Post Graduate after 14 years of market research job in Mumbai quits jobs a CEO and starts business in strategic branding and business development solutions (11-15)

Mustanshir Moiz Motiwala, post graduate in environmental science, having worked for 14 years in Mumbai in market research industry, quits job as a CEO and starts business in strategic branding and business development. His inspiring & motivating journey demonstrates learning from failures, being courageous and to keep going in all adverse situations.

He graduated with Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) from Mumbai University in 1999 and then completed post graduate in environment pollution control, Mumbai University in 2001.

After passing 10^th standard in 1994 he took up the first part job as office assistant and then business development executive until 1999. In 2000, he joined his relative Saifee bhai Jani’s paper business “Jani Sales”.  In 2001 he joined a firm where the owner Mr. Ranjeet Ghosh gave him one particular book to read, the whole day for 2 full months and paid him salary. After that he was given the substitute jobs for people going on leave. It was in this job rotation from a role of a peon to manager where he mastered the skills how to get things done and learn the art how to analyze things in refined manner. After 2 years he was promoted as Business Unit Head for Analytics department.

He kept learning, mastering the market research and branding skills and climbing the ladder of professional career by joining hands with IMRB International as Analysis Executive in Oct 2006, followed by renowned labels like Nielsen, TNS, WNS, Datamatics as Manager in Dec 2010 and finally as CEO with Omni World from Aug 2011 to Dec 2011.

After resigning as CEO and looking for next job in 2012, soon he realized that he was not desperately sought after and saleable in the market. To his dilemma, he wasn’t mentally and financially prepared to face this situation as he was used to obtaining as steady monthly income and regular growth in his job for last several years, without any savings backup. Also, once you have reached the top of the ladder, there are ego factor acting as an obstacle to take up smaller jobs.

To keep going during this critical period, he took up an assignment from Kodak for deploying scanning services for small firms as it didn’t require immediate capital. He humbly took up this new area of work as he was confident that he is a keen learner and determined to move on.

He was influenced by knowing that 3M have unique concept in selling all of its product line and an innovation idea hit him of creating a fusion to this by customized printing on sticky notes. He collaborated with an investor and established a manufacturing plant from scratch, developed and launched the unit. Soon his products received good response from market, but he had to part ways due to certain disagreements.

Though a debacle, this venture allowed him the insights into establishing the manufacturing unit. Triggering his thoughts was the inspiration from Aqa Moula Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) hidaayat that mumineen should to do business. Hence by 2013, he had confidence to go all alone, giving customized sticky notes solutions to his customers and by getting printing done by third party.

By mid of 2014, he synchronized his vision with our PM, “Make In India”, he laid his own manufacturing and printing factory to develop in house customized sticky note. He launched his official brand of repositionable self-adhesive notes named “Sticky Branding” and “ScanOn” which is a fusion of printing and marketing business.

He had to face many odd challenges and first was capital. As he was very confident about his business capabilities, new ideas and wanted to prove himself, to meet the capital for the setup he decided to self-invest after rejections from various channels of finance. He didn’t opt for any interest based loans and he took a bold step by selling off his home and all assets to buy the machinery and setup his factory.

Second was that until his business stabilizes, to meet his family expenses (FLEX) he also took up jobs of scanning and archiving of documents and also works an independent consultant (Strategic Business Planning) for Al Tijaarat Al Rabeehah, Mumbai for Dawoodi Bohra Community.

Third was acquiring business know how. As he was a prompt learner and knew how business works as all this years he had been guiding firms to reach their goals.

He had to go through great mental stress and family trauma, as he has put everything at stake to prove his metal and worth. But he knows with hard work, having the required skills sets, patience, dedication, straight forward and blunt approach towards practical life, he is bound to succeed with time. He has now cultivated a habit of keeping aside vajeebat amount from each closed deal as this is certain source of barakaat in business.

He is has a team of 3 people in Palghar, Mumbai along with his wife Zenab, who is a great supporter and source of strength for him in his critical business journey.

He realized that in his current scope of work his academic qualifications are not contributing him directly as he has moved away from the pure science stream. But his acumen to learn quickly has helped master the skills of the trade.

At age of 39, having been into this field for 3 years now, he is happy with his decision to take up this challenging path, having selected this unique business concept which will touch the life’s of every individual and millions around the world by providing them a tool to create Stick Branding for their brands with his developed customized sticky notes. ScanOn’s “Sticky Branding” helps you to develop brilliant strategies to market your business and grow your brand.

He recollects:

“I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself” — Albert Einstein

He knows that he is at base level stage and working hard to stabilize his business, build up a solid customer base with a vision that every individual should have a customized sticky notes on his desk with sticky branding to jot his daily chores.

Mustanshir Moiz Motiwala quotes :

“Doing Business is also about failures, refusals and not only about success“

“Be Brilliant Be Everywhere ….make the paper talk!!!”

For any queries, he is available to contact on :

Email : [email protected], Mobile +91-7738389452

All readers please share your comments/feedback from this journey and any lesson learned to implement in your life.