At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Umme Kulsum for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Educator, Counsellor, Consultant, and Change Enabler. Umme is the Founder and Director at Voler Career and College Counselling. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background, and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Umme:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I started my second innings post-marriage after 5yrs. being a housewife, I was XII pass when I got married so the first step towards my life was to complete my Graduation.
After graduation I picked up the very first job in a school as a receptionist and to my luck, this was a school where my kids were studying. Working in the capacity of a receptionist was underpotential for me so I decided to resign from the job and went on to do my Master’s in English and some crash courses on personality development and public speaking. This proved to be a game-changer for me.
My school Principal reached out to me and requested me to join in again just after 6 months of my resignation. His constant persuasion finally made me go back to school but this time it was in a different capacity. I joined my school as a PD teacher and continued working for the next 13yrs with different roles and responsibilities.
During these 13yrs I went on exploring many other diplomas and also added MA in Psychology to my credit. Finally, a day arrived and I desired to go beyond the extra mile and chase my dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Today as I look back I feel immense satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment that my diehard attitude and never giving up on myself is why I am a brand in making.
How did you discover your passion?
Actually, in the real sense, my passion discovered me. I always had been a people person, I loved solving complex problems and discovering solutions to complex issues. Which is why I have a fan following in my Industry.
I remember people telling me my colleagues, my subordinates, my students as well that when we can’t think of anything we only think of you. This gave me a hell lot of confidence to take up this skill set very seriously and add more professional touch to it, I did research and created a product that people need today.
I work very passionately with students helping them to discover their hidden talent and potential guiding them to the best fit career options with my framework and when it comes to training, coaching and mentoring. I bring nuance thinking to this element to making it a unique and rare service for my students and parents.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Easy is more of a discomfort to me than difficulties and challenges. Challenges are beautiful for people who have a growth mindset.
As I mentioned solution to a complex problem is where I work. I get paid for a simple solution to a complex problem if I will run away from problems and challenges where will I make my business from.
I am a self-driven person. I believe that I am here on this planet with a unique purpose, I have discovered my purpose and I am working towards the accomplishment of it. The unique purpose of adding value in people’s life through my knowledge and wisdom and the mantra as well as the name of that purpose is ‘Connection Before Correction.
I am the founder of Connection Before Correction and an aspiring author of the book connection before correction which talks about the relationship of adolescents and teenagers with their parents the gap between their understanding and being understood is a problem and challenge that they might have to deal with.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My daughter Yakhuta, has been the biggest motivating factor in my truly successful life. Because of her, I am a very seasoned counsellor and an author, as a mother, I experienced a lot of mess with her in her growing up years the challenges which were indeed a mess, is now my message to the world.
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
My client has to simply make a choice, between lack and limitation or abundance and affluence. I show them a big picture which is attainable and accessible to them only if they follow my guidelines.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> Fixed mindset first (positive mindset)
> Honoring commitment
> A clear and crisp framework for my business
> Self-belief (I CAN DO IT)
> Taking responsible actions which are goal-oriented
> Being mindful of time
> Investing in self-development
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
‘Connection Before Correction’, this is my mantra I keep connecting and networking with people who at times are my potential client and if not yet they have potentially recommended me to their sources and that has escalated my business.
I leave no stone unturn in every arena whether social gatherings or community events I make use of my mantra to develop connections as much as I can as many as I can.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Smiling and cheerful faces of my student, their feedbacks, the fact that I can influence and impact their life with my magical touch and words.
Giving them the right direction, they need by helping them to discover their innate talent to be a strong, confident, and informed student.
Bringing their blind spots to their consciousness. I truly believe my students are the only reason for my being here on this planet.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
There is not one thing or one key to success.
Success is a byproduct of hard work and smart work, resilience, commitment, nuance thinking, creating value, being resourceful, working of self, time management, people management, creating processes and structure for growth.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
If you desire success as hard as you need oxygen to breathe you will follow some principles of success that I am gonna share with you.
(1) Success doesn’t come to those who wants it but to those who deserve it.
(2) He who is willing you let go off pleasure and embrace the pain.
(3) He who has the resilience to face all odds despite knowing the consequences
(4) He who has learnt to honour his commitment and take ownership of his actions
(5) He who has delve into the zone of genius from a zone of excellence
(6) He who does not compromise on his values and business ethics may what come
Finally, if you want to be successful you will have to learn and evolve as a great leader who can inspire, influence and hold the authority to the optimum
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
The fact that I am adding immense value to students where the traditional way of deciding a career path was always by speaking to neighbours, friends and relatives has now slowly been changing and I am instrumental in bringing this nonconventional way of thinking beyond marks and percentiles and this is very exciting for me and my students as they can follow their true calling with this approach in career guidance and not just that I am able to retain my client and also get a recommendation from all over the place that’s exciting and at the end of the day when I get to a point where people go off from my office with utmost satisfaction despite paying me an exuberant amount is even more satisfying as they get value worth guidance.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
