The man who controlled to convert Micromax round – Rahul Sharma is the CEO and Cofounder of Micromax Informatics. Micromax Informatics is the maker of India’s maximum promoting Mobile telephones – Micromax.
The Midas touch that Rahul has introduced to the corporation has simplest helped it even greater to benefit an impressive increase to come to be the tenth biggest smartphone supplier in the global.
With his thirteen years of experience, he is said to be the actual riding force in the back of the company who has managed to carry it to this commendable function within the Indian mobile handset marketplace.
But Rahul believes in any other case. Being his actual suggestion & hero of his life, he offers his father the entire credit for the success that he has attained today. He says that it was his father who instilled in Rahul a sense of honesty, humility, strong work ethic and sincerity, which led him to attain and turn out to be what he is.
Talking about his qualifications; Rahul holds two undergraduate ranges. The first is of Mechanical Engineering from Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, and the second is his Bachelors in Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Also Read:- “My clients were ridiculed for seeking my service and I’ve been questioned about my charges!” – Swati Jagadish, Lactation Counselor
When he isn't always an entrepreneur, Rahul loves sports activities and has a ardour for immediate cars and Formula 1 racing. Additionally, he also likes to spend his unfastened time playing badminton.
And ultimately, what has were given him national reputation and moved him to the Page three segment of the newspaper is his current engagement with Bollywood movie actress Asin in September 2015.
The Past Life That Led Him To The Present Success…
Although, nowadays Rahul lives within the highly-priced Mehrauli suburb and rides in a Rolls-Royce Ghost, however much like maximum of the most successful human beings in India, Rahul too had a completely humble beginning. He turned into the son of a school trainer and used to travel the use of the nearby delivery just like all people else.
Now there may be no specific records to be had approximately his beyond life, but to provide you a gist, in a total, Rahul has greater than 13 years experience of running revel in in income and advertising and marketing.
With a strong heritage in product goods and technology marketing; Rahul is widely known to be a genius advertising and marketing architect. Apart from his widespread commercial enterprise and advertising knowledge, Rahul additionally holds an in depth information of constructing manufacturers and launching new products.
He has kick-started and led quite a number correctly campaigns for international manufacturers like – Procter & Gamble, Microsoft Xbox, Shaw Communication’s on call for tv services, and so forth. Additionally, from February 2004 onwards, Rahul had also labored with Shaw Communications Inc as their Vice President for their On-Demand Television Services.
He became liable for Corporate Sales and Marketing, and also oversaw the advertising and development of Shaw’s On Demand products together with Pay Per View, Video On Demand and Digital Pay Television. Before he joined Shaw, he had also worked on a range of Management-degree roles in Communications, Consumer Marketing and Brand Management as properly.
Now for a truth, he knew that this was a vicious circle and he desired a way out of it. He wanted to do some thing meaningful, some thing that could make a difference.
And that is wherein all of it began!
The Chronicles of Micromax…!
It all started whilst his father gifted Rahul a pc around the quit of ninety’s. The technology inspired him a lot that he decided to release Micromax Software in 2000 together with three of his friends.
The Evolution…
For the first seven years, Micromax evolved commonly. Initially it became an IT software program organisation that had all started via supplying organisation-resource training on embedded platforms, which then advanced to selling Public phones (PCO’s) first for Nokia after which for Airtel.
While he was at it; he passed off to bump into an incident which modified his existence and gave him the idea of the decade.
In 2007, he took place to be in a village referred to as Behrampur in West Bengal which had no strength. He was greatly surprised to look an Airtel PCO being powered through a truck battery.
Every night time, the PCO owner could drag the battery for 12 kms to a connected to theirs on his cycle, price the battery there the entire night and then drag it again to Behrampur in the morning.
His interest grew similarly whilst he saw that exceptionally, the operator always had a big line of humans to apply his payphone and changed into creating a exceptional amount of cash as well.
Also Read:- “They asked me how much should they pay, I had no idea!” – Krithika, Founder of Kaya shastra : A natural body care products brand
He became bowled over to word the depth of innovation the person had adapted to satisfy the unchangeable situations, to pressure his business. This opened his thoughts, and made him understand that – Success only involves individuals who dare to dream!
Keeping that during mind, Rahul satisfied his other cofounders to alternate the course of their currently functioning organization and determined to convert the company.
And finally in 2008 Micromax shifted their cognizance to creating and selling Mobile telephones.
Entry of Micromax Mobile Phones…
The problem become that companies like Nokia and Motorola used to cook of their countries and used to serve in India, however their flavour never acceptable the Indian necessities.
Hence, in an try to clear up a pain factor, Rahul determined to provide the Indian loads with what they desired, covering all of the basic problems that a common man faces, and at comparatively decrease charges.
Having stated that, inside the same year, Micromax launched their first cellphone called – ‘The Xtreme’. The splendor of these phones become that, unlike its competition Micromax’s first telephone additionally had a battery back-up for one complete month.
The first batch was of 10,000 telephones. Believe it or not, the entire batch got offered out in a count of just ten days. This became a awesome success for them. It without a doubt proved that they have been at the proper route.
Hence, Rahul quick began innovating using the thoughts that he got through numerous mediums like – he had noticed that his cook dinner had three SIM cards, and constantly used to change them, as a result, noticing an opportunity, Micromax released their first Dual-SIM smartphone, and so forth…
In the subsequent couple of years, the organization evolved and released more than a few telephones, and by 2010, Micromax turned into being counted as one of the biggest Indian home cellular handsets organisation. In the equal year, the organization also entered the Tablet marketplace with their Funbook Series as nicely.
Also Read:- “Most important thing in business is, product acceptability by customers!” -Swathi, Founder – A Toddler Thing
Around the same time, what Rahul came across became even though disheartening, however he decided to show it round into an opportunity. Micromax Devices had received the recognition of “Chinese phones” a term that we Indians typically seek advice from as cheap and below requirements. To worsen the scenario even greater, an entire range of copycats had were given China-made phones and had stamped them with Indian brand names, which include their own.
Hence, to break their stereotype, Rahul performed a very smart pass and launched their first Smartphone – Canvas A100 in 2012. This cellphone had a 5-inch display turned into sold at a enormously reasonable price of Rs. Nine,999 ($166), at a time while overseas brands were charging $seven-hundred.
Micromax cellular
The marketplace became on hearth. People had been clearly loving them. This literally added approximately a revolution inside the enterprise.
Looking on the considerably growing popularity, their R&D lab in Bangalore and their design group in Beijing have been additionally requested roll out new phone models each week as properly.
To grow and seize their marketplace even greater, they even commenced with Television Commercials. Bollywood Superstars Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna have been one of the first celebrities to propose the Mobiles.
This changed into observed by signing of Hollywood’s Wolverine – ‘Hugh Jackman’ as the emblem ambassador of Micromax. He had also seemed in the movement-% commercial for his or her Canvas Turbo A250, Canvas four and Canvas Sliver 5 model phones in 2013. In July 2013, even Chitrangada Singh had posed for Canvas four cellphone in New Delhi as properly.
TRIVIA: – Very few human beings are aware that each month, Rahul walks right into a random cell telephone store in anybody of the India’s crowded bazaars, takes off his jacket, poses as a sales agent and sells telephones of all brands for the following couple of hours. While at it, he asks those shoppers approximately their usage conduct, functions they need or like, and their ache factors.
Also Read:- “It’s hard to convince top schools about the idea of learning through stories!” – Priya, storyteller & founder of Kathapriya
The Shining Present…
In the coming two years i.E. Between 2014 and 2015, the business enterprise has made large traits, which has led them on to a path on which they're no longer most effective competing with Domestic however the International bigwigs as nicely.
The year of 2014 become a entire energy-packed one that started out off by Micromax becoming the primary Indian cell organisation to begin income in Russia, by means of launching their first Octa Core phone known as Canvas Knight A350.
This changed into observed through the launch of their Android One phone known as Canvas A1, post which the employer also initiated the producing of their LED TVs and drugs at their manufacturing unit in Rudrapur(SIDCUL), Uttarakhand.
While at it, Micromax was additionally an respectable Windows Phone eight.1 hardware companion and had launched two Windows Phone handsets in June 2014, which once more were priced at very low prices of Rs. 6500 and Rs.9500.
To have a fair extra sturdy footing at their domestic-floor, Micromax additionally went directly to release a subsidiary known as YU Televentures, in collaboration with Cyanogen Inc in December. This was done to target the Chinese competitors, with the aid of imitating their flash online sales.
YU Televentures became basically an Indian electronics emblem, which presented merchandise like YUreka (The first cellular under this emblem ‘YU’), YUphoria (2nd cell with equal specs as his predecessor YUreka), YUFit (fitness tracking band), YUpix (a transportable printer), and jYUice (a powerbank with the capacity of 5000mAh and 10000mAh). YU holds professional Cyanogen’s OS rights in India.
Within Micromax’s proportion, Rahul owns 99.Nine% in YU Televentures, and the alternative zero.1% stake is owned by means of the opposite two Micromax’s founder Vikas Jain and Sumeet Arora.
And by the give up of the yr, Micromax as a corporation had defeated Samsung to become the cell smartphone producer shipping the maximum range of phones in a single quarter in India. During that length, Micromax had bought 4.6 million units and controlled 22% of the overall Indian market.
Moving on the modern yr; the company has adopted a fair more aggressive method and is in no temper to gradual down their tempo, given the entry of numerous Chinese and Taiwanese smartphone providers.
Micromax has lately released Micromax Canvas Sliver 5 in June, which is being stated to be because the slimmest smartphone in the global.
Since the last few years; the agency has been developing massively by means of 39% and have already crossed Rs.10,000 crores mark in phrases of revenues.
They are also in preparations to feature a Rs. 500 crores manufacturing plant in Alwar district, Rajashtan, submit which they'll set up their production plant in Hyderabad at an funding bracket of Rs. Four hundred-500 crores.
Also Read:- “This start-up is the reason I could deal with my post pregnancy depression” – shravya, Owner at Little Souls wardrobe
Looking on the close to future Rahul is in plans to either have five extra countries to their present kitty to make up the subsequent 1 billion ability customers, or he wishes China. According to him, if the Chinese can come right here, why can’t we move there?
The business enterprise, which is experiencing an tremendous increase, is likewise looking out for Venture Fund to keep and preserve the growth. They are already in talks with SoftBank to sell 20% stake at a valuation of $3-five billion.
Apart from Samsung and different manufacturers, Micromax faces the largest opposition from Xiaomi. But since the organisation is solidly worthwhile, they're strongly in a function to deploy a “sizable war chest” to counter all its competitors.
To upload to that, the trump card of Micromax and plenty of different Indian brands like them is their solid distribution community, and a service gadget that holds the potential to attain the innermost India. The Chinese or another overseas brand will take years to get that sort of attain.
Talking approximately investments, the employer has raised a complete of $88 Million from four buyers together with Madison India Capital, Sandstone Capital, Sequoia Capital and TA Associates. On the alternative hand, they have got also invested an undisclosed quantity in Gaana as well.
Achievements…!
- Named in Fortune Magazine’s Global Power List of 2014
- Fortune Magazine’s ’forty below 40’ listing of 2014
- GQ Man of the Year (Excellence in Business)’ in 2013
- Micromax became listed as the ‘Emerging Company of the Year 2011’ consistent with India’s main telecom magazine – Voice & Data.
- Awarded as Forbes Person of the Year 2010
