PremiumShark Tank India: Jugaadu Kamlesh shares his journey of becoming an entrepreneur, says he'll always find the 'jugaad'
Jugaadu Kamlesh came on the show to pitch his business idea of farming equipment and won a deal from Lenskart CEO, Peyush Bansal
Last Updated: 06.34 PM, Apr 18, 2022
Jugaadu Kamlesh was one of the most popular contestants on the show, Shark Tank India . His innovation of a hand-drawn cart for spraying fertilisers had left all sharks impressed on the business reality show. Kamlesh had appeared on the show with his cousin Naru and got a deal from Lenskart CEO, Peyush Bansal . But it was not an easy journey for Kamlesh. The startup founder recently talked about his journey of becoming an entrepreneur and how he got the name 'Jugaadu Kamlesh'.
Speaking to BBC, the farmer-turned-entrepreneur said that he used to get upset when people called him Jugaadu Kamlesh but when he decided to start a YouTube channel, his brother-in-law suggested that he call it 'Jugaadu Kamlesh' as even though people might joke about it, he believed that it would become a big brand one day.
He further spoke about how he got the idea for the bicycle. His father Nanasaheb used to have back pain carrying a heavy tank of fertiliser on his back to spray in the field. He later gave up and asked Kamlesh to work in the fields. Kamlesh said he found it extremely difficult initially to work in the fields when his family sought help. He had also thought about giving up on his innovation as he said people would laugh at him and he would have no answer to give when they asked what did he do.
He shared the importance of support during such times and that he is lucky that he got a proposal from a family, whose daughter did not mind marrying a farmer. He said even his wife has had to hear a lot from others when she decided to marry him. He was discouraged by people and he was told that his idea won't pan out. But when he got successful, his innovation was widely appreciated. The only challenge he had was the manufacturing of his product but now that he has received funding from Bansal, his problem is sorted. He said he won't stop innovating though and will always look for 'jugaad' as that is his work.
Meanwhile, season one of Shark Tank ended early this year. All the episodes of the show are now available to stream on SonyLIV.