Recently a resident of Penticton, Priya Sachdeva was born in Delhi, India, surrounded by love – and discipline. Her passion for life is infectious and she is making the most of her first few months here by exploring all that the region has to offer.
Her enthusiasm is strategic and she acknowledges that her full commitment to an adventurous life ties back to the way in which she was raised.
“I grew up as an absolutely pampered child because I was the only daughter after two generations of sons – there were no girls in my grandfather’s and my father’s families. However, I was very strictly disciplined, even more than the boys in the family. They wanted me to be independent,” says Priya.
“I remember how I missed my school bus on the day of a test. The school was about 40 minutes away from my house. I asked my grandfather to drive me but he responded that if the test was important to me, I wouldn’t have missed the bus. Since then, I have never missed a bus. And neither did my son.”
Today, Priya is a distinguished B2B consultant in the field of sales. She accredits this to her experience that comes from ‘failures’.
“To deliver 250 projects, I had to make proposals to 1,000 businesses and was able to learn from them,” adds Priya with laughter.
Her expertise was acknowledged by high-caliber corporations that she worked with, such as Miller Heiman, Ernst and Young, Wells Fargo Bank, GE, and KPMG. She has also been recognized as one of the most influential women of the year and a promising CEO.
Running a consulting business
Priya is very passionate about giving strategic importance to sales, equipping young professionals with functional skills in this field, and helping women explore rewarding career options. Now she is a proud resident of Penticton where she has established her consulting business Sprouting Shoots in Penticton.
After a 30-year career in sales, Priya was ready for change. Her son, Ankit, moved to Canada seven years ago and became a Canadian citizen.
“Should I move to Canada to be close to my son and witness his life milestones, or should I stay in India and continue my life as it was?" she asked herself.
About the PNP Program
The answer came through the BC Provincial Nominee Program’s Regional Pilot in Penticton. This immigration stream is for experienced entrepreneurs who are ready to invest in and actively manage a business in B.C. Participating municipalities in this program are required to identify 3 priority industry sectors where they wish to see entrepreneur investment.
In Penticton, those were Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, Food Manufacturing, and Motion Picture and Recording Industries. Interested applicants request an exploratory visit to acquaint themselves with the community and to make valuable professional connections. The program is a matching process, where both applicant and community provide approvals to move forward with a recommendation for the application to be considered. At that point, the application moves into the hands of Immigration Canada. While the pandemic created barriers to relocation for approved immigrants, Penticton has now seen five entrepreneurs relocate their families and start their businesses here in our community.
“I am truly blessed”
“It’s been a fun ride. Absolutely no complaints about how life has been. I am truly blessed. Life was shaped by default choices as I often don’t know what I want but I always know what I don’t want. And then life takes its course. I am a big believer in fate and the fact that there is someone there who has a plan. I often tell myself and others: If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans,” shares Priya.
Priya didn’t want to live in a big city anymore. She wanted to be in a community where she would feel that she belonged.
“Penticton was a good choice for me," Priya admits. “It is an inclusive community. I started making connections right away and everyone was very kind to me and supportive. The week after I arrived, I attended the Penticton Women in Business luncheon, and now am a part of that group. Penticton Chamber of Commerce has been very helpful in guiding me on what kind of businesses are out there, and how to reach out to them. Cowork has been very welcoming – I am there every Friday for a “Beer o’ clock”. South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) has helped me with driving lessons. Already, when I walk on the streets, people say “hi” to me.”
During her exploratory visits before she moved to Canada, Priya collected data and identified gaps that she could address through her business. She noticed many recent graduates are struggling to find well-paid jobs. Meanwhile, companies keep advertising highly paid positions. By partnering with colleges and universities to offer training on functional skills, Priya hopes to help recent graduates land better paying jobs and pay off their student loans much sooner.
“My other target group are women, who took a back seat during the pandemic, leaving their jobs to take care of their children due to decreased daycare and playdates. Now they struggle to get back: feeling guilt, questioning themselves. I want to support them on their journey of rediscovering their career options,” adds Priya.
Peer networking and learning group
Currently, Sprouting Shoots is investing time in learning about the local market, meeting with wineries, professional services companies, and other businesses to understand the needs. Priya is confident that her experience will help local small and medium businesses respond to challenges. On February 28, she is launching a peer networking and learning group for sales and marketing professionals here in Penticton. Hosted at Cowork Penticton, she hopes this group will grow into a monthly meetup.
During her free time, Priya enjoys CrossFit, hiking and trekking. She writes poems and has recently published her first collection of poems. She blogs on her X account, “Jill of All”, and shares sales tactics on her podcast “Street Wisdom.” She loves cooking and sharing her culture through food with her new friends in Penticton.
“The biggest learning in the process of immigration is patience. There are days when nothing is happening and days when everything happens at once. The important thing is to ask for help – get out and talk to people, you will get more ideas. There is more strength in two people looking for an answer than one person trying to do it on their own. Everyone has been so helpful and welcoming. I’ve been here for less than six months but I feel like I belong here. This little town of mine…”
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This profile is a part of the Community Champions campaign of the South Okanagan-Similkameen Local Immigration Partnership (SOSLIP). The Partnership project is led by the South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS), which provides a range of services for newcomers to the region. This article, written by Elmira Galiyeva, was previously published on Castanet. Some updates have been made since original publishing.