Shooja Abdul Kharim who hails from Kulathooppuzha in Kollam district of Kerala is an out standing entrepreneur who had a humble beginning, but has become a Global Leader. It is through hard work and commitment that he had achieved this great goal.
According to him, he never thought about entering the business field especially when he was a student nor while working. It was after his collegiate education that he joined ‘POABS’,one of the leading business groups in Kerala, as Vehicle Supervisor. His father Abdul Kharim was holding the key position as Chief Manager of the company at that time.
It was while working at Poabs that Shooja dreamt of becoming a businessman. A keen desire for vehicles also cropped up in his mind at that time. While working with his father, holding the dream of a business in mind, he was keenly and gradually learning the technique of business.
At Poabs, he has grasped about how a business group starting from a low profile reached the highest peak; what are the factors that favored their business success and how they are still carrying it forward successfully etc. Shooja says : “It was my experiences atPoabs that gave me the confidence to become a businessman”.
According to Shooja, if one continues to be an employee, he may not have the desired economic security. But, the case will be different for a businessman. This was one of the important factors that made me a businessman, he added.
A businessman cannot take decisions on his own, as there is no one else above him. And there is a risk that any decision taken by him, whether good or bad, he alone will be responsible for it. But, I was ready to take the risk. And the fact is that, I really enjoyed it, says Shooja.
If we have to achieve success, then we must be ready to accept any challenge. We must always try to be an employer, rather than an employee. The Israelis and the Gujarathis are two societies which teach this. They teach their children to be employers at an early age. For this, they have to become good businessmen and they are able to achieve this goal.
Shooja says that his family was not a traditional business family. He was brought up under the control of his father. And it was the valuable lessons that he has learned from his father who was a lead manager that helped him a lot.
What are the key decisions that are to be taken at the time of any crisis in the company. The relationship with the employees and so on.‘It is not tradition alone that make one a businessman’. It is that experience which one gains from the circumstances under which he is brought up that give strength.
It is the systematic life under the control of his mother which helped a lot in the development of his personality. It is also the love and affection from the mother that helped him to love and behave in a very humanitarian manner, Shooja said.
People from the neighborhood of Shooja were working in the Gulf countries and this attracted him a lot. He too wanted to grow like them. But the only difference was, though most people were in the Gulf, none of them have acquired much wealth. Naturally, the thoughts of achieving more than what they have has also cropped up in his mind.
Finally, he has decided to go to Saudi Arabia. With this objective in mind he boarded the train for Mumbai as he felt that it would be much easier to get a Visa from there. Entrepreneur Inside Shooja The ‘Adma Group’ which is the winner of ‘Excellence in Global Reach Award – 2014’, instituted by Cochin Herald is a company that has been established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( KSA ), in 2006 with the vision of evolving into a multi-brand company. The company was established by none other than Shooja Abdul Kharim an enterprising entrepreneur from Kulathooppuzha in Kollam district of Kerala. He is an entrepreneur who can be made a role model for anyone who is willing to achieve success in business. It was through dedication, hard work and commitment that Shooja reached the heights in business. He is a business man who had chartered his way to success through hardships. This is especially because he had lost everything with the failure in his firstbusiness and had to re-start from a big Zero.
Shooja had after his graduation started his career as a vehicle supervisor in the Poabs Group before boarding the train for Mumbai with the sole objective of going to Saudi Arabia. However, before getting the Visa for Saudi Arabia, he had to work in Mumbai for almost six months for a livelihood.
The Adma Group had always stood one step ahead of the rapidly changing, technologically progressive times, to provide sustained value for money to the discerning customers. By combining the strength of marketing, sales, customer service, warehousing and financial acumen, the company’s expression of business interest has left its indelible mark as demonstrated through millions of loyal, delighted customers and resultantly, several rewarding ventures. The Adma Group’s business ventures include various fields such as retail, business solutions, real estate, contracting, tourism, car rentals,trading etc. The Group now has business stakes in ten countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, India and China.
With the introduction of its new brand “ALTIMA”, the group has expanded its horizon of operations into the field of Electronics & Home Appliances too. The company’s untiring commitment for performance, cutting edge technology, innovative design and the most dependable service standards have resulted in providing its customers with a range of products having unrivalled quality with the highest value in the market.
Shooja’s entry into Business : While boarding the train from Kollam for Mumbai with the experiences that have been gained from Poabs group, Shooja’s intention was to go to the gulf. As it was understood that it would take six months time to get the Visa for Saudi Arabia ready, he managed to get a temporary job in Mumbai.
At last he got an opportunity to go to Saudi on a Contracting company Visa and his posting was in the divine city of Mecca. Though, the salary was not that satisfactory, he has decided to go as he considered it a blessing, since his appointment was in Mecca. He worked there for almost six months in different sectors in various posts like Lift operator, Receptionist and Driver.
And ultimately by 2004, his long cherished dream of starting a business on his own has materialized. Initially, he was in the business of chocolates. And as it usually happens, to in-experienced businessmen, it all happened in the case of Shooja also. His business ended up in loss and all his hard earned money was also lost. And he was all shocked, because it was thefruits of his eight years of hardship and labor that was lost in the business. But being a well determined person, Shooja was not ready to surrender to fate, hence has decided to once again turn to a job. This time he got a job under a car dealership firm where a Japanese citizen was his boss.
Shooja was completely demoralised following the downfall of his first business and after that, it was his new Japanese boss Akiro Nikas who encouraged him to enter into the business arena again. According to Shooja, his boss was a very nice person and impressed by his sincerity in the job, intelligence and memory power,always used to encourage him telling that: “ You are not supposed to be an employee, but a Businessman”.
In fact, it was his Japanese boss Akiro Nikas, who identified the business man in Shooja. But, he still cannot understand why that Japanese person, has shown that much affection to him rather than considering him as an employee.‘He wasalways encouraging me to enter into a business. “Actually it was only because of him, that I have become a business man. I could not meet him again as he has returned to Japan and this what disturbs my mind”, says Shooja.
In favorable situations, we can achieve success. He continued to work there for two years from 2004 to 2006. It was in 2006, that I again entered into the field of business, Shooja said. It was the lessons that he has learned from the earlier business which made him move carefully.
BIRTH OF ADMA
Shooja established his new Business venture named the ‘ADMA Business Solution’,in 2006, with just 13 employees. Ever since then, the company has been scaling the heights of success. Today, it has an employee strength of 2000 persons. It was established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with the vision of evolving into a multi-brand company. After two years, the activities of ‘ADMA’was extended to Bahrain also.It always stood one step ahead of the rapidly changing, technologically progressive times, to provide sustained value for money to the discerning customer. The company’s activities are mainly in three sectors like Construction, Contracting and Maintenance. Though not so big, he has already opened up certain units in India also and is now planning to start more in the near future. There was a time when Shooja thought that he can never come up in life again and has worried a lot, when he lost his hard earned money in the earlier business.
EMERGENCE OF ALTIMA :
It was at a time when the companies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were running successfully that Shooja arrived in United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the year 2012. His younger brother Savan Kutty was there in the UAE at that time. While discussing business matterswith him, a new idea had stricken Shoojas mind. They went deep into the matter and analyzed the situation in the UAE and finally reached a conclusion that Electronics business is the one which suits the conditions in UAE. Then they explored the possibilities of Electronics business there and after conducting a detailed market research reached a final conclusion.
Thus, they have decided to start an Electronics business there and ultimately decided to launch there new firm – “ALTIMA”. Their main objective behind the starting of ‘Altima’ in UAE, was to bring under one roof all the house hold Electronics items.
In a smart city like Dubai, the scope of business of ‘Electronic Paraphernalia’ are very wide. With a clear planning and vision, Altima had been able to over come all the challenges of brand creation and development. Today, Altima has turned out to be the No. 1brand in the UAE. Now, Shooja along with his brother Savan Kutty is making all efforts to ensure the presence of Altima, in the entire GCC. In the UAE, the entire business activities of Altima are controlled by Savan Kutty. The Adma, has now grown to such a height that, it has an annual return of Rs. 200 crores. Now in UAE alone 200 employees are working in Altima. In the current financial year, the return from Altima alone is expected to be Rs. 200 crores.
It is proposed to extend the activities of Altima to India also in the coming year as part of its objective to turn Altima into an International brand. According to Shooja, a real business man can never become a fool. He has to be always alert and then only can he view the opportunities that come his way. Never trust those people who approach you with bombastic offers. There will be hidden dangers behind such plans. He also suggests that, before entering into any business, one should always keep a kites view of its futurechances. Once you take a right decision, then stick to it and implement it. One should also be capable of giving better service while giving quality products. The business that can satisfy the needs of the customers alone survive. These are the lessons to be learned before entering into any business, says Shooja. The wide range of products that Altima offers under various segments include :Entertainment, Home Appliances, Kitchen Appliances, Personal Gadgets and Lighting Devices. The company’s untiring commitment for performance, cutting edge technology, innovative design and the most dependable service standards have resulted in providing its customers with a range of products having unrivalled quality with the highest value in the market.
According to Shooja the future belongs to India and that the chances of business here is also wide. Being the second largest country with its human resource, India will be a big market.
