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Raveen Sandhu on Putting People First

By Raveen Sandhu

Owner of Domestic Angels

With the opening of the Southampton East franchise of Domestic Angels, Raveen Sandhu’s people-focused personality is reaching a fresh audience.

Raveen’s multinational career has been grounded upon the foundations of hard work and putting people first. Initially working as an advertising executive for Newsquest, Raveen was then part of the original management team for Primark Europe. A role that saw her live and work in Spain, Germany, and Italy, becoming multilingual, and pioneering the processes that delivered the brand’s European expansion.

Having returned to Southampton in 2018, Raveen worked alongside her father whilst also teaching English as a foreign language, and now Raveen is applying her pioneering spirit and people-centric values to running her own domestic cleaning and home help business.

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What's your motivator?

Paying attention to people is something so simple, but it’s so vital in everything we do.

I think in life, we've truly forgotten how to recognise other people and pay attention to them. Everybody matters, and it's not a throwaway line.

I’ve travelled and worked with thousands of colleagues all around the world in a huge operation at Primark and the reason why I was successful with my teams is because I valued every single person. I was working in stores with up to 500 people. I knew everybody by name.

I genuinely put people first in everything that I do. I had a customer hug me last week when I visited them which was lovely. For customers to put their trust in me is a real privilege, I'm very humbled to be in their home.

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What is a proud memory of yours?

A significant chapter of my life was dedicated to working at Primark. I went all in, and I learned so much.

I stuck at it and was resilient. With experience, I got to the point where I became wise enough to put protocols in place to maximise revenue and productivity

By the time we opened the Italian market, I was a veteran and influenced the planning and operations. It was a huge accolade and I certainly worked for it!

What’s one lesson you’ve learned?

Something that’s always been in my heart from the beginning – no matter what I’ve experienced, what job title I’ve had, or if I’ve worked for a small company or a large company – is that the way to success is about how you treat people.

You get to a point in life where you’ve absorbed all the good work practices that you’ve observed, you’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and you go forward with what you know works which is treating everybody well.

I’m incredibly old-fashioned when it comes to simple manners, especially having lived in countries in Europe where they still have traditions, greetings, and ways of being that we should bring back to our country.

"Something that’s always been in my heart from the beginning is that the way to success is about how you treat people."

Raveen Sandhu, Owner of Domestic Angels

What’s your favourite place in the world?

I couldn’t choose just one. I’ve learned valuable lessons from all the cultures and places that I’ve lived.

I learned the languages of where I was living because that’s the only way to truly integrate. There’s so much respect given by doing it, and it’s a whole new world.

What’s on your bucket list?

I’m really focused on getting my business up and running. I want to be receptive to all the people around me in my life who have given me advice, and I want to listen and implement that and make this a success. The next chapter is about ‘going for it, supercharging all elements of my life!

"I’ve learned valuable lessons from all the cultures and places that I've lived."

Raveen Sandhu, Owner of Domestic Angels

What’s your go-to way to switch off?

I have a great appreciation for walks. Getting outside and going for a walk in nature does me a world of good. I love walking through the woodlands and by Southampton Water.

Do you have a favourite podcast?

I’m such a podcast girl, I have so many favourites on rotation that now I’ve got analysis paralysis.

I’m into UK and US political podcasts, I love natural health and history podcasts. Billionaire and motivational podcasts are a must! I also listen to podcasts in European languages to keep me in the loop. Now, who can I talk to that matches my fascination with these topics?!

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