Explore the inspiring journey of IIT graduate Arunabh Sinha, who left a Rs 1 crore job to establish a successful laundry business.
You may have come across names like MBA Chaiwala and BTech Panipuriwala on social media, whose videos frequently go viral. Today, let's read about the remarkably story of IIT Laundrywala. Arunabh Sinha, an inspiring entrepreneur, built a successful business through laundry services, leaving behind a job with an annual salary of Rs 1 crore to embark on this journey. The story of Arunabh Sinha, founder of Uclean, serves as an inspiring example for the youth.
Background
In the 1990s, Arunabh Sinha's family faced severe financial struggles; they couldn't even afford a tape recorder. For a boy from such humble beginnings, getting into IIT seemed like an impossible dream. Everything changed when someone from Jamshedpur successfully passed the IIT entrance exam, and their name was featured in the newspaper. Inspired by this achievement, Arunabh set his sights on studying at IIT. He lived in Dimna village, located 10 km from Jamshedpur, where basic amenities were lacking. His aspiration was to move his family from the village to the city, but during his time at IIT Bombay, he discovered that the world was much larger than he had imagined.
Early ventures
Before founding Uclean, Arunabh Sinha launched a startup called Franglobal, which assisted international companies in entering the Indian market. Starting in 2010, he frequently travelled to Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where he observed significant transformations in the laundry business. Traditionally, laundry was handled by local washermen (dhobis), but he noticed the emergence of small laundry stores during his visits. This inspired him to consider starting a similar laundry business in India. In 2015, Arunabh sold Franglobal to his investor and took on the role of North India Business Head for Treebo Hotels.
Laundry business
In his role at Treebo Hotels, Arunabh Sinha focused on hotel marketing and soon discovered that around 60% of guest complaints were related to laundry, particularly concerning dirty bedsheets and towels. While conducting market research to address this issue, he uncovered that the laundry sector was a vast, unorganized industry worth approximately $35-40 billion. Recognizing a significant opportunity in this market, Arunabh made the bold decision to leave his lucrative Rs 1 crore annual salary at Treebo Hotels after about 15 months to pursue his vision for a laundry business.
Launching the business
With the support of his wife, Gunjan Taneja, Arunabh launched his own laundry business, Uclean. They opened their first store in Vasant Kunj, Delhi, featuring glass doors that displayed large laundry machines, which quickly attracted customers. As word spread, orders began to pour in. They also developed the Uclean app, a website, and a call center to enhance customer service. Today, Uclean operates in 155 cities, serving 30,000 customers. The business has expanded beyond India, with stores in every state, two locations in Nepal, and one in Bangladesh. Interestingly, while the company itself owns only one store, it has successfully franchised over 500 locations.
Achieving success
Uclean prides itself on creating employment opportunities and has partnered with various NGOs in states such as Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. The company hires and trains individuals, offering jobs at their stores with decent salaries. In just two years, Uclean has successfully provided job opportunities to over 250 people. Launched in 2017, this startup has grown into more than Rs 100 crore business within eight years.
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