Never Give Up-Engineering to a Developed Steady Startup!

Pravin Dinkar Jadhav

[Shagun Industries Private Limited.]

www.shagun-diecast.com

" Sapne vo nahi hai jo hum neend me dekhte hai, sapne vo hote hai jo hume sone nahi dete"

"My entrepreneurial journey started way back in 1992 when I completed my mechanical engineering. I was studying at VIT college and during the initial 2 years of my engineering, I used to walk to my college. Later, I managed to buy a cycle and used to travel by cycle. Although, traveling to college was difficult as there was no shortcut for my college and the roads were not developed then. Most of the road was covered by trees and there was a big canal on my way to college. By the time I used to make it to college, my shoes and my trousers would cover in the mud. There was a tap outside my college, I used to wash my shoes and legs there and attend lectures. My family was back in Palghar, my home town. I stayed with my grandmother in Katraj, Pune. Completing engineering at that time was a tough task for me. I belonged to a lower-middle-class family and so access to even the basic facilities required to study engineering was difficult. At that time, we had no electricity connection in our house. I used to study below a street lamp. I gave my 1st-semester exams by studying under a street lamp but I failed the exam. I had a backlog in each subject. I was heartbroken but I knew that I had to pass my exams next semester or I would fail the year. So, we took an electricity connection soon. It was just a one bulb connection but that was enough for me to study. I studied hard and passed every subject, the previous ones as well as the present ones. I remember traveling 10-12 kilometers to my friend’s house for completing my college projects and assignments. Luckily, my friends were supportive enough to share their books and other study materials with me. That’s how I completed my engineering.

Around the same time, my father, Mr. Dinkar Jadhav, had an opportunity to meet Mr. Dharwadkar from Pragati Forge in Palghar. Pragati Forge was a small company in Boisar which was recently started after a long break of 2 years due to the worker's agitations. My father set me up a meeting with Mr. Dharwadkar, whom I consider my guru, on 2nd September 1992 and I joined the company as a fresher on 5th September 1992. That was the start of my professional journey. On my very first day to work, I had a clear vision which was to be an entrepreneur.

Pragati Forge was a very small firm, with around 18-20 people working in 3 shifts. My starting salary was Rs. 1200 although, money was never a concern for me. I always thought that I am getting my salary for learning. I took on every responsibility the management gave me and within a year, I challenged the management to just bring the business and the completion of the business will be my responsibility. I worked there for around 4 and a half years and during my tenure there I got to learn every aspect of management. My attitude was always learning-oriented and that helped me a lot. My work there was going pretty well but I wasn’t happy with myself. I wanted to gain more knowledge and Palghar being a very remote place at that time, I couldn’t continue my education. I decided to resign and shift to Pune.

I shifted to Pune and started working for Vanaz Engineering Limited in Pune. I joined the non-ferrous forging department but for some reason, I was transferred to the pressure die casting department. With no prior work experience in the pressure die casting and centrifugal casting, I joined the department and took on the challenge. My learning attitude kept me alive. And getting transferred to the pressure die casting department was a U-turn for me. With that experience I learned a thing, One should do what he loves or he should love what he does. Along with my job, I enrolled myself for evening classes and weekend batches and completed a Diploma in business management at MIT, a master's in management science in productions and operation, ICWA inter, a course in the Russian language, etc. These part-time courses helped me a lot in building me as an entrepreneur. I worked for 8 years at Vanaz.

In 2004, Mr. Dharwadkar, my professional guru, had an opportunity to set up a plant for pressure die casting in Belgaum, Karnataka. He asked me if I was interested to set up a new pressure die casting unit. I was very happy and took that opportunity. My wife and I shifted to Belgaum. I was to work for a new firm called Prism Enterprises. They had an order from L&T petrol pump division. I had to start building the plant from scratch. And with the help of my experience and the guidance of Mr. Dharwadkar and Mr. Hanji, the owner of Prism, I set up a complete production unit in Belgaum. Working in Prism Enterprises taught me a lot about every aspect of management right from man management to machine installation. It was nothing like my salary at that time was very huge. But as I said earlier, I was earning for learning. The work there was fantastic but staying away from family was very difficult. Due to some personal reasons, I decided to shift back to Pune in 2006.

After I shifted back to Pune, I decided not to go for a job. I wanted to start a business and was hunting for opportunities to start a business. It was pretty clear that my business line was going to be pressure die casting. In engineering, we had only a four-line paragraph on pressure die casting in our syllabus but those four lines made me an entrepreneur. I was hunting for opportunities for about a year. Surviving an entire year without a job is tough. That period was very hard but I always knew that I was going to make it. I was not earning and managing my finances was a task. I had my ups and downs in that one year but I never thought of giving up on my dreams. My joint family’s support was one of the factors that kept me motivated and focused on my goal. My brothers Mr. Sanjay Jadhav and Mr. Kiran Jadhav were supportive enough and had my back in every decision I took. Through all this, my wife Mrs. Rashmi Jadhav motivated me and always supported me.

I was looking for several aspects like land, management, money, etc. Money is the most important aspect of setting up a business. I had no idea how I was going to manage the money aspect. I decided to rent a place for the business. I had a detailed business report of setting up a pressure die casting unit. I met Mr. Vikas Phate, my existing business partner with the business report. After 2-3 meetings he told me that I was just asking for the land but how I was going to execute the project. I explained to him my business report. And in a few meetings, he requested for his partnership in the company. Mr. Phate being a very well-established businessman, asking me for his partnership in my project was a huge deal. I was very happy. At our very third meeting, we decided a name for the project, SHAGUN ENTERPRISES after my late grandmother Sagunabai Jadhav without whom completing my engineering was impossible. And that is how Shagun Enterprises was started.

The initial investment of Shagun Enterprises was around Rs 15 lakhs. We took a loan for our new project and the remaining finances were shared by Mr. Phate and myself. I had around Rs 5 lakh. Procuring these 5 lakhs also was not very easy. My family, friends, and my relatives helped me and I am thankful to them.

In 2007, SHAGUN ENTERPRISES was incorporated. I remember attending an exhibition at that time. But while I attended the exhibition the only thing ready for my business was my business cards. Machines were yet to be installed, the place was to be set but I still went ahead and distributed my business cards there. I got my very first order from Micro Supreme Industries. We were supposed to complete the order in 18 days. I took on the challenge and completed the order. Our business was finally started. Shagun enterprises was later converted into Shagun Industries Private Limited. As of today, Shagun Industries has clients in the US, France, Austria, and Germany.

My entrepreneurial journey was not easy. Me, my grandmother and my uncle, Mr. Pandurang Jadhav struggled for even the basic facilities while my engineering days. My parents and my family stood behind me as my pillars on every step of my journey. My wife, Mrs. Rashmi Jadhav supported me a lot especially during the initial three years of Shagun. But it was all worth it.

My mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Subhadra Dinkar Jadhav, Mr. Dharwadkar from Pragati Forge, Mr. Khandekar from Vanaz Limited, Mr. Hanji from Prism Enterprises and my business partner Mr. Vikas Phate were the people who inspired me and continue to inspire me in my life.

My message to the youngsters is, you cannot go back and change the beginning but you can start from where you are and change the ending. Just believe in yourself. All the best for your future.

Pravin Dinkar Jadhav.

Shagun Industries Private Limited.

www.shagun-diecast.com