-Success and nothing less
Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most of the people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.
Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel is an Indian industrialist, founder of the Rs. 2500 crore Nirma group. A man does not need much to conquer his dreams but a vision that help will him to overcome all the obstacles of his life. In the same way Karsanbhai Patel also had a vision.
It was 1969 that Dr. Karsanbhai Patel started Nirma and went on to create a whole new segment in the Indian domestic detergent market. During that time the domestic market only had the premium segment and there were very few companies, mainly the MNCs, which were into this business.
Karsanbhai Patel used to make detergent powder in the backyard of his house in ahemdabad and then carry out door to door selling of his hand made product. He gave money back guarantee with every pack that was sold. He managed to offer his detergent powder for Rs. 3 per kg when the cheapest detergent was Rs. 13 per kg and so he was able to successfully target the middle and the lower income segment.
It is very difficult for a person to business startup in India but to make Nirma a huge success, was all this a result of Karsanbhai Patel's entrepreneurial skills. Though he was not from a entrepreneurial family, though no one in the family earlier to him dealt into any venture, thus were very highly risk averse and had a fear of failure. But the zeal of the venture has never allowed the circumstances to overcome his enthusiasm.
Karsanbhai Patel was an opportunist. After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents,
‘Nirma' entered the premium segment, launching toilet soaps ‘Nirma’ Bath and ‘Nirma’ beauty soap, and premium detergent ‘Super Nirma’ detergent.
In 1995, Karsanbhai started the Nirma Institute of Technology in Ahmedabad, which grew into a leading engineering college in Gujarat. An Institute of Management followed, with the entire structure being consolidated under the Nirma University of Science and Technology in 2003, overseen by the ‘Nirma’ Education and Research Foundation.
To produce more such extraordinary entrepreneurs, the Nirma labs education project was launched in 2004, aiming at training and incubating prospective entrepreneurs. This prepares aspiring entrepreneurs to effectively face the different business challenges. Nirma also runs Nirma Memorial Trust, Nirma Foundation and Chanasma Ruppur Gram Vikas Trust as a part of their effort as a socially responsible corporate citizen.
