A seed of an idea is all you need for success. Sathya Shankar K. would know for there is a , tiny seed at the heart of his success story. His life got a kick-start in 1984.
At only 18, Shankar had applied for an auto-rickshaw driving license. But it was more than just a driving license; it was his license to dream big. The third of four sons of a poor village priest in Bellaire in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, he had to drop out after class 12 for want of funds. With a driving license in hand, he brought auto rickshaw on Central government’s self-employment scheme. That autorickshaw was only the beginning of his incredible journey.
Today, Shankar owns a company with an annual turnover of Rs.800 crores. His group SG group, headquartered in Puttur in Dakshina Karnataka, has several verticals—from Praveen Capital to Megha Fruit Processing Private Limited. It sells 55 products, from packaged water to snacks. In last four decades, he has experimented with various business models and , tasted success with each. He took the adage ‘experience is the best teacher’s quality” literally, using every business venture to level up.
From the beginning, Shankar has had a keen eye for business, even during his autorickshaw driving three-wheeler for an Ambassador car. The autorickshaw was limiting his dreams and rides—he could only drive around Dakshina Karnataka district. But in the Taxi, he could take tourists beyond district and state lines. It was then that he observed the product that every foreign tourist bought—packaged drinking water. It has become a prominent product of his company.
In 1988, Shankar sold his faithful Ambassador after realizing that selling spare parts of cars was more lucrative than driving one. Also, there was no such shop in or around Puttur. Once he set up the automobile shop, he observed another trade in demand — sale of vehicle tyres. A year later came the tyre outlet. Thus he took up ventures one after another making his company a multifaceted covering areas where the demand is big. That incredible journey still continues. (IPA Service)
