Kunwer Sachdev - Revolutionizing The Inverter Industry With Su-Kam

CEans,

Kunwer Sachdev does not come from a technical background. The man having a degree in law, who started out by making pens and eventually venturing out to the cable TV business, had known little that he will be the one to revolutionize the inverter industry in India.

Currently working as the CEO and founder of Su-Kam Power Systems, he looks after the topmost inverter production company in India.

He says he got into power electronics more by chance rather than by design. We got a chance to interview him. He told us about his life so far, experiences in building a succesful enterprise and shared some advice for budding entrepreneurs.

Check out our Small Talk with Mr. Sachdev -

CE: Brief us about yourself and your venture.

Mr. Sachdev: As a child I grew up in an entrepreneur’s colony which has given rise to the strong entrepreneurial spirit in me. My childhood however was not an easy one as we were not exactly well off.

I went to Hindu college where I studied mathematical statistics.  More than the academic learning from the under graduate course I earned my skills for a lifetime. It was a life changing experience for me. I was a very shy person when I joined college and also was not so conversant with English. On a friend’s advice I started reading books to improve my language skills. Over the three years at college I learnt how to talk to people, take them along, make groups and organize things.

After completing my graduation in 1984 I joined my brother. I also coined a name for the pen’s business – Su Kam. The term did not have any specific meaning except that it sounded like a nice name for the pen’s that I had plans to manufacture. I could not work too long with my brother though. I also joined evening classes in law as I had the constant pressure of achieving something in life.

Later I started the cable TV business without any technical understanding of the subject. I realized that if I wanted satisfied customers I have to learn everything about it including actually fixing things myself. I started reading my class ninth and tenth Physics books to gain a greater understanding. By 1996-97 my cable TV business was flourishing and I had a factory with 50 employees.

By now I thought I had found my area of work. However this was not to be. A constant malfunctioning of the inverter actually led me and my team at Su Kam to start working on what was going become an industry trend setter – the first inverter from Su Kam! The rest as they say is history.

CE: What was your motivation to take a plunge into entrepreneurship?

Mr. Sachdev: I grew up in an environment of entrepreneurship which is perhaps where the foundations of my entrepreneurial spirit were laid. When I was 6 or 7 years old our family shifted to Punjabi Bagh, which is a pre-dominantly entrepreneurial area. People living here are mostly businessmen, traders, shopkeepers but very few go for a job. My father was working with the Indian railways but he was very keen to also have his own business. He was a very hard working man but unfortunately none of his businesses did too well.

When I was young I had thought of joining my brother who was selling pens at that time.  I wanted my brother to expand this work but there was a basic difference in the thought process here. I gave a name to this pen’s business at that time Su Kam, which I was very keen to expand.

It was my curiosity and a strong inner desire that led me to finally turn entrepreneur.

CE: Innovation and passion are the two dimensions of a venture. What do you think? Is there a third dimension?

Mr. Sachdev: There are many more dimensions of a venture, not only three.

To begin with an idea is not the only thing that leads to a successful venture. You must know how to shape an idea which is an ever evolving process. An idea may not remain in its original form as you develop it deeper. It keeps getting refined. You have to be willing to accept this aspect and learn to work it to your advantage.

As an entrepreneur one has to work around the idea and motivate people to work on your idea. In my case I encouraged and motivated my people to make an inverter.  Initially some people may resist what you are doing and some may follow you. The “resistors” fall in line when they realise you are crazy and will not give up.

These are some important dimensions of making a venture successful.

CE: Did you always love physics? What made you chose power electronics as your domain?

Mr. Sachdev: I was never a physics student. In fact I hated physics and chemistry and always wondered why I was forced to study these subjects. I studied enough to pass but never took interest in these subjects.

When I got into power electronics I realised that I had to deal with engineers all the time. Therefore it was important for me to know more than them. I started reading physics books and was also able to understand them. This also made me understand that it is more a question of mindset and if you apply your mind you can understand a variety of areas. I then got the confidence that I can get into any field of business why only power electronics.

Actually I got into power electronics more by chance rather than by design. Our inverter would frequently malfunction bringing all the work to a standstill whether it was at home or in the office. One day when the inverter malfunctioned again out of sheer frustration I decided to open it and fix it myself. I realised that it was a mess of wires and the quality was extremely poor. I thought we as a company should try to give the world an inverter which did not have these flaws. Though easier said than done, Su Kam had taken its first steps into power electronics.

CE: How do you think the employee-employer relationship must be in a start-up?

Mr. Sachdev: It is important to continuously guide and monitor the team. The entrepreneur must lean to handle professionals.

The entrepreneur has to understand the pulse of his people. People may have the knowledge but you have to train them to make them feel your passion. You have to be more knowledgeable than them to drive them and you have to be their role model.

As you grow people who are more knowledgeable may also join you. Getting things done from an intelligent person is not easy. You have to create a balance. You have to unlearn and then learn to manage such people. It is also important to understand that they are not at fault. It is you who is at fault in many cases.

CE: Any bitter lessons learnt in your journey that you would like to share with us?

Mr. Sachdev: Entrepreneurship is a growing up process. There are many things you learn on the way through your experience. I too have learnt many lessons over the last 15 years.

One of the most important lessons I learnt is that money does not beget money. I made my biggest investment in the SMF battery venture – close to Rs 90 crores. But this is where I had my biggest fall. I had a belief that if I had invested in the right equipment and hired a team of experienced professionals they would drive the venture. I thought I should give them a free hand to drive the venture.

What I realised later is that no one can share the same passion as the entrepreneur himself. The team did not take the same level of interest and therefore the company got into very big trouble.

The entrepreneur has to get into the details and apply his mind to the venture. It can not be left to the team.

CE: Tell us about things that you’re so proud of from your past?

Mr. Sachdev: Su Kam has been a front runner in a number of areas and there are a number of things we have done that we are proud of.

Our product called Chick was carried by India Today as the top innovations of the decade. It featured alongside the Tata Nano. This was a proud moment for us. We have changed the face of the inverter industry to be considered as home UPS. Today no one buys separate UPS for their home products. All of them function on the inverter.

On the marketing side too we brought in a revolution. We were the first one’s to start advertising our brand at the dhabas. Since our markets lay beyond the metropolitan cities we were keen to expand our reach beyond these cities. We also wanted to achieve results in a small budget. This is when we came up with the idea of asking the dhaba owners to allow us to place our ads.

Slowly of course every one from soft drink brands to electronics manufacturers have integrated this into their advertising strategies. While we are proud of all our achievements, all these accolades also mean a lot of pressure on the organisation and me personally to continue to achieve and remain on top.

CE: Initially you were into cable TV sector, and then came invertors, what is the next big thing coming from you?

Mr. Sachdev: As you know I got into cable TVs as well as invertors by chance.  I am also searching for the “next”.  Having said that, I must add that, we are already working on a number of things in power electronics. There is power storage, smart grid, solar, automotive. We are pursuing all of these and more. The “next” only time will tell.

CE: Top tips that you would provide for our CEans?

Mr. Sachdev: My advice to CEans:

[*]If you have an idea you need to discuss it with a large number of people. You should not be scared that someone will steal your idea. You can only execute an idea if you have the passion to see it develop. Everyone has an idea only those who have the zeal and the passion can take it forward. Therefore what is important is to have an idea, execution with passion and learning on the way
[*] Stay away from negative people and environment. There will always be people who will discourage you. Therefore you must select a surrounding that is positive. It is very easy to fall in the company of those who are negative because when you are trying something new you will face many challenges. It is easy to become negative and give up.  So you must make all the effort to stay out of such negativity and remain positive.
[*]It is a must to read, especially about people who have been achievers. It does not matter which field they achieved in. Read about their lives, read about how they achieved and learn from them. Find their formula for success and apply what works for you.
[*]Action orientation must be very high. People will encourage you once they see results. So try to work towards results however small. This will help to build your confidence and make the people around you more positive about your venture and your ability.

We give special thanks to #-Link-Snipped-# for her efforts in making this Small Talk possible.

Your comments on this interview in following thread on CE Forums:

#-Link-Snipped-#