Awards & Accolade

 

 

These were valuable lessons that Mr Mishra counted himself fortunate to learn. Having been an employee all his life, he had little business experience to draw upon when he first started out. But that did not deter him. “The impressive staff, supplier and customer loyalty that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience has by far been the most rewarding aspect of running the business,” Mr Mishra says. “There’s nothing better than seeing relationships that have been forged through hard work thrive and, in the process, seeing your business grow and diversify.”

Having honed his skills and expertise in the timepiece industry, Mr Mishra decided to quit his job and, together with his partner Mr Sunil Chopra, a successful professional turned businessman, launched a watch business from his home in Meyer Road. The duo quickly made an impact and knew they had a winning business. Eager to take their operations further, they approached a Dubai-based venture capitalist for startup capital, and, in 1999, Bhatia Brothers Pte Ltd was established, with the venture capitalist as the majority stakeholder. 

The duo was able to move their operations out of the home and into the heart of the business district – High Street. With the venture capitalist backing their perations financially, they were able to concentrate fully on growing the company. Their hard work took root. In less than a decade, Mr Mishra was able to expand the company’s presence first in Malaysia and Brunei, then in Vietnam.

In 2011, emboldened by the company’s healthy progress, Mr Mishra and Mr Chopra decided to buy out the venture capitalist’s share and changed the company’s name to Chronosoft Pte. Ltd. to symbolise this new chapter. But with a new era came a new set of difficulties. “Retaining our banking lines after the buyout proved to be challenging,” he says, “as was convincing brand owners to place their trust in us and appoint Chronosoft as exclusive distributors.” Again, Mr Mishra persevered and, with the help and support of the bank, he was able tokeep his operations on track. “Ultimately, solid business relationships built over the years and our dedicated staff were the most important elements to overcoming challenges along the way to reach where we are today,” he says. Given Mr Mishra’s emphasis on sound relationships, it is no surprise that he seeks to cultivate the same bonds of trust in his team. “A culture of openness and transparency is imperative,” he explains. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A culture of openness and transparency is imperative. Holding nothing back in the workings of the company is something that I expect from my employees, and enforce purely through example."

“Holding nothing back in the workings of the company is something that I expect from my employees, and enforce purely through example. It has been shown that such a culture is nothing but beneficial for the firm’s productivity, and is paramount for the growth of the company. The more you empower your staff, the better they are able to perform and interact with customers and suppliers.”

Together with his team, Mr Mishra is working on developing further avenues for growth. He already has plans to enter other emerging markets and turn Chronosoft into a leading Southeast Asian player. The online sector has also been identified as a viable strategy. “The age of the Internet has brought with it an unprecedented store of potential, open to those who are ready to accept it,” he says. Currently, the distribution business is structured towards brick-and-mortar outlets. But it will only be a matter of time before distribution plans include online channels. He aims to lead the pack in embracing this new frontier, with plans to sell to online retailers and develop his own portal, which is already in the works. 

But even as he charts unexplored territories, Mr Mishra remains steadfast in creating quality ties. While networking has expanded to the online space with tools such as LinkedIn, it is the cultivating of relationships that he values most. “While we have the means to reach out to a wider network through the online medium today, it is the relationships that we take the time to nurture that will play an integral role in securing and managing business,” he says. “The key is to not just initiate contact but to put in the effort to transform that initial contact into something meaningful.” Mr Mishra’s journey is the perfect demonstration of this time-tested formula.