The startup culture today is buzzing with stories from all over the world about young talent choosing to be in the driver’s seat and starting their venture. Not just young adults, but even teenagers today are proudly running their companies. Back in 1989, when startup culture was unheard of, most youngsters were happy to score a job that paid well and felt great if it guaranteed lifetime employment! But even in those times when most freshers played safe, a 19-year-old from Jaipur, Rajesh Sajnani had two choices – either complete his MBA and work for someone else or start something of his own and hire MBAs. He chose the latter and laid the foundation of the RVS group.
Rajesh started his first business in 1989 that dealt with Textile Wholesale and expanded into Haute Couture and fashion brands distribution from 2006 onwards and later expanded into Private Label .In the year 2016, he bought Cloud Host technology and forayed into the tech segment and in 2021 ventured into fashion ecommerce with Olyoly.com and theshowroom.com for B2B platform. Today, the RVS Group comprises of 5subsidiaries- Rajesh Trading Co. LLC, Si Fashion Galerie( the showroom), The Studio by Si fashion( private label production),Cloud Host Technology and Olyoly.com.
A Three-Decade Journey
Rajesh’s professional journey has spanned varied industries. However, the seamless transition between them was possible due to a singular focus on value creation for customers. “I am proud to say that we are one of the world’s only fully integrated fashion companies. Each business unit in our organization has its own dynamics and markets, from traditional textile wholesale to brand distribution, private label, and e-commerce,” says Rajesh.
Despite the differences, his team’s approach remains the same – to service the customers better, add value to the offerings, be innovative, and create market differentiation. Even the tech company, Cloudhost Technology, though entirely diverse from the fashion verticals, follows the same principles. Thus, irrespective of industry, product, or service, the focus has always been on value creation for customers and serving them better.
Innovation and creativity have driven all of Rajesh’s businesses from day one. The Group’s tagline is Creation, Innovation, and Emotion, and it has been there since 1995. Rajesh does not believe in any out-of-the-box solutions or products. Instead, he believes, the product or solution must be unique, carry their signature, or add value to it.
A Diverse Group
RVS Group has mainly two verticals – Fashion and Technology. Si Fashion is world’s first fully integrated fashion company wherein they have all major fashion verticals, from Textiles to Brand Distribution to their own D2C brands to E-commerce, Private labels, and the B2B distribution platform.
CloudHost, on the other hand, is an award-winning cloud services provider which has recently launched, Cloud Souq, the first Cloud Market place in the Middle East.
The Group’s services are all about being customer-centric. “We give our customers unique products or services, ensuring that they make a profit from them. We strive to solve their business issues in whatever way we can. We not only ensure that we make a profit but also that our customers make a profit or make their life easier with our products or services. Our unique approach is what upholds our uniqueness in the market,” emphasizes Rajesh.
An Empathetic Leader
For Rajesh, money has never been the motivating factor or the definition of success. He believes that one should be happy doing whatever they are doing and keep innovating and changing with time. When he started his business, he lacked a mentor or coach to guide him on his path to success. Everything he developed on the way was done on a trial & error basis as he kept learning and fixing mistakes en route to success. “I have made many mistakes along the way, and I continue to do so. For example, I was lenient with my receivables and inventories, which created huge issues, I take time in booking my losses and moving on. I have learned that in business, trying till you succeed is not always the right thing to do. I continue to learn from my mistakes and focus on improving my decision-making skills,” he says.
The one thing Rajesh didn’t do was lose his focus and consistency and, that consistency was to do things better than yesterday. He felt responsible for his people and their families and that drove him and continues to do so, to work harder and to be consistent.
The one quote Rajesh lives by is “Be the servant while leading.” It reminds him that as a leader, he must serve others first. An empathetic leader, he stays connected with his employees and customers and understands their needs & challenges. He first finds people, encourages them to be masters in their verticals then lets them take ownership of their actions, support them, and lets them play their roles. “My job is to provide them with the infrastructure, facilities, and encouragement to keep on innovating and learning. I have invested in myself to learn how to delegate and empower his team to perform without my involvement. I have never stopped learnings, I have done courses from all major universities around the world and will continue to do so. I now give more importance to my physical and mental health to keep the focus on having a healthy mind to keep innovating and expanding my horizons,” shares Rajesh.
Embracing Technology and Moving Forward with Dedication
Technology has been integrated into The Group’s businesses from the beginning. They have always leveraged their power to the organization’s benefit. Even in the fashion business, the B2B e-commerce platform, B2C e-commerce, CRM, and other marketing tools are tech-led. Similarly, in the cloud business, most of the business processes are tech-enabled. Rajesh’s team is now working on a couple of D2C brands and expanding into Omni Channel retail.
“We have won Best SME cloud provider in the middle east couple of times. My best award is when my customers come and tell me We love your company and people and how they are so dedicated and take care of us. For me that is my best award,” says Rajesh.
Quote: “My advice to budding entrepreneurs is to always create a healthy ecosystem around their business for customers, employees, and suppliers. Each segment must grow together and create value for each other. Profit alone cannot be the sole focus.”
