"If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them anymore." Nothing could have been more apt for women business leaders than this powerful statement of Michele Ruiz. Women have been transcending that phase of being stereotyped and are being instrumental in business reforms. For all this desire to make a change and go the extra mile, ambition is the essential catalyst. While featuring such ambitious women business leaders, Women Entrepreneur India presents to you the journey of Sonal Singh Grover as Founder and Recruiter of Walking Cubicle & Head of Operations at Qhub. 

Give us a brief overview of how you stated Walking Cubicle. Highlight some interesting features about your first company.

I was working as a national hiring manager for a retail fashion brand. The brand offered me to be my first client when I pitched an idea of starting my own hiring company. This is how Walking Cubicle kicked off.

Walking Cubicle is a recruitment company in Hyderabad with a mission to place finest of the finest talent to industries like Fashion, Real estate, F&B, Interior, Educational institutes, Wellness and Marketing Agencies. I work mostly with freelancers to combine skills, resources and networks and find that perfect candidate. I am a business development enthusiast.  I am currently focusing on profiles that understand the marketing funnel. My core profiles would be Sales, Business development and Client management.  Wondering about the team? The team also creates an office of its own every day. A healthy café, coworking space, place with fine food and art or just home becomes their cubicle of the day.

Take us through your early educational and industry experience. What were some basic lessons learned in the journey?

I come from a commerce background with a degree in Mass communication. I later did a short course in fashion journalism. I was awarded as the first fashion journalist for Femina magazine from this institute. While covering an event for the magazine, a gentleman offered me a role in store operations at Tommy Hilfiger. This was a self-discovery phase for me. I loved managing business operations and I started looking at numbers. My goal was organically directed towards generating revenue and problem-solving skills.

As the head of Operations at Qhub, what are the various roles and responsibilities? What are the most challenging aspects of your current role and how do you overcome them?

I have been associated with Q hub from the time of inception. My responsibilities include Client Servicing, Facility management, Finance Management and Marketing. In my 12 years of experience in operations, challenges have always been with people management and I have come to terms with the fact that every person is different from each other. The way you communicate with your team has a tremendous impact on the company's success. I ensure to spend good amount of time with the team either discussing business strategies or conduct team building activities.

How has your professional journey been so far? What steps do you take to balance your role at Q hub and leading Walking Cubicle as the founder? 

My professional journey has been wonderful. Each role has helped me curate operations for my own company. I am also a big fan of personal and professional growth. I spend most of my Saturdays streamlining tasks for Walking Cubicle so that there is minimal follow-up during weekdays. The promoters of Q hub have been quite encouraging to operate Walking Cubicle as well so I could explore my enterprising skills.

“Being a follower will always give you direction, however, your discipline will make you a great leader”

What are some of the personality traits that have helped you in your professional journey? What is your vision for Walking Cubicle's future?

I am a people person. I ensure to grow with people around me by maintaining transparency. I always get associated with roles where I could play a key role in decision making for the company which added a lot of mileage to my leadership skills. My goal for Walking Cubicle is to create a professional networking platform with finest profiles. I want to focus on Hyderabad city for now and explore more industries rather other cities, as the city has a lot of potential. I love networking. I would love to connect the right fit for the right company.

How do you keep yourself well aligned with the periodic evolutions occurring within the industry and the tech world in general?

Evolution is needed for a boom in productivity. The tech world around us fundamentally changed. However, we would still need people backstage to run this. Face-to-face communication builds stronger relationships. Every product created needs business development. Every entrepreneur/leader should also be good at sales and that is exactly the area Walking Cubicle wants to create in being an eye for talent.

As a successful professional with vast experience, what advice would you present to young women and girls who aspire to become business leaders or entrepreneurs? 

My suggestion is to be financially independent to meet the rising cost of living. Becoming an entrepreneur from the grassroots level will definitely help you understand company and people's problems in a magnified manner. As an employee or an entrepreneur pre-planning schedules will help you remain organized and productive. You need to schedule everything!!

Sonal Singh Grover, Founder, Walking Cubicle & Head Of Operations, Q Hub

Sonal is an inspirational business leader with over a decade of Experience in Retail, e-commerce, and co-working space. She is a strong Business Operations professional skilled in Negotiation, Sales, People Management, and Market Research.