It takes a lot of hard work and determination to become successful and such is the story of BM Balakrishna, the founder and CEO at AQUAPOT. He not built his business from the scratch but also took it to great heights. Let's get to know about Balakrishna's remarkable journey.
Failed Maths 6 times
Balakrishna was born in Sankarayalapeta, a small village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. His father was a farmer and his mother worked as a teacher in an Anganwadi school apart from sewing at home. They also had a milk business.
He wasn't a very good student and also failed Mathematics six times. He somehow managed to complete his school education.
Diploma in Automobiles
He worked in a telephone booth for Rs 300 a month. After completing his schooling, he did his Diploma in Automobiles at Nellore. They decided they would not waste more time. When he was doing a diploma, his parents could hardly pay his mess fees. Balakrishna did not want his hard work to go to waste.
He realised the importance of his parents' support. Those days, milk was sold for Rs 3 a litre, which meant his parents would sell 350 litres of milk to send him Rs 1,000. Realizing all this, he studied diligently, passed the exam with 74% and was the second topper of his college. His parents were extremely happy with his result and wanted to let him study further. Balakrishna wanted to improve his family's lifestyle and provide financial help at home, so he started looking for a job. His mother gave him Rs 1,000 and asked him to find a job around Bengaluru.
Washed cars
Balakrishna then came to Bengaluru and applied for a job in many automobile companies but without success anywhere. All his enthusiasm was shattered. Finally, he decided that he would do any job and after a few days, he started washing cars. While working here, he used to get a salary of Rs 500. While doing this, he was offered a business to run pumps. It was not linked to his skill, but he was getting a salary of
Rs 2,000, which was enough to help his family. So he joined the post of marketing executive there. He worked there for 14 years.
Used PF money
He quit his job because of the immense workload. In 2010, he started his own brand AQUAPOT with Rs 1.27 lakh in his provident fund account. Initially, it was very difficult to find funds.
Special focus on marketing
Balakrishna only listened to his heart. Initially, he started working with very few people. He ould go to repair pumps on his own. His rapport with people was quite good. Soon his customer base started growing and he started a wholesale business. He worked very hard on marketing. He started distributing things like t-shirts, brochures. Finally, his effort paid off. His product Aquapot managed to make its name in the country's top 20 water purifiers. Today, his company's products are used across the country. His branch also extends to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Hubli and his turnover has gone up to Rs 25 crore.
Balakrishna owns this firm and has built his business from the scratch. He never takes breaks and works relentlessly. He is certainly an inspiration for many youngsters to aspire to achieve something big in life.
