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Shiva Bhatta’s Story: A Case on Successful Entrepreneurship

Shiva Bhatta*

THIS STORY IS ABOUT Shiva Bhatta, a growing entrepreneur from Nuwakot. Shiva Bhatta was born in a traditional family that inherited enough land to provide food as well as some additional income for the family. Besides farming, Shiva’s family members did not have job that brought additional income to the household.

Shiva‘s father was a farmer. Discipline and hard work were part of the family culture. However, business was not in their family's tradition. At the age of 12, he took on all of his family's responsibilities and moved to Kathmandu in search of work. Despite his efforts, he was hired at school as a security guard; however, he found security to be a monotonous job with little room for creativity, so he left to work in his relative’s furniture store.

1.     The Struggle

He had to face a difficult situation in his life. His wife was suffering from chronic heart disease. So he faced a huge amount of debt for her treatment. His responsibilities included not only his wife but also the education and care of his two young children. Later on, for the health of his wife, he went to the city with his debt. He was new in the city; he didn’t know what to do or not to do. After some time and phone calls, he finally found a job in a carpenter shop, but the salary was way too low; he barely had money for the studies of his children. But he never gave up. He managed himself. After a few months, he plans to take a big leap in his life. He wanted to start his own business, so he borrowed money from a private money lender and started his own business. Everything is going well until 2014. He was working on his furniture when, because of his negligence, he lost three fingers of his right hand. But he was one of a kind; he never gave up. “Nobody believes in him. He lost again, and again, and again. The light were cut off, but he still was looking at his dream, reviewing it every day and said to himself, “it’s not over until I win”

2.     The Turning Point

The devastating earthquake on Baishakh 12, 2072 BS, was a watershed moment for him. Even though the situation was so dire, many people lost their loved ones, and many became homeless. Mr. Shiva was able to use his skill at that time. The government provided compensation, which assisted many people in building shelter. A lot of people started to reach out to him, which helped him grow financially. He also started to provide employment. He was one of the first people in the district to introduce unique design furniture at cheap prices, which encouraged people to buy his product rather than others'. He hired some of the best people from other countries. Day by day, he was expanding his branch. They used local products to build furniture that was stronger than imported furniture.

 

3.     The Success

He was offering attractive furniture at an affordable price that was made of high quality. He was expanding his business into rural areas so that people with lowered incomes could afford attractive and quality products. His goal was to eliminate the middleman from the market entirely, allowing everyone to enjoy luxurious furniture at a reasonable price. Because of the low cost of the product. Sidley, the business started to grow quickly. He coordinated directly with the customer, which aided in the development of a positive customer relationship. The people who are buying from him automatically start to promote his business. So because of that, he paid no money for advertisements. He also started free home delivery for residents of the municipality. Shiva also visited several villages to find out what people wanted. He traveled extensively across the districts for the purpose of collecting high-quality and low-priced raw materials. He used to be unable to afford higher education for his children, but now both his son and daughter attend one of Nepal's top colleges and universities, i.e., NCCS College and Pokhara University. His commitment to his family's future helps him succeed in business.

4. The Philosophy

When asked what continuously drove him to the adventure of creating new enterprises as well as coming up with the idea of such types of furniture, he says, "Though I lost a lot of money in my previous ventures and once I had planned to go abroad to make my future, I always believed that I have to do something on my own and continue to work hard. I believed that despite all those failures I can make my mark in business. I also had the thought that whatever I do I have to be within top ten in the field. Besides, I also tried to create a strong platform for my children so that they will not have to face the difficulties that I faced in my life". All these were Shiva’s aspirations which he seems have been able to achieve to a greater extent.