From Selling Vegetables to a CEO of Rs.25cr Company

"If you just work on stuff that you like and you're passionate about, you don't have to have a master plan with how things will play out."

- Mark Zuckerberg

He was born in a small village of Akola in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. His father was a salesman earning a monthly salary was Rs.400/- only. He completed his education by doing odd jobs such as selling vegetables and sometimes working as a labourer, being the eldest child of the family. When he was in Class III, he used to sell glasses of water in the local market, at five paise each. After completing school, he wanted to become an engineer. But financial constraints led him to do B.Sc. Can you believe it, that today he is the CEO of a company which boasts of a turnover of Rs.25 crores? It has around 150 employees on its payroll. I am sure you would be curious to know his rags to riches story

Soon after completing his graduation, he got a job in the sister company of Orkay Industries as a Supervisor. After spending a year working as a supervisor, he later switched to Technova Imaging System. After completing his post-graduation, he got a job in Vishnu Priya Agro Industries, an agro-based company. The company's profile was to market fresh vegetables, as there were no shopping complexes or malls in Mumbai. The company was branding and selling hygienic and clean vegetables. Nitin, being the son of a farmer and already had some knowledge about the plants, so he took a keen interest in the job.

After some years, he realised the need for higher studies for his career growth. He did an MBA from Pune University in 1994-96. Nitin was ready with strategies and plans for the new business, but the main problem was financial support. He used to wake up around 3.30 am and go to the market to bring heavy loads of vegetables. After that, in the afternoon, those vegetables were cleaned and appropriately cut and packed in a cover, which had his brand name printed on it. In those days, selling vegetables was not considered a respectable job, but he managed to sell up to 750 kg daily. However, misfortune came calling at his doorstep. Nitin was cheated by his investment partners. "Without any money or resources, I went into depression," he admits.

A close friend of Nitin helped him to get a job in a company who makes Industrial gas to run his livelihood. He was designated as a Marketing Manager in that company. This helped him a lot to increase his self-confidence and travel across India for three years. But his dream of becoming an entrepreneur was still not allowing him to sleep yet.

"I remember the day when I started my business. It was the same day when my elder son Aditya was born. I always had a dream of doing business right from my childhood"

"I remember the day when I started my business. It was the same day when my elder son Aditya was born. I always had a dream of doing business right from my childhood. The idea was to 'start a business' and be independent," said Nitin. With a seed investment of Rs.5 lakh from an acquaintance, Nitin started Excel Gas and Equipment's Pvt Ltd in December 1999.

The initial five years passed in bridging the gap of seed capital. There was a scarcity of money telephone, space, transportation, employees, letterheads and everything. Equipment was designed to execute and commission the turnkey projects which were related to the installation of pipe used for ultra-high pure gas. The strength of the company was skills, hard work and hope which made them reach so high.

Excel Gas & Equipments provide solutions in high-standard gas installation and distribution systems. Nitin faced many challenges as a first generation entrepreneur.

His never give up attitude and faith in himself led him to convert his losses into profits. He did commit mistakes but he analysed the reasons and took corrective measures.

Being listed in Top 5 companies, the expertise of the company are into an installation of the tube and on-site pipe, subcontracting, providing various other on-site services such as supplying and fitting of tube and pipe, manual welding on-site, leakage check of helium, orbital welding, supply and erection of instruments and much more. Excel Gas and Equipment Piping is continuously growing at a rate of 30% per year. It is projected to touch the turnover of Rs.500 Crore till the year 2022.

Today, Excel Gas & Equipments is a leader in the field of high purity gas and chemical distribution. The company has offices in eight cities in India and the Middle East. Its clients include companies like Reliance, Qatar Petroleum, Pfizer, Cipla, BHEL and BARC among others.

Asked about his future plans, Nitin elucidates his idea for the next decade. "We are setting up chemical plans in Nashik and Aurangabad and have plans for 10 plants in the coming years. I am aiming for a turnover of Rs.600 crores in the next 10 years." Nitin hopes to retire when he's 55, devoting time to social causes and farming. He insists that he doesn't want to force his children to join the business, and would instead empower them with education and a stable platform for whatever they choose to do.