Building empire… building dreams

Niikhil Ballal

This is a story of a man who is not only brilliant academician, but also disciplined, inventive and have seen the rigors of life. A story fit for an inspiring novel, Suresh Haware’s life is nothing lesser than an example of hardwork and innovation.

Born and brought up in a small village of Pathrot in Amravati, Suresh Haware did his graduation from Nagpur’s National Institute of Technology (NIT) and bagged a gold medal for it. After being torn between desire for further education and need for a job, Haware chose the latter after considering the need for education of his brothers. From the three offers that he had in his hand, he opted for Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’s job as it offered him a post-graduation along with a job. He worked there for 28 years as a senior nuclear research scientist. He strongly believes there is no short cut to success. If you dare to take a short cut then you are cut short!

The unfortunate conditions

It was only after Satish Haware, his brother passed away in 2005 that Suresh Haware entered the business. “Satish was an architect. He used to work with a firm before starting his own. He later saw opportunities in the construction sector and ventured out in it. Unfortunately, he met with an accident in 2005 and succumbed to his injuries. This business was a family commitment and so I decided to fulfil those commitments on my brother’s behalf,” remembers Haware.

Since Suresh Haware was always involved in the business at the background, he didn’t take much time to adapt in the business culture. After resigning from BARC, he used all his resources and energy in expanding the business.

Adapting to the new culture

It was surely difficult for a person to start working for a business after having worked in a typical set-up for 28 years. A paradigm shift business needs a particular temperament which cannot be built overnight.“BARC job was a typical 9 to 5 job. One is more relaxed and less bothered. Business is a 24 hour job. You have to work tirelessly, keeping people close to you,”Haware states. Business, according to him, is more challenging but you get better rewards of your hard work as well. “One needs to face the odds, bear the losses and get experiences that helps you build the much essential business temperament,” he feels.

Haware’s business mantra

Suresh Haware has always maintained that one needs to have correct attitude, not money to excel in business. Talking more on it, he says, “Contrary the common notion, if we see we’ll understand that all those businessmen who have a big name do not come from wealthy families. DhirubhaiAmbani was son of a school teacher, but with right attitude, he earned success. He started from a scratch. You do need money for business, but it should not necessarily be your own! Calculated risk doesn’t hurt.”

He has also written book on the same topic and a talk show was also organised that seconded the book. This 20 episode talk show aimed at finding people who own start-ups, encourage them, providing them with business, and inspiring others.

Even in a sector of construction, where a common belief is that you need to be rich to enter this business, Haware thinks it is quite possible for a common man to enter this business provided he has correct business attitude, networking attitude and management skills. If you are honest and ready for hard work, along with the necessary skill set, the success can be yours!

Haware thinks you should be social to shine in business. “You should talk to people. That interaction teaches you, helps you, and gives you a feedback and all this helps you to grow. Every person is co-operative. You should know how he can prove to be resourceful to you,” he opines.

Your performance counts

“Your performance is the greatest yardstick to measure your success, your image and your brand. Your plans, promises and dreams are not even taken into consideration while considering your brand or image. Image building or brand building is directly related to your performance. People observe, judge and keep a watch on you even when you aren’t aware of it,” noted Haware.

Building Haware as a brand

Our commitment and sincerity impressed our patrons. That is the foundation stone of our brand. Haware started the business in 1998, right in the middle of recession. After building colonies of bus drivers, policemen and worker class, Haware started to be known for their affordable housing. “We liked dealing with more people. Instead of selling one house worth crores, we thought it is better to sell more houses of lesser price as we could deal with more people,”Haware shares. They refrained from entering the luxury homes sector. They even built a colony for cart pullers, street vendors, paansellers, etc and considered it as a social housing project. “We were happy that we could provide address to those who were homeless,” says Haware. The brand and its trust it automatically built after selling about 45 thousand homes, living up to their promises. The project occupancy level has been 100 per cent. Staying away from litigations, instead talking things out face to face has been corner stone at Haware. Such negatives affect the productivity.

Competition is a part of life. Instead of facing it with stress, facing it with innovation gives you an edge over your competitors, Haware opines.

People’s man

Suresh Haware has always been a people’s man and he enjoying being in the crowd. He has always been active in various social causes and social services for a long time only to be associated with more people. “People don’t want the Ganpati procession to start from their homes. On the contrary, I feel it should start from my home and I should go to Dadarchowpatty to have some fun. Crowd never terrorises me, rather I feel comfortable in the crowd,”smiles Haware. He joined politics with the view of doing some more social work, but soon realised it would lead to many unproductive things. That’s why it has now taken a backseat.

Haware and spirituality

About four years ago, the Haware family went to Shirdi to visit Sai Baba Temple. However, they couldn’t go as it was very crowded. He decided never to go to Shirdi again. Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Devendra Phadnavis informed Suresh Haware that he was chosen as the chairman of the Saibaba Trust. Haware was aware of unconventional ways in which Sai Baba calls his devotees.

Haware is a spiritual person and opines that it gives him peace of mind and helps him soothes the disturbing frame of mind. “You know if your journey on the spiritual path has begun if you feel like helping someone without expecting anything in return. Since I belong to the scientific background, I put things to test first before believing them,” he explains.

Today, Suresh Haware stands tall thanks to the support of his family. “The relations are based on respect. When you give respect, you earn respect.Relations are most important in life and the achievements are meaningless without it,”Haware thinks.

The next generation has already entered the business. Haware’s two sons Amit and Amar handle majority of the business today. “My sons are good and capable. Both of them are highly qualified with some corporate experience to their credit. They have faced the reality of life as they know how to earn the success through hardships of life,” beams Haware. He has groomed them to take the mantle. The next level is already beckoning the scions!