Starting a business from my point of view is quite simple and I have started quite a few. The first businesses I started were the stalls I held selling food on PTAs and mothers meetings.
The first proper business I started was Roar Again, for repairing broken toys instead of throwing them in the trash. My first customer was my classmate Abdul Majid. He gave me a really dirty truck to clean, which I did and caught a fever few days later. When I returned to school I found my poster torn and that was like the end of Roar Again.
My second venture was called CMC which stood for Car Making Company. My classmate, Abdullah K and I started this company to make money so that we could build a car. It was quite silly. We used to sell knick knacks which half the time used hot glue. We were called 'Chennai Metro Corporation'. Once we sold six country eggs and we were named 'Coli Muttai Corporation' or Chicken Egg Corporation! In the end we quarreled and broke up.
Next a related business to the food stalls was Juzt Bite. I once held a stall and name it Juzt Bite thinking I could hold more business stalls under that name but I never held another after that.
One of the most well going business was Read & Return for books which was started by my classmate, Safwan and me. It was a hit only in the first week. Then people stopped borrowing and Safwan shut it down. But later I learned that my brother Abdur Rahman was lending books under cover...my books!
The most recent company I've started is Juzt Shine for cycle shining and tuning and it is the most well known of all my businesses. My brother, Abdur Rahman is the investor and working partner in this business. It all started when I asked my brother to clean my cycle. I was sitting and watching him when I had a brain wave to create a company for cleaning and tuning cycles. I designed a card, printed several and distributed them. I immediately got customers but it turned out they didn't want only cleaning and tuning. They wanted to replace brake pads, bells, side stands etc. My first plans were not of repairs but demand was high. My brother suggested that we don't say no to any customer but instead take it to the cycle shop, get it repaired, add some amount to the cost and deliver. I immediately disagreed because I wanted to do it myself. I got spare parts in a nearby cycle store and struck a deal with him as my supplier. He is a good man willing to help my business and teach me as well.
We began fixing the cycles by ourselves without any videos or help. We found that the mechanism is so simple. We've handed over two cycles and got good reviews about the shine, just that my brother had dumped a can of cleaning agent on it! We're now working on a 5 year old's cycle which came to me in a devastating condition. The full cycle has been pulled apart and is under heavy cleaning and replacing.
I only work on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 11.30am so it takes me time to complete. I've learnt that customers have different needs and to not have disagreements with customers and investors because you may lose them. I'm looking to hire people as customers come in. Incase you would like to drop in your cycle or know more about our business, mail me at abdullahidesigns@gmail.com.
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