Business

An Interview with POONAM GUPTA O.B.E. – Chief Executive, PG Paper

Poonam Gupta’s journey to creating a successful international paper company began when she arrived in Scotland in 2003.

“I had an MBA in international business, but no one would employ me because I had no experience”

Instead, she started her own business from her kitchen in Kilmacolm trading redundant waste materials, discovering that there is always a market for goods when you buy at the right price – the fundamental pillar of PG Paper’s subsequent success.

Now she is one of the most recognized entrepreneurs in Scotland committed to further building PG Paper worldwide, expanding into new fields of business but also passing on her knowledge and experience to a new generation of entrepreneurs.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?

My earliest influences were my father and maternal uncle. As a successful businessman himself, my father could recognize my abilities and encouraged me to use my academic gifts to follow in his footsteps. He would share stories of inspirational women to show me the journey in their field and the kind of success I could aspire to.

What would you say is your greatest personal accomplishment to date?

My biggest personal achievement is my daughters. They are smart, funny and creative and we have the most amazing relationship. They understand the need for me to go traveling at short notice or work longer hours and I respect how sensible and mature they are for their years.

The work-life balance I have managed to achieve gives me a great sense of accomplishment as I always ensure that I spend quality time with my daughters.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?

The best advice I always pass on is to believe in yourself and your abilities and remember that success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and often a lot of rejection and it is important not to let these hurdles hold you back.

It is also important to remember that if someone cannot help you to ask them to provide details for someone who can.

What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?

As a company that is mainly customer facing, we find it important to go out and meet people face to face so that we can get a better understanding of their requirements and how we can work together. Our website is also a very important tool for us as we work in so many different countries all over the world. It is consistently updated with the latest news, paper grades and contact details and is available in multiple languages to reach as many companies as we can.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business? If yes, please describe.

Getting support from the local trade departments of the High Commission in new countries helped us expand the business in the early stages.

These days, social media is such a powerful tool for reaching a larger audience and I find Linkedin is a great way to make contacts in your industry

Investing in a good CRM system has also been a huge benefit to us.

Do you have any new projects coming up (or have you just completed a big project/reached a milestone etc)? If so, please tell us about it.

I am always working on new projects and I do have a few coming up but this will all be revealed when they are complete – look out for them!

What do you do for fun/relaxation?

As clichéd as this sounds, I like to just relax with my family and friends. If I don’t have a lot of free time then I like to spend it with those who are closest to me. We just got a new family puppy and training her is challenging but a fun way for us to spend time as a family.