From rags to riches, a business success story

Philani Sola was raised in poverty, but instead of allowing that to affect him, he made a vow not to subject his own family to the same situation. Now, he is a successful businessman, both here and in his homeland.

 

Philani Sola, the owner of a successful catering training school in South Africa.

“I know what it means to have nothing of your own,” he said. “As a boy, I took my situation to be an inspiration of how not to live life and it has helped.”

After an under-privileged beginning restricted his academic life to the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate, the Plumtree-born Sola migrated to South Africa in 1980, at 20-years-old. He was employed in various restaurants and hotels – first as a cleaner and then as a waiter, developing affection for a trade that would later shape his life.

“I learnt many things in the trade, which later became a part of my life. I really liked the food and service aspect of it and felt lonely when I did not go to work.”

Then misfortune struck.

“I got involved in a nasty car accident in 1999, which left me badly injured. As a result, I could not continue to work and that really hurt me. I had to find something to do.”
After his full recovery, he bought a vehicle and began a goods carrier – Malayisha, but that did not last. With no passion for the job, he wanted to return to his first love, the hospitality industry.

Inkeldon Catering

In 2005, Sola launched Inkeldon Catering, a company that trains waiters and barmen and hires them out for major events. The company currently has hundreds of employees.

“I am now a respected man in the industry here and the company is one of the most sought-after because of its professional service,” said Sola. “We have had clients in high places and provided service to some well-known guests, who I cannot disclose, but I am a happy man.”

He provided a simple recipe for success: hard work, following your dream and believing in yourself, however the odds are stacked.

With big plans for his homeland, the businessman has already bought a cocktail bar, and eating house in Kezi, Matabeleland South, where he is also building a shop.

“My businesses are all high quality, judging by Zimbabwean standards, but I cannot sit back and say I have done enough. I still have big plans for that community, which has been very supportive of me since my childhood. My other dream is to build a big shopping mall in Bulawayo, which will be the size of Nkulumane Complex.”

He also had a message for the youth. “My advice is that they should not set targets that are easily achievable, but those that are only achievable with the greatest effort. They should remember that the world only makes way for those who know where they are going.”

Source: thezimbabwean.co.uk

Creating opportunities

Sk Abdus Samad of Bankura district has become a role model for those who are not afraid of hardships and dare to dream big
Sk Abdus Samad could not study beyond middle school because he could not afford it. Son of a poor school teacher at Rasulpur in Bankura district of West Bengal, Samad started managing a small grocery shop set up by his father to feed his family members.
While in business, he was advised to join Entrepreneurship Development Course for six weeks in 2002, organised by NABARD at Somsar, Bankura.
After the training, Samad realised that growth in Rasulpur and its surroundings offered a good demand for different varieties of paddy, potato and oil seeds. After market survey, he decided to start a unit to make jute bags. He later submitted a business plan of setting up a seed manufacturing farm and the bank sanctioned him a loan of Rs 10 lakh.
Now, 35-year-old Samad owns two seed farms - Kaveri Seeds and Kalyani Seed Farm - having an annual turnover of nearly Rs10 crore. More than 200 families are directly or indirectly benefited from his enterprise.
Addressing a national seminar on Skill Development organised by American India Foundation and National Skill Development Corporation in August, former President Dr AP J Abdul Kalam had referred to rags to riches story of Samad.
“This case highlights two unique aspects which be critical for development of all sections of society— first, we need to create job generators like Samad who could generate multiple employment opportunities for the deprived and second, entrepreneurship incubation institutions need to be developed all over India and developing world,” Dr Kalam had said at the seminar.
“I was never interested in taking up a job. I wanted to set something of my own,” says Samad who employs about 260 workers. He has plans to promote his business in neighbouring states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa and also in the neighboring country Nepal.
He has also plans to set up B Ed college and Primary Teachers Training Institute to help rural people of Bankura. Moreover, locals also see him as someone who holds blood donation camps, marriages for poor girls in the locality besides several other social works.

Wealth from waste

They are the perfect yin and yang couple. He strategises, she executes. He manages international business; she looks after the home. His dream is to manage a global business; she is happy clicking away pictures of her children on her Nikon. He is a workaholic, she is perfect balance. He is calm, she is fun. He is not brand conscious, she loves her Chopards. He is reserved, she is popular in the social circles.

Pankaj and Vibha Chowdhary are no ordinary couple. Touching a turnover of UK Sterling 12 million in a mere five years is not easy for anyone. Especially not if you are making a business out of collecting and recycling waste. No wonder their business slogan is Wealth from Waste.
Reliance fibres was able to ride the wave of environmental concerns as the paper industry moved from using traditional pulp as the raw material to recycled paper. The concept being very strong in the West and catching up in the East very fast.
After a commerce degree from Calcutta University, Pankaj dabbled in chemical trading but soon got bored. He had greener pastures in mind and then came up with the idea of buying waste paper from UK suppliers, consolidating his supplies and selling to paper factories all over the world.
When he arrived at Golders Green in 2004, all he managed to garner was an office space from a friend and a loan of $50,000 from his father. Having left his wife and two children behind in India, he started building on his dreams. “When you are up against a wall, you have no choice but to climb”, he says.
Just like any other rags to riches story, his too had setbacks, unscrupulous suppliers and more hardships than he had envisaged. He remains humble “We are very small players in a very large market — however our USP is that we are India market specialists for recovered paper as we understand the requirements and psyche of our buyers in India better than most others in this trade.”
Fast forward to now. He has a comfortable home. With wife and children now by his side. And a turnover which brings a smile to his face.

Source:asianage.com

Growing with Dubai: Rags to riches story

In Dubai for the last 40 years, this entrepreneur thanks his dream city for giving him a home and a successful career

• Kannaiyan Shankar outside his own restaurant — Radhe o Radhe — in Karama.

Kannaiyan Shankar landed in Dubai from Chennai, India, on his mother's passport in 1971. He was only two years old and the UAE's formation was still a few months away. Forty years on, his story is one of rags to riches - a self-made man whose success story is set alongside Dubai's rise to global prominence.

Shankar's father, a lawyer in India, came to Dubai in 1971 in search of a better future. Without a licence to practise here, he ended up working for an Iranian businessman and later joined Mitsubishi as business manager.
Shankar has seen Dubai's rapid transformation, as they moved homes from their Arabic-style villa in Deira to Shaikh Rashid Colony in Satwa. He saw the World Trade Centre (WTC) building standing alone and saw prominent people holding marriage celebrations on the empty ground, which is now Zabeel Park.
"Everyone got invited to these parties. It was a really cool time - the dances, camels and tents, open-air festivities. Dates and food were offered to the public. I still miss those moments," he said. He also remembers jumping over huge rocks to get to the shore when crossing between Bur Dubai and Deira in a water taxi called ‘abra'. Today, as he rides the Metro, Shankar marvels at Dubai's unbelievable growth story.
After completing his secondary education at The Indian High School Dubai in 1988, Shankar began his career at the age of 18. He also attended evening classes to complete his diploma in Computer Science at the UK-affiliated Datamation Systems Institute for three years. In between, he fell in love with Berne, his Sri Lankan secretary at the trading company Nia, whom he married in 1995 after six years of convincing their parents, who were reluctant to bless the union due to differences in language, culture, country and creed.
Shankar ventured into socks manufacturing in India and formed an overseas office in Dubai in 1995. Within 18 months of opening this company, he went broke.
It was an expensive lesson, but one learnt well. In 1997, he diversified into the apparel and accessories business, forming Silver Pearls Packaging Services LLC. Success came as he roped in Disney, Barbie, and Levis brands in certain countries.

Today, he also caters to leading hypermarkets all over the Middle East from his office-cum-warehouse in Al Ghusais. He has also formed Earth Care Systems, a green homes company based in Bengaluru, India, in partnership with C.N. Srikrishna, his yoga guru.

In Dubai, he is at home in Karama and still hangs out there with this buddies. "Karama is a complete community."
In 2010, Shankar gave wings to his childhood dream of having his own restaurant, by opening Radhe o Radhe, a vegetarian outlet in Karama, with a business partner. The restaurant has two branches in Dubai, with a couple more in the pipeline. It's all about balance, says Shankar on his key to success. "My wife and two wonderful children have given me complete support in all my ventures.
"Dubai is a dream city for me. I'm lucky I've found what I love doing here and thank Dubai for being a part of my journey. Failures were just my stepping stones."
Car count
There were just 13 cars in Dubai in 1968. Now there is one car for every two residents.

Source: http://gulfnews.com