Sitaram Patel's journey from a small village to running a mobile phone business spread across five districts shows what determination can achieve even with the barest of resources. He once worked for wages at other people's mobile phone shops, coming from a family with no business background and no money to spare, but today his name is counted among the biggest mobile traders in the Nimar region.
From a farming family to the mobile phone trade
Sitaram Patel says his entire family background was tied to farming. Nobody in the family had any connection to business, there was no one to guide him and no prior experience to draw on. Despite that, he refused to give up and chose to keep pushing forward, teaching himself along the way.
A struggle that began on a salary of Rs 150 a month
In his early days, Sitaram also worked at a medical store. Alongside school, he put in hours of work both morning and evening. Back then he was paid just Rs 150 a month, an amount that later rose to Rs 300. That sum may look tiny by today's standards, but those small early experiences and the habit of hard work went on to become his real strength later in life.
Repairing skills became the turning point, his own shop opened in 2006
Before stepping into the mobile phone business properly, Sitaram carefully learned mobile repairing work. That skill went on to become the biggest turning point of his career. Building on that experience, he gathered the courage to start his first small mobile shop in 2006.
He pawned his mother's necklace to raise the starting capital
Starting the shop was not easy, but Sitaram's mother stood by him at every step. To get the shop going, he even had to pawn his mother's necklace. What looked like a small, difficult step at the time went on to become the foundation of much bigger success later.
Honesty and trust kept the business growing
Sitaram gradually earned the trust of his customers through his work and his conduct. Honesty and good service became his identity. That is why the business that started out of one small shop kept growing steadily, and his name began spreading across the region.
The mobile business now spans five districts
Today, Sitaram Patel's name is counted among the biggest mobile traders across the entire Nimar region. His business is no longer limited to a single shop, it has spread across five districts, where a large network of mobile agencies, repairing and sales now stands, also providing employment to a number of people.
From mobile showrooms to a Bata showroom and Saphal Seeds
Sitaram did not stop there and kept expanding his business further. Today, alongside his mobile showrooms, he also runs a Bata showroom, a seed business under the name Saphal Seeds, and several other successful units including a warehouse. Sitaram says the first five years of setting up any business are the toughest, and it is patience, hard work and honesty that provide the biggest support during that period. If a person can hold on through those early years, success is bound to follow.
Sitaram's message for young entrepreneurs
Sitaram Patel's message to young people is that even if resources are limited, any goal can be achieved if the intent is strong enough. According to him, all it takes is consistent hard work and staying honest with customers, and the rest of the success follows on its own.
