“Somewhere in my mind, I always wanted to do something on my own,” says Sudip Ghose, the Founder and CEO of Acefour Accessories. After managing the travel-gear giants like VIP industries and Samsonite for nearly two decades, Ghose initiated to start his D2C establishment under trademark brand Uppercase. His concept of a successful business is pretty straightforward. “It is all about the practical and simple idea,” said the industry pioneer.
The specialties of Acefour Accessories lie in manufacturing and selling exquisite, nature-friendly products and in innovation and the use of technology in business.
In this interview with Business Upside, Sudip Ghose talks about how he became an entrepreneur, how he manages business sustainability, his business policy, the challenges he faced, his suggestion for the young ones, and his idea of success.
Edited excerpt of the interview:
1. Business Upside [BU]: When & why did you decide to leave your job and become an entrepreneur?
Sudip Ghose [SG]: The first thing was that this was something during the pandemic. I felt that there was an opportunity getting created where the current set of business could be done differently. Somewhere in my mind, I always wanted to do something on my own. When the opportunity came, I took it.
2. [BU]: What, according to you, is the importance of sustainability in business?
[SG]: Business sustainability is about the idea and its proper execution. The idea has to be practical, and so has to be its execution. The other thing I believe very strongly is that the business must be simple. All great businesses are simple, and there is no point in complicating them. If you can make the business simple, it will give the best outcome. So, it is all about practical ideas and simple ideas. Practical implementation and simple execution make a business sustainable.
3. [BU]: How would you aim to contribute to the travel industry?
[SG]: If a person travels, he comes in direct contact with nature. When a person is amidst nature, he is not supposed to harm nature. I try to make minor use of plastic in manufacturing my travel accessories so that they can make your travel nature friendly.
4. [BU]: How would your company value your customers and investors?
[SG]: I always intend to consider what my customers and investors want. Investors want nothing but to get paid back; the same goes for customers. They want to get the best out of the product they are investing in, and they want the product to live up to their expectations. So, ROI (Return on Investment) is the main thing that matters to me when serving my customers and dealing with my investors.
5. [BU]: What were your biggest challenges when you started your entrepreneurial journey, and how did you overcome them?
[SG]: The first and foremost challenge was to leave a secured job, for me, of course. I had a job that many aspire to get. The decision to leave that security and take a risk, like starting your own company, is never easy. Thankfully, I had faith in myself, and my family supported me.
6. [BU]: What has been the most satisfying moment in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
[SG]: The most satisfying moment for me was seeing my first product getting created. It was an absolute pleasure to realize I had created something independently.
7. [BU]: What would it be if you had one piece of advice for our nation’s youth?
[SG]: Well, I won’t prefer to utter those cliché words; instead, I would suggest waiting for the right time and right opportunity. It is also of utmost importance to prepare yourself for the right time. Many would suggest jumping into the water for swimming to learn how to swim, but I would suggest that you first have to train yourself properly about the basics and wait for the right time before you jump into the water.
8. [BU]: What are the things budding enthusiasts should focus on?
[SG]: As I said, choosing the right time should be the focus of being successful.
9. [BU]: How would you handle the situation when travel is halted due to an emergency like a pandemic?
[SG]: Look, the pandemic was an unprecedented situation. We didn’t know what would happen and what it would require to cope. It was miserable how a happening industry halted due to the pandemic. But we never lost hope, and a situation like this doesn’t occur often. If there is an emergency, we want to do what the situation demands.
10. [BU]: How do you define success?
[SG]: In my view, success is getting time in your control. You can do whatever and whenever you want, which is a success for me. People always have to depend on others for different things, but successful people don’t have to depend generally. They can have control over their time, energy, and work. So, success for me is to dominate the time.
Also Read: Dr. Vivek Bindra: a Renowned Indian Speaker and Entrepreneur
