in. Activity is the key”

I take care of my team and they take care of my business and that's how we have been able to perform well in this tough market. You have to set your personal standards high and the team will automatically follow. There are shortcuts to success and no place for people who can't match our pace. Financial markets change fast, and there is stiff competition everywhere. So there is no time to rest.

My leadership mantra is consistency, risk taking and work as if there is no another day. As a leader I ensure that people work happily the same way every day. They should be rewarded first and as a leader you must be the last one in the queue and the other way when it comes to risk taking and working hard. With this motivation our company is looking to expand in Africa in the coming few years.

What were some critical business lessons that you picked up through your journey which are still a part of your approach to leadership and business management?

The most critical business lesson in my opinion is to not give up after facing failures. Learn from your failures and never stop taking risks. Failures make you work on your limitations and determination helps your overcome failures. So keep taking calculated incremental risks and that's what old Indian style of working has been. As a business leader you should set your benchmarks high, your personal goals should become the benchmark for the team. Your personal targets should always be more difficult than anyone who is working under your leadership. If you want to play big then don't play it easy.