Story: His Research Project Saved Lives – He Then Smartly Converted It Into A Business Model

Some people are ready to accept whatever life serves them but some are those who challenge their fate and work hard every day to get what they want from life. Such is the story of Nevil Shah from Mumbai, who started his company as a research project for his training as a trader. Today, he is the owner of the HRS associates – A boiler glass manufacturing company that serves various industries across India and abroad as well. HRS is one of those rare companies that export their glasses to China.

“My father was into the supply business where he used to supply tools for domestic and industrial purposes. I feel that is where the entrepreneurial spark lit inside me.” Said Nevil in a chat with Kenfolios. He comes from a humble background but education was of utmost importance amongst his family. Nevil always fetched good grades and performed well in sports. He gave equal amounts of attention to academics and sports as well. “I remember when I was in 9th-10th grade, my father used to call me at his office after school to understand business and how it functions. Once I completed school and moved to college, my father increased my period at the office. He started throwing various problems at me and asked me to come up with valid solutions, and I loved doing it.” Said Nevil.

This is how an entrepreneurial mindset formed since childhood. Nevil had a unique inclination towards business and dreamt of owning one since the age of 16. After completing graduation, he did masters in business management and post-graduation in marketing and sales. His education didn’t stop there, he went on to do an additional foreign trade course from The World Trade Center, Mumbai (Cuffe Parade).

“I wanted to learn import and export, excise duty, international market, and advertising to establish my business abroad as well, and trust me, trading education proved to be fruitful even today.” Said Nevil.

Getting done with the course, Nevil was extremely curious to dive in the field of his interest and start a business. He started a research project on import-export where he learned the gap of high-quality glass manufacturing. “After brief research in 2002, I witnessed that most of the glasses used in industrial boilers are of poor quality which leads to an explosion and eventually costs the lives of laborers. This is where I decided to start HRS associates.” Said Nevil.

The initial investment was done by Nevil’s father. However, before lending the money his father kept a condition to receive returns in a maximum of two and a half years. It’s quite difficult for any start-up to start churning profits in the first three years, but Nevil was so dedicated towards work that he returned his father’s money with profit in two and a half years.

In 2003, he started importing high-quality glass from Austria and sold it here. The glasses did receive a humongous response and his clients started trusting the brand’s loyalty. Over a while, Nevil gained the confidence of clients like Reliance industries, Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Group (Grasim Industries) Spirax Forbes Marshall, Nocil Ltd, HPCL and BPCL. He then started approaching clients in foreign countries and fetched a few from the US, Canada, and China. Today he is one of the biggest boiler glass manufacturers in India.

“The mantra behind my success I feel is consistency and reinvesting my earnings in the business to scale it up, rather than getting investors on board or taking a business loan.” Said Nevil.

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