Finwisor's Unique HR Strategy

In the early days of Finwisor, I heard a friend of mine - Tushar Rokade, the then city head of Weddingz.in - say "I want to hire people who are smarter than me." What struck me about this statement was not just the humility of an MBA from IIM-L who was making strides in his own industry, but a great ideal for creating a workplace.

Our HR Challenges

Our unconventional objectives

Our ethos, where Sewa is the primary objective and profit secondary, is something we ourselves had never heard of. There is little literature on parameters to judge people's willingness to serve. On the other hand, we live in times where career success is defined by the earnings of an individual. People aligned with our ideals are a rarity in such times.

Fast-changing industry

In the rapidly changing world of financial planning, the landscape is dynamic. It requires individuals who have an innate curiosity to keep molding themselves and learning as per the changing scenarios.

Remuneration

In a startup, earnings are slim. Especially in the financial services industry, the squeezed margins are an entry barrier for anyone who doesn't have the capacity to bear the opportunity cost of the gestation period. Therefore, it becomes crucial to control costs.

Our Hiring Strategy

Service orientation - The Positivity Project

Inspired by Tushar's words, I wanted to hire someone who inspired me. What inspires me the most are individuals who work selflessly. I am inspired by the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, Paramhansa Yogananda, and my Guru - Sadguru Rakeshbhai. 

I am blessed that I had access to not just 1-2, but a pool of such people. Being a part of The Positivity Project - a social initiative, I had closely seen a number of selfless people work tirelessly for others. What was noteworthy was that they didn't even require credit for their work. They worked with a flare that kindled similar emotions in others. They inspired me. In them, I knew there were people who would fit perfectly with our ideals. 

Talent - a problem of plenty

Being in direct contact with numerous IIMites and CAs, finding talented individuals was easy.

However, the filter of remuneration eliminated the IIM options because they had a high opportunity cost to join on a full-time basis and a limited time to be a reliable part-time option. On the other hand, there were a number of Positivizers who could work with me on a part-time basis.

Our Team

Divya Shah 

An MBA (IIM Lucknow), a Positivizer, ex - Bank of America, and most of all my wife was the perfect choice to join the team. Though she had already been providing external support to Finwisor, I was hesitant to take her on board. She had left Bank of America to pursue her passion for teaching. Therefore, I wanted her to focus on building that dream. However, she was insistent on being a part of Finwisor. After some deliberation, the decision was clear. She took over responsibilities related to operations. Her banking background and her majors in Economics & Finance were toppings on the cake.

Dhruv Shah

A Practicing Chartered Accountant, and a Positivizer, Dhruv is someone who I consulted on time to time basis for tax planning related discussions. His determination at Positivity Project events was palpable. His love for people is almost spiritual - extremely pure. He goes out of his way to bring a smile on people's faces. He is from a rare section of highly productive people who regularly wake up at 5am. There is so much in him to look up to. Therefore, he has been given the responsibility of handling the CA services vertical for Finwisor.

Jenita Lale

1 amongst the only 1025 solicitors in the whole country, Jenita's credentials speak volumes about her professional capability. No doubt she has also been hired by a former Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Jenita is also a Positivizer who makes herself available for not just the Positivity Project events, but also the planning, groundwork, and preparation. She gracefully does everything - at times with just 4-5 hours of sleep. An ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, her love reminds one of Mira bai. Deeply spiritual in nature, her love for God guides her actions.

 
With her on board, Finwisor's Estate Planning vertical has broadened to encompass a wider range of legal services.

Sunil Tak

A Chartered Accountant, Positivizer, and veteran in the Insurance industry. Sunil was a great fit as we were looking for an expert in the insurance sector. When I discussed  Finwisor's Sewa ideal, he instantly connected. He was onboard without even discussing any financials. 

Sunil is cool-headed and has an ever-smiling persona. He is the Dravid of The Positivity Project, who diligently does whatever is required of him - anchoring, dancing, singing, event management, liaisoning, etc. His optimistic attitude is a boon to Finwisor's clients.

Sunil serves as an insurance consultant. He is also a big hit as a business advisor owing to his sharp problem-solving abilities.

Way Ahead

The understanding with the above-mentioned experts is to grow the verticals to a respectable size and then take it up full time.

The Positivity Project is a group of more than 750 people (Positivizers) - most of whom are highly qualified. We have a long way to go before our talent pool exhausts. As our scale increases, slowly we will have more of them on the team.

With such amazing people on the team, we believe Finwisor has great heights to reach.