Seema Bhadoria - Whenever an Opportunity Came I Tried My Best to See That I Did What I Was Required to Do (Former CEO and Partner Richfeel Cosmo )

I think the challenge that i have often faced is that skills that were relevant yesterday need a lot of upgradation today and to deliver effectively you need to have decent knowledge of them if not the competency as a team will look up to a leader only if the leader is able to add value as well as understand what they are doing. 

1. Tell us about your background, journey and upbringing.

My father was in the armed force (Army) and being born as an army kid I grew up across the country being exposed to various cultures and cities. This helped build great adaptability, patience, acceptability along with of course imbibing the discipline of the armed forces. Practically moving every third year meant finding new friends and a new school, which somehow helped only enhance my emotional intelligence. Also the feeling of belonging to a fraternity built pride. My father was in the education wing of the armed forces and he constantly encouraged us to not only dream big but also work on constant self development by embracing books , extra curricular activities and finding a constant purpose. He himself was very passionate about his work and kept doing something new over the years thereby becoming my role model.


Post education, I joined the telecom sector when the telecom boom was happening in India in the 90's. I had the opportunity work across diverse industries in different roles and to learn from all these varied experiences; every industry I had worked for had taught me something new. My seven-year stint in telecom, which started in direct sales, required me to understand TRAI regulations and IT technology, while my wide-ranging interpersonal interactions taught me how to deal with different kinds of people and thereby improved my emotional intelligence. 

Handling marketing for the branch offered the chance to work closely with advertising agencies; getting trained and subsequently training others opened up a new world of learning; bringing innovation to telecom by tying up with media houses for value-added services helped me understand how a business needs to diversify in order to survive; creating customized helplines, working in tandem with software development teams, paved the way for yet another sphere of business expansion. 

My four-year stint in the multi-level marketing industry was fertile learning ground, lending new meaning to my understanding of how a market can be created for any product so long as the foundation is firm and there is an aggressive approach towards introducing the product in the market with constant research to bring in freshness and innovation. Working with the serviced offices business gave me valuable insight into the workings of the real estate industry, teaching me about how the profitability of a business could be altered if the real estate angle was evaluated properly. 

I saw retail businesses perish as well as boom based on the real estate options they chose. Working with a media house taught me about marketing plans, introducing me to the fundamental concept of branding, about what did and did not work for different brands, and the constantly changing face of media employed to catch consumer attention. 

My last role as business head, then COO, and subsequently CEO, gave me a wonderful overview of how the creation of the right organizational culture could bring different-minded people together to deliver. One of the biggest learning lessons in handling business there came from understanding how finances need to be managed efficiently in a tight cash flow situation to keep things rolling. The Covid period and the growing online market place has helped me look at how businesses need to reinvented to survive in the changing market space. How Digital competency coupled with data analytics and AI can catch the attention of the consumer of today who is flooded with online


2. When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?


I think I never spend time thinking on what I needed to do, I was sure that I wanted to work and in that journey, whenever an opportunity came I tried my best to see that I did what I was required to do and I think that worked for me. I believe that we can understand and have clarity of things only once we soil our hands with what needs to be done. It is not that I had a smooth journey ;like most people I had my ups and downs but what stood me in good stead was the desire to keep going on.


3. What does your typical work day look like?


The Covid period and the work from home concept has changed many things in my daily routine. However I always believe in being an early riser , where in I have firm belief in the Brahma creativity hour or the 5 am club as my mind always is able to strategize better in that hour as well as helps me make a note of the tasks for that day I spent some quality time reviewing my goals. I do a lot of self introspection. 

Then on some days I combine a workout / walk / spend time in the Kitchen too as I enjoy cooking and adding my touch to the food we eat. Then I settle down to complete some 7 to 8 hours of regular work . The evening are spent with a some family time interspersed with my constant need to upgrade my knowledge and learning in the current dynamic evolving market space. Sometimes reading books , reading online articles , learning new digital hacks.


4. Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?


I think in that way I am from the old school of thought as i believe formal education is the foundation to discipline, knowledge and consistency. I believe it is our formal education system which has imbibed us with qualities that teach us interpersonal skills to as well as help us discover our strengths by being exposed to other kids around us. 

Of course if you look at the curriculum there is a need to introduce more life skills as well as new upcoming fields which many MBA colleges have done. Also the options available for a career have gone up tremendously but even those careers need a solid knowledge back up which happens only through reading and exposure to educational content which helps an individual wear his / her creativity hat to excel in that chosen career.

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5. How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?


Honesty is critical for excellence in any field however with changing values we see people resorting to lies as you say. The thought that always crosses my mind when i see such false statements is that if the person has put false statements in his / her resume then the honesty levels or sincerity levels to ones work will also be compromised so the candidate may not be the best option for the post. 

In terms of action points, i have always believed in understanding why an employee who is working with us is resorting to lies and many times there is only immaturity and lack of clarity to life goals that make them resort to it . Such people need to be mentored and many times you are able to get the better version of them at the workplace.


6. What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?


I think the challenge that i have often faced is that skills that were relevant yesterday need a lot of upgradation today and to deliver effectively you need to have decent knowledge of them if not the competency as a team will look up to a leader only if the leader is able to add value as well as understand what they are doing. 

Hence the learning cycle has to continuously be on to be able to be relevant to the changing times. Professionals must continuously invest in upgrading their understanding and knowledge levels with the changing trends.

7. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?


I would like to advice aspiring entrepreneurs by stating that there are no shortcuts to success and the top job. It is a laborious cycle of sincerity towards the work to be done coupled with excellent prioritization and time management as at the end of the day we all have only 24 hours in a day. 

Also i always say that the best of people will tend to rust if they are not reviewed/ engaged with constantly so build that engagement to have the goal clarity within the team. The most important thing is your own belief and consistency to drive things.


8. Which is your favorite book and why?


I think there is no one book that I will say is my favorite . I was a book worm and grew up reading , of course the growing up phase was all about fiction and over the years my book shelf has grown tremendously with business books and autobiographies adorning my growing book shelves . Just last year onwards I moved to Kindle subscription. My fictional favorites remain Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and Fountain Head and the non Fictional one is Napoleon Hill's, Think and Grow. 

I also always reread the copy of the Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne and Jim Collin's Good to Great, though i feel it has lost some of its relevance as a book in the last few tumultuous years. Good to great was always like the bible which motivated me on reading business success principles of leaders who recreated and built strong organizations. Blue Ocean Strategy always opens a new window thought when ever I feel challenged.



Bio -


Ms Seema Singh Bhadoria is the founding partner of Richfeel Cosmo, the education vertical of Richfeel Health and Beauty Pvt Ltd . She is also the founder of Cosmo Looks , an upcoming premium brand in beauty and healthare. She was the Chief Executive Officer of Richfeel Health and Beauty Pvt Ltd, where she served for 7.5 years and was the driving force in making it the leader in its category. She had an outstanding track record of providing strategic direction and leading businesses towards achieving rapid growth and profitability by streamlining operations and creating a culture of conducive growth.


She comes with a rich experience of 25 years across diverse industries in various senior Leadership roles in both top notch multinational brands and Indian conglomerates spanning industries as diverse as telecom, multi level marketing, real estate, media and the wellness sector.


She is also a prolific writer, blogger and key note speaker, She has authored a book on entrepreneurship, Hungry Kya – Fuel for Entrepreneurs. She has been awarded many awards and accolades throughout her professional career. She was recently awarded , the W.O.W Achievors Award by the CMO Global and World Women Leadership Congress. She is on the advisory board of many women centric forums and has also judged the Femina Ms India Beauty Pageant in the Hair Segment.