Giving up a settled and well-paid job to pursue your passion and something your heart calls for is never an easy choice. But Mr Ashutosh Gujarathi, Founder & Managing Director at Gujarathi Empire Group of Companies, has been the true image of determination and resilience. A firm believer in learning through practical experiences, he says, “Only learning in entrepreneurship shows you the right path to tackle situations.”
Mr Ashutosh Gujarathi is an ex-merchant navy officer who gave up his job to focus on his start-up by the name “Gujarathi Empire Group of Companies”, which back then was an entirely new venture for him with no funding or back-up. Yet he took a leap of faith, and joined with his family-owned transport business in Pune in 1980 and turned it into a major company active in ship brokering and chartering biz.
Read on as Mr. Gujarathi tells Storiyaan about the nooks and crannies of the workings and the opportunities of the shipping industry in India, as well as at a global level.
5 min bit with Ashutosh Gujarathi
Interview
Questions and answers
What are the aspects of running “Gujarathi Empire Group of Companies”- do you find the most exciting and keep you motivated?
It has truly been an ‘Empire’ from the very beginning and has expanded to several sectors of business such as exports, transport and shipping. The goals and dreams with which we began this venture enable us to keep working harder and keep us motivated to move further.
Could you tell us a bit about your USP and how it defines your company?
All our businesses are B2B. We provide services with dedicated staff to our clients in India and abroad. The credibility that we have built for ourselves, as a result of years of effort and dedication, has been our leverage. We always think of value addition to our clients and a mutual win-win prospect for all.
When you initially started this venture, what were some of the major obstacles that you had to encounter and overcome?
I first ventured into exports in 2017, with no funding backup, and we were absolutely new in this business. I used to work part-time on my own venture as I would be away on merchant ships for 4-6 months at a go. So naturally, we failed to get a grip on the business. I decided to quit sailing and focus entirely on my business. We faced financial problems, wrong hire and partnership problems, and incurred losses but we still stand firm today.
Running such an operation is no easy feat. How do you manage to strike the perfect work-life balance in your daily routine?
It’s all teamwork. Everyone knows their role and works accordingly. Whatever results, and achievements we see are part and parcel of it. It’s not easy to monitor and instruct the team from time to time, but the second line of leadership is always ready to take that charge.
What are some of the work ethics that you ensure that your company sticks to no matter what and how has it helped you build your credibility?
We have some ethics, protocols, and systematic operating procedure which we stick to and everyone strictly follows them. We take pride in the satisfaction of all involved parties and the excitement of people to join and work with us. Honesty & integrity and living up to the trust and expectations of people have helped us build our credibility.
Can you share with our readers some lesser-known facts about the shipping industry, especially when working on an international level?
The job of our company is mostly technical but it also depends largely on our human resources and management. Most people are scared of dealing at the international level but there is actually nothing to fear. Transparency is the key. The shipping industry has many good opportunities with very less competition, and it has good future prospects.