Ms Srinidhi Naidu: Consulting Medical Aspirants And Magnifying Their Strengths With Her Venture, EduconIndia
EduconIndia is the unicorn of overseas consultancy. Its genesis lies in an urge to set standards of excellence and achievement in the pursuit of studying in abroad.
In the contemporary world, the concept of education abroad is quite fascinating in order to make headway for a bright career. It provides students with a perfect picture of the world and keeps them highly competitive. A country like the US is known to be the best and the most progressive education hub offering flexible choices during university studies. The high rate of employment and desirable earning potentiality and wonderful work environment attracts the top candidates in the United States across the globe.
But, going abroad is not a piece of cake. It's about pushing your extremity and venturing beyond the bounds of your comfort zone…
When you make a decision to study in abroad, you inundated in numerous queries and doubts regarding the course, university and many more. It can be achieved by combining a professional qualification with the support of an overseas consultancy and most importantly when you are ready to grab the opportunity. An overseas education consultant assists in giving accommodation to the students as they have tie-ups with the universities.
Here, there is an organization, EduconIndia in The City of Pearls, Hyderabad, actualizing the vision of aspirants into reality and demystifies studying and working in abroad for them in a range of miscellaneous fulcrum. It was initiated in 2006 to offer the right guidance and support to the students willing to study abroad. EduconIndia is the only overseas educational consultancy service provider that is especially focused on medical segments.
EduconIndia is a pioneer in giving career direction and enlivening lifetime dreams of overseas aspirants. It is like a world of learners where candidates gain a passport to the world in different sectors. The organization is well-known for Student Training and Consultancy Programs targeting Global Professional Entrance Exams including GMAT, USMLE, GRE, IELTS, and TOEFL.
It is a solution-oriented company, with a single mind approach in shaping up the career tracks to suit individual profiles within the parameters that may prevail in each case. The criteria may be educational, financial or personal. The team is 'beside the aspirant' right from the beginning of the application process and until his settlement is right around the corner. Be it preparing documents, applying for bank loans, or making ready for visa interviews, there is a team of highly skilled counsellors, who help students at each step to transform the cumbersome process of studying abroad into the straightforward. With the passage of time, EduconIndia established processes to shore up the students sail through the process without any obstacle.
It is a flagship institute for students and professionals dreaming to go to the US. The team walks right from the time when they apply for their counselling on what PG course/domain fits the students perfectly, to apply for the entrances, to train the students with Internationally acclaimed faculty, to getting the admissions paperwork done, to applying for licenses, to guide through the job search. We sail through the entire journey.
It is said that excellent leadership can enhance the ability to produce results from others. Present-day trends with leader are built around the ability to engage people and coach the team. EduconIndia is touching the sky of success because of the outstanding guidance of Ms Srinidhi Naidu, who has set a new parameter by carving a niche for her in the male-dominated society. She is the founder and CEO of the organization.
Srinidhi established EduconIndia when, she found the complexity and long process for students to get enrolled in good universities, with a determination to do better. From the early start, she got a clear sense of the factors that make any establishment triumphant: hard work, cooperation and the ability to connect with the people. Srinidhi holds a Master's degree in management.
In an exclusive interview with Puja Bhardwaj – Editor, Startup City, Srinidhi shares her professional journey and vision of creating a transformation for studying in abroad and how she is making a difference to the lives of people globally.
Here are the edited excerpts.
Hi Srinidhi, thanks a lot for joining me.
To kick things off, provide a brief overview of your professional life and inspiration to create EduconIndia.
After my studies, I was leading my career path in interior designing and architecture. My Dad is an engineer and has a large firm in interior designing and interior construction in which he always wanted me to join and work along. Soon, I have pursued a course relevant and started working with dad. But along the way, while we were doing that, I was not happy. I always wanted to be independent, try out on things and self-prove that I can do something better for myself. I always had the desire to invent my strengths and work to my fullest potential. After revolting a lot, I joined a company as an educational consultant in Hyderabad and started moving around universities and working on educational programmes.
During my association, with that company, I had come to know that these companies were trying to push students to the universities which actually wouldn't fit them right and recommend the colleges which nobody knows about, for their own vested interests. There were targets on admissions and I never liked that. I used to have conversations against this with the management but nothing ever actually changed. When my conscience started forbidding me, I quit the job and started thinking about how better to serve the purpose. It's the life of a student and it is no joke. There are expectations staked and it is one complete professional life that needs to be shaped up, to the best and to the fullest. I did not want to work elsewhere but I wanted to serve, serve in the right way.
It was a phase when I learned a lot and it was here that I developed great talents that boosted my determination and led me to where I am today.
I realized that there is a huge gap between the number of potential aspirants and the ever-blooming global opportunities which the Indian consultancies often failed to fill. I found throngs of people consulting the engineering students and very less serving the medical aspirants, complete and an equally important segment left unattended. I also realised that the number of medical candidates, who needed support to be quite huge. There was a lack of quality consultancy for medical segments and that is when I owed to start an organisation of my own, more than 13 years back, paving the way to EduconIndia.
Kindly provide an insight into your organization and major courses
EduconIndiais the cream of the crop and works to transform dreams into reality by framing the curriculum to be students' potential success secret.
Planning overseas education is a long, drawn-out process full of technicalities. EduconIndia though initially catered to the career needs of aspirants from all sectors, soon started focussing on medical professionals. After training multitudinous doctors to make life in the US, we now stand at a position where we mostly started consulting only doctors.
EduconIndia bridges the gap between the dream of medical aspirants and the quality opportunities in the health sector of the US. Our role as overseas education advisors is to simplify the whole process of applying to universities abroad and make their experience as simple and as rewarding as possible. The services with EduconIndia are manifold; students are provided with multiple benefits including broad study materials, self- assessing examinations, consultancy service, and future residential services.
Our Kaplan Test preps frames transform with time and tide to match the on-going and upcoming exam formats to instil confidence and skill to crack the dynamic USMLE examination. The USMLE live course has ample features to be the foundation for students to succeed and, help them to be a physician and start practicing in the United States.
How do you set yourself apart from other consultancies in your industry?
EduconIndia is synonymous as Quality service provider for Medical students and Doctors for Residency training over years, which almost no other educational consultancy caters to.
We pride ourselves as ala carte service provider right from educating options, exam preparations, visa process assistance all the way till they come out as successful Board certified doctors from the United States.
We are working especially for doctors, an area which almost no other consultancy caters to specifically. Additionally, we are the only organization, which provides end-to-end services. We are not limited only to cater to overseas educational consultancy, but also provide assistance with exam preparation, end-to-end visa process, thus staying with the aspirant throughout and making sure that they get their license as a doctor in the United States.
How did you create trust among people?
Honesty, Quality, and Consistency considering Value for money, has earned trust with our clients. Our business model is primarily based on Ethical relationship so that we have long term business.
Everyone knows business thrives on Trust, but only a few succeed on building Trust. And EduconIndia has successfully worked towards achieving it.
What makes your organization special?
How does a day in the leader's life look like?
Versatile, I should say. There is almost never a day which is like the previous ones.
Are you a risk taker?
Yes, I'm, because, I believe that the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is a strategy which involves no risks.
How has being a leader affected your personal life?
Fortunately, I have been in a family that never forces me to do anything that I never wanted to do. That's why; I don't think it has complicated my personal life a lot. I've always had support of my family, friends, and my partners. Although once in a blue moon, I wonder if I could ever have got more quality time to spend with my family. Still, all the time, I give my best to gain some good family moments.
What do you like to do the most when you are not involved in your organization's work?
Watching T.V or go on a long drive.
Was there any challenge that you faced during the initial phase of your professional journey? If yes, then how did you overcome?
Establishing your own business venture is like riding a roller coaster. There are ups and downs, and every turn you take is a new twist. The downs are very low, but the ups can be high.
Here, one needs to be strong, motivated and ride along the roller coaster. During the initial phase of my journey, I had to face innumerable challenges. Managing things solo was not easy, and there was a lot of competition in the market. There was numerous negative marketing going around me. I had to somehow find and limit the entire blockage. Although it was difficult, I did not lose hope and slowly, I overcame all of them.
What were your challenges as a female leader?
It was a strenuous task for me to survive in a man's world as a woman. I heard comments like being a lady it is not safe to travel at night, I should not stay out late at night, and I cannot take bold decisions and blah-blah. It is the mind-set that most of the men have always had and I should say it is changing, changing quite fast. Every single time a finger pointed at me, my answer inside and outside was WAIT AND SEE ME DO IT.
Describe the most memorable incident of your professional life.
The best moment at EduconIndia was when we launched live lecturers in India last year, where certain award-winning American professors were present. They gave training to the Indian doctors here and, then prepared them for the examination. Later, they would go to US medical schools where they will be given an opportunity to work in the United States. It was something historic and no one could ever do it before.
It involved risks, financially and emotionally, I faced challenges from my competitors. I had to stay strong and take it all neat, step-by-step only to finally lead and win the game.
Never to forget, I would love to thank my internal team members and the consultant team of digital marketers, recognised by the name VHonk Digital, who has served as my pillars of strength and have actually made a daunting task, look and feel simple and real.
One word that describes you the best…
Steadfast
Do you believe there is some sort of techniques to be a successful leader?
Once, Keith J. Davis Jr said that if you can't communicate, you're going to find yourself a lonely businessperson.
I believe that to be a successful leader, rather than interacting with operation and management team and giving them a target, I would prefer talking to the grassroots level employee to know the exact situation and then, try to come up with the solution so that the best could be executed by the managers. It will effectively work to resolve the issue.
As a rule, it happens that the plethora of discrepancies is found in the communication of workers and company head. I inform the manager then, he approaches juniors thereafter, and they go to field workers. In this lengthy process, there is plenty of information that many workers miss. To avoid that I think it always is better to communicate with employees at all hierarchies.
What is the forthcoming plan of your organization?
Keep supporting potential aspirants and keep shaping their lives.
Golden words
"One step, one punch, One Round" – The Creed
Final question, how can we expect EduconIndia make strides in the coming days?
I'm very excited about answering this, as I want to live up to my dreams and see EduconIndia grow further and further.
We are planning to make EduconIndia an incubator for overseas consulting. In the industry, we should stand as a foundation, a platform and a catalyst for growth. We would wish to make EduconIndia a brand, which wouldn't require any introduction.
