Entrepreneur: Vijender Shekhawat
by Miki Saxon
There is much talk these days about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurism, what makes the first and the importance of the second.
Today we look at the story of Vijender Shekhawat, a struggling small business owner turned entrepreneur with an unlikely product, but one that is changing lives for the better.
Eight years ago 29 year old Vijender Shekhawat, warrior caste and descendant of kings, did what millions of Indians do each day—he stepped in elephant poop.
But unlike the other millions, his reaction was to study the poop and in doing so he realized it was similar to the wood pulp he used to make his custom paper (that wasn’t doing all that well).
Through trial and error he found the right ration of poop to cotton to produce a unique and beautiful custom paper; he uses organic dyes, including beet juice for red paper, dried pomegranate skins for gray and the castor oil plant for green.
Talk about sustainable!
When dung prices skyrocketed because there was a market for it, Shekhawat found a solution that not only made everyone happy, but also improved the quality of his raw material.
He provided the elephants’ food, pleasing the mahouts. The beasts ate better, pleasing the elephants. And higher-quality dung emerged, pleasing Shekhawat. “Before, keepers skulked around dumping it at night,” Shekhawat said. “Now they’re delighted.”
The paper is now sold in Europe and the US.
Like many entrepreneurs Shekhawat wants to do good along with doing well and that attitude drives his expansion plans.
Shekhawat has always had a charitable bent — as a boy he gave his lunch to beggars, his mother said — and his next dream is to help villagers by moving his workshop to a rural area and providing jobs, especially for women who often don’t have much chance to leave the house, and serving as an example for wannabe entrepreneurs.
Metaphorically speaking, we have all stepped in elephant poop at one time or another and are bound to do so again.
The real question is what will you do the next time it happens?
As Shekhawat points out, “the difference between being a fool and a genius is success.”
But first you have to try.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/56796376@N00/1027372659
April 23rd, 2013 at 7:14 am
Hi friend!
This is Vijendra Shekhawat from Elephant Dung Paper Jaipur India.
First of all I want to say thanks for so lovely article.
I would like to know you own reaction,comments about my work.
And requesting to be my guest if you are in Jaipur in future.
Thank again
April 25th, 2013 at 9:57 am
Hi Vijendra,
As a passionate believer in “doing good by doing well” I am delighted by your success and hope that more entrepreneurs follow in your mental footsteps.
And thanks for the invitation, but I don’t travel much anymore.
December 21st, 2013 at 11:30 am
[…] I seriously doubt that providing yet another way to have meaningless sex compares with creating jobs out of poop. […]
January 17th, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Mr Vijendra please send your address. I am from Jaipur
January 18th, 2014 at 7:01 pm
Thank you for stopping by.
I will forward your message to Vijender.