Chat with Rishabh Budhani, A 3rd Generation Entrepreneur of the Budhani Brothers

Budhani Brothers, one of the largest manufacturers of potato wafers & potato mixtures in India. Punekars have always been a fan of the most crispy and crunchiest Budhani wafers. Rishabh Budhani, a third generation entrepreneur opens up about the Budhani family’s mantra of success and shares his experiences about growing up in a family with such a great legacy.

Rishabh studied MBA in marketing from Sinhgad Business School. During the course he also took up an internship at Jai Jinendra Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd. Pune, following this he joined the family business. He now manages the new production unit set up at Ramtekdi Hadapsar Pune.

Rishabh possesses deep knowledge in the field of marketing, product designing, sales, product placement & distribution. He believes and practices the principle – we earn from the society & it is our prime responsibility to give back to it in some way. “At the new production unit we have made it a point to recycle the natural resources used at our unit, such as water is treated with the help of advance effluent treatment plant installed in the vicinity, also LPG is used as the source of heating the boiler resulting in lesser emission of fumes into the surrounding”, says Rishabh.

This young entrepreneur showcases brilliant skills and keeps in touch with the new marketing trends and analyzes demand forecasting, thereby setting up future strategies for Budhani’s. In addition he also shares “my grandfather always said hard work is not the only key element to success you always require the blessings of your guru and your elders ” thus  following the footsteps of his grandfather and father believing in the blessings of his Gurumaharaj. He is surely a great visionary like every other member of the Budhani family.

What was the most crucial thing that Budhani Bros followed which made what it is today?

Budhani’s have always followed the principle of keeping the quality & taste of the products consistent. This can be only be achieved when the raw materials used are of optimum quality.We have also made it a point to keep the pricing at an economical level so that the common man can afford quality products.

 What is your strategy as a business man?  How has the business evolved in the last few years?

With the changing market scenario there has been an increase in competition. With our new technologically advanced unit, we have achieved the best quality and increased the shelf life of our products. It has I been our consistent effort to increase our market reach and with the present trend of E-commerce we are tying up with various E-commerce websites to reach out to our customers worldwide.

To what do you most attribute your success? What would say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business?
My grandfather always said, “You cannot achieve anything without hard work & punctuality”
Growing up with such inspiration around me, I have witnessed that hard work, dedication and consistency can take you places you would have never Imagined.

Are there any new products or innovation that we can be expecting soon?
Yes there will be a few products or variants in potato chips to be seen in the market soon.

Where all do you ship to? Do your wafers have a fan following in any part of the globe? 
Our products are available in and around Pune.  We have shipped to New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. Our new production unit concentrates mostly on exports as well as the increasing demand all over India.Truly we have a great fan following from all over the world we have 4 generations of customers coming down to have our products.

 What innovations have you made since you joined the business full time?
Its been 3 years since I am involved in our business full time. I introduced a smaller packet of the potato mixture usually consumed during fast. The packet is handy, filling and economical.
I also introduced a party pack of chips with a longer shelf life and improved packaging which prevents the chips from crushing, these are available across Pune.

 What was the craziest order you’ve received so far? Have you ever declined an order for any reason?
We receive various orders where we have to customize the packaging that is after the final exams of school or children’s day republic day where the pouches have to be made like a combo of potato wafers a sweet and some other drink. We never decline feasible orders, but we are very particular about our delivery and quality, so might have had to decline certain last minute orders.

Did you always want to get into your family business? How did you merge your career passion and the family business?
Yes surely I always wanted to get into my family business from a young age. Thus with my passion being marketing I tired to study our market and according to the customer feedback I have been evolving our business strategies that are suitable for the current market trend, but also keeping in mind the future markets.

How was it growing up in a family with such an amazing legacy? Any interesting childhood memory that you would like to share.
Yes with a 62 years old legacy it is a huge responsibility on my shoulders to keep up to the brand legacy. Yes I have a lot of childhood memories my summer holidays during school were mostly at the shop. I had to spend few hours of my day at the shop learning various skills like packing the products, attending customers, making bills, delivering goods to various clients. I did all this under the guidance of my grandfather and with these skills he also inculcated in me habits like hard-work and punctuality.

 Any advice or words of wisdom for everyone who is reading this blog?
Till this stage whatever business I have learnt has been from my grandfather & my father who always taught me “to dream big, aim high and in this course stay humble” apart from this I believe one should never step back from working hard and stay dedicated to your dream no matter what, always keep dreaming big and work towards achieving it.

Look at them mixing up with your favorite flavors.

 

“I’ll just eat one”, said no one ever.

 

With the man himself