She inherited her business skills, but she wanted to think a step ahead of her previous generation. At the age of 16, she started learning the intricacies of business and also studied in California to understand the international market.
Returning to her country, she showed people a new face of television. At the age of 25, she started a company to make advanced TVs and showed people the dream that such a smart TV could become the beauty of anyone's home. One can also enjoy the theater in their home. She started this business when the people of the country did not dream such big dreams. But times changed, people's thinking changed and her business took off.
We are talking about Devita Saraf, CEO and Chairperson of Viu Group, owner of a Rs 1000 crore company, and a young businesswoman of the country. Her name is listed among the 50 most powerful women in India by Fortune India (2019).
Speaking about starting a business Devita Saraf said that she comes from a business family so doing business is in her DNA. Devita Saraf's father is a Marwari and her mother is from Uttar Pradesh. She was born and brought up in Mumbai.
Devita Saraf said, "From a young age, my brother and I were taken to offices, factories, and meetings so that we could understand the intricacies of business. At the age of 16, I started helping my father (Rajkumar Saraf) in his business Zenith Computers. Along with my college studies, I used to accompany my father to his office. Papa started this business before I was born. Our family was in the technology business, so I also wanted to do something in this industry."
It was during her studies that Devita Saraf realised that if Indian companies want to compete with companies around the world then they should not lag in technology.
"I went to California to study business. I got a lot of exposure while studying there. I saw that Indian companies are budget players and foreign companies are premium players. I started to understand that to do something big, I would have to move forward with new technology in India," Devita Saraf said.
Devita Saraf is an alumna of the University of Southern California and Harvard Business School.
Devits Saraf decided to do business in premium products. In 2006, when she was 25 years old, she started the company Vu Televisions. Devita Saraf created her own product development lab where she conducted all their own inventions for the business.
"When I started making advanced TV, people in India had started dreaming of a good lifestyle, but it was out of reach for most people.
We were creating an advanced TV which was a combination of TV and CPU. This was more of a TV than a computer, on which apps like YouTube and OTT platforms could be run easily. In 2006, giving such technology to people was no less than a challenge," Devita Saraf said.
Devita Saraf said there was a long way for her to succeed as initially, people thought she had made a wrong decision. Devita Saraf said that she was confident that what she began would grow big.
"Initially our work went slow. I had to wait from 2006 to 2014, but after that there was no need to look back. After that India started progressing so fast that our work also started progressing at the same pace."
In the first 8 years, Devita Saraf's company could grow from 0 to Rs 30 crores, but in the next four years, it reached Rs 1000 crores.
"We focused on becoming profitable rather than turnover growth. We focus on big companies like Sony, Samsung, and LG. This makes our brand premium and we also get more profits," Devita Saraf said.
Speaking about risks in businesses, Devita Saraf told the youth of the new generation who want to enter the business industry that it is important to take risks to succeed.
"If you have the understanding that the business you want to do will definitely work if not today then tomorrow, and you also have financial backup, then you should definitely do business," Devita Saraf was quoted as saying by Dainik Bhaskar.
