At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the leadership world. As part of this endeavour, we invited Seasoned Entrepreneur – Siddharth Potdar for an exclusive interview with us. He is a Business Leader, Passionate Entrepreneur, Design & Retail Strategist, Mentor, and Founder & Owner of Nirmala Overseas. Let’s learn more about his exciting journey, his background and his advice for our growing community:
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Siddharth:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
Born and bought up in a Joint family of Businessmen. Raised in Indore.
I did my schooling from T. Choithram School and Indore Public School and further pursued Bachelors in Business Administration and Masters in International Business from the reputed Prestige Institute of Management and Research in Indore.
I was a passionate individual from the beginning and always aspired to be one of the youngest achievers by delivering high performance in all walks of life. I took part in major contests and competitions since I was an all-rounder in studies & cultural activities.”
Art, colours, sketches, designs always attracted me. Somehow I knew they will be an integral part of my career. Creating something out of nothing or from the depth of my thoughts gives me unparallel happiness. Combining the ingredients above I landed me with a career-best suited for my capabilities.
Apart from art, I love designing, then be it Fashion, interior or any other aspect related to it. I chose fashion to be the path through which I can express my creativity. I did the job as a Fashion designer and Merchandiser for various companies, But the stint didn’t last more than 2-3 years as I realized I am definitely not suited to do a job.
I began my journey as an entrepreneur in the year 2007 and have never looked back since then, this was one decision I always cherish. Working for your dreams religiously with that fear in your heart for the unknown and the excitement for the anticipated success is mind-blowing.”
Started with designing shirts and manufacturing them in my own production unit, gave me the actual taste of success and failures. What it takes to start a unit and then making sure it runs smoothly….mmmm…nobody can teach you that.
Every Boss has his own strengths, tactics, limitations and negatives. One can’t realise there impact on others or situations without actually using them.
I realised the world was far more competitive than I ever expected and here i don’t have my family name to give me smooth kick start ( By the way I belong to a Business Family who has a reputation of being market leaders for more than 50 years, and so getting your wishes fulfilled in that stream of work is pretty easy).
Nobody knew me, and this guy who has just started new was the best new meat to chew upon. Well, I got chewed upon, beat down, and what not. This grilling which I hated the most during my gestation period, turned out to be my biggest strength today.
Pretty soon Our Firm Nirmala Overseas started Brand POLISH in Mens wear shirts gained a reputation for quality and innovative designs. Orders for various job works started pouring in. This gave us the space we required in the market.
But yet again this turned out to be the stepping stone only, not the destination. We quickly realised there is a huge untapped market which requires serious attention. INDUSTRIAL AND CORPORATE UNIFORMS.
This segment has been ignored and left for the local master or tailors as it has lesser volume than School/College Uniforms and far lesser volume than Readymade Garments.
The line for which I had slogged for more than 6 years was right in front of me and for me to grab. Without wasting time we grabbed the first given opportunity and started the marketing of our services in the near about industrial and commercial areas.
Voila, we hit jackpot instantly. I realised industries were more than fed up with the kind of unprofessional, unethical and uneducated practices prevailing in the market. Corporate wanted somebody like us who can be held responsible for work done, who can understand the actual need of the companies, deliver on time and the understand what quality means.”
We started with 1 company in the first month, by the 3 months we had 9 companies and more order than we can handle. Our work load more than tripled and we placed ourselves as a promising company which can deliver at any cost.
Today Nirmala Overseas is one of the leading company for industrial, corporate, institutional and hospital uniforms. We have more than 60 companies under our belt. From Local customers to national and international clients, Nirmala Overseas has expanded exponentially.
If you talk about industrial uniforms in Indore and nearby regions, Name of Nirmala Overseas will be among the top suppliers.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I chose entrepreneurship because I always wanted to make an impact. I have always been intrigued by entrepreneurship and read success stories of all the successful entrepreneurs. You see – It’s fascinating how you build something from the scratch to build an empire around it and not everyone can do it. It takes a lot of courage, planning, perseverance, hard work, teamwork, combined with good strategy & execution skills.
Thanks to the grilling during my initial days of struggle, I finally take the competition, challenges and criticism head-on. Thus giving me valuable inputs to make the journey a lot easier for me.”
As I said earlier I belong to a Business family, so the grooming to be an entrepreneur started a very young age.
Seeing my Grandfather, Father and Uncles …I learnt how I can be among one of them. Adapting and learning tactics came naturally to me. Formal education in Business chiselled raw edges.”
By the age of 15, I was handling one of the depts. in our Family owned Business and By college 1 year I could manage the whole office independently. Talking to clients, suppliers, staff and labourers was just a daily job.
So being an entrepreneur came naturally to me. That’s why I chose to start my own business, rather than doing a job.
‘Nirmala Overseas’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your start-up?
Nirmala is my Mother’s name. So the name has a special place in my heart.
At Nirmala Overseas we are solving one of the biggest problems in the industrial uniforms sector. How can we furnish industries with the least possible hassle a uniform that is practical for them yet cost-effective.
When we started we saw, uniforms were given to company employees by their superiors who have absolutely zero knowledge of fabrics, stitching or garments. Somebody someday chose something and that became a standard in that industry or company. Nobody knew what to chose or how it has to be delivered.
Under Nirmala Overseas, we solved that problem for companies, after meeting the industry bosses we realised uniforms were the biggest pain any HR or Admin head has to face every year and it’s a very scary job to do.
Because the people who will be wearing these uniforms have to wear it for practically 12 hours a day and so the garment has to be very sturdy, comfortable and practical.
We understood the need for each and every industry separately, searched for the best possible options in fabrics and style for them and presented them with something they have been missing for a very long time. Secondly, value for money. Industries have a set budget for every work and so the work what we wanted to give them has to fit in the predefined budget or should say pre set mind state. With pre set mind state we mean people who have been wearing uniforms for more than 15 -20 years suddenly wouldn’t want to change it or the take our word for it.”
Advising them on something they have been doing all there life, proved very difficult. But we were able to break the ice. We gave them uniforms which suited their day 2-day need and were very practical.
Lastly, getting them to trust our call for their uniforms, we started building our company as a brand of trust, quality, on-time delivery and after-sales service.
Companies who bought uniforms from us knew whom to call in case of any issue, what actions will be taken to solve that problem and who will be in touch with them during the whole process.
The phone was always answered, no matter what. For a compliment or for criticism.
All this led people to believe yes Nirmala Overseas can deliver what they promise and yes work can be done with absolute professionalism with them. And ordering uniforms won’t be such an issue after all.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
As the business halted during COVID, we took a major hit in every depth. Labourers lost, work orders cancelled or delayed. Credit and cash flow disrupted.
But once time permitted we were back in the field and to our surprise people trust us or shud say our company more than ever. We started getting new and better clients who never worked with us before.
Many of the false business practices vanished from the market along with shady business houses. Thus giving us a clean slate to write our success story again.
We have made sure top to bottom safety measures is followed by our labourers as well as staff. Hygiene and health are given priority.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
I’ve learned finally to not compare myself to other successful companies who seem to have it all together. Invariably, things are not always as they seem, and no one has it all together.
I have also learned how important it is to embrace change because, at any given time, you will need to shift strategies due to circumstances beyond your control.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I love my work, and the fact that now my efforts are paying off in every field of my work, it gives me even more confidence and energy to go ahead. Good or bad will come and by now I have learned it. There are no good days or all bad days.
My Family is the driving force for me; they have been there no matter what. So when I do well in my business and I am able to do something for them, it gives me immense pride & joy, happiness and a sense of achievement. This drives me to work harder, make something better, reach for bigger horizons.
Finally, the name earned, when you see your companies name mentioned amongst the top-ranking uniform manufacturers in your region. Nothing can beat that feeling and it fills you with absolute pride and joy.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
1) Courage
2) Knowledge
3) Adaptability
4) Learning
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Not taking “NO” for an answer and there is no plan B ……PERIOD.
In your opinion – what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
In my opinion, A well-thought idea is the only factor responsible for a successful start-up.
When you have everything clear in your mind, it becomes easy to land it on a paper and get it moving.
People will come, the company will start and the ball will move.
An idea which is well thought makes it easy for you to choose the: right people, the right environment to work and the right direction to move ahead.
Everything else is just detail.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
One thing I would say that helped me and my company grow is the ability to listen to our customers. We believe that customers are not interested in products but in getting their problems resolved.
The more we listen to them, the problems they face in their business, the more efficiently and effectively we can resolve them. We believe that we are capable to do that and it is the only reason for our growth.
I have always believed if you want to beat your competition, don’t bother to waste your time on what they are doing or how they are doing. Do your own thing.
Every second you waste on knowing what others are doing is the time you are taking away from your own company, and that’s not justified by any means.
Always try to do what seems impossible or an absurd idea, because that idea might in turn be your biggest strength or success story.
Be aware of technological advancement, and always be ready to accept and incorporate it into your business.
And lastly, yet most important…BELIEVE.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Family. My family is my biggest motivating factor and support system.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
