Women are currently achieving significant eminence and power in the world of finance, and the domain of wealth management is no exception. With many women stalwarts gradually making their prominence known in this segment, the phenomenon of Srikala Bhashyam stands out amongst others owing to her prolific repute in the country as a financial journalist, mutual fund distributor, and a corporate trainer. As a media professional, Srikala holds almost two decades of expertise in business journalism and is equipped with specialized skillsets in banking and finance. Owing to her association with various media groups, she has had adequate exposure to personal finance which later acted as a promising podium for her entrepreneurial advances with her friend and present partner Rupa Shankar. In 2007, personal finance was a nascent industry and the adventures that prevailed within the segment intrigued Srikala, even more, to explore the nuances of the wealth management segment pragmatically. The founders, Roopa Shankar and Srikala Bhashyam amalgamated their expertise to lay the foundation of Vithadwaitha Financial Services in 2007 and have touched upon the financial lives of more than 600 individuals across the globe.

Srikala engages in an exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur magazine.

What Drives You Today As An Industry Leader & What Is Your Success Mantra?

Most of our clients approach us to seek help with financial planning or investment advice because we're a mutual fund distribution company. Being a distribution company as per the SEBI regulation, when a client approaches us to suggest what are the schemas they should invest in or where they should invest, we ensure that they have a proper understanding of all the products and nature of the schemes in which they are investing in, along with the risks associated with it. So, our motto is to empower clients through knowledge and encourage them to make informed decisions in a very ethical way that ultimately benefits them. We believe that, if a client is a happy client who gets wealthier in an ethical way, automatically, we also get wealthier and prosperous. That's our success mantra.

What Motivated You To Establish Vithadwaitha? Tell Us About The Underlying Idea Behind The Company.

Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur and as a journalist, I think you have very few opportunities to become an entrepreneur because your area of expertise is very limited. Since, I used to have my column in the Times of India, where I would talk about personal finance and advice people on how they should manage money, this gave me the confidence to take steps towards realizing my dream. As a people person and with communication as my primary skillset, my expertise was gradually honed while interacting with the top-notch executives as well as top management of various conglomerates, I got the opportunity to learn from the brightest minds in the industry. As an entrepreneur now, I can deduce that, all client requirements are very different, and all the above-mentioned factors are proving to be quite beneficial for me to thrive as an entrepreneur.

What Are Some Of The Most Pressing Business Challenges That You Face In Your Current Role & How Do You Mitigate These Challenges?

For companies at a budding stage, scaling up is always a challenge if you want to leapfrog your growth. To expand your business, you need to have the right kind of team in place, but being a midsize company attracting talent is not easy. As a leader, managing the growth of your company is a challenge and you need to have the right team as well as the right technology. At the same time, you should not dilute the ethos and values of your organization.

"Our motto is to empower clients through knowledge and encourage them to make informed decisions in a very ethical way that ultimately benefits them"

The question is, do you like being a boutique firm, or are you happy growing at a particular pace? This challenge is not only for us, but I would say for many companies like us. But technology has helped us, especially during COVID, and just like every other organization, we are also completely digitized as of today and our operational efficiency has also improved. But more importantly, we want to nurture this company along with our employees and want them to be prosperous at the same time.

In Your Opinion What Are Some Of The Most Significant Milestones That You Have Achieved Throughout Your Professional Journey?

Managing assets, we started with an AUM (Assets Under Management) of 14 crores. Gradually, we surpassed the 100 crores mark and currently, our AUM across all of our products and clients is close to 300 Crore. Reaching the 100 Crore mark as a mutual fund distributor was very satisfying and was our first milestone in the industry. Currently positioned amongst the top 50 in our state, we have also won many awards and are acknowledged for promoting sustainable growth as well as a ‘client-first’ policy. I would say almost 98-99 percent of our clients have stayed with us for the last 15 years and even our employee attrition ratio is very low. Most of our employees have completed 8-10 years of their professional journey with us and we continue to thrive synergistically. These are some of the satisfying milestones according to my viewpoint I would say.

What Is Your Vision For The Company’s Growth Going Forward?

I would like to see ourselves as a one-stop shop for all our clients, where we should have all the products under the sun to manage the flow of their money. We aspire to be managing 1000 Crore AUM and at the same time, we want to be a boutique firm, where we could still be able to offer personalized solutions using technology. That is the vision we have.

Srikala Bhashyam, Founder, Vithadwaitha

Srikala Bhashyam is a former financial journalist with leading media groups such as The Financial Express, The Hindu Businessline and The Times of India. She has penned down more than 1000 articles on personal finance and was a regular columnist on personal finance in both digital and print media. As a new-age entrepreneur, Srikala likes to explore opportunities in the business of wealth management and train the promising fanatics in the areas of financial services and media training.