For Community Profit

“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” This analogy worked for Rohit Sharma, a recent law graduate from Delhi University, who had been exposed to the local laborers’ plight around his neighborhood. An avid member of several NGO’s in his area, he had done his share of not-for-profit work. He wanted a profitable venture that didn’t take up too much of his time while helping the ones truly in need of extra cash. That is when he came up with the idea of a small scale car washing business. Based out of Sector 9 in Rohini, he offers his car washing services to several apartment building residents for a monthly fee of Rs.250 per car. This includes washing and waxing on all days of the month except Sundays and his clientele has grown from a few dozen to a couple hundred in a matter of a few months.
Through this venture he was able to accommodate to his labor needs while still benefiting his employees. The local cycle rickshaw wallas outside his building had been complaining of not making enough money to enroll their kids in schools. He had noticed that they work hard for every rupee they earn, and bingo – he got his labor needs resolved; a win-win situation for both parties. He started with three guys (who complained the most) initially. Since car washing is a bright and early morning affair, their availability wasn’t a problem. The pay was decided not on quantity, but on quality. He openly stated that the pay structure would be based on how well they do the job, not on whether they did the job or not. He also promised them increasing salary as business grew – another motivating factor for them to ensure attention to detail.
Nine months and three hundred cars later, he now employs seven rickshaw wallas, and his business is still growing. He intends to move to other areas within Rohini, expanding his revenue and workforce. Starting with around Rs.2000, he pays his workers up to Rs.5000 a month depending on how business is going. The difference in pay scales is openly discussed and factors on attendance, quality, and “double-work” – that is, once the car is done, it doesn’t need to be looked at over again. Rohit’s business model has been of great help to the local workers and these extra bucks a month mean an extra child being enrolled in school, or someone at home who can now afford regular medical care that was not possible earlier.
Perhaps, the for-profit entities can have a bigger impact than they think. When asked on what drives him for this working model, Rohit says, “Let’s face it, at the end of the day, we all need to have some value to our work. Financial value is the biggest motivating factor, but finding a way to be beneficial to the society around you, now that’s my idea of ‘true value’.”