Joining the paint industry as a frontline worker, Srivaatsan rose to head of sales in a top company. With 40 years of experience in the field, Vijayaraghavan's biggest achievements are his accessibility, gratitude, and the satisfaction he gets from contributing to others' success. He believes that there is no shortcut to success and that life is a series of events.

Srivaatsan K Vijayaraghavan is the Executive Vice President- Sales at JSW Paints Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai. He spent 32 years in Asian Paints before joining JSW Paints in 2018.

As the head of sales, his primary task is to oversee sales of the company’s products over the entire country, and for which he has teams operating all around the country. They also interact with the customers, merchants and contractors in order to promote the brand.

Srivaatsan K Vijayaraghavan describes how he started in the paint industry in 1987 as a frontline worker (salesman) and worked his way up through the sales ranks. He rose to the position of Head of Sales at Asian Paints, which he attributes to his commitment and hard work. He believes there is no shortcut to success.

Reflecting on his achievements, Vijayaraghavan states that he has advanced professionally in terms of positions, rising from the front line to the highest position in Asian Paints. According to him, his greatest accomplishments are when he speaks with people and they say he is extremely approachable, when they thank him when they achieve success, and when he receives a message on Guru Purnima or Teachers' Day. This makes him really happy and satisfied. He feels that the happiness he gets from helping in the success of others is his greatest accomplishment.

Vijayaraghavan grew up in Hyderabad from 1966 to 1987, after his father relocated to the city when Vijayaraghavan was six months old. He completed his studies there, and, back then, loved cricket. When he was in fifth grade, he played cricket for his colony, and then for his school and college. But when the time came to pick between cricket and studies, he chose academics.

Later, when he was in the eleventh class in school, over the holidays, he was given the opportunity to work for a corporation as a demand generation salesperson. He used to go out to do cold calling for a firm that sold computers. He liked the entire experience of attending, conversing, and meeting new people, and continued to do it throughout his annual vacations until his graduation. That was his introduction to sales.

Even earlier, when he was in fifth grade, his father took over the distribution of crackers, and so he went door-to-door in his colony to distribute order forms, collect orders, and then deliver the crackers. This triggered his interest in sales, and also laid down the foundation for his future career in sales.

Recalling his youth, Srivaatsan shares that he studied at Vidyodaya High School in Hyderabad. He then completed his pre-degree (11th and 12th grade) at St. Anthony's Junior College and then did a BSc in Electronics from Pragati Mahavidyalaya in Hyderabad. He cherished every second of his studies. When Electronics was initially introduced in his institution in 1984, he was among the first to opt for the subject.

In terms of role models, Vijayaraghavan looks up to his father, who died in 1998 and was much mourned. He learnt a lot from his father's life. His father was utterly clear about what was acceptable in life, and there were no excesses or shortcomings for him. His father raised him and his brother properly which forced him to work for two separate organisations: for newspaper agencies in the mornings and for the Railways throughout the day, because wages were quite low at that time. He too lives by his father's principles, which his children also follow.

Furthermore, his father used to say that he was leaving them with no assets but also with no liabilities or obligations. His emphasis was on educating his children so that they may have a fulfilling life. His father's ideals have persisted with him, and he considers him a role model. He also admires Rahul Dravid, the former Indian cricket team coach, for his hard work and dedication, since nothing in his life came easy and he had to work extremely hard to attain his goals.

The expression "Life is a series of events, and we move from one to the next" inspires him, and he has also lived life in the same way. He thinks that every day is a sequence of events, and that each occasion requires you to give your best self. He tells everyone to plan ahead of time, arrive at your work on time, and always offer your all. There will always be people’s comments after every event,  and you should accept the feedback gracefully to enhance your abilities, but never think that you should have been better prepared for this. He believes in daily self-improvement, which greatly benefits him.

Speaking about his struggles, Srivaatsan K Vijayaraghavan says he believes that they taught him a lot. When he entered the sales profession, he had no understanding of accounting and commerce due to his science background, but he worked hard to comprehend the concepts and then performed his duties. Second, when he acquired a job in Karnataka in Bangalore, he had to learn the Kannada language, which was his greatest hurdle. To overcome this obstacle, he would watch Kannada films and then go to the market to converse with traders in that language.

Furthermore, he claims that as his career progressed, he had to fight at each step because he did not have any professional degrees, such as an MBA, and had acquired everything via experience. He also reads a lot and has accumulated numerous books over the previous 20 years. He still reads one or two novels every month. He encouraged himself to read a lot. So, at each stage of his life, he would struggle, then take up and flourish. He always did his best, which helped him identify what skills he needed, so he put 10% of his annual earnings in self-education and attended seminars and training sessions. In addition to the company's training programs, he completed many courses on his own.

He advises the new aspirants that while jobs are becoming redundant in today's society, the sales job will never become obsolete since there will always be goods to sell, and the salespersons will never lose their jobs. Secondly, he cautions that in order to work in sales, you must have a natural ability to interact with others. If you like working and connecting with people, as well as providing services, you can pursue a career in this industry. He feels that selling essentially involves assisting others in finding answers. If you can approach marketing in this way, you will undoubtedly have a pleasant and fulfilling experience.

Raghavan advises the youth that India offers several opportunities and is one of the finest countries to live in. He tells everyone to always follow their hearts in order to maintain excellent health and peace of mind. If you can combine your passion with your profession, that is ideal. He believes that in today's world, careers in any sector are attainable; all that is necessary is to be the greatest at what you do. He quotes Rahul Dravid. "I don't want to be another batsman in the cricket world, I want to do something which people remember me for."

In addition, he believes that at the end of the day, it is critical to recognise that there are four aspects that make people happy: what you do for yourself, what you do for your immediate family, what you do for those who have supported you, and lastly, what you do for society. If you have worked on all four dimensions, then whenever you will  look back before dying, you will be immensely pleased and content.

Finally, Vijayaraghavan narrates the incident as told by a youngster who encountered Narayana Murthi on a flight and asked him why he was flying in Economy rather than Business class. Narayana Murthi replied that it didn’t matter because the aeroplane would land at the same location and time for each class. The youngster further asked him whether he had any regrets in his life, and he said that he regretted not paying attention to his health.

Vijayaraghavan also feels that it is crucial to be health conscious and recommends that you spend an hour every day performing physical activities that you enjoy throughout your formative years. He believes that if you want to be able to stand on your own two feet at the age of 50 or 60, you must begin exercising early.