Stuti Jalan

At the age of 23, when most girls are just out of college and hunting for their
first jobs, Stuti Jalan set up her own communications firm. Today, she has
grown Crosshairs Communication from a single desk operation into a
recognized Public Relations, Brand Consultancy and Social Media company. In
2011, Stuti received an award for Best Young Women Entrepreneur at the
Women Leaders India Awards.
We talk to the young entrepreneur about how she set up her own company,
what it takes to be a good leader and her belief in paying it forward.
Q) When did you set up Crosshairs Communication?
A) Crosshairs Communication was started in 2002 with the dream and grit of
opening my own communications firm. At the age of 23, I began with a single
computer and plenty of hard work, drive and passion. Since then there has
been no looking back.
I will never forget my mentor Pralhad Kakkars advice to me Follow your
dreams; you have nothing to lose.
Q) How did you deal with the glitches that come with running a startup?
A) The early days were difficult. For almost 10 months, my team and I
worked out of a single desk space, but as things looked up for us, I rented
out an office space in the same building. The initial employees were all
interns; that way we didnt spend too much on salaries. However, it was
impossible to curtail other expenses. We worked really hard to keep our
outgoings at the minimum, and we succeeded. Crosshairs saw a profit in the
first financial year itself!
Q) How did you grow the company into the establishment that it is today?
A) We first got real recognition through our association with Hope Run.
Anuradha Prakash Yusuf of Hope Run was keen on doing something for
underprivileged kids. She got in touch with me and we came up with the idea
of the Hope Run. We got celebrities like Milind Soman, Rahul Bose and Lucky
Ali to support us too. The run was a success and the proceeds (about Rs 4
lakhs) went to an NGO. Although I never really got paid for the first
assignment, Crosshairs Communication garnered a lot of attention due to
huge media publicity created by us for Hope Run. The event got good
national coverage too. Eventually Anand Mahindra heard of us and was the
sponsor for the second year. Anuradha later hired me as a consultant for her
gym; and so the money started trickling in. Meanwhile, other clients started
hearing of the young PR agency. Fosters and Axe Pulse came calling soon
after and others soon followed suit. For each brand, we created innovative
solutions that made them stand out in the crowd.
Today weve grown much bigger. We have an office in Mumbai and Delhi and

we are opening a third one shortly. Were an almost all-women 30-member

team handling many fashion, luxury and corporate brands across various
sectors.
Q) What is the key to being successful in the world of public relations?
A) Its probably the worlds simplest idea - Golden Circle. Why in the centre,
surrounded by How, surrounded by a larger circle, What. Everybody knows
what they do 100 per cent. Some know how they do it. But very few people
or organizations know why they do it. People dont buy what you do; they
buy why you do it. On the basis of this you attract people and partners.
Those who start with why have the ability to inspire those around them. My
key drivers for success are passion, fun, focus, push, ideas, persistence,
service and value.
Q) You recently attended the International Conference for Women in Business
where you delivered a speech on Women in India and the Future. What was
the experience like?
A) The International Conference for Women in Business has been held every
summer since 1996. The objective of this conference is to provide
participants with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as business
professionals today and to provide an opportunity for active exchange,
stimulation from international perspectives, and mutual support among
peers who share a strong determination to succeed.
My speech briefly touched upon the journey of my life, which includes family,
education, work and the inception of Crosshairs Communication as well as
my involvement in international women entrepreneur affairs. Following this, I
retraced the path laid out by women leaders of then and now and the role
that they played in giving women the position they have in Indian society
now. I also explained how women are drivers of economic growth with the
help of a few case studies. I ended the presentation by drawing a map for
advancing gender equality by the year 2020 around the world!
Q) You've interacted with biggies like Indra Nooyi, Warren Buffet, Tyra Banks
etc at the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit. What were your most
valuable takeaways?
A) Interacting with such stalwarts of different industries was a remarkable
learning experience for me. What makes their accomplishments even more
significant is their unceasing commitment to corporate philanthropy and
social responsibility. I am grateful for the grace and humility shown to me by
these extraordinary individuals who have set a high bar not only for
themselves but for the rest of the world too.
The most valuable takeaways were humility and how one can pay it
forward. It made me realise that there is a larger world out there and it is
important to keep the process of learning going. Leadership is about

empowering others and power expands the moment you share it.
To empower all women, each one of us should work like a chain. The first link
in the chain is to find extraordinary women, then invest in their leadership
capital, and the last is to hope that women leaders who have gained from
this chain will pay it forward to other such women.
Q) What does it take to be a good leader? Who do you think make better
leaders women or men?
A) Having empathy towards your team and the ability to turn vision into
reality is what makes a good leader. Its not about being a man or a woman
but rather having a balanced view of things. I believe if we close the gender
gap that will help us close the leadership gap. We must support the work of
increasing women in leadership in all aspects of life to make them
synonymous with key drivers of the world economy.
Q) What are your tips for women entrepreneurs trying to make it in a
competitive world?
A) My tips for women entrepreneurs today are:

Believe in yourself. Have a goal and work hard towards it. It doesn't
matter if you come from a small town or a village that no one's heard of,
you simply must have the will to make it in life.

Surround yourself with a team you can rely on. I have about 30 people
in my team who I know I can trust and fall back on.

Always be willing to take a risk. Without taking risks there is no way

you'd know if you could've succeeded or not.

Be professional and remember that at the end of the day you have to
prove nothing to anyone other than yourself.

Don't ever be intimidated by any problem because every problem has

a solution.

Feel from within and have passion for your job.