Business is eclectic in its scope but it takes a clutch of the rare species who can build a fortune out of it. When you have a tete-a-tete with such successful business magnates, you take inspiration from their stories. No business is a fairytale story. Each business has its crests and troughs.
We caught up with someone who seizes opportunities before they knock on the doorstep. He believes business is something immanent in you. This quality radiates and spreads all around you. “Many people do business for the heck of it but for me, it is an undying passion”, says G Kanha Rao, the man behind Kanhar Equipment Ltd.
Rao has laid the foundation of a successful business with his optimistic spirit and expansive vision. He endorses the aphorism: No pain, no gain. In business, profit is not a destination, rather a gateway to creating wealth. Any entrepreneur has to toil hard to reach the summits of business excellence.
Reminiscing his personal anecdote, Rao recalls how he surmounted adversities to set up his business empire in kitchen equipment. The segment was the most in-demand when he forayed into this business. But then, the business ambiance in Odisha got a shake-up with the eruption of chit fund scam and the outbreak of virulent Coronavirus pandemic. The whole business community slumped into a phase of cynicism. To scale up business in these times of turmoil seemed a pipedream for Rao. He had been into the construction business and knew the pitfalls. But the unsavory incidents failed to take the luster off Rao’s dogged spirit. And, he went on to be one of the most influential businessmen in kitchen manufacturing equipment. His business was quick to touch a turnover of Rs five crore. That is quite a scale for an indigenous manufacturer operating in such a fragmented domain.
In a brief span of four years, Rao led company has scaled dizzying heights. He has started exporting products to a few neighboring states. His team has also been investing in strategic efforts. Plans are afoot to launch ‘Kanhar Kitchen’ products nationwide. With its focus on ingenuity and creativity, the company aspires to be a differentiator. Being the number one indigenous player in Odisha is an achievement in itself. The company’s eminent thrust on quality and after-sales service has fast pedaled its success trail.
In Rao’s words, the litmus test of business lies in how you perform in adverse conditions. Doing business and excelling in it is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are into business, embrace it. That’s the only success mantra. This is not usurping any credit from a supportive family which is the pivot for a businessman and his business.
