Rajiv Arora, Partner, Cactus
Women love clothes. We all know, understand, and appreciate this one narrative. Thus, it stands to reason that if one is involved in women’s clothing and doing a good job of it, the company is bound to succeed. Such is the happy coincidence at Cactus. This company, helmed by Mr. Rajiv Arora and Mrs Hardeep Arora, is engaged in manufacturing all types of women garments. The affable entrepreneur couple’s son, Mr. Siddharth Arora, joined hands with them in 2012. Certified by B.S.C.I., it also has the SEDEX compliance. Exporting mostly to the United States and Europe, Cactus is in the league of the top most five players in its business domain. Some of the top-shot clients of this firm are Encreme, Cold Water, and Mason Companies. The basic U.S.P. of the firm is that “we do our own inspections and quality checks.” The company specializes in knitted and woven garments. The product line, say the trio cheerily,
“is of the top-of- the-line quality and we are dabbling in designer wear as well.” Teed off by Mrs Hardeep Arora, this business began its operations way back in 1996. In the year 2000, Mr. Rajiv Arora left his plush banking sector job and roped in his professional fortunes with his wife. The Aroras bought their first factory in the year 2003 after investing about Rs 30 lakh in this endeavour. Primarily first generation entrepreneurs, the Aroras make it a point to “practice what we preach and follow the staunchest guidelines of business ethics in our work.”
Having grown from a business which took on small scale orders to start with, Cactus has now metamorphosed into a company which accepts large-scale contracts. The biggest motivating factor at Cactus is to churn out top-of-the-shack quality work and to have the clients give them
plaudits and laurels for their sincere and dedicated efforts. A Malaysian buyer was the first overseas client to give them business. They were aided and abetted in their work by Edcon from South Africa. The Aroras, who believe in quality work at minimum pricing, are a no-hassle couple who have “no grievances, truly speaking.” They strongly believe that the secret to success is “commitment, followed by adherence to ethics, continual interaction with clients, and a very positive attitude.” Their message to the budding entrepreneurial ranks is also “sincerity in work coupled with the right attitude and mental framework to begin with.” These qualities, as per them, go a long way in achieving success at work. Working with an employee roll call of about 200+ people, Cactus has managed to retain about 90% of its staffers due to the “filial atmosphere we maintain in our premises.” In addition, a system of regular promotions helps the employees in feeling cared for and protected in their work environment. Interestingly, the company was baptised as Cactus since it is this plant which can grow in any circumstances and it flourishes in the most inhospitable of ambience as well. Incidentally, 95% of the business of the Aroras is “direct, with the remaining coming from buying houses.” The company has a production rate of 40,000-50,000 pieces per month from a workspace of about 20,000 square feet. It is equipped with 175 production machines, 15 steam tables with boilers, and three cutting stations. The repertoire of machines also includes Yamato flatlocks, Pegasus overlocks, UBD machines, and a needle detector machine and a fusing machine from Hashima. Working together as a team Mr Rajiv and Mrs. Hardeep are truly the epitome of workaholics who leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring high-quality work routines in their professional odyssey. Strictly falling in line with core values like “excellence in work, integrity in all relationships, be these personal or professional, and bearing full responsibility for all the actions taken,” Cactus is an example to emulate and to learn from for the others in its ilk. There is hardly any room for doubt that this is one firm which is totally geared up to touch sky-high heights and attain dizzying name and fame in its line of work.