The road to success is not easy, it is full of thorns and difficulties. That is why only few people are able to achieve success and hold on to their dreams. In this article, we share the story of a man, who started his career earning Rs 4,000 per month, but his dedication and determination to achieve something big eventually made him the owner of a Rs 10 crore-company.
Who is the man?
The man is Dadasaheb Bhagat, CEO at Design Template, a platform often compared to the global design giant Canva. His journey has earned him praise even from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Born and brought up in a drought-prone village in Beed district of Maharashtra, he faced several hardships and challenging conditions. His poor family never prioritised education and it happened in Bhagat’s case as well. He studied up to the 10th standard and later completed a basic ITI course. This course typically trained people for blue-collar factory jobs.
His early life
Looking for better opportunities and a secure future, he moved to Pune, where he began working for a monthly salary of Rs 4,000. While working, he heard about an office boy vacancy at Infosys, offering Rs 9,000 as salary. As the pay was double than what he was earning, Bhagat grabbed the opportunity without hesitation. At Infosys, he used to do menial work like cleaning, fetching supplies and delivering items.
Turning point in his life and journey to success
Then came a turning point in his life. While working at Infosys, he observed the employees who worked comfortably on computers in offices. He realised that while physical work paid little, using one’s mind could help build a better life. Bhagat understood that knowledge mattered the most and had the power to change anyone’s life. While he was contemplating his future, some employees advised him to learn graphic design and animation. They told him that in creative fields like graphic design and animation, talent mattered more than formal degree.
This idea took him back to his school days, when he lived in a boarding school next to a temple painter. Watching the painter at work, he had developed a love for drawing. Following that passion, Bhagat started learning design while continuing his night shift at office. Within a year, he transformed himself into a professional designer. Thereafter, he began freelancing as a designer and decided to launch his own design company. However, success was not easy and didn’t come overnight. There were financial challenges, limited resources, and skepticism from others. Amid this, came the epidemic, Covid-19, which forced him to shut his office in Pune and return to his village.
Design Template
Despite the challenges, he continued to follow his passion. With limited electricity and internet his team set up a workspace near a cowshed. The company started taking shape and Design Template was born. He also began training local youngsters in graphic design. Bhagat’s innovative spirit soon drew attention from the media and even caught the eye of PM Narendra Modi, who praised him for progressing the Make in India initiative.
As Design Template grew, Bhagat presented his company on Shark Tank India Season 3, where he secured a deal with Aman Gupta, founder of boAt, selling 10 per cent equity in his company for Rs 1 crore. Bhagat mentioned that his company’s revenue was Rs 1.6 crore and is expected to reach Rs 3 crore in the fiscal year 2024-25.
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