Leadership is not self-proclaimed but has to be bestowed by followers. More than what you say about yourself, what others say matters the most. Of course, our perceptions about ourselves matter. However, it is through your personal attitudes, communication style and substance, personality traits, innate qualities, and behavioural nuances that people admire and follow you.
Dilshad Billimoria, being the Founder, Managing Director, and Chief Financial Planner, is a CFPCM Certificate Holder from the Financial Planning Standards Board of India (FPSB), and with over 21 years of experience in the financial advisory domain, has been renowned amidst her admirers and followers as their perfect wealth management advisor.
“Dilshad is intelligent, highly focused, to the point and always ahead of time regarding her financial advisory. She makes you feel involved and comfortable to take decisions with her elegant charm and personality. She always stands by you and facilitates the right decisions with her pulse of market and financial wizardry at such an early age in her profession. The good thing about her is that she never burdens you with unnecessary stats and jargon of her specialization. She is a good communicator and will definitely achieve a great height in her financial planning business. I rate her among the best in the field and wish her great success,” – Alok Sapre.
While Jayanta says, “It was nice meeting you today regarding our discussion. Your suggestions have helped us to see things in a better way through all the clutter and have made it easier for us to make certain decisions. We really appreciate your approach of listening to your clients, guiding them towards their specific goals for what they exactly need and enriching their lives by giving them a sense of control. Your approach is very compassionate and, at the same time, professional and genuine, and we believe that these qualities differentiate you from other competitors, which in turn has represented itself in carving a success story for your firm in a short duration.”
There are many more praises for Dilshad on her firm’s website https://www.dilzer.net/. In her take, Dilshad says, “I believe that financial freedom is to be able to do what one wants in life. In that regard, at Dilzer, our motto is to provide unbiased advice that is always in the best interest of the client. We recommend solutions after an in-depth analysis of investment options based on scientific data. Every recommendation we make is backed by research and data, helping us suggest options that are cognizant of our client’s risk tolerance. Further, our Reporting and Financial Plan Platform thrives on technology, making risk profiling accurate to enable better decision making, with robust, comprehensive and up-to-date reporting.”
This is how Dilzer Consultants Private Limited became a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor with License No: INA 200002239.
Dilshad adds, “With over 550 clients, we have created financial peace and independence in the lives of many and helped them realize and accomplish their financial goals. Our clients are from worldwide, including India, the UK, the USA, New Zealand, Brazil, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore.”
She spoke in an exclusive interview with WomenWorld India, the highlights of which are given herein.
As a trailblazer in the entrepreneurial world, could you take us back to the beginning of your journey? What motivated you to step into your field?
I don’t know if I can call myself a trailblazer. There are far too many people who have achieved more than I have. However, I have a good night’s sleep knowing fully well that we, as an organisation, have worked in the fiduciary capacity of our clients and helped solve problems beyond money for them.
Therefore, measuring growth should always be unique to a person or a firm, considering one’s metrics that have been set for growth. For some, an increase in Assets Under Management is growth. For some, it’s the quality and comprehensiveness of delivery that is uncompromised, solving a client’s problem as if it were our own and building relationships with clients and colleagues that are deeper and meaningful.
Yes, in that sense, we have achieved tremendous growth. The average tenure of clients with us is over 15-18 years. I am personally still serving our first client, and it is with great satisfaction that I see how his investments, goals and objectives are achieved now. While he is in the Retirement phase, wealth preservation has been his major goal with regular income needs. He has been our client for 23 years, and when asked what made him work with me, his quick response was, “You were not the ‘sales type.’ You listened to what I needed and helped in my financial journey over the years.”
Back in 1998, like any other student, I was lost and blank about what career or profession I needed to pursue. On doing an aptitude test, my love for numbers and meeting with people showed, and my father suggested I take up Investment Advisory. I even scored the highest marks in my Graduation and Post-Graduation in the Investment Management subject.
This was one of the best decisions of my life my father helped me make.
There has been no looking back ever since!
Dilzer Consultants Pvt Ltd has emerged as one of India’s best enterprises. Could you share the guiding philosophy that has propelled your organization’s success?
Leadership is about giving more than you receive. Supporting, promoting, and encouraging growth, creativity and balance in a colleague’s life and helping them realize their true potential. It’s about lifting someone from what they thought they could not make happen and being there for them.
It’s about practising the tenets, action, and sometimes working in the business rather than only on the business to understand the intricacies and dynamics of how things work and the problems people face at their level, rather than sitting in an ivory tower.
It’s about giving space and nurturing personal and professional growth among each other.
Humans are the most complex beings, and Psychology and Behaviour are some of the most volatile. I, as an employee, maybe doing everything by the book. As per the organisation process for a long time. Suddenly, a chemical reaction or a trigger in the brain creates a completely different and offbeat outcome. Therefore, no amount of planning and preparation is possible.
Our image in the industry has been one of the Fiduciary relationships of clients. We treat our employees as colleagues and seek their opinions on important matters.
We follow some guidelines called Social Contracts, which help each other understand the roles, reasonability, and conduct that are needed for each of us to follow in the organisation, including myself.
We create watertight processes and continually improve upon things using the Kaizen philosophy. Our action to something not working is quick, and the outcome is measured.
We seek ideas, innovation and technology to enable
We provide good working conditions, including work-from-home, Extended home options, and professional and training help to our colleagues. We have a matrix for growth in the organisation that helps colleagues understand where they are and their future growth prospects. We have a good leave policy, and the metrics and KRIs are well-defined. Also, our Mission Statement is displayed in our workplace. Our discussions revolve around helping each other when help is needed and creating a culture that is open, transparent, and adaptable.
Retrospectives help to know what went well and what did not and the course correction needed.
The entrepreneurial landscape is continually evolving. How do you ensure that Dilzer Consultants remains adaptable and ahead of industry trends, providing innovative solutions to your clients?
Technology is an enabler – that we have always believed in.
Our processes are watertight and continually improved upon.
Things that don’t work are tried and tested and, if need be, replaced.
One must learn to stay away from the noise and do what’s best for the client. Success will only follow.
Leveraging one’s strengths, improving processes and practises, and continually growing one’s knowledge in the field of work will only lend more credibility and professionalism to the work one does.
Continuous checks and quality monitoring help an organisation grow, always keeping innovation at the forefront.
Aligning the goals of the organisation to the stakeholders lends stability and consistency.
Your leadership style is often recognized as an inspirational force behind Dilzer’s achievements. Could you shed light on your approach to leadership and team building within the organization?
Listening to your colleagues can help in respecting their points of view and getting some great ideas to work on.
Besides, anyone can walk into my room and speak with me.
Colleagues are encouraged to provide the management with recommendations to improve our interactions and work with clients.
The essence of entrepreneurship lies in bringing innovation and advancements to the niche one is working in. How does your enterprise strike a balance between customer expectations and user experience?
Our client experience involves continuous engagement at various levels with the client to create a WOW user experience.
We have an informal Client Advisory task force, where we seek opinions on the latest technology, delivery of services and tools to improve and deliver better quality of work to clients continually. Our Financial plan output today has been improvised many times after interacting with clients and adding newer sections for better interpretation and analysis. Our Goal Reviews have an experience of showing how a client has grown over the years in his finances by offering graphs on the improvements and highlighting financial ratios that have worked and not worked for them.
Sustainability and environmental responsibility are crucial aspects of modern entrepreneurship. How does Dilzer Consultants integrate these principles into its operations and contribute to a sustainable future?
There was a time when we used to visit an orphanage to help children once a year with books, pencils, and blankets. We should restart the same.
Further, we provide environment-friendly gifts to our clients and also help a social cause of differently-abled children.
We don’t use paper or plastic, and each one has their mug/glasses and plates in the office for use.
In the realm of entrepreneurship, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency. How does your company leverage technology to optimize its services and stay ahead in a digital age?
We harness technology for CRM, Meetings, internal office chat, Special projects, Invoicing, Digital Marketing, and Digital Sign Agreements.
On the client interface side, 99% of all transactions of our clients are online. Further, Portfolio reporting, compliance and onboarding have been automated. Most of our meetings are online. Invoicing is online.
The workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. How does Dilzer Consultants foster a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among its employees?
We ensure we provide 360-degree development to our colleagues.
We listen to them. We have social contracts and retrospectives and provide a good working environment for them.
Further, they have the flexibility of Work from Home and Extended Work from Home benefits based on KRIs met.
Training is encouraged regularly for all teams, and Professional certifications are funded. Higher education is partly funded for someone working with us for the long term. Longevity in stay is rewarded.
