Juggling careers in automotive and fashion

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Entrepreneur, where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: across Canada and deliver the news, trends, knowledge and opinions from entrepreneurs and business
[00:13] SPEAKER_00: influences across the country. Hello, I'm Mario Taniguchi, managing editor of Canada's Entrepreneur.
[00:21] SPEAKER_00: Joining me today is Malika Rajani for Calgary's podcast. She has founder and creative director
[00:28] SPEAKER_00: of Malika Rajani, leather and outerwear at the core shopping center and general manager of
[00:34] SPEAKER_00: High River Toyota. Thanks Malika for joining us today. Thank you, Mario, for having me. It's a
[00:40] SPEAKER_00: privilege. Okay, it sounds like a very busy entrepreneur. Let's let's break this down into two segments
[00:47] SPEAKER_00: in terms of what you do. Let's talk first of all, but being general manager for High River Toyota,
[00:55] SPEAKER_01: how long have you done that? It's about five years now. Just a year pre-COVID, I started working
[01:04] SPEAKER_01: here at High River Toyota. I've been on and off. It's a family business. So I had that flexibility
[01:11] SPEAKER_01: of starting a fashion line along with working here. Then I went specifically to work for fashion
[01:18] SPEAKER_01: industry and then I came back here when the family needed me and I ran the fashion business from
[01:24] SPEAKER_01: here. So it's been about five years that I've worked in the position of a general manager for
[01:29] SPEAKER_01: High River Toyota. How long has your family owned that business? It's about 15-ish, 20-ish years.
[01:39] SPEAKER_01: Okay, and did you grow up around the dealership? I grew up in India, but when I came from India here,
[01:49] SPEAKER_01: this was the first ever job I did here in Canada. I started off as a receptionist in the dealership
[01:56] SPEAKER_01: and then just learned the ropes around, learned about all the different departments, and here I am now.
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: It's a, I don't know, you know, you don't come across too many females who are running auto dealerships.
[02:13] SPEAKER_00: Is that ever presented a problem or an issue for you? Not an issue. I mean, it always works in,
[02:21] SPEAKER_01: it's an anomaly for sure. When I started there were very few. Right now the industries growing
[02:28] SPEAKER_01: and accepting a lot of female entrepreneurs, especially in a GM position. Right now, I think
[02:37] SPEAKER_01: it's an advantage because a women GM is a lot different from male GM in terms of thought
[02:46] SPEAKER_01: processes in terms of, you know, taking care of their employees. So I think I bring a different
[02:55] SPEAKER_01: niche to this whole role. So I've been accepted. It was a difficult process to start with, but I
[03:02] SPEAKER_01: should say I've been accepted by my employees very well here right now. So
[03:08] SPEAKER_00: What kind of things do you think as a female you bring to that role that go beyond say what a male can
[03:16] SPEAKER_01: bring? I think there is a softer edge with male GMs in a car dealership. It's a lot aggressive. It's a lot,
[03:29] SPEAKER_01: I think there is more, it's a little bit harsher environment. I bring a softer edge to this position.
[03:39] SPEAKER_01: Also coming from a different, I also work in fashion. So my thought process is a bit different
[03:46] SPEAKER_01: compared to what a car GM would think. I bring in, I bring in different perspective to the
[03:53] SPEAKER_01: business as well. So that's the benefit I have here. Okay, let's talk about the fashion side of
[04:01] SPEAKER_00: things. So tell me, like, have you always been like passionate and interested in fashion?
[04:10] SPEAKER_01: Always been, but as a daughter of an Indian parent, my dad was always of the opinion that fashion
[04:19] SPEAKER_01: can be hobby and I need to go out and get a degree. So I did my bachelor's in commerce and then
[04:27] SPEAKER_01: I went out to do masters in business management with finance and marketing as my background.
[04:34] SPEAKER_01: And then when I had the opportunity when I came move to Canada, that's when I decided I need to
[04:42] SPEAKER_01: pursue fashion because I've always wanted to and I went to New York to study fashion at that point.
[04:48] SPEAKER_01: Okay, where did you study in New York? I studied at Parsons School of Design in New York.
[04:54] SPEAKER_00: Okay, and after studying there, where did you go and what did you do?
[05:00] SPEAKER_01: After studying there, it was 2008 and there was recession all over North America. So I
[05:07] SPEAKER_01: interned there with John Verveito's and Russell Aaron, but it was hard to find jobs there.
[05:15] SPEAKER_01: So I came back home and as I met someone from Cross-Ion Mills, which was the new wall that I was
[05:23] SPEAKER_01: just starting up, and I decided to open a store there, not with my design specifically, but just a
[05:31] SPEAKER_01: store that carried different brands. And I did that with a business partner, we started off and
[05:38] SPEAKER_01: eventually I just turned around and I was like, I studied to be a fashion designer, I need to create
[05:45] SPEAKER_01: my own designs and then I slowly transitioned into creating my own designs.
[05:51] SPEAKER_00: Okay, and when you were doing that, what kind of stuff were you doing? What were you designing
[06:02] SPEAKER_01: specifically? I started off with silk dresses. It was completely different from what I am doing
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: right now and it was different at that time, social media was not prevalent at that time
[06:18] SPEAKER_01: to find manufacturers who were very difficult. So I went through a phase of creating silk dresses.
[06:26] SPEAKER_01: I didn't find the niche in there, so I just slowly, this is how I started the leather brand was,
[06:36] SPEAKER_01: I myself wanted a leather jacket, couldn't find anything different in the market, everything seemed
[06:42] SPEAKER_01: pretty similar, every single brand looked the same. So I just went out, created a leather jacket
[06:50] SPEAKER_01: and every time I wore it, people asked me where it was from and they wanted to buy it and that just
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: triggered me into creating. Just a couple leather jackets, I did really good with them and I just
[07:03] SPEAKER_00: diverted into that segment eventually. Okay, now you have fairly recently opened a store in
[07:11] SPEAKER_01: in the course of the core, right? Yes, it's a pop-up, it's a pop-up for a couple months,
[07:18] SPEAKER_01: just to give visibility to my brand. I do really good online sales and I pop up here and there
[07:25] SPEAKER_01: for a day or two, but this came up as a good opportunity to just have a more visibility to the brand.
[07:33] SPEAKER_01: So I decided to do that around Stempi, especially where people love leather fringes and that's
[07:40] SPEAKER_00: what I've been offering right now. Okay then and tell me just a little bit about your thoughts
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: for the future, like do you, are you thinking of a permanent store or? It depends how these
[07:56] SPEAKER_01: couple months go. I think the shopping habits of people are turning a lot towards, they have actually
[08:06] SPEAKER_01: transitioned towards online shopping a lot. I don't mind having this business concept of popping up
[08:16] SPEAKER_01: in different malls for three to four months at once. So people get to feel, try and look at the
[08:28] SPEAKER_01: entire lineup at once. So I like that idea, but if this store does really good here, then I don't
[08:36] SPEAKER_01: mind extending the contract and just staying there if that's allowable or feasible.
[08:43] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay. So how do you manage the jungle both?
[08:50] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's it. My biggest advantage is the biggest advantage for me is it's a family business,
[09:00] SPEAKER_01: Hyderabad Toyota is a family business. So I have some Leabay and also most of the time when I'm
[09:09] SPEAKER_01: designing, when I'm connecting with my factories because they are in Asia, my time difference is I
[09:16] SPEAKER_01: have to sacrifice on my sleep while I do that and get to work in the morning here at Hyderabad.
[09:23] SPEAKER_01: So it works out in that way. In terms of running the store right now, I have really dedicated
[09:29] SPEAKER_01: employees that are doing the job, but once in a while, I take a day off here and I just head to the
[09:34] SPEAKER_01: store and tell everybody, I'll be in the store this day. So come see me if you want to see me.
[09:40] SPEAKER_01: So it has been working out quite well so far.
[09:44] SPEAKER_00: I'm just curious now, obviously, in two separate categories, right? You're in the auto sector and
[09:52] SPEAKER_00: in the clothing apparel sector. What are your thoughts on what you're seeing out there about
[09:59] SPEAKER_00: consumers these days in this market and how other responding to a lot of the challenges that are
[10:08] SPEAKER_01: out there? I mean, I see that the, I see that veeriness in shopping these days because people are
[10:17] SPEAKER_01: uncertain about future. Some people want to make their shopping decision sooner because they
[10:26] SPEAKER_01: are not sure about what is to come. And some people, some people are just, they don't want to pull
[10:36] SPEAKER_01: that plug yet. They just want to wait it out. So it's like in terms of in car business right now.
[10:46] SPEAKER_01: If the tariff comes along, then the pricing goes up quite quite a bit. So it can be challenging for
[10:52] SPEAKER_01: the customer. So you see two different kind of customers where someone to pull the plug right
[10:59] SPEAKER_01: away. Someone to just wait it out, write it till they till the decision is made, but it seems like
[11:05] SPEAKER_01: the decision just keeps on. Dealing. And meanwhile, they miss out on the opportunity to buy the
[11:14] SPEAKER_01: vehicle they like because of the color, because of the availability and all of that stuff.
[11:19] SPEAKER_01: In terms of fashion industry, I think, I think people buy for occasions, people buy for
[11:30] SPEAKER_01: events right now with Calgary Stampede, which is huge. And this year, I think Stampede has come back
[11:37] SPEAKER_01: much bigger than the previous years. And people have the occasion and they want different, they want
[11:46] SPEAKER_01: these outfits in their wardrobe. So I find that that part of the consumer who are buying for
[11:55] SPEAKER_01: events and they want instant gratification and they're pulling the plug quicker. But in terms of
[12:02] SPEAKER_01: bigger purchase like a vehicle or a car, like people are thinking a bit more.
[12:07] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like it's funny, right? When you look at things because, you know, despite all the challenges
[12:17] SPEAKER_00: out there, everything so far had been pointing in a positive direction for consumers, right? And
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: you know, you have on one side and I know auto sales have been up. I know retail sales in general
[12:32] SPEAKER_00: have been up. And yet on the other side of things, you know, I see things like consumer debt rising.
[12:41] SPEAKER_00: I see consumer insolvencies rising. I see the, I guess, a movement towards kind of discount
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: stores and all that. So it's kind of a weird time. Like as a business owner, how do you wrap all this
[13:00] SPEAKER_00: stuff in your head and come out with a plan and a strategy? I think consumer behavior is changing
[13:09] SPEAKER_01: more frequently than, you know, where we used to be able to predict from the previous data.
[13:14] SPEAKER_01: It's not that anymore. Every day, every single month, we have to change our strategy
[13:21] SPEAKER_01: in order to bring customers in our store. And also, higher of a data, we are a rural store.
[13:29] SPEAKER_01: So at this point, I don't think discounts have been working for the customer, at least for us.
[13:37] SPEAKER_01: Us being outside, our pull is more towards customer service.
[13:42] SPEAKER_01: I think some people are driven by customer service rather than discount. In terms of fashion,
[13:50] SPEAKER_01: a lot of people are gearing towards second hand fashion, which is still relevant. So
[13:58] SPEAKER_01: different segments of people are behaving differently. Like you have to really categorize
[14:04] SPEAKER_01: people into different segments and catered and market towards those segments separately so that
[14:11] SPEAKER_01: you can bring all of these different people in your area to shop or, you know, to acquire what you're
[14:18] SPEAKER_00: something. Yeah. Malika, what do you like about being an entrepreneur?
[14:24] SPEAKER_01: Sure. That I have the control. That it's not easy yet. It is satisfying at the end of the day.
[14:37] SPEAKER_01: So I like the final outcome of it all. Like at the end of the day, I go home satisfied after what
[14:47] SPEAKER_01: I have put in the effort when I see the results. That's satisfying. Yeah. What would you tell a young
[14:54] SPEAKER_00: person that they came to you for advice that they want to be an entrepreneur? What would you tell them?
[15:01] SPEAKER_01: It's not easy to be an entrepreneur. There's a lot of challenges. There's a lot of sleepless nights.
[15:09] SPEAKER_01: But after having said all of that, it is gratifying. It is like a child that you raised and then
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: you see them successful. So even if somebody fails, you learn from all of that and then you move on
[15:24] SPEAKER_01: to create something new. But I feel like it's not just about the end product but also about the
[15:31] SPEAKER_01: journeys. There is a lot of learnings. It's your mistakes and it's your learning. So at the end of
[15:38] SPEAKER_01: the day, whatever is the outcome, it's your decision. So I believe that a lot of people take a lot,
[15:47] SPEAKER_01: take all the positives out of it. Like I normally do and learn from it. So it's a good opportunity
[15:55] SPEAKER_00: for everybody. Now we know being an entrepreneur is time consuming. It's almost 24-7 and then
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: that's just a regular entrepreneur. I would go to you that's a regular entrepreneur times two.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: So even more so. So what do you do? How do you find that balance in life? What do you do to
[16:22] SPEAKER_00: to kind of unwind and get away from work? Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's hard to balance,
[16:29] SPEAKER_01: but I travel quite a bit. I try to get out of the city where I'm not accessible. Obviously I'm
[16:35] SPEAKER_01: accessible to my employees when they want, but they know when I'm out, they try to figure things out
[16:41] SPEAKER_01: on their own. But it's just to take myself completely out of the picture and that just gives me a
[16:49] SPEAKER_01: good break. Wherever I travel, I also come back inspired to create more to I just
[16:57] SPEAKER_01: have regenerated when I come back. So I come back with a force. So that's my out. That's what
[17:04] SPEAKER_00: keeps me going. Okay, wonderful. Well, thanks so much for joining us today.
[17:10] SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Mario, for giving me the opportunity. Okay, that was Malika Rajani, who is
[17:15] SPEAKER_00: founder and creative director of Malika Rajani, leather and outerwear store at the core shopping
[17:22] SPEAKER_00: center right now and general manager of high river Toyota. I'm Mario Toniguchi managing editor
[17:29] SPEAKER_00: of Canada's entrepreneur. Thanks for joining us today.