Kerala womenpreneur annie manufacturing the wing and body of UAV
As a kid, the only thing that would keep her interested was reading. She thoroughly enjoyed being in the fantasy of fairy tales especially there was this storybook about a group of animals living together in a shoe. She racked her brains to figure out how that could be possible she still hold on to that book. Growing up she was always fascinated by aeroplanes, she would read books about air crash investigations and would just get lost in that. It was a dream coming true for her to visit the ATC of our local airport. But she was never allowed to be a pilot. Took up journalism and started writing stories, making up board games for children. She was the only writer for that magazine called Kids World. The most satisfying experience in her career was the first time she saw “Writer – Annie John Thottam” as the first issue was getting ready for publication. But she didn’t stick to that. She came back from Delhi and settled down in a job that was mainly marketing. Again she changed her career to IT. The challenges that she faced working as the Project Coordinator for a web development firm put her in a place where she actually have to use all her skills to effectively coordinate between clients and her team. It is her marriage that changed her life – seeing an RC aeroplane once again reminded her of the dream. Together with her husband, they started a UAV manufacturing unit. Aeromodelling was her husband’s hobby which they took as a profession. She learn every day in her job as the Director – Operations. She have only grown as an individual. Together they stand facing all the turbulence. and there’s never been a dull moment even at the lowest point.
How did you get your idea or concept for the business?
The idea for the current business actually came from my husband. It was his hobby that we took up as a business model. Even though Aeromodelling is a century-old hobby, this came to India probably 25 years back. With the opening of the Internet, it was easy to access products from abroad. But the knowledge about aeromodelling to the public was still scarce. We came up with Glorod Avionics Pvt Ltd to tap into the potential business of UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles and other unmanned vehicles like RC Cars, Boats, Ships, Trucks etc.
What service(s) or product(s) do you offer/manufacture?
- Manufacturing of the wing and body of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
- Training in Aeromodelling
- Trading in the accessories of UAVs
- Handling projects for engineering colleges, Navy and other organizations
How do you advertise your business and product/service??
- Digital Marketing is the main source
- Word of Mouth publicity
To what do you attribute your success?
Perseverance. Even when we feel that nothing is going our way we still hold on.
Our firm belief that God is in control and nothing that happens around us is a coincidence. This has helped us see the faint light at the end of the tunnel
What do you look for in an employee?
The most important thing to us is that they fit into our corporate culture! Willingness to learn, willingness to explore. a mind that accepts and looks forward to innovations.
Do you work locally or nationally or Internationally?
We work locally and nationally
What is unique about your business?
Since we have access to raw materials at competitive rates we are able to come up with quality products that are affordable. Since raw materials are available we can always service the products. Precision tools are used in production ensuring that all parts are alike. Our training sessions are designed to ignite young minds and making them think of coming up with new product designs. We are the distributors of some world-class accessories of UAVs.
What are the most important things to progressing as the owner/Director of a business?
These could be characteristics, values, skills etc We do not compromise with quality
We continue to change and add till we feel that a product is perfect
We do not believe in bribing
We strongly believe that God is in control and we are always accountable to Him
What have been some make or break moments in your career?
Important client meetings, presentations, procurement pitches etc Signing up an MoU with the CSIR labs in Trivandrum. The lab specialises in making flexible solar panels and we are the technical partner for them to test these panels on the wing surface of a drone.
Signing up with St Alberts College to start an Aeromodelling Club
Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important, especially in senior management teams?
Men and Women have a different perspective on the same topic so it is important to have an equal workforce. Men and Women share the same opportunities regarding higher education. They undergo the same kind of training so it is essential to have an equal number of both men and women.
What made you choose this type of business?
The uniqueness of this business is what made us choose this,
Does your company help the community where it is located?
Not really at the moment
If any, what challenges have you experienced as a women in business during your overall career?
Honestly – nothing.
Have you ever turned down a client?
Yes. sometimes the project might look very enticing. But the actual work that will go behind the project will not be worth the amount quoted or agreed by the client.
If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Your ideas are your own and no one can give shape to it other than you. So it’s important to hold on or persevere even if it’s tough.
How did you make your first sale?
Our first sale was made to IIST or Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Trivandrum. It was just a small sale – we supplied some raw materials for their final year project
How did you get credibility quickly?
The fact that we can supply the needs regarding both raw materials and accessories and our willingness to help. We sponsor the raw materials to students of engineering colleges during the time of competition.
If any, how did you develop key partnerships?
Whenever we were invited for seminars or training we made sure that get in touch with relevant people to develop partnerships. We always keep looking for new options where we can collaborate.
How did you get funded or what creative strategies did you use to execute on minimal cash flow?
Term loans and OD are one source of our funding. Well-wishers like parents are our constant support
What was your biggest mistake?
How did you deal and learn with failure? We took a project from the NAvy and it was not only time consuming but was never used by them since they don’t have the necessary skill to fly them. We have taken a policy that no matter how enticing the work might be we would not take it up if it’s not giving the desired ROI
If you are given chance to re-start your business, what would you have done differently?
We have actually not stopped work so we are not thinking of restarting.
How do you balance work and life responsibilities?
There is a poor work-life balance. Cannot say I balance well. But we still do our maximum to manage and take care of aged parents and to be with our siblings in their time of need. So because of this, we are always staying up late into the night completing projects or looking for new ideas. But we have seriously considering a change in the way we work and to eat on time. We are also talking to many experienced people who have successfully completed their entrepreneur life and get to learn from their mistakes. We are planning to recruit 1 or 2 extra hands so that we can delegate woprk.
Who inspired you and why? To be honest, seeing the pure passion for aircraft from my husband I decided to support him in this project putting to use all the experience that I gained working for other companies on handling the administration side. He taught me that is very important to do something that you really feel good in your heart. You need to be sincere in your passion and continue persevering. Until something is made perfect to the “T” one shouldn’t stop working on the project. To me, I see him as somebody whose patience is unfathomable forcing me to not think about giving up. But to work hard.
Will you be interested to help lift other women up.
Yes