“What made our friendship strong as young entrepreneurs was our will to work hard and make it big in life.” – Anil Agarwal

The genesis of every bold innovation or disruptive product is the necessity to stand out and take risks. Almost all successful enterprises have stories of breakthroughs, perseverance and the grand vision of the founders. However, several successful business leaders have also credited their friendships for their growth and success.

Recently, Anil Agarwal, founder and chairman of Vedanta Resources, took to LinkedIn to celebrate his long-time friend and visionary Narotam Sekhsaria, the founder of Ambuja Cement. Agarwal enumerated the journey of Seksaria who embarked on his entrepreneurial path by following his dreams.

The 68-year-old said that the founder of Ambuja Cement had never seen a cement plant in his life, however, he was courageous enough to start it from scratch.

“You all must have heard of the iconic cement brand – Ambuja Cement. My dear friend, Narotam Sekhsaria, started it from scratch. He had never seen a cement plant in his life, yet he was brave enough to crack his first deal. Bas apne dil ki awaaz suni, aur chal diye apne sapno ke peechhe (He listened to his heart and followed his dreams),” wrote Agarwal in the opening lines of his post.

Friendship And Tea Breaks
The Vedanta boss reminisced the days when he and Sekhsaria worked in the same office building in the 90s and their frequent meetings over tea. Agarwal said that he and Sekhsaria discussed business ideas, current roadblocks, and innovative ways to do things and more. According to Agarwal, their will to work hard and make it big in life, cemented their friendship as young entrepreneurs.

“Mr. Sekhsaria and I used to work in the same office building in the 90s where we would occasionally catch up over chai. We would discuss business ideas, current roadblocks, ways to do things differently and so much more. What made our friendship strong as young entrepreneurs was our will to work hard and make it big in life,” shared Agarwal.
Last year, Sekhsaria’s memoir ‘The Ambuja Story’ was published. The book chronicled his life from being a cotton trader in his thirties to becoming the leader in cement manufacturing. Agarwal, in his post, said that he, his wife, and close friends had celebrated the launch of Sekhsaria’s memoir that threw light on the cement baron’s views on teamwork and gratitude.

“My wife and I, along with our close friends, celebrated the launch of his memoir. Mr. Sekhsaria talked about the importance of teamwork and mentioned all the exceptional people, along with his wife and daughter, who helped him in creating his company. After all, you must take your people along with you to succeed,” wrote Agarwal.

Agarwal ended his post by praising the memoir and asking his followers to read about Sekhsaria’s life if they were looking for inspiration. He said that the memoir gave valuable lessons to young entrepreneurs and dreamers.

“If you are looking for some inspiration, I would recommend reading Mr. Sekhsaria’s book – ‘The Ambuja Story’”. It provides many valuable lessons for young entrepreneurs and dreamers!” concluded Agarwal.

This article has not been edited by our staff and has been posted to keep the users motivated.