Included in the Friday, April 26, print edition of the Penticton Western News is our Women Who Dare feature, where we highlight South Okanagan women who are making a difference in the community and in the business world. Below is a profile on Priya Sachdev.
Just a year after coming to Penticton, Priya Sachdev has taken full advantage of the beautiful and welcoming community to establish herself and her business.
Sachdev founded Sales Scalability, which works with businesses across the world to scale up their operations.
She started the business shortly after arriving in Penticton as part of the business immigration program.
“We do consulting, training, help build strategies, help businesses go into new markets, launch new products, all of that,” said Sachdev. “Setting up this business is like a dance. It’s two steps forward, one step back, but it’s still a step forward.”
Building up the business has taken a lot of work, but when Sachdev struck out on her own she came into it with 20 years of experience working for a larger U.S.-based company as well as previously setting up and selling her own business.
The biggest challenge has been the same one that all businesses, start-ups and well-established alike, are facing a volatile market.
“Be it politics, the wars that are happening, recession stories – all of that coming together is creating choppy waters,” said Sachdev.
That volatility is drawing out decision-making and slowing down clients who sign on. Tackling that has led Sachdev to pivot from seeking out larger projects alone to picking up smaller projects.
“Earlier, when I would sell a project for say $10-15,000, right now I’m saying it doesn’t matter, you can hire me by the hour as long as I have some money coming in,” she said.
That decision has paid off, making it not only easier to get smaller clients, but also to get a foot in the door for larger projects that are taking longer to come online.
The business community in Penticton has been a helpful and welcoming one, even as Sachdev has navigated the challenges a new city can bring. One of the first things that she has faced is building up her connections.
“When I landed in Penticton in April last year, I knew zero people and zero people knew me,” said Sachdev.
“Our market is a relationship-driven market, and trust is important because there are so many fraudsters out there.”
Since her arrival, Sachdev has worked to establish herself in the community, through volunteering, serving on the boards of the Penticton Access Centre and the Penticton Music Academy and working with organizations like the local chamber of commerce.
Penticton was Sachdev’s destination of choice to bring her closer to her son, who already lived in the community. Coming to a smaller community has been an adjustment for her after years of living in larger cities.
“I was born and grew up in Dehli, the capital of India possibly with the highest density of population, and then I moved to Penticton where we are 30,000 people and the city is 10 minutes from one end to the other,” said Sachdev.
An outdoor enthusiast, Sachdev loves hiking and cycling and has been eager to take advantage of the region’s great trails. Despite coming to the city without knowing how to swim, she’s also ready to take advantage of the two lakes.
“It’s motivation right now. I can’t live here and not know how to swim. I want to get the most out of this place,” said Sachdev. “That’s been the fun part because it also helps me make friends.”
After working for the last 30 years, Sachdev believes she is currently in a place where she chooses who she wants to work with.
“I don’t have to do this, I do it because I love doing it.”