Abiramee Rangasamy has bagged Exemplary Women Leadership Award

Abiramee Rangasamy has bagged Exemplary Women Leadership Award

• July 04, 2022

FROM IT TO A BLOOMING BUSINESS : Abiramee Rangasamy, Women Icon, powered by Times Women

It’s never an easy choice to choose between losing one’s job or moving overseas for a better career, even if it means leaving the country you grew up and settled down in. When Abiramee Rangasamy faced this herculean task of deciding between those, she decided to go with the retrenchment, at great cost to her career. But there’s a reason why she was given the Exemplary Women Leadership Award by Times Women. Here’s her story.

Between a rock and a hard place

Abiramee hails from the humble state of Melaka, Malaysia. Motivated by a sense of familial duty, she told herself that as the eldest, she always had to set a good example for her younger brother.  And so she did, from arming herself with a degree in software engineering, to valiantly climbing the corporate ladder; odds skewed against her as a double minority Indian woman in Corporate Malaysia. Although she started in the IT field, her last stint was as the Asia Pacific Customer Experience Director for a MNC. The stability of her role, however, didn’t last very long, as the 2016 global economic crisis upended the lives of many in the country – including hers. Her employer, finding themselves forced into restructuring, presented Abiramee with two options: retrenchment, or to take on an overseas role, away from her loving family of a doting husband and two young children of seven and two. 

A new hope

Undeterred by the dearth of prospects in economically developing Malaysia, the gutsy gal has, today, found herself making a mark in the floral industry, working alongside her husband in their flower distribution company Lotus Flower Gifts. The company is a homegrown distributor and supplier of fresh flowers from Asia and Malaysia since the 80s. From a small flower stall in the early 2000s, it now boasts four companies under the brand: Lotus Flower Gifts, APS Flora, Naturemax Flourish, and APS Wedding Garlands.

“We have grown from a 5-member team to 50 staff in total. Diversification in the number of companies we operate is proof that we have come quite far and we are happy that we ventured into this market although it's not a popular one for Indian entrepreneurs.”

“I am probably one of the very few women in Malaysia who have taken the path to import and distribute fresh flowers to build our business. But every entrepreneur must start somewhere; there is no shortcut, no magic spell to building a solid and sustainable business.”, she mused.

“To me, it doesn’t matter when you start or where you start your journey. The goal and the achievement is what matters.” – Abiramee Rangasamy.

Learning the ropes, facing challenges

It was no walk in the park for her, considering she had zero prior experience in the field. Her passion and hunger to make it, coupled with a big dream for the company, however, were great motivators. She tapped into whatever skills and experience she had, and, armed with newfound courage, plunged headfirst into uncharted waters. It took her six months to understand the business, and another six to take the lead in some areas.  Abiramee credits her husband for guiding her through her journey and is also grateful to have been able to pick up bits and pieces of how to run a profitable business from others. It has been five years since, however, and she has made the choice to upskill herself through an MBA with the University of Sunderland, in which she enrolled last year. Then comes the oft-asked question: how does she handle studies, career, and her personal life? To that, her answer is the same as others – it is to find that balance that works for her, and admits that achieving this is still her biggest challenge to date. Nevertheless, she finds solace in the fact that she has a support network – indeed, it’s one of the most important things to her. 

“A business that runs for almost 18 hours a day needs both my and my husband's attention. But our time is also limited, hence building a good staff strength is important for us to be able to sustain in the long run.”

“We do have many talented people with us, whom we see as one big family. We ensure there is gender equality and a good mentor-mentee system where the senior staff guide and teach the junior ones from time to time.”, she added.

Dos and Don’ts of business

When it comes to business proper, Abiramee stresses the importance of maintaining a good cash flow. In a business such as hers, which sometimes runs on credit, she advises not allowing high credit limits to customers, as it can affect cash flow at the end of the month. Or months, for that matter. She also shared snippets of wisdom on staff management, drawn from her years of experience as one: 

“Be a leader, not a boss. Trust your team, and grow together from there. And this is most important: respect your co-workers.”

A message to aspiring businesswomen

Being a woman, and a minority one at that has made Abiramee more than cognizant of the challenges that those like her often face –she is more than well aware of societal expectations of her gender. Despite the number of people who did not believe and trust in her and her capabilities, she soldiered on anyway, choosing to move forward through the support of those who did. 

“It’s not your job to be likable, and sometimes, you’d need to be the conveyor of bad news. Do it firmly, tactfully, and objectively, but don’t forget to demonstrate empathy – remember, people, are also humans with feelings. Empathizing with them shows you value them.”

She also advises to always find ways and opportunities to socialize and network with other businesswomen, as they have a lot to teach, and learn from.

“It is extremely important to acknowledge that you don’t know everything, so have an open mind. Keep learning and acquiring knowledge, whether it’s in your own area or otherwise. You never know what you might find helpful later on.”, she added.

Lastly, Abiramee has this to share: 

“Be consistent. Never give up, be brave, and always, always learn from your failures. They aren’t failures, merely temporary setbacks. Keep your head held high, and always look forward – there will always be people trying to pull you down – do not succumb to them”.

“Never forget to thank the people instrumental to your successes – in this case, my dad for always letting me do what I want to do, and my mother-in-law, who taught me how to be brave and bold.” 

“Also, thank you, Times Women – it’s such an honour to be a recipient of the Exemplary Women Leadership Award. Thank you for validating and recognizing my struggles, efforts, and successes.”

About the Company

Introduction

Lotus Flower Gift – best in the business since 1985.

A humble beginning for this family run business, tracing its history to a small town in Selangor in the early 80s. Having worked and guided by his father, Mr Palani, the owner of Lotus Flower Gift group of companies, grew up in a brick and mortar flower business all his life. Knowing the ropes from a tender age of 8, it gives Mr Palani the edge to understand what it takes to run this blooming business. The companies obligation and commitment to always offer fresh and beautifully designed flowers is the result of its entire stable of companies – Lotus Flower Gift Sdn Bhd, APS Flora, APS Wedding Garlands and Naturemax Flourish Sdn Bhd. Equipped with their own logistics the company offers same and next day delivery of Flower Bouquets, Garlands, Loose Flowers and Event and Occasion Arrangements.   

Our Vision

We celebrate the beauty of flowers and the joy and comfort it gives to our customers.

Our Mission

Our commitment to our community is our obligation to always offer fresh, beautifully designed flowers embodied with the ultimate customer experience, quality and promptness.