Nishtha is helping people assimilate into Singapore life through basic communication with her business Bizlang Communications. She offers customised language courses to people from all walks of life.
What’s your story?
I am the founder and director of Bizlang Communications. Born and raised in Delhi, India. I was educated in France where I studied marketing and communications. During my university days in France, I taught English to people from different professions.
After a stint of two years with the Airbus Group in Delhi, I moved to Singapore and met lots of Francophones in my social circle and learnt that lack of fluency in English is a hindrance for many French speaking people to assimilate and enjoy Singapore. Besides this, due to time and sometimes financial constraints, many professionals and housewives find it hard to commute to English language centres. Bizlang provides them a trainer at their doorstep for their convenience. Thanks to my bilingual skills, I started receiving requests to conduct business English and conversation classes with corporates.
My husband, who is French, motivated me to turn my passion into business. And.. voila! Bizlang was born in 2015 and in a short span of 8 months, we have grown five-fold.
What excites you most about your industry?
The ability to communicate your thoughts and articulate them into words is basic yet so important. Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read and write and years learning how to speak. The fact that I play a small role in helping people communicate better is the most exciting part of my work. That, and of course, meeting people from eclectic walks of life.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I was born and raised in India. The last two years in Singapore have been amazing. It’s a brilliant mix of first class modern infrastructure and Asian values. A melting pot of so many cultures, Singapore truly is reflective of the best Asia can offer. 
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Bizlang’s scope of operations is currently focused in Singapore. So far so good! In terms of ease of starting a business and smoothness of operations, everything works like clockwork. Can’t complain!
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” This is from one of the seven habits of highly effective people by Steven Covey. I have learned that most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand.
Who inspires you?
There is no one particular person that inspires me, per se. I draw inspiration from ideas, people and places. One notable mention would be Sheryl Sandberg (COO Facebook) who wrote ‘Lean In.’ I identify a lot with her stance on women to assert themselves more in work situations confidently and lean in to gain leadership positions.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Since I have always wanted to learn Mandarin, I devote two hours per week to learning Chinese. One interesting fact I recently learnt about is that there are 50,000 characters in the Chinese language. You’ll need to know about 2,000 to read a newspaper!
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Overall, I am pleased with the way things are turning out for Bizlang which has purely grown from word of mouth and personal recommendations. Looking back, anticipating the high demand, perhaps I should have proactively hired and trained some personnel to help me out in my courses.
How do you unwind?
I do yoga and exercise and love to travel. South-East Asia offers an endless variety of destinations. I have also started practicing mindfulness meditation, which helps me refine my thinking process.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Bali! The most exotic of places is just a stone’s throw from Singapore. Best food, beaches and culture. All on one platter.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
Shameless plug for your business:
Don’t let anything hold you back from excelling in social and business situations. Bizlang will help you customize a language course and reach your language learning goals efficiently, sustainably and at your own pace!
How can people connect with you?
via my website – www.bizlang.net
or my Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/bizlangcom
Twitter handle?
Coming up soon!
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This interview was part of the Callum Connect’s column found on The Asian Entrepreneur:
Callum Laing invests and buys small businesses in a range of industries around Asia. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is the founder & owner of Fitness-Buffet a company delivering employee wellness solutions in 12 countries. He is a Director of, amongst others, Key Person of Influence. A 40 week training program for business owners and executives.
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