Every Friday, a person from the business community reveals themselves in our section. This week, Indu Krishnamurthy, general director of Microcredit Montréal, answers our questions.
What advice would you give to the younger version of you?
Have confidence in yourself. I am a person who accepts doubt. I think we need to listen to our intuitions more.
Do the women entrepreneurs you meet have more doubts?
Yes. Women doubt more, are less sure of themselves, particularly when it comes to taking on debt. So, necessarily, their businesses are smaller and growing more slowly.
What is the main challenge for women entrepreneurs?
Many choose entrepreneurship with the desire to facilitate work-family balance. But being an entrepreneur is not easy. There are also challenges in accessing networks and funding.
Who do you admire in the business world?
Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. He was someone who believed in his values. When he retired, he created an organization [fiducie et ONG] which fights against climate change. He thought about his values, he focused on sustainability.
What book do you usually recommend?
I like motivational books. Recently, I gave my colleague a book on empathy by Anita Nowak, a professor [de McGill] that we know well here, Purposeful Empathy.
Do you have a favorite item on your desk?
I have a little orange enamel star that reminds me of the sun. It comes from l’Atelier, an NPO which is located in the same building as us. It’s a workshop that has an integration program that allows people with mental health problems to make craft objects.
What advice are you glad you ignored?
My dad wanted me to study genetics. He believed there was a lot of future in that, with biotechnology. The impact of my work is different. There are impacts on people in both cases, but I couldn’t imagine having a career in science.
What are your best and worst habits?
My best habit is to listen. I am a listener rather than a talker. My worst is procrastination. I procrastinate. I need adrenaline to function. I have a deadline.
Do you have a mantra?
In India [où est née Indu Krishnamurthy], a mantra is a word in Sanskrit that is like a prayer. It is believed that when you repeat a mantra, you become stronger. My short mantra is “Om”. Just the act of saying “Om” brings us back to our breath. It brings us into the present moment. For my long mantra, when I have a little more time, I repeat the “Gayatri Mantra”. My aunt told me that it was a mantra for men and that women should not use it. Too powerful. In this prayer, we address the sun which has been shining for thousands of years on the earth, in the sky and on souls. We meditate so that the radiant sacred light illuminates our intellect. Like the sun.
What do you do to congratulate or thank someone?
I am sincere. I say thank you, looking him in the eyes.
Who is Indu Krishnamurthy?
General Director of Microcredit Montreal since 2017, Indu Krishnamurthy has worked in the organization for around fifteen years – she started there as a volunteer.
Microcredit Montréal offers financing to businesses or business projects as well as to professionals trained abroad who find it difficult to obtain through traditional networks.
Last year, around thirty immigrant professionals benefited from loans, as well as around fifty companies, two-thirds of which had women as managers. Microcredit Montréal also offers support, including entrepreneurship training dedicated to women.