Live Project At My Dream Company - Flyrobe Diaries - SDA Bocconi Asia Center

3 years ago, when the startup culture gained popularity in India, I was among those people who were extremely moved by it and built a passion for “Entrepreneurship”, the word which was not even properly pronounced by many. I came across FLYROBE, an 8-month old startup of which not many people had known about, a relatively new one on the block. But I instantly connected with the idea it was based on. Since then, it became a dream to work for FLYROBE. Soon after my graduation, when I moved to Mumbai to join SDA BOCCONI ASIA CENTER for Post-Graduation, my dream turned into a goal and I was more dedicated than ever. After multiple attempts to reach them, finally, I received a reply from them stating “Can you come over to the office tomorrow for an interview?” Unfortunately, I wasn’t in Mumbai at that time. For a second, I thought ‘Lost the opportunity, maybe they won’t agree to keep the interview some other day’. But to my surprise, they agreed to shift the interview to the next week. After my interview, I was offered an internship with them for the Business Development profile.  I felt felicitous and was delighted. It was going to be extremely difficult since my second trimester of post-graduation saw packed schedules and deadlines, but I assured them to work dedicatedly towards it. For the role of business development, I had to work on getting the men’s ethnic wear, women’s ethnic footwear from the manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers, which is one tedious job in itself. It is a tough job to convince them to give their products, which will be put on rent. I enjoyed the role because it gave me a different experience of talking to various types of people. It taught me that in business, you have to deal with different types of people some will listen to you peacefully while some will close the door on your face. Eventually, I was asked to visit the Flyrobe Store in Borivali, which was really exciting.

Perks of working in a startup - you get to explore various roles.

At the flyrobe store, I had to deal with the customers, attend to all the walk-ins in the store, show them different garments according to their requirements and budget and assist them in trying the same, and finally getting their bookings done. It was yet another feeling to work in the store of your dream startup. I was feeling passionate to get as many bookings as possible and was working just like it was my own startup.   And the most delightful thing was to hear customers when they said – “We really liked your assistance, you are working amazingly, we’ll come here again soon”

It is another kind of happiness and satisfaction to work for your dream startup company.

As I was occupied with my trimester deadlines and assignments most of the time, I had to juggle hard between Flyrobe and my lectures. Now time management, which Post-graduation teaches you well, comes into the picture where you need to manage your tasks and work efficiently both ways. If you're going to work for a startup, expect to juggle multiple responsibilities in the course of your profile. Because startups are usually fast-paced, you have to learn on-the-go, take on countless responsibilities, and constantly switch between multiple jobs on a daily basis. Being a student at SDA Bocconi Asia Center gave me the right platform to work on my dream of working for startups as well as follow the path of entrepreneurship.   Which ABGP Company I want to join and Why? Working with Flyrobe (Retail) and Coca Cola (FMCG), my experiences in these 2 different industries have given me a good platform to understand corporate from two different perspectives. I strongly feel Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail will be the best choice to enhance my skills in the specific arena of Marketing and Business development of the Retail industry. Being a fresher, It will be the perfect platform to use my knowledge and skills I have gained during all these years, and will help me to add an extra value to the organization. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail is already known for its work culture which will also help me to understand the organization working as a whole.   -Ashna Goel PGPB Candidate (2017-2019)