A phenomenal entrepreneur and businessman, Vishal Banthia has grown his family business multiple fold with innovative business ideas combined with his never giving up attitude.

Vishal Banthia started his entrepreneurial journey with his firm Lucky Timber Suppliers, thirty years ago, where he used to deal in timber and wood. He later ventured into the plywood industry with the establishment of his firm Shree Ganesh Plywood. In 2000, Vishal started another firm called Siddhi Wood Industries and he introduced a new product to the Indian market. It was the idea to use the waste wooden block to form a new usable block of wood. In 2011, he started another firm by the name Shree Ganesh Enterprises, a wholesale supply firm for sunmica sheets to all over Rajasthan.

Out of all his ventures, Siddhi Wood Industries is Vishal’s flagship firm. He says that the idea of making best out of waste, and converting waste into usable wood, his signature ‘finger joint’ wood, is a brilliant idea in itself as it can help in the conservation of trees. In the past thirty years, he has gathered more than ten thousand satisfied customers from all over Rajasthan. He says that just like you cannot break a bunch of sticks when they are put together, when wooden waste is combined, it becomes stronger. It can be used to make sturdy doors and windows. He further plans to extend his business pan India and spread his idea so more and more trees can be saved.

Vishal was born and brought up in Udaipur. He did his schooling from Alok Senior Secondary School, Udaipur. While he was in his tenth standard, Vishal had already developed a keen interest in his father’s business. He used to go to school on a bicycle, take and deliver orders for his father. When he entered his twelfth standard, he was completely inclined towards becoming a businessman, but he understood the value of education and completed his graduation and post-graduation after twelfth, while still running his father’s timber business. Today, Vishal has two daughters and a son, and all of them are scholars in their respective fields. Both his elder daughter and his son are toppers in Rajasthan.

Initially, when Vishal started handling his father’s business, he knew there was a need for a revolution. A need to bring something new to the table. That’s where the idea of ‘finger joint wood’ came into existence. When Vishal introduced his finger joint wood in the market, it was hardly accepted by customers as they were very doubtful of the quality of the product. Vishal was adamant that his product would flourish and held onto it. He distributed his product in the market and invested a lot of money. Momentarily, he faced some losses, but once people came to know the quality of his finger joint wood, his business started to flourish and people started giving a good reference of his product in the market. His business grew like wildfire.

To the younger generation, Vishal advises them to be confident and never back off from whatever they are doing. He advises them to do everything with a dire determination and give it time to grow. He says just like a seed takes time to germinate, become a tree and finally bear fruits, a person’s success is guaranteed if they keep at it. He says that hurdles are always going to be there, but the one who fights them and finishes them off is the one who is victorious.

Talking about leadership, Vishal says more than fifty families are connected with his three firms and he always adheres to treating them as a family rather than treating them as employees. He says he is just like the elder of the family to them and always takes care of all his employees.

If Vishal would get a chance to travel back in time, he would not go back as he is someone who believes in living in the present and thinking about the future. He says that what has already passed is past, more important is what is here, and what is yet to come.

Vishal concludes by saying that success is only attainable when a person is honest with his profession and cares about the faith of his customers. They should always provide what they say in terms of quality, only then they would be able to succeed.