Sunday, February 8, 2015

"Joining Family Business @ Early Age"

 It is a general opinion that  kids with thriving family businesses have a comfortable ride in life. But that is not always the case. Working with your family member has its own set of problem and limitations.


In Year 1999, When I was 13 years old and in standard 7th like any other teenage boy, cars have always been one of the major attractions in my life. And being surrounded with automobiles since birth it has taken this interests into a new heights. We used to have dealerships of 2 wheelers, 3 wheelers, cars, trucks, jeeps, tractors etc. and with such wide variety of machines at my disposal my fascination grew into an obsession.


Unlike my friends my after school activities changed from cricket and badminton to hanging out with my elder brother and my uncle in our dealerships. Being given a firsthand knowledge of the latest in bikes, cars and technology gave me a advantage over other kids my age who could only talk about comics, sports and movies.


I convinced some of our workshop staff to take me out to learn how to ride a Moped on our family property and soon a 4 wheeler. I felt  like a fish that doesn’t need any training for swimming , it came naturally to me. I was riding mopeds and bikes and cars within a year and felt that now that I can drive I can do anything in life. It wasn't all that as I soon realised, after a  small and one major accident, and my family's knowledge of my extracurricular activities, I became very cautious, but it was all part of the learning process.


In the Year 2000, Destiny has some other plans for Me. Due to some unavoidable circumstances myfather and uncle went their separate ways and my father being the chief promoter got a huge responsibility of running the entire business alone. Both me and brother had this sudden sense of growing up and filling my uncle's space. We were itching to prove that we were worthy. I felt that ishould help him, what was a hobby for me become a duty and religion. Both of us started going to office regularly after school hours and started taking responsibilities in whatever way we can. Despite of the fact that our father was very uncomfortable that were coming to work, and that we should be devoting more time in studies. We started giving more time and taking active role in business. I started looking after the two wheeler dealership and my elder brother after the tractor business. As i had some knowledge about the technical aspects of the bikes I started communicating with customers who visited the showroom and started selling bikes. Once when I heard office mangers discussing that this particular model is not selling. I took an initiative to display and demonstrate that model to the customers and with the support of the senior staff we managed to sell a few. This changed their attitude just from indulging me as the boss's kid to someone who had some potential.


Few months with this work I realized that we didn’t have enough snazzy accessories and with my father permission, I set a small boutique for the same after procuring the items through a 3rd party vendor whose reference I got through a local shop.

My first solo venture was a huge success as I learned by practically working :

1)Customer Handling 

2)Sales Closure 

3)Purchase Planning 

4)Inventory & FILO

5)Vendor Management 

6)Cash Flow

7)Pricing & Negotiating  

8)Staff Handling 

9)Responbilities

 

Within 2 years I was given charge of handling the 2 wheeler dealership (Hero Honda Motors Ltd) . It was extremely satisfactory for me, when my father recognized the increase in sales and customer satisfaction. This motivated me to be more engaged with the staff and With my new confidence I made them aware of drawbacks and discussed new strategy planning.


By the time I was in Grade 11th I was the sole in-chargeof two dealerships (Hero Honda & Hyundai Cars) . All I had to do is find a way to communicate to the management and balance my studies and work. Which I was successfully able to because my father owned the business and I knew in and out of it. It was in my blood. Being the third generation in a family of auto dealers , I felt it was my destiny to follow in their footsteps. I was so young that our customers used to get shocked at times and also pleased with my knowledge. Reminiscing about those days always brings a smile to my face.

Things started rolling and i got more and more involved ,but as my father has always been very determined about our education I was forced to leave for my higher studies.


But I remained in touch with my staff throughout and despite of my prolonged absence they continued to perform well. I remember rushing back on my breaks whenever I could. It paid off. My determination was rewarded when I joined back again after 4 years , I was been given more authority and  responsibility in the business.

Since then I have expanded in : 


1) 2 New Dealerships (Mahindra & Navistar Trucks).


2) Education Sector.


3) Finance Company (Auto Loan).


4) Insurance Brokerage Company.


5) Centralized Call Centre For Group Services & Promotions.


6) Managing a NGO for Social Welfare.


7) Co-Founder In Media Company (Daily Hindi Newspaper).


8) Co-Founder In Mining Company (Mining Of Minerals).


9) IT/ERP Implementation Across Group.

 

I have always believed in the saying: “The Champion Of Working Man Is Never Yet Been Known To Die Of Over Work”

 

 

 


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