Raji S Pillai’s Post

People often ask me if we're busy. By busy I'm assuming they mean in terms of the number of orders were are shipping out each day. The Summer time is obviously not as busy as Christmas time, but we are busy with Congratulations Gifts for Weddings, Anniversaries and New Babies. As well as Thank You & Birthday Gifts, Sympathy and Get Well Gifts. ✨ However, despite being a small business, there is a lot more to be done than the physical making and dispatching of the gift baskets and hampers themselves. 🎁 I am the first to admit that my gift basket assembly skills are not really up there with the best. Instead we have a professional assembly team here to make them the most beautiful they can be. 😍 I started off in the Company in a Customer Services role, taking orders and producing the couriers labels for shipments. I actually enjoyed a wee stint back in the role yesterday, to cover for my colleagues. 💻 I found it really beneficial taking on the role again as I was able to see were any problems lay and fix them, as well as seeing areas for improvement to help our Team. ✔ I also enjoyed having one main role to do to the best of my ability, rather than juggling the multiple hats I usually wear of Marketing, Accounts, Sales, HR & IT Support. There was a finite finish line/time in sight, so although you are working to a deadline, it felt good to reach it instead of constantly balancing or chasing the end point. 👒 I might suggest we all job swap more often, to appreciate each others roles and the roles we perform ourselves! #smallbusiness #entrepreneur #familybusiness #jugglingroles #jobswap #ecommerce #jobroles #sme #team #ourteam #multitasking #giftbaskets #giftdelivery #gifthampers #corporategifts Some of our fab team below 😀

Post 251: A mixed bag of goodies for employees A company is like a never-ending party where people come and go but the party continues. You see employees arriving to join the party and leaving it. Some leave early and some linger on a little longer. Some become the toast of the party while others enjoy the party from the sidelines. A few join the dance and enjoy the party, while others leave disappointed. Sometimes, you witness party brawls too. If you stay at the party long enough i.e. if you work long enough in a company, you see it all. You see stocks of some employees rising while you see them going down for others. You see some employees getting promoted and rising through the ranks while the careers of others stutter and falter. Some even get demoted and forgotten. You see people continuing happily with the company while others leave with bitterness. You see employees being lauded as performer and then falling out of favor with their bosses. You see second chances being denied and careers getting ruined. You watch peer groups and departmental rivalry from the sidelines. You see employees not seeing eye to eye and getting at each other’s throats at the first opportunity. It's up to you how you want the party to end for you. We all are time-traveling in our time capsule. It is up to us to chart our course. What worked for others may not work for you. If others fail, it doesn’t mean you too will fail. You must see for yourself without getting swayed by others. As Forrest Gump says "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Just like that, the corporate sector is a mixed bag of goodies for employees, and you never know what might work for you. #thoughts #write #life #career #fun #happiness

This is not a show-off post. Some days I come home from work to enjoy dinners like this. My husband is the chef at home whereas I’m terrible in the kitchen 👻 This is a gratitude post. I am thankful everytime I can come home to hot dinner and sometimes a bit more fancy ones. Do you thank your family members that do things for you? Everytime? Or are you so used to it that it has somehow become something ‘natural’? Like it’s a norm. Especially when you have a partner that’s a fulltime homemaker, one tends to think this is naturally their responsibility, 理所当然. I bring home the money, you take care of the house, what’s there to appreciate? In the office, we thank colleagues when they help us to do something and when we help someone out, we also accept their gratitude. But think about it, in an office setting, we are all paid by the company to do our work. If we apply the same thought as we did at home, it means we don’t need to thank each other right? If we decide to thank our colleague for helping us, then can we all take a moment to thank a family member that does something for you today? Thank your partner for taking care of the kids, thank your parents for taking good care of themselves so you can focus on building your career. Please don’t wait for any special day such as international spouse day to do this. Today is a special day, now is a special moment. This post is not aimed at anyone who lacks appreciation nor am I trying to say that others are not appreciative. My writings has always been about me discovering my own shortcomings, realizing that I’m not doing good enough and I write about things that I realize that I need to improve on. So if you ‘terasa’ please know that I’m only talking about myself. It’s a Monday and I’m sure you don’t need another post on how to be a super productive person at work or an amazing careerist etc. this is just a simple post to remind us of appreciating the small little things around us. Have a great week ahead 😼 Yes that’s home made mash potato using real potato 🥰

An angel in hell 😇🔥 Just kidding, it’s just me, your Career Guardian Angel, at Hell’s Kitchen for my birthday.🎂 The restaurant ambiance was like walking into a big, warm hug – kind of like the vibe I aim to bring to our coaching sessions. It's all about creating a spot where you can get comfy, dream big, and get excited about what's next. 🌟 Every detail, from the little pitchforks on the chairs and the light fixtures, to the service, mirrored the personalized care I invest in each career path I touch. 🌟 Picking what to eat from the menu? It felt just like diving into the wide-open sea of career possibilities. So many tasty paths to explore – and we get to pick our own adventure! 🍽️ And yes, the kitchen's heat was palpable, echoing the challenges we face in our careers. But just like those chefs, with the right guidance, anyone can turn up the heat and come out on top. 🔥 The night capped off with a dessert that was not just a treat, but a celebration of every small victory and big milestone achieved both by myself and my brilliant clients 🍰 Stepping into a new year, I'm more fired up than ever to be your go-to Career Guardian Angel, all thanks to the sheer grit and grace I saw at Hell's Kitchen🔥 Here's to more growth, more success, and more moments worth celebrating together. 🥂 Feeling a bit of career heat? No sweat – let's crank it up and whip up your very own recipe for success. Get in touch, and let's get cooking! 🔥💼 #CareerCoaching #GordonRamsay #HellsKitchen #CareerGrowth #BirthdayReflections

Hi #GreatPeople! At some point in your career journey, big decisions await—whether it's switching jobs, exploring new paths, or discovering your true calling. It's okay to have questions! Here are some simple questions to guide your next step: 🤔 What excites you most about your current role? 🌱 Are there skills you want to develop further? 💼 How does your career align with your long-term goals? Want to explore these questions in-depth? Dive into the full content below and let's grow together! #GreatGiantFoods #GGF #GreatPeople #GrowGreatFun #CareerCrackSeries #GREATInsight #CareerPath

Finding Career Satisfaction: Dog Walking Reflections   As I walked our dog this morning, I was thinking about the simplicity of his needs:   - Must-haves - food, treats, walks with lots to sniff - Nice-to-haves - friendly encounters with other dogs and humans, a swimming opportunity - Joy-detractors - being rushed, barked at by other dogs, too many passing lorries   It got me thinking about some career parallels. Often, when we're unhappy at work, it's because our role lacks must-haves, has insufficient nice-to-haves, or there are too many negatives. For example, we may like our core responsibilities and team, but not have limited growth opportunities, too much politics, or no time for ourselves.   The first step is identifying and getting clear on those needs - are we well aware of what's on those 3 lists? And when we are, how can we build a role or career that ticks as many boxes as possible? Does every part of our role need to fulfil everything, or could a portfolio approach better suit us? (Main job + side projects, for example)   The idea of portfolio careers or roles has come up a lot in recent conversations, especially with those considering career change or looking to evolve or reinvent their roles. It can be a great way of incorporating more of the must-haves and nice-to-haves. Reflecting on my own past career, I did this by taking on additional mentoring or getting involved in strategic initiatives.     If you're feeling unfulfilled in your current role, here's some food for thought as you head into the weekend:   1. What are your career must-haves, nice-to-haves and joy-detractors? 2. Does your main role need to meet all your needs, or could a portfolio approach work for you? 3. For the joy-detractors, are there changes you can make to reduce their impact on you?   By getting really intentional about our career strategy, we can create more satisfying and balanced careers. I may have stretched the analogy a bit far now, but perhaps it's a bit like planning the perfect dog walk - finding the right balance of essentials, pleasures, and better managing the inevitable annoyances.   Wishing you a happy weekend from me and my canine friend (pictured) and, if you have one, lovely dog walks!   #WomenInSTEM #CareerStrategy #FridayThoughts

Last week a past client celebrated the 1-year anniversary of her thriving consultancy business! Initially with Client M reached out to me, I replied by breaking the news that we weren’t a good fit. She was taking a leave of absence from work & was clearly still consumed by the “Victim Mindset”. However, within a week of hearing this hard truth she did the work needed to shift from Victim to Survivor & we got to work. M was 100% committed to trusting the process & doing the work, and in the first fortnight she: - Resigned from her job. - Launched her new consultancy. - Significantly reduced her consumption of alcohol. - Had brave conversations with her partner. - Decided to list her home for sale and move in with her partner some distance away, with her son, dog & horse. In the fortnight that followed M: - Was invited to speak at a prestigious interstate conference. - Received several collaboration enquiries. - Attracted her first paying client. In just 30 days! If you’re a corporate professional who hungers to leave their job to lead their own consultancy or coaching business, be Client M. Gather the courage to take the first step – sending me a DM – and I’ll help you with the rest 😉 Megan Savill The Business Confidante #TheBusinessConfidante #FreedomBusiness #LifestyleBusiness #CorporateProfessional #JustDoIt #NoRegrets

🫵🏻STOP PEOPLE PLEASING🫵🏻⁠ ⁠  It's not a good look for you. ⁠ ⁠ I want to let you in on something: When I stopped people pleasing, my Big 4 career REALLY took off.⁠ ⁠ ❌️ People pleasing looks like working late on Fridays even though you really want to log off because it looks better to be the "last (wo)man standing".⁠ ⁠ ❌️ People pleasing looks like appeasing your colleague's wishes instead of doing what you know to be best for your client. ⁠ ⁠ ❌️ People pleasing looks like diming your light, your ideas, or your voice, because you are afraid of standing too far out in the crowd. ⁠ ⁠ People pleasing slows down growth potential, especially for women. ⁠ ⁠ We think that Leadership knows what's best for us, but that isn't true. ⁠⁠ You're the one on the ground. You're the one driving the client relationship. You're the one that gets the bills paid. You're the one keeping your annual projects going year after year. ⁠ ⁠ 👉🏼You don't have to be liked in order to be paid.👈🏼 You just have to be well skilled in your craft and stay true to who you are, what you stand for, and the career that you want to create now. ⁠ ⁠ In 2024, I started my people pleasing healing journey and it looked like going on a flexible work arrangement and speaking up for my needs. While I was still in corporate, I STILL managed to stay at the top of my class and get healthy pay increases because of it.⁠ ⁠ Inside of Freedom, I help you stop people pleasing. You learn HOW to make changes in your life that align with your schedule, your values, and the career that you want to create.⁠ ⁠ I show you how the changes you want to make in your career are not selfish, but they can even be better for your clients, your team, and make everyone's life easier, not just yours. ⁠ ⁠ I show you how to make sure you always keep up with your sales, even if you are making changes that better surround your work-life balance. ⁠ ⁠ Have the career you want without people pleasing inside of Freedom. DM me for more info.⁠ ⁠ #Peoplepleasing #procrastination #stressedout #womenempowerment #womanwhohustle #big4jobs

Despite being promoted recently, Tammy was feeling at rock bottom in her career. - isn't that strange?! 🤷🏻♀️ Well, in my 'line of work', not really! Tammy felt so disconnected from the work she did that climbing the ladder only brought her joy for about five minutes. On the outside, she had it all: the flexibility to balance a young family with a director role at a Big 4 consultancy, a career that progressed despite two maternity leaves, and glowing performance reviews. BUT... Inside, it was a different story. Though she took pride in her work, she hated what she was doing. Each project drained her energy, and she constantly questioned how she could find herself again and rediscover her career passion. She wondered, "What will people think if I quit?" She was a role model, but she didn’t even know what job she wanted instead. Even her husband suggested she quit and be a stay-at-home mum, but that wasn’t her! She's career-driven and loves that part of her life. The more she tried to push through, the more she lost herself... and that's when she reached out to me. 👇🏻 And you know what the surprising element was? It only took her two sessions to realize what she would LOVE to do. Isn’t that crazy? She spent years feeling lost, yet found clarity within weeks! Here’s what changed: - She dared to say, "I WANT a change." - She stopped and asked, "What do I truly WANT?" - And with my support, she could clearly see when she was talking out of fear, excitement, or pure joy. This is the power of investing in yourself - of stopping and asking, "What if I follow my happiness?" These results are 100% possible for YOU too! You too can very quickly start to unveil what that job, that career that will fill you up with excitement and pride can look like!  It all starts with one step - the moment you dare to say, "I need a change." 💥To support you in that journey, I have created a 'career change guide' to help you identify the change you need and the steps to successfully pivot your career. Check the link in the comments! And if you are ready to GO, let's chat 😉