Credit to Author: Margaret Jetelina| Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2018 08:33:28 +0000

Husband-and-wife Vishal and Trupti Zaveri help other newcomers with their financial consultancy business

Vishal Zaveri and his wife, Trupti, came to Canada in 2005, both with professional backgrounds — he in IT and she in accounting. However, as many new immigrants do, upon their arrival in Canada, the couple went about accepting any job that came their way. Vishal swiftly realized that life in Canada did not come with a shortcut to success.

“We sometimes have to start at the bottom rung of the ladder if we need to climb somewhere,” he says. He took up a junior job in a warehouse, with his heart set on joining the IT division of the same company some day. Not defeated by the corporate stepdown, he went on optimistically, fostering good working relationships with his colleagues as well as line managers. So, when a vacancy turned up in the coveted IT department, Vishal, with a few referrals from supervisors, found himself as part of the IT team.

Meanwhile, Trupti went about identifying companies where she was confident she would be a good fit.  A few phone calls got her the names of the people she needed to reach out to. She managed to secure a few appointments and, within a few months, she landed with a job in the world of accounts. “I didn’t look for opportunities,” she says. “I created opportunities for recruiters to hire me!”

A new opportunity to start a business

Although the couple secured job in their respective fields, a couple years later, they decided to step away from the corporate world and build dreams of their own. In early 2007, they floated their own business in insurance and financial planning, recognizing that most people need help in planning for their financial futures.

“Even people who have been working in insurance or finance for years don’t know how to apply the financial knowledge in their day-to-day lives,” Vishal says. “Knowledge is not power; the correct application of knowledge is power. And we, in our business, talk to people about finance and insurance. We educate them on how to make wise investment decisions and use money as a tool to earn more money.”

Together, Vishal and Trupti have grown their business not only in Ontario, where they initially landed, but also in neighbouring provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and in Alberta, where they currently reside, in Edmonton.

“We are glad of our decision,” he says. “Today, we teach others about money and how to succeed.”

And they say they owe it all to an educational workshop at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers.

“The Centre for Newcomers is not just a centre where newcomers learn about the basics; it is definitely more than that. They offer a lot of educational and informative programs, one of them being learning about financial planning and insurance services. It is the sort of thing that we practise on an ongoing basis, so we thought why not make it our means of living?” Vishal says.

While starting a business of their own has been a key ingredient in the Zaveris’ success story, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. “Life doesn’t come with a recipe for success. You will have to build your own bridges to get embarked on your road to success,” Vishal says. “Network around, get involved in the community, volunteer, get to meet new people, make new friends. You never know which connection is going to ignite the spark of your life in Canada!”

Helping other newcomers

With the couple’s own success owing largely to a mentoring and informative workshop, the two resolve to help out newcomers in their own way. They are active members of different cultural organizations and are happy to assist newcomers who need a bit of mentoring and guidance including meeting and greeting them at the airport. “Nothing is more sordid than arriving in a foreign country with no one to meet or greet you,” Vishal recollects. “People need people. And if people like us don’t help, who else will?”

However, it’s never a good idea to be totally reliant on others either, Vishal points out. “Do your own research as well. Seek mentors, but never be over reliant. Make use of technology. Nowadays, everything is just a click away.”

The Zaveris also help out by lending gently used items. When one is new and jobless, every little thing counts. Part of their garage is also a sort of  ”recycling depot” where used microwaves, household utensils, basic furniture and so on are lent to newcomers. They return the items after they are all settled in, and the items find their way again to another newcomer’s house. It’s the Zaveris own little part in helping other newcomers’ journeys in Canada.

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