Rushiraj Patel: Strategist Crafting Business Growth Stories Using Their Unique In-House Bespoke Consulting Technology Platform
Rushiraj Patel
Founding Partner
During this process, every detail must be considered, including workforce, source materials, machinery, IT, working capital, service delivery, and customer satisfaction. Enhancing business performance does not need you to work harder or longer but by working smarter with the assistance of skilled experts’ aka business consultants. Through his company - Sahay Consultancy Group, Rushiraj Patel (Founding Partner), a trailblazing business consultant and entrepreneur, delivers high quality consulting services to SMEs at reasonable prices.
Rushiraj aspires Sahay Consultancy Group to be the goto consulting business for micro, small, and medium-sized firms (MSME) in India and throughout the world, as well as to produce 100+ entrepreneurs in 100 cities by 2025. Below is an excerpt of the CEO Insight’s exclusive interview with Rushiraj.
What inspired you to establish Sahay Consultancy Group, and what motivates you today?
Consulting is an ancient profession embraced by Lord Shri Krishna he was a consultant for the Pandavas working with them on the battleground. Similarly, a business consultant, for MSMEs in present times, must first be ready to roll up their sleeves and work hand-in-glove with business and produce actual results rather than just giving motivational pep talks from board rooms. That’s how actually trust can be cultivated in MSME business owners. They should know you are in for the long haul and with them when times get tough and rather would help to predict those tough times and avoid them.
There are more than seven lakh MSME businesses across the country and one consultant can address maximum 5-8 businesses simultaneously thus, there is huge potential for MSME consulting. However, there are relatively few corporate style consulting companies and the local consultants lack sufficient consulting experience; they have either worked in a single function for too long or are utilizing public domain information in a one-size-fits-all paradigm. In these locations, research based tailored customized solutions are still not offered to MSMEs.
Moreover, most top MBA graduates end up in metropolitan areas owing to high financial reach, lifestyle, and so forth away from their family, childhood friends and hometowns as well as are looking to create real impact or take up on challenging work after spending years of doing basic Excel and PPT. To bridge this demand and supply gap, as well as to assist MSME businesses in transitioning to a corporate style approach we established Sahay Management Consultancy which today has evolved to Sahay Consultancy Group.
Define Sahay Consultancy Group as an organization and its current position in the industry?
Sahay Management Consultancy was launched as a solo venture, but
I've always wanted to grow it into a company. Hence, I named it Sahay instead of naming after me, the founder as is the trend with consulting companies. The word Sahay means help in almost all languages like Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Oriya and Bengali. Initially, we offered management consultancy services, which still is our flagship offering, before expanding into financial consultancy, technology consultancy, advertising consultancy, government projects consultancy, and political consultancy. Legal and Manpower consulting services are in the pipeline. There fore, Sahay Consultancy Group is emerging as a one stop advisory firm dedicated to business growth.
We are not a webinar based online classroom or a swanky hotel based offline classroom which is the trend in the industry. We specialize in customized bespoke consulting since we understand that each business and each business owner is different and requires a different approach. However, because all firms have analogous functions such as HR, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Production, our business model canvas remains more or less same. Moreover, we are the only consulting firm which simultaneously works on all the functions of organization like a Chief Growth Officer whose sole agenda is the growing the business. We enjoy industry dominance in our regions as well as we stand out unique from the competitors in the market because of our experts'qualifications, our company health management platform and retainership styled business model that is linked to the growth of the company.
As of now, we have consultants in all cities in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot, as well as other significant cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Jaipur.
Despite Covid lockdowns, almost none of our clients had their revenues going down. Rather our Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) client tripled their turnover and added couple of new verticals of business in past three years growing at the industry highest rate of 45 percent YoY CAGR. Our Platform-as-a-Service (PAAS) client which has more than ten thousand clients was able to double their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in its first two months by improving their sales pitch to customers. A small training firm for accountants expanded into placements and has done three M&As expanding to almost quadruple business over last four years. We helped our Solar EPC client to design a techno-commercial solution in the wake of SSDSP project subsidy being rendered ineffective by Gujarat Govt., which rendered lots of investor wealth being eroded and lots of EPCs going bankrupt.
Our Solar EPC Client not only retained their clients, added more clients but was also able to collaborate with its competitors to help them in this aftermath followed post Covid, and in the process multiplied their turnover 8x in just three years. We helped of our IT companies design an inhouse residential entrepreneurship program that helped its existing employees turn into entrepreneurs avoid loss of top performing employees, expand its verticals to multiply its turnover five folds and
Real growth of business is measured by growing number of verticals of business and not by just increase in sales numbers.
We are not a webinar based online classroom or a swanky hotel based offline classroom which is the trend in the industry. We specialize in customized bespoke consulting since we understand that each business and each business owner is different and requires a different approach. However, because all firms have analogous functions such as HR, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Production, our business model canvas remains more or less same. Moreover, we are the only consulting firm which simultaneously works on all the functions of organization like a Chief Growth Officer whose sole agenda is the growing the business. We enjoy industry dominance in our regions as well as we stand out unique from the competitors in the market because of our experts'qualifications, our company health management platform and retainership styled business model that is linked to the growth of the company.
As of now, we have consultants in all cities in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot, as well as other significant cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Jaipur.
Despite Covid lockdowns, almost none of our clients had their revenues going down. Rather our Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) client tripled their turnover and added couple of new verticals of business in past three years growing at the industry highest rate of 45 percent YoY CAGR. Our Platform-as-a-Service (PAAS) client which has more than ten thousand clients was able to double their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in its first two months by improving their sales pitch to customers. A small training firm for accountants expanded into placements and has done three M&As expanding to almost quadruple business over last four years. We helped our Solar EPC client to design a techno-commercial solution in the wake of SSDSP project subsidy being rendered ineffective by Gujarat Govt., which rendered lots of investor wealth being eroded and lots of EPCs going bankrupt.
Our Solar EPC Client not only retained their clients, added more clients but was also able to collaborate with its competitors to help them in this aftermath followed post Covid, and in the process multiplied their turnover 8x in just three years. We helped of our IT companies design an inhouse residential entrepreneurship program that helped its existing employees turn into entrepreneurs avoid loss of top performing employees, expand its verticals to multiply its turnover five folds and
also attract top talent in the process. I can keep on going on and on about the success stories we have created.
Being the Founding Partner, how do you plan to apply your exceptional understanding of this domain into Sahay Consultancy Group and take it to the next level?
Sahay Consultancy Group's key strength is our technology support that enables us to monitor and regulate projects from the Central Office. The software allows us to capture important ground level conditions and execute our projects with a standardized output in terms of growth to our clients. It also allows the client to observe the gaps in his business, the progress we have made in addressing them thus, building trust and transparency. While it allows me to readily convey my expertise to multiple businesses and consultants with the right kind of timely inputs to achieve stronger results. The central repository, developed under my guidance at our corporate headquarters, acts as a lighthouse for our on-site consultants who already are top-tier educated MBAs with corporate exposure. As a result, we're all prepared to start our aggressive expansion drive in Q2 of this year.
Based on your strong professional experience, what advice would you give to the upcoming entrepreneurs in the same industry?
Be a constant learner, never be greedy, stay passionate about your clients and sincerely care about growing their business this is how the finest performance will emerge. However, being too engrossed will cause your eyesight to blur since the closer you gaze, the less you see. Do not become very emotionally involved, as this may sometimes impair your logical reasoning. Reading non verbals and being effective in communication, navigating interpersonal group dynamics and creative thinking is what creates difference between good and great consultant. A business consultant is not like a driver, but rather like Google Maps; if the client does not take the advised route, you have to automatically adjust to discover a new method to reach the destination from an alternate path followed by the customer.
Most importantly, I want to tell aspiring entrepreneurs in our field to Better Call Sahay. We started Sahay to make more entrepreneurs. If I myself have become entrepreneur, I want others to be one too. Let us collaborate and work together as we have learnt in childhood that a bundle of sticks is stronger than one single stick. If you decide to go alone, you have my best wishes and I urge you to strive hard since there is no fun without fierce competition.
Rushiraj Patel, Founding Partner, Sahay Consultancy Group
Rushiraj Patel is an IIMAhmedabad graduate with expertise in more than 25 industries and clientele ranging from solopreneurs to billion dollar corporations. Rushiraj also serves on the advisory/directorial boards of 20+ businesses at such a young age. He began his career at the CM's office as an advisor to then-CM and now-Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and he worked with him throughout the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign. Also, he has served as a business counsel to a number of well-known Gujarati businesses.
Awards & Recognition:
oIIM Averick award, 2013 for choosing a path less traveled and becoming a consultant to Hon. Shri Narendra Modi
oPlasticon award by PlastIndia Foundation won for the client for innovation in plastic waste management
oConceptualised the Run for Unity event which won the Guinness World Record award for the BJP on eve of the death anniversary of Hon.Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
oWorking on Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program with Ministry of Rural Development
oWorking on developing BIS standards for Plastic Waste Products with the Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Being the Founding Partner, how do you plan to apply your exceptional understanding of this domain into Sahay Consultancy Group and take it to the next level?
Sahay Consultancy Group's key strength is our technology support that enables us to monitor and regulate projects from the Central Office. The software allows us to capture important ground level conditions and execute our projects with a standardized output in terms of growth to our clients. It also allows the client to observe the gaps in his business, the progress we have made in addressing them thus, building trust and transparency. While it allows me to readily convey my expertise to multiple businesses and consultants with the right kind of timely inputs to achieve stronger results. The central repository, developed under my guidance at our corporate headquarters, acts as a lighthouse for our on-site consultants who already are top-tier educated MBAs with corporate exposure. As a result, we're all prepared to start our aggressive expansion drive in Q2 of this year.
Based on your strong professional experience, what advice would you give to the upcoming entrepreneurs in the same industry?
Be a constant learner, never be greedy, stay passionate about your clients and sincerely care about growing their business this is how the finest performance will emerge. However, being too engrossed will cause your eyesight to blur since the closer you gaze, the less you see. Do not become very emotionally involved, as this may sometimes impair your logical reasoning. Reading non verbals and being effective in communication, navigating interpersonal group dynamics and creative thinking is what creates difference between good and great consultant. A business consultant is not like a driver, but rather like Google Maps; if the client does not take the advised route, you have to automatically adjust to discover a new method to reach the destination from an alternate path followed by the customer.
Most importantly, I want to tell aspiring entrepreneurs in our field to Better Call Sahay. We started Sahay to make more entrepreneurs. If I myself have become entrepreneur, I want others to be one too. Let us collaborate and work together as we have learnt in childhood that a bundle of sticks is stronger than one single stick. If you decide to go alone, you have my best wishes and I urge you to strive hard since there is no fun without fierce competition.
Rushiraj Patel, Founding Partner, Sahay Consultancy Group
Rushiraj Patel is an IIMAhmedabad graduate with expertise in more than 25 industries and clientele ranging from solopreneurs to billion dollar corporations. Rushiraj also serves on the advisory/directorial boards of 20+ businesses at such a young age. He began his career at the CM's office as an advisor to then-CM and now-Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and he worked with him throughout the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign. Also, he has served as a business counsel to a number of well-known Gujarati businesses.
Awards & Recognition:
oIIM Averick award, 2013 for choosing a path less traveled and becoming a consultant to Hon. Shri Narendra Modi
oPlasticon award by PlastIndia Foundation won for the client for innovation in plastic waste management
oConceptualised the Run for Unity event which won the Guinness World Record award for the BJP on eve of the death anniversary of Hon.Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
oWorking on Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program with Ministry of Rural Development
oWorking on developing BIS standards for Plastic Waste Products with the Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals