Sarita Sarvria, Managing Director of Express Housekeeper Pvt. Ltd., is a first-generation entrepreneur who opted for the business road less taken. In the face of steady opposition, Sarvria kick-started her firm emerging as a pioneer in the segment of facility management services...
At 28, Sarita Sarvria – an employee with the Taj Group Of Hotels - discovered that she’d been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug! And it was a visit to London in the 1980s, that helped crystallise her business direction. The high standards of facility management services captivated her psyche and Sarvria soon realised that this was her true calling.
In the late 1980s, Sarvria, a first-generation entrepreneur, green-lighted her firm Perspective Services with a humble capital of Rs. 25,000, hiring 10 trained housekeeping boys and a single supervisor. Procuring contracts was an uphill task, since the concept of facility management services was labour centered.
A decade of experience in the hospitality sector had strengthened her resolve to “start a novel and unique business in the corporate sector” and Sarvria’s firm later assumed the identity of Express Housekeeper Pvt. Ltd. in 2004.
Sluggish Start
“Initially, sourcing staff was a major challenge. I had to explore the rural sector around Delhi, convince them of this concept, train them and finally deploy them. Commuting to sites that demanded night shifts was also a problem. At times, there were challenges of payments from clients. Many dissuaded me from starting this business. The only people who stood by me were my parents and my husband Suryesh Sarvaria, as they believed in me and my business plans.”
Client Cachet
“As a firm our core services are housekeeping, pantry, office support staff, horticulture, electromechanical services, pay roll management services and security services. We provide employment to the lowest strata of society, not only in the megalopolis, but to several people in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and the remotest rural sectors too as the FM industry, particularly the janitorial manpower, requires no specialised skills.”
“We began with a meagre sales of Rs. 3.08 crores in 2001-2002. My vision is to clock a sales turnover of Rs. 220 crores in 2015-2016 and make the company’s presence felt globally.”
“To succeed in business and life, one must have a burning passion to make it big, have plenty of self belief and a head-on approach to matters. These apart, one must work hard and not be deterred by failures or the opinion of others. I strongly believe in raising leaders from within the organisation.”