Business Success Stories  

VSS Mani lacked both financial resources and prior business expertise. However, his determination and passion were his greatest assets. After experiencing two consecutive business failures, VSS Mani took up an office job. While working at a company that dealt with yellow pages and phone directories, VSS Mani got the idea for Just Dial. The valuation of Just Dial in 2007 was Rs 4,000 crore and it grew to Rs 6,000 crore in 2013.

Kuldeep Singh Rathi, the Managing Director and Chairman of ASK Automotive Limited, appeared for UPSC exams to fulfil his father’s wish. After working as a deputy SP for a few years, he quit his job and worked as a contractor in CPWD. In 1988, he established his own company and today, he makes profits in crores.

Kunwer Sachdev, the founder of Su-Kam company, began his journey with hardships but he never gave up. He sold pens door to door and in buses to support his education expenses. Kunwer Sachdev made the decision to leave his job and established Su-Kam Communication System. The company is valued at Rs 2300 crore.

Tapsi Upadhyay is pursuing a B Tech degree in computer science from IITM Janakpuri. She is the eldest among her three siblings. In her class 12, she offered tuition classes to earn pocket money. After experiencing food poisoning a couple of times, she made the decision to open her own food stall. Today, she operates approximately 20 stalls across the country.

The founder of Zoho Corporation, Sridhar Vembu, had humble beginnings, and yet, with sheer hardwork, he managed to establish a business empire. According to Forbes, Sridhar Vembu’s net worth is around Rs 39,000 crore.

Jayshree V Ullal is the CEO and President of Arista Networks. Her assets are more than the combined assets of CEOs like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella. Her total net worth is Rs 28,000 crore as of 12 October 2023. Forbes included her in America’s self-made top four richest women.

Sandeep Engineer is the owner of the company Astral Pipes. He had no background in business and failed in the implementation of his first two business ideas. Today, according to Forbes, he is counted among top 100 richest people from India. His company has a value of Rs 27,893 crore.

Chandresh Bayad had a difficult childhood and despite everything, he single-handedly worked towards making his life better. He received education from Cyprus and returned to India to establish his own tea business. Today, he operates 75 outlets across the country and plans to expand his business to the US, UK and Thailand.

Balwant Parekh studied law with no intention of becoming a lawyer. He had better plans of bringing his life of poverty to an end. With his unmatched ability to work professionally with German companies, he established Pidilite and became the Fevicol man.

Kerala’s MA Yusuff Ali is India’s 35^th richest man. He gained immense knowledge about the business world by working in countries like Singapore, Australia, and Bangkok. At the age of 34, he opened his first store in Dubai. Today, his company has a turnover of Rs 66,000 crore.

Jharkhand’s Kamdev Pan received his education from local villages and colleges. His fascination with science and technology inspired him to launch his own brand of e-bikes. He manufactures e-bikes and sells them all over the country. Currently, he is working on his dream project of building a drone car.

Raipur’s Durga Devi has been making lac bangles for the last 20 years. She learned the skills from her in-laws and felt inspired to take up the work seriously. Today, Durga is a self-made independent woman who supports her family financially by making around Rs 70,000 in a month.

Radhakishan Damani, the founder of retail company D-Mart, is the 8^th richest person in the country. He launched his business with an investment of Rs 5,000 and today his company is worth Rs 1.44 lakh crore. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, (deceased) business tycoon, considered Radhakishan Damani as his guru in the stock market.

While doing his engineering, Ajmer’s Shobhit Soni came up with the idea of building a company for making kulhad glasses. He has around 42 plants all over the country and earns in lakhs.

Rajesh Mehta acquired his business skills from his father who was involved in jewellery business. With an investment of Rs 10,000, Rajesh launched his business and transformed into a Rs 13,800 crore establishment. He is the Executive Chairman of his company Rajesh Exports Limited.