Swati Bhargava’s day begins with a dose of yoga. The young entrepreneur firmly believes in the power of positive thinking and teamwork, be it in her personal or professional life. And the boundaries between the two are truly thin. As co-founder of a digital business, CashKaro.com, Swati and her husband Rohan, juggle their work and personal life with the mantra ‘do what you love and it won’t feel like work.’
CashKaro.com is India’s first cashback and coupons site which is externally funded. The site helps members get extra cashback on their online shopping with various established brands. Combining her Goldman Sachs work experience with a go-getter attitude and positive outlook towards life, Swati tells us all about how she makes the digital dream work for her.
Tell us about your career prior to starting CashKaro.com.
I graduated from London School of Economics with Honours in Mathematics and Economics in 2005 and join the Investment Banking team at Goldman Sachs. I worked with the credit structuring and sales team within the investment banking division and then moved to the executive office where I managed client engagements and relationships for the Co-CEOs of Goldman Sachs International, Richard Gnodde and Michael Sherwood. Working closely with the senior management boosted my confidence and further enhanced my communication skills.
While there were no initial plans to go the entrepreneurial way, I always believed in starting something novel. After my stint at Goldman Sachs I started my first entrepreneurial cashback business PouringPounds.com with my husband Rohan in 2011. Today Pouring Pounds is one of UK’s leading cashback and vouchers websites and works with 2,500 popular brands like Tesco, Debenhams, M&S, Expedia and Argos. In April 2013, we started CashKaro.com in India.
What were some of the most exciting seasons in your corporate journey?
Coming from a small town like Ambala and ending up at Goldman Sachs in London was quite exciting! I still remember the first client event that I organised for which I travelled to Stockholm. It was exciting to be given so much responsibility. Getting so much exposure at such a young age was both intimidating and fun.
Swati with Rohan, her husband and co-founder of CashKaro.com
Tell us the think-plan behind CashKaro.com.
In my current role, I am leading the marketing team and spearheading the expansion of CashKaro.com into different verticals. The success of Cashback sites in the West has been one of our biggest motivations for CashKaro.com. In the US, UK and Europe Cashback sites are very popular and have given savings worth billions of dollars to shoppers. Recently US-based cashback site Ebates.com got acquired for $1 Billion by Rakuten Japan, setting a great precedent for cashback sites globally.
On one hand, cashback was an inspiring and lucrative concept because it was a proven, tried-and-tested model in the West. On the other hand, we picked up this idea because Rohan and I are users of cashback sites ourselves and personally believed in the concept. We have witnessed an overall growth of over 1000% in the past 12 months and have enabled more than Rs.100 crores of retail. Today, CashKaro.com manages over 2,000 transactions a day and has credited over Rs.3 crores of cashback to its valued members till date.
You were a part of varied cultural settings in your journey from Delhi to Singapore to UK. Tell us how you managed to work the changing business cultures into a success story.
I grew up in Ambala which is a small town north of Delhi. When I was offered the Singapore scholarship, I was among the first students to go abroad from Ambala to study. When I got the LSE scholarship, I was again among the fortunate few. I’ve got so much love and support from my family and friends through my journey till date that every time a new opportunity came up it meant a lot to me and I never wanted to let all these people down. As a person, I am quite friendly and I adapt well to new situations. So whenever I visit new places, adjusting to their ways comes naturally to me. I am a positive person. I make the most of what is available so moving around has never felt like effort – it’s been exciting and I am so grateful for all these experiences!
You have a whole list of accolades that gives us an insight into your sharp leadership skills. Tell us about your business mantras.
‘Under promise, over deliver’ is something I learnt at Goldman and it’s stayed with me. I believe that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. I don’t go half-way; I’d rather not do it at all then. I think that if you love what you do, it never feels like work, so I try to pick projects I am passionate about. I enjoy working in teams and I love to surround myself with people smarter than me!
Is it just a little harder for a woman to make it in a field such as yours?
Yes it’s just a ‘little’ harder. Part of it is dealing with stereotypes – some people assume that women may not know much about tech or finance. So the onus is on you to prove them wrong. However, personally, I haven’t found it hard. At the end of the day, your work should speak for itself and at that point it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman!
So how do you manage work pressure and home commitments?
For this I give full credit to my husband Rohan and our families for being so supportive and understanding. They always try to make it easy for me and help me in small ways which makes it easier to manage work and home. I am also quite an organised person, which helps a lot too.
When you’re not busy in the boardroom, what are your favourite indulgences?
An ardent believer in ‘positive thinking can create life-changing results,’ every morning I practise yoga which keeps me energetic and fresh the whole day. Retail therapy also works well for me as I love to shop.
Tell us more about your love for yoga. What drew you to the life-changing practice?
While at Goldman Sachs London, my typical working hours were 8 AM till midnight, or sometimes till 1 AM or 2 AM too. As a result, I felt my body needed a break. On one of my trips back to India, my mom happened to introduce me to ‘Pranayama’ a yoga practice she had recently learnt and benefited from. I started doing it as well and I felt so rejuvenated and mentally refreshed that now it’s an essential part of my routine and I totally love it.
Does Swati, the busy working woman find time to step into the kitchen?
Sometimes yes… Rohan will tell you that I make awesome Italian and Mexican food. I did cook a lot more in London, though in India we get spoilt by caring family members who are happy to treat us to lovely homemade food every day!
Do you enjoy travelling? What are some of your most memorable travel experiences?
Rohan and I love travelling. It’s the one thing we do when we feel we need a break. Our first trip together was in South of England to a beautiful seaside place called Cornwall. We stayed in Tintagel at Camelot Castle and were most impressed by the entrepreneur couple who ran this beautiful castle and gave us lifelong memories. Our trip to Maldives was super special too as it’s such a gorgeous place.
Last year, we went to Faro in Portugal just for the weekend. I still remember how amazing it was – more because we were working so hard during that time that we literally went on Saturday morning and came back Sunday night… so albeit short, it was amazing! Other than this, our trips to Rome, Paris, Switzerland, driving across Belgium, Amalfi, Bodrum, Istanbul, Ibiza with friends have all been memorable.
What’s on your bookshelf?
The Secret by Rhonda Bryne – it’s my most special book as it’s changed how I think – it’s taught me to visualise what I want and I would recommend it to everyone!
Tell us a little bit about your personal style.
My personal style is something that fits in, but stands out. My overall style is quite contemporary – with a dash of colour and statement necklaces. In my closet you will find handbags from Prada and Gucci and even the quintessential Bottega Veneta clutch. You’ll always find my favorite Mac lipstick in my bag. While I love stylish stuff, I go for comfort as well… so if I wear heels, I’ll usually have flats in my bag. My favourite clothing brands include Karen Millen, Coast, Reiss and River Island.
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