In any organization, the functions and responsibilities of a chief operating officer (COO) is multi-faceted. The majority of the operation is carried out on their shoulders. A Chief Operating Officer's (COO's) has to wear multiple hats, as they guide employees and entire enterprises toward an ultimate envisioning of the future.

Rasmi Mishra, COO & Founder at Hooliv and one of India’s finest women entrepreneurs, has been instrumental in the company’s successful scaling. As an individual with an incredible eye for details, Rasmi is known for her judicious approach to every problem, weighing all aspects before figuring the best possible path solutions going through each and every issue as thoroughly as possible, looking for any potential gaps and/or loopholes and leaving no stone unturned. “As a company leader, I feel that ethics and integrity are indispensable. To keep every pledge and promise, company activities must be carried out with the highest honesty and sincerity”, says Rasmi.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Rasmi Mishra, walks us through her professional journey along with the unique traits of the In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Rasmi Mishra walks us through her professional journey along with the unique traits of the company.

What motivated you to establish Hooliv? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and some of its most unique features.

We've all been students at some point in our lives, and we've all stayed in student hostels/PGs/dormitories. I have stayed in such facilities possibly 25 years back. And, to my amazement, not much has changed over the years. I recall grumbling about bad infrastructure, a lack of hygiene, limited dining options, and a lack of safety, security, and privacy, among other things. With rising student mobility and enrolment ratios, an increasing number of students are leaving their families to pursue higher education. There has never been a decrease in demand. As a result, these hostel/PG owners never really had an intent to invest in the upgrade and upkeep of their assets as they never really had to struggle to fill the beds. And for the poor students, since all the assets in a locality are of the similar quality, they have no other option but to compromise on their quality of living. Plus, there are always rent escalations every year. All these difficulties and student pain points inspired me to create Hooliv. We are revolutionizing the student housing sector by offering students a new type of coliving in which they not only share a roof but also a set of interests, values, and objectives.

Tell us about the various roles and responsibilities you shoulder as the COO of Hooliv. What are your primary focus areas in the said role?

Since we're a start-up, I oversee all aspects of the business, from answering phone calls from prospective student tenants to distributing posters and attending college counselling. My key objectives are to boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer happiness. Furthermore, I am in charge of expanding the Hooliv business across India, which entails selecting micro markets, cities, and places for expansion, as well as finalizing assets, developing marketing strategy, and budgeting.

What are the factors that separate Hooliv apart from its peers?

The most distinguishing element of our programs is that we go above and beyond typical offerings to provide students with a more experiential stay. We not only provide them with a roof, but we also assist them in their professional development by giving skill-based training, soft skills training, and assisting them in finding internships and job possibilities, among other things.

"There is only one way to build a successful Venture and that is focusing on sustainable Growth. I believe in going about building a Venture brick by brick and in an extremely Diligent way with a careful mix of aggression & Responsible growth"

Throw some light on the most critical business challenges you face as a business leader. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks that you encounter?

We are into a service-oriented industry. So, we are destined to face difficulties. There is always a challenge when it comes to handling manpower or personnel, from tenants to housekeeping workers to vendors, asset owners, and so forth. Each stakeholder has different expectations. So you must continually switch and put yourself in their shoes to comprehend their problems and then figure out how to solve them. This could get tedious and exhausting. We are attempting to accomplish this by making our operations as technologically leveraged as feasible. By putting technology at the centre and requiring all activities to use the same technology, I've attempted to eliminate as much human intervention as possible and automate the entire operational value chain.

In your opinion, what are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What has been your success mantra?

I've been in the industry for 27 years. There have undoubtedly been some pivotal occasions in my long career. From being a delivery head at Sasken and leading a team of over 200 employees to being nominated for the SMART Women Techie of the year in 2008, there have been countless such significant moments. But, if I had to pick one, it has to be the day my first business, AllizHealth, was acquired. This was my first entrepreneurial venture, and it was a very fulfilling feeling when we had a very successful exit that generated riches for all stakeholders.

Drawing from your experience as a business leader, what would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

One should never let people around dictate what you can or cannot do. Keep control of your destiny at all times and don't let anything or anyone distract you from your path. Break all stereotypes and don't let anyone put you in a box. As terrible as it may be, the glass ceiling exists for working women and is not a figment of our imaginations. Accept this fact and make every effort to overcome it via sheer hard work, ambition, and perseverance. Never be hesitant to make decisions and pursue one's goals to the utmost extent possible.

Rasmi Mishra, COO, Hooliv

Rasmi Mishra is technologist with expertise in ideating, nurturing and building globalbusinesses. She brings years of experience in operations, delivery management and managing global teams and decades of unrivalled expertise in successfully completing intricate operations with efficiency and integrity.

QUICK FACTS

Educational Qualification:

PhD in Artificial Intelligence

Awards & Recognition:

• Part of Microsoft accelerator program - Among top 13 startups in 2016 with proven product-market fit. Microsoft support on go-to-market & technology

• Among top 60 global startups selected by Govt. of Malaysia. 4 month program (MaGIC) - July, ’17, in Malaysia

• Recognised by Duke Health and World Economic Forum to be among Top 7 global Health Innovator. Recognized and support startups with business models that can be adopted globally

• NASSCOM: Product Connect, Emerge 50 : Among TOP 50 emerging IT companies

• Winner of IFDI 2.0. Supported by Dept. of Science & Technology. Building unique wearable for elderly care