Men are no longer the only role models in the male-dominated hospitality and tourism world. From chefs to CEOs you might have witnessed a lot of men in the industry, but now the Kitchen Queens have begun to step into the Board Rooms. Women with centuries of effort and endurance have worked tirelessly to break through and become professional leaders and role models, too. In fact, millions of successful, talented and intelligent women are becoming entrepreneurs in the space. They are not only making choices that make them happy but also inspiring several youngsters to do the same. Such inspirational women in the realm of hospitality and tourism (luxury rental services) is Mirela Jain, Founder of My Goa Villas (MGV).

Find below the excerpts of an exclusive interview with Mirela. Hope this endeavours inspires our aspiring readers.

What are some important features and expertise a business leader should have? Who is the business leader you admire the most?

I believe that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to being a good leader. Leadership styles and approaches often vary widely across organization sizes, industries and sectors. Also, different situations may demand different types of leadership. However, to be a successful leader, you must possess the qualities of foresight, drive, initiative, self-confidence and personal integrity. Different situations may demand different types of leadership. Also, service and accommodation is the key of the hospitality industry. If you would have asked this 20 years back, I would have told Bill Gates who was an oracle and problem solver who set the bar and personified his era. Today, I admire a lot of new generation leaders like Howard Schulitz and Angela Ahrendts.

Take us through your early life. What motivated you to establish My Goa Villas? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture.

I was born in Croatia but lived in Tenerife, Canary Islands. My grounds are in the Insurance & Property Business and I have been in hospitality for several years now. Before I moved to India, Hyderabad. I didn’t see myself in that city madness, traffic and without ocean. Moving to Goa reminded me of Tenerife’s beauty.

I wanted to continue to do what I know the best and decided to start My Goa Villas here.

As the founder, what are your current focus areas in terms of driving growth for My Goa Villas.

In the field of hospitality management customer satisfaction is key and the primary goal. We have to ensure the best customer experience possible, keep good reviews, keep your guests safe, and communicate. There are several key drivers of sustainable & scalable growth: customer centricity, leadership, people centricity, operations, technology, finance & transactions and risk management and more. If I go into details this will keep going on and on. At My Goa Villas our core services are property search, management, rentals. Whether we provide our individual clients with a full property service or only one aspect of it, our goal is to provide excellent value for money and to never take our eye off quality.

In your opinion, what are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What is your brand’s USP?

The circumstances and belief! I found myself always starting from zero and coming to the top. If I take something I don’t give up until I make something, I just cannot.

MGV’s USP is the unique brand experience we create. I leverage my knowledge from Europe and I implemented it here making our business at par with global standards. Everything needs to be perfect and if it is not we will make it to be. Good housekeeping is considered the backbone of accommodation, otherwise even the best accommodation won’t make it.

"I believe that business is like an ocean and no one can drink all the water from the entire ocean alone. In essence it means that our operations and client data base is strong and external competition does not affect us in a big way"

Throw some light on the most critical business challenges you face in terms of doing so. 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?

Managing rentals necessitates communication with guests and communications with the staff. Staff training is an area that most property managers struggle with, unless they use an all-in-one property management software with a highly effective system in place. My words to youngsters is: Every challenge on your way is a learning curve. Do work for what you believe in, take a risk, trust yourself and remember no one succeeds immediately! Who you are with is who you become! Set your goals and remind yourself of them each day. Good luck and don’t give up. Finally, learn from your mistakes.

Mirela Jain, Founder Of My Goa Villas (MGV).

This Croatian–Spanish leader, despite having her  background in Insurance & Property Business, decided to pursue an entrepreneurial path in luxury holiday rental when she moved to Goa. She took the leap to guarantee a comfortable and perfect holiday for tourists in Goa.

QUICK FACTS

Educational Qualification: MBA Finance

Headquarter & Other Office Locations: MGV Office, Assagao, Goa

Awards of Recognitions won so far Women Enterpreneur Magazine, Top 10 best business women leaders from Goa 2021

The CIO today Most Iconic Business Women to watch 2022