At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the startup and leadership world. As part of this endeavour, we invited Tushar Shelke for an exclusive interview with us. He is a Leader, Entrepreneur, and Business Strategist. Tushar is the Director of Business Development at Krushi Chang Harvesters. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey, his background and his success mantras!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Tushar:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur. What drew your attention to the agriculture sector?
Since my childhood, I was always fascinated and eager to learn and understand new things happening around the world. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and have primarily been into manufacturing since almost 60 years catering to the sugar industry globally.
I have always been inclined towards the automotive industry as well. While I was pursuing my graduation I decided to join hands with Benelli in the year 2017 which happens to be one of the oldest Italian superbike manufacturers and my very first venture.
Since the last few years, India has been seeing a steady growth of over 10% in the superbike industry. Today over the last 4 years we have sold more than 400 superbikes in Tier 2 & 3 cities.”
Selling a superbike in small cities is a big challenge as it is not a necessity but a luxury product for society. We could achieve these numbers with constant persistence and various marketing/sales strategies.
Today almost 70% of our population is engaged in the Agricultural Sector. India is one of the largest producers of Sugarcane in the world and we have been looking at the several challenges which the farmers and sugar factories are facing when it comes to Harvesting sugarcane.
There has also been a huge shortage of labour in this industry which has led to huge losses for farmers and factories. We studied and did some research as to how we could help the farmers and factories in this as the current huge sugarcane harvesters had their sets of limitations and most importantly they were very expensive to purchase and maintain.
We came across a renowned Thai based company Chang tractors which were pioneers in mini sugarcane harvesters manufacturing and that is when we joined hands with them in exchange for each others technology and manufacturing experience which would help the farmers and factories under the brand Krushi – Chang.
Our main aim is to bring modern technologies which would boost the agricultural sector in India and this is what drew my attention to this sector.”
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
Mr Kawasaki said, “The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning — to create a product or service to make the world a better place.”
The exploration of meaning and doing work that changes the world is something that drives every entrepreneur. This is what drives me as well. We all know being an entrepreneur is not easy as it has its own set of challenges, criticism and much more. As I mentioned earlier the key to this is persistence and hard work. This is something that I learned from my great grandfather who did so much with so few resources.
Being an entrepreneur gives us so many opportunities as compared to a corporate career. Every day is a new day!”
‘Krushi Chang Harvesters’ 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?
Today the almost 70% of our population is engaged in the Agricultural Sector. India is one of the largest producers of Sugarcane in the world and we have been looking at the several challenges which the farmers and sugar factories are facing when it comes to Harvesting sugarcane.
There has also been a huge shortage of labour in this industry which has led to huge losses for farmers and factories. We studied and did some research as to how we could help the farmers and factories in this as the current huge sugarcane harvesters had their sets of limitations and most importantly they were very expensive to purchase and maintain.
We came across a renowned Thai based company Chang tractors which were pioneers in mini sugarcane harvesters manufacturing and that is when we joined hands with them in exchange for each others technology and manufacturing experience which would help the farmers and factories under the brand Krushi – Chang.”
At Krushi Chang our aim is to make this entire process of sugarcane harvesting affordable and hassle-free. With the use of our machines, the farmers and the sugar factories would benefit tremendously. Globally our parent company has sold over 5000+ harvesters. We intend to reach every sugarcane producing farmer in India over the next few years.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
Well as we all know covid has had a huge impact on each of our lives since last year. India has also been hit with the second wave which has made things even more worse for everyone.
We as a company had to take several steps to cut down on our expenses and reduce our losses in this phase. Currently, all of our marketing activities and promotions are on hold. We are only active on digital platforms.
Secondly, we also had to take care of our employees who are a part of the family. We are doing as much as we can for them where we have avoided any salary cuts or Lay offs. We are taking initiative to make sure all. Our employees are well connected during such tough times.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
1) Staying calm
2) Persistence
3) Having a positive mindset no matter what challenges lie in front of you.
4) Continuous learning and being a good listener
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
I have listed down a few pointers which I feel are the most important keys to being a successful entrepreneur.
(a) Ask questions. It is the best way to learn. Better to ask questions than to act like you know it all. It’s OK to say, “I am not sure, but I will get back to you with an answer by the end of the day.”
(b) Be honest always. That’s with yourself and with others. Your integrity is your most important asset, and it is hard to establish and easy to lose.
(c) Clear communication requires clear thinking. Clarify your thoughts with an outline before writing them down, and think before you speak.
(d) Maintain a high Say/Do ratio. The best way to do this is to be cautious about what you commit to. Before you commit to a deadline (when work is due), always look at your timeline (when work actually gets done) to ensure you can keep your commitment.
(e) Keep it simple. Fewer concisely expressed words (written or spoken) are more powerful than long, flowery statements, at least in the business world.
(f) Accept responsibility. If you make a mistake, admit it, sincerely apologize then immediately take action to fix it and prevent it from happening again.
(g) Listen. The one with the most power in the room is the person who LISTENS well, then offers input that integrates others’ comments with a unique solution or perspective.
(h) Work hard. There is no substitute for hard work – show up early, leave late and be valuable in-between.
(i) Be a team player. Find ways to help others succeed. That is the ultimate job of a leader – to shine a light on others versus yourself. Others will see the leadership potential in you if you do this well. Leadership is a role you assume, not a job title.
(j) Always be prepared. Before any meeting or interaction, do your research, arrive with good questions or solutions to problems.
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