How this 37-year-old plumber toiled hard to navigate his entrepreneurial journey
With no prior formal training, Aashutosh landed in Delhi-NCR in search of jobs owing to his financial condition at home—only to experience a turn of events that made him an entrepreneur.
Life is a roller coaster. This adage stands true for Aashutosh Yadav, the 37-year-old from Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh, who traversed life through many challenges and milestones.
For a person who wanted to make it big in life and do something of his own, Aashutosh never got sound guidance or advice from his parents as they were separated.
As a Class 10 graduate with limited skills, he came to Delhi-NCR in 2006. A few months later, he found an opportunity to work as a plumber. He joined LIXIL GROHE as a technician in November 2009, where he volunteered for a programme to kickstart his entrepreneurial dreams.
Aashutosh with his wife and children
Aashutosh's career as a businessman may be new, but he had his first idea five years ago.
Today, he is the owner of A to Z Bath Solutions, a bathroom service solution company that works as an authorised service provider for GROHE in North and West Delhi and Gurugram, depending on the need of the hour and available manpower.
“If we can aspire for a certain kind of life, and we feel passionately about it, we will go that extra mile to make it happen. We need to be consistent with our efforts as, in this journey, we will see failures more than success, and the only thing that will keep you going is your dream,” Aashutosh tells SocialStory.
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Humble beginnings
Aashutosh dropped out of school after Class 8 owing to his family situation and poor financial condition. He moved to Mumbai with his maternal uncle, who had a plumbing business, which Aashutosh closely observed for the two years he stayed with him.
In 2005, he returned home to complete his Class 10 from an open school, and in 2006, he started working as a plumber/technician with Jaquar in Delhi.
"It was a blessing in disguise, as I wanted to become financially independent. I completed my Class 12 while working," he adds.
According to Aashutosh, working at Jaquar for three years allowed him to learn all the basics of plumbing and product knowledge.
It was in November 2009 that he was employed by GROHE, where he joined as a technical service engineer and learned more about thermostats, cisterns, and installation drawings, and learned computer skills like MS Excel, email writing, CRM, etc.
Becoming an entrepreneur
Aashutosh started A to Z Bath Solutions on July 15, 2021. "It was an inkling. Perhaps, my subconscious state of mind encouraged me to become an entrepreneur. The catch is that, however unreal it felt at the time, I did not ignore the feeling,” he recalls.
Soon after, Aashutosh enrolled on the LIXIL Entrepreneurship Programme, where he requested the organisation to support his ambitions for three months for him to chart a course of action.
“Not only did the company agree to my request, but they also went ahead and offered to aid me for six months, which allowed me to focus solely on my entrepreneurial journey," he adds.
With no prior formal training, Aashutosh learnt everything on the job. And, determined and guided by that confidence, he knew he had to make it as these opportunities don’t come easily.
"I knew then that when my business would take flight, I would do the same for my employees. That’s what my journey has taught me. Today, I have been able to impart the knowledge I received to six to seven of my employees to help them grow and become skilled workers. I must acknowledge that this journey has been extremely rewarding so far,” Aashutosh says.
Standing on his feet
"Nobody, including me, ever expected me to come this far in life. Now that I’m here, I aim to walk greener pastures and touch bluer skies. I work for myself — not many people can say that about themselves, and that has been my biggest victory. Yes, there are stressful days, but this stress is a potential," Aashutosh says about the learnings from his journey.
"Today, I meet GROHE dealers as their business partners and not as a technician, and that’s a great milestone for me. It’s a challenge that I get to solve with my training and experience. I am glad that I have made my family proud and that I can spend quality time with them. I am very excited that my dreams are coming true," he shares.
In fact, recently, Aashutosh purchased his first four-wheeler vehicle, and he is very protective about it. He has also been able to double his income in the last year. But, his greatest achievement is educating his sons, he says.
Edited by Suman Singh