WOMAN / ENTREPRENEUR SPECIAL ......Making the journey from employee to entrepreneur 

WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR ...Making the journey from employee to entrepreneur





Varssha Chopra, Director, Fly-Hi Marine Travels, believes that passion, hard work and destiny go hand-in-hand while running a business

The journey of Varssha Chopra, Director, Fly-Hi Marine Travels Pvt Ltd (part of Elektrans Group) and Just One Click (JOC) Marine Solutions, is the remarkable story of transitioning from an employee to an entrepreneur.

With strong experience in marketing, Chopra has created an internationally acclaimed marine travel crew logistics solutions company. She also plans to pen down the teachings of her father, which will g uide the youth to achieve personal, professional and spiritual victory.

A daughter to her parents, a wife to Daniel Chopra (Executive Chairman of Elektrans Group) and a mother to two-year-old Gauri, Chopra believes that destiny has shaped her life for the better.

You have worked for 12 years in marketing in your pursuit of discovering the unknown. Tell us more about it.

I have always been interested in understanding and learning about more than what meets the eye. This is the source of my interest in archaeology, history, human psychology and consumer behaviour. My inclination towards analysing brand perception led me to pursue an MBA in marketing and working in leadership roles in Diageo India, L'Oreal and Shaw Wallace. This strengthened my concepts of brand perception, consumer expectation and then integrating the two for brand communication.

How has destiny played a role in transforming your career?

My father has taught me that while destiny may not give you what you set out for, it is the beautiful surprise gifted by God, so accept it with open arms. This is the mantra that has designed my life and has never let me down.

My destiny led me into the maledominated liquor industry in the mid-2000s and I defied the stereotypes of women working in this field.

During my stint in marketing, I met Daniel who introduced me to the maritime world. Daniel and his vision for Elektrans accelerated my transformation from an employee to an entrepreneur. My focus shifted on building the Elektrans empire, which resulted in the launch of FlyHi Marine Logistic by me.

Fly-Hi caters to most of the maritime hubs worldwide. How has it attained such success?

The principle of merging perceptions and expectations has laid the foundation of Fly-Hi. The company started in 2008 to make travel arrangements for Elektrans. Over the years, we have grown from a two-member team to 60. We provide world-class marine travel crew logistics solutions to different cities and states across the world.

Early on, I realised there was a deficiency of education and transparency in the industry and implemented these pivotal aspects into the functioning of Fly-Hi. Extensive research and high standards of services resulted in Just One Click (JOC).

What is Just One Click and how is it going to help the marine travel industry?

JOC is about getting solutions in one click. It is an end-to-end robotic management system designed around the needs of the marine, offshore and corporate travellers globally. The crew is the lifeline of a ship and the people managing the crew play a pivotal role in the functional chain. All problems faced by crew managers at the bottom level will be resolved thereby, providing cost-effective and 100 per cent transparent solutions to shipowners at the top level. JOCis the product of over two years of efforts of our team and 45 software engineers.

How do you maintain work-life balance?

Behind every successful woman, there is the unfaltering support of her family. My parents and my husband have made it possible for me to pursue a career. Gauri is a bright and vibrant girl, who is representational of the happy home that Daniel and I have built together. We both contribute equally towards the household and parental responsibilities. It takes two to tango.

You have worked as a corporate employee and a successful entrepreneur. How has the transition been?

My dream was to become the CEO of a multi-national corporation. But destiny rerouted me to the marine travel industry and entrepreneurship. This helped me explore new paths and defy the accepted norms and management theories. A sense of ownership and responsibility became part of my journey. Monotony in jobs and lack of sense of ownership are two key reasons for the high attrition rates these days. It is vital corporates change their approach and train employees to be entrepreneurs.

Etpanache 12DEC16