BUILDING A BUSINESS EMPIRE
The founder of Kalandoor Group of Companies shares his insights
Success stories are intriguing and inspirational in equal measure. The diary of someone making it to the top helps so many others who are perched on lesser rungs on the ladders of life. There is comfort in knowing the climb is hard, but for the hardy, the rewards are great.
What if such a story is also laced with practical advice and valuable information? Kalandoor, founder and chairman of an eponymous empire based in the UAE, recounts his experience with distinctive wit and wisdom. “For many, persistence and perseverance are mere concepts,” he says. “They should become compasses instead.”
His employees speak volubly about his mentoring, parental role in their lives and those of their families but Kalandoor himself is succinct. “To be in charge of people’s livelihoods also means taking up responsibility for their lives. It is no small task, and this is what defines my own role in life.
“How you manage to motivate your employees will chart your success.” When he started his company in 2000, Kalandoor had to wait for a year before he could afford to hire an assistant. Some 20 years later, he has more than 500 employees drawn from 20 nationalities working at his offices, workshops, and warehouses. This catapulting he says, came about because of a single factor.
“The most important aspect of doing business – and doing it well – is confidence,” he explains. “Someone can receive a gift of a million dollars to set up a business, and it can be called good fortune. What they do with that money and how well they use it depends on something else – good sense.”
Kalandoor himself had no large cash gifts to start him off. After an idyllic childhood in pastoral India, and armed with a degree in mechanical engineering from Kerala’s famed TKM College, he made his way to Saudi Arabia. “My parents were simple folks involved in small-scale agriculture, but they had such large plans for their children. I learnt life’s lessons from them.
“My father insisted on equipping us with formal education, and it is what I pass on to my children now. Education is a fundamental right, and it is the greatest gift parents can give to their children.”
In Saudi Arabia, the young Kalandoor could not find satisfaction at the workplaces he was employed at – dreaming big and wanting more. In a few years, he took the plunge and set himself up as an air-conditioning service agency, working with friends to receive a percentage of every project that he brought in. Woven with this implicit confidence was the determination to succeed. “I had no customers, no colleagues, and no company, but I had more than enough confidence. Confidence was the only investment I put into my business.”
Such was his prowess and so pleased were his clients, that within a year he had rented office space, registered his own company, and added several services to its portfolio like plumbing and fittings. “Everything my clients wanted, I offered them. One of them suddenly wanted a large project done in Abu Dhabi. Although it was challenging, I said yes, and moved to the UAE for a year.” The project was completed ahead of schedule, and Kalandoor stayed back to open a second office, and establish his headquarters here.
The Kalandoor Group of Companies has built a handsome roster of clients through their offices in Riyadh and in Dubai, and delivered more than 2,000 megaprojects across the GCC. Most of their clients have stayed the course for the last 20 years – returning to a reliable partner every time they have a new requirement. These clients include large international retailers such as Azadea, Burberry, Landmark and BMA International as well as Damas, Sun and Sand Sports, and Sharaf DG. The roster is shared between some of the largest institutions in the UAE and individuals who seek perfection in their offices and homes.
Just as the company’s client base continued to grow, so did their service offerings. “In the beginning, we were small project managers for interior fit-outs, and we worked with external suppliers for supplies and services,” he says of the ambitious backward integration programme that defines their success story.
“Slowly, we set up in-house units for all aspects of our work, to serve our clients fully, without having to rely on third-party suppliers.” These full-fledged business units of joinery, glass and aluminium works, and furniture manufacturing now serve as the Group’s conduit to undertake projects in new-build and refurbishment, interior design and fit-outs, construction, and engineering and design coordination.
Kalandoor dons two hats with ease as successful business owner and avuncular employer; devoted family man and busy industry captain; student of life and leader of men. This dichotomy may be rooted in his place of birth, the idyllic village of Bayar, straddling the two south Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala. Surrounded by hills and blessed with a chilly climate, the place is abundant with commercial crops like cocoa, coconut, vanilla, pepper and aracanut.
Rising from this small village to surmount the world, Kalandoor attributes his success to the success of Dubai, and that of the UAE. “We are grateful to our rulers. They have created a climate of growth in this country, with advantages like infrastructure, international workforce, safety and security.”
According to him, there is also the often overlooked but more important aspect of an ideal business environment. “Many parts of the world are rife with theft, bribery, cheating and corruption. We do not stop to consider how lucky we are to escape all these plagues. We are successful because we operate in such a clean and carefree business environment. For this we are truly thankful to the rulers and the government of the UAE.”
Receiving a gift of a million dollars to set up business can be good fortune. What one does with that money depends on good sense.”