A fierce leader who won over all odds
Every beginner encounters the challenge of being seen, heard, and regarded. In a competitive world, especially when a profession is male-dominated, even a beginner could lose all hope of ever standing out. But not Swagati Shukla! As a fresher in the field of real estate, she struggled with finding a solid financial backup, due to the lack of which she lost good projects. It isn’t unknown that money attracts money. Swagati faced the challenge without letting fear deter her dreams of succeeding in an industry where not many survive even after working hard for years.
Today, Swagati is the Founder of Swagat Realticus, Director of ENY STB Assets Management Pvt Ltd., and an Advisor for STB Global UK Ltd./ ENY STB Softlink, USA. In 2021, she won the Residential Real Estate Agent- Women and the Commercial Real Estate Agent- Individual- Women at the Annual Real Estate Agents Summit & Awards 2021.
But the journey wasn’t free from hurdles, especially for a woman who was trying to build a career in an area where men once reigned. After completing her education in Library Science, Swagati realized that her strong communication skills, presentable personality, and polished manners could become the source of her living. Without much knowledge about the real estate business, she plunged in with the theory of “Learning while earning.” In the year 2014, she took this brave step, and since then, there has been no looking back.
Her business that started with the fear of finding an existence has today expanded its branches to cities like Ahmedabad, Anand, Baroda, and Surat, to name a few. Obstacles were many, but none that could shake Swagati from pursuing her dream.
Grateful today that society has recognized her hard work, dedication, and achievements, Swagati recalls how managing a work-life balance was challenging back in the day. “Every business needs dedication, time, and efforts. In the real estate business, you have to sacrifice the time spent with family because most site visits happen on weekends. Apart from that, I always had to communicate and plan my schedule based on my clients’ schedules.” But over time and experience, she managed it all with grace.
Swagati appreciates how corporates and other real estate agencies have opened their doors to women, training them with the proper techniques and secrets for surviving in this profession. Today the real estate business welcomes women with the same vigor as men, and it is thanks to women like Swagati who paved the way for future generations. The initiative, Women Realtors Association (WRA), a group of over forty-five women realtors who help each other grow in this industry, is proof that women leaders like Swagati can bring a change in the world.
“At WRA, we have adopted three strategies to help fellow women progress- Knowledge sharing, experience sharing, and cooperation. Every member in this group stays in touch through platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. We help each other when needed and even assist one another during site visits.”
With the confidence to make it big in life despite gender barriers and solid financial skills, Swagati swam through all oceans, only to set a sturdy platform for other women. She credits her friends who have stood by her through thick and thin, which resulted in her invincible success. She is forever thankful to the two people who played a positive role in her career. “Chirag Parikh from Shyam Group is one of them. He taught me real estate techniques and strategies. The second person is Nitin Umesh from ENY STB Technology, who guided me on judging people in the business and financial management. Her father, Agnikumar Shukla, is well known in the field of photography mechanisms. Most camera experts train under him. Swagati possesses the same discipline, hard work, and passion for success as her father.
The presence of such friends is one of her strengths besides her ability to troubleshoot even the most critical problems. She recognizes that the quality of trusting people too quickly is one of her weaknesses.
Swagati’s passion is her success, friends, family, and professional network. She finds utmost happiness in gaining the blessings of her clients when she closes a deal. And the smile that stays on her face after that is irreplaceable.
The fierce leader who has won over all odds guides women to keep moving forward in life without leaving any space for fear. “Women have better organizational skills than men; why fear anything then? There’s nothing women cannot do. No matter which gender, it is your social and moral responsibility to chase success.”
