Great Companies: Please tell me something about the business and how did you come up with such an idea? Jyoti Dora: 3 years back when I came to Surat, my daughter had taken up to reading like crazy. She would finish entire series of Famous Five, Secret Seven, Harry Potter etc. in a month each...People started noticing both of us in the company of books and started asking what had I done with her that she was so inclined towards books and reading, while their kids were constantly in the company of gadgets. This led me to think if I could do something about it. Being a voracious reader myself, having worked with corporate companies as well as having been an educator, I have good knowledge of books for each age group. I also know that habits are difficult to change once you grow, hence it's better to catch them young. That was when I designed a comprehensive reading program for kids aged 4-14 years and set up Readers Adda. Great Companies: What are the various services and products provided by your company? Jyoti Dora: We provide an annual reading program for kids aged 4-14. In this program we cover, phonics, sight words, word meanings, comprehension, discussion and perspective sharing through stories. The faculties read out stories to young kids so that they could learn the right pronunciations and intonations. Their active listening skills and comprehension skills are enhanced as they answer the questions posed. Their analytical and critical thinking skills are enhanced as the discussion and perspective sharing takes place. Kids are encouraged to read from certain preset series of books, thereby helping them to acquire the much needed vocabulary, while explaining them the meaning of those words to turn them into confident readers for life. Great Companies: Why should one choose you over others in this field? Jyoti Dora: We are the pioneers in this chosen field. It didn't emerge from the need to setup a business, rather from an urge to follow my passion while fulfilling the need of the society at large. Unlike others in the field, we do not address topics like phonics and grammar in isolation. We have an integrated program where every topic is covered in the context of the text being read, hence the context becomes clear for the children.
Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face?
Jyoti Dora: The challenge is to get good faculties who have excellent command over English language. The other challenge is that parents are more focused on academic reading,
They fail to understand the idea of helping kids to develop the interest for reading, which can primarily happen through story books wherein they read for pleasure. Once the habit is built, academic reading becomes a cakewalk.
Great Companies: What do you think are the few main things which are most important for a successful business?
Jyoti Dora: For a business to prosper and become successful, the following ingredients are most essential:
Passion
Conviction
Innovation
Patience
Team
Reach
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