Your current situation does not determine your future. It is your intention and actions that become the foundation of how your life will be. Our stories are a way to tell you exactly that and motivate you to aim high, if that is what to want to do.
Today’s story is about a lesser known man who has overcome extremely difficult times to create a great name and wealth for himself and thousand others. Starting with virtually nothing he built an empire of crores of rupees. The ingredients to his classic rags to riches story is hardwork with consistency and ability to take risks.
Born in 1954 in Balara Village of Sikar district, Rajasthan, Devidutt Gurjar was not offered any comforts or luxuries while growing up. The conditions had made it clear that he soon had to fend for himself and also support his parents. As soon as he finished his high school , he set out for Mumbai in search of a job.
While now children have their parents pack their suitcases and fill in their bank balance before they leave home, young Devidutt had nothing. Just some money enough to pay for his fare till Mumbai. After that he had to basically find out a way to survive without any support or contacts. He went from one place to another looking for employment but nothing worked out. He was tired and had to stay hungry but did not have the luxury to take a pause and rest. After much effort he finally found work with a transport agency against a paltry income of Rs 125.
Not caring about the money, Devidutt focussed of learning as much as he could about the business. He was a loyal employee who gave his 100% and won the trust of his bosses. Years passed by and after 7 years he was asked to head the agency’s Hyderabad branch. He readily accepted the opportunity and assumed his role with full dedication.
Even after seven years he did not have the money to bring his wife and children with him. He was given a tiny, dingy, 10×10 room where he cooked, lived and slept with many other employees. But after 5 years of this hard life, his company split between two partners and his position became unavailable. His boss offered him a truck which he could ply to manage his expense. But another blow struck him when after six months his only asset – the truck – met with an accident. His entire savings of Rs 1.5 lakh went into paying for this loss and unbelievably, after all these years he was back to zero.
Devidutt had to start all over again so he started looking for a job once again. This time he made it a point to save as much money as he could and soon bought a truck with a partner after investing Rs 1.5 lakh each. They went from door to door in the market pitching businessmen for work. their hardwork paid off and within a few years the business was established.
In 1989, his partner left and Devidutt founded Pioneer Road Career (PRC) Logistics. He worked on the base and expanded his operations. Today, he has dozens of contracts from government and semi-government entities. His company owns more than 750 tankers, containers and other transport vehicles that ply all over the country. His office is spread across India with 22 branches and employs over 3,500 people. The profits are increasing every year and his company is clocking a turnover of Rs 250 crore.
Despite average education and weak family and financial background, Devidutt rose to incredible height showing that nothing more than hardwork is required to make your dreams come true. He had nobody to guide and any comfort to fall back on. He had to start from scratch and built an empire which is now a pillar to thousands of people.
Salute and share this man’s story so that more people get the inspiration they are looking for.
