This article is all about the rise of a potential empire you today know as Almond Group. As every heart as up’s and down’s same the Almond had with me. I think this name, and we both were attached to me before my birth. It all started with a story, I was a little boy who got early access to computers and the internet in his early life, as always I was not a sports guy, I do always spend my time reading, gaming, and having most of the time on my PC learning things from Youtube and practically implementing them like hacking 350 Facebook accounts of my diploma mates. I was born within a middle-class family and we do have a family business, so you can promptly say I have a business background and I used it wisely.
Let’s get back to the story, I registered Almond Group in 2018 as an MSME startup. But the business model was way different than we had today. The thing was I wanted to make this company product-oriented rather than service, I started to work on it making research, arranging people, everything. I was very fond of Investors back then because I thought they are the ones who can provide me resources, money, and network possibly everything. I went to every possible powerful person I know to Invest in it, I went to builders, I went to politicians, I went to institutes and incubation centers i.e every possible door and they slammed hard on me. I wanted to make an app name “JUDO”. An app that can drastically change India, an app to provide employment to every needy, an app that can provide any possible work to people besides me. I had estimated calculations of rising GDP, potential revenue, and stats of every possible thing in billions. Ya! I was daydreaming to change the world and still, I do. Literally, I was not willing to my bachelor’s due to this idea. You know the sleepless nights when an idea sticks right? The struggle to convince my parents. The dream and all the things, but as my well-wishers and my parents told it was not your decision, it’s an order to get the degree after all it’s an emotional thing.
I landed in Lonavala, you have heard the place right? It’s nothing but a beautiful bed with roses having thorns which I didn’t know, a party place or a chill place, for a child like me who has come directly from a village to such an open-minded place, woww it was hard to believe that girls do smoke back then! Ya you can laugh, but I was such a well frog. The start was bitter, but soon I had a family there and it started to feel like home. I’m very bad at programming, though I have Computer Science Degree. Literally so bad that I can’t remember a single line of code as of now and yet I have a software company. It’s funny, right? But generally, life doesn’t generally allow you to predict it and that’s why it’s life. The famous quote, just connect the dots one day it will have some meaning, and literally when I look back in life I really feel the meaning of every possible thing that happened to me. Engineering had taught me one thing and I’m really thankful for it, and that’s life. I had a very rough past back there but ya that was the rocket that placed me in the space in my orbit.
I soon started to have discussions with friends and staff about an idea and Almond Group, the story behind it, the emotion, and my vision. I soon found few people that can hold a position in this Almond. I started to call held meets and was fully focused until the breakup distraction came. Everyone had gone through it some or another way don’t say you cant relate to it! Ok! I was broken as hell shattered and lost my vision and dream that I was imagining. I became a bad guy within months from a well-deciplined guy. My life was a mess. My friends, roommates helped me out but I was so strong that I pulled them back again into the dark. This continued and with it, the Almond started to vanish. My own first partners started their own company without knowing me, on the basis of my vision. I felt bad and nervous, but that was all my fault to drag me and feel as guilty for the breakup I had and to lose the dream I was dreaming.
I read many books in this period and one was “Mrutunjay”, that book literally changes every perspective I had about life. I felt the need to start again. My mind was constantly screaming to show the world who I’m really is. If you possibly die today and sitting at a table with God, what crucial points you will discuss with him? any legacy that has left behind? any life that you have influenced? any work that you left behind? any proof that your name will be taken for ages after you go? any evidence of exceptional ability? and one last thing anything you gave back to society? This tickled me very badly. I was rising again in Pune. Trying to connect with my old partners and friends, but nothing. I was left way back, they were so far away from me in the journey of life, I felt scared. But then I took a decision and that changed everything!
I started to work in the same company as an Intern which I thought to be the director of. Those people whom I thought the basics and gave the vision were giving me orders and I was happy to follow them. I use to spend every possible penny to get to the office, to earn knowledge and everything. Let me tell you one thing maybe I had a good background but this was my firm decision not to take a single penny from my home to start a business. I faced many uncomfortable moments, gossips, ordres, humiliations in the same company I was working for day and night. I literally sometimes didn’t have enough money to attain meet. To meet petrol charges and daily needs. But I somehow managed. Till then for a year Almond was buried deep down in the grounds.
Further, the previous partners took an unpredictable decision to make me a partner of 20% in the same company I was an intern for. I was so happy the dream came true maybe not mine as of now but still, it came. I always wanted my company my own thing and I achieved it with my skills. We had a partnership deed and legal formalities and the company was named “Logyana”. I work very hard to meet the rental needs to manage and get clients, on the way to the office I use to pitch every possible business on the road about my company. Gym, Resto, Pub, Bars, Cafes, Institutes any possible lead. But soon the 2020’s lockdown occurred and I returned home. The worst phase again started, my partners copied my idea of “Judo” and started to look at potential partners of that same idea which was my life. I felt bad and very nervous as my own friends, partners betrayed me. When asked why there were no such valid reasons rather than one “a million is more important to me than a friend and a partner”. I felt down, how could people always do this to me? and that depression. But I took proper legal actions and proved my point well. As a result, they offered me one thing to leave “Logyana” forever and they will never look at my idea or never do such things again and I left the company again I loved and thought of making it the best in the market in half.
Within two days of leaving my past at its position, I started Almond again. I dug it out from the old graved I buried it. Made my thought process clear. Created a new team, hired few people, and started to work again. Within the first month of start, we had one client, next month three and the number never stopped. Almond grew like a hidden money plant. It spread all its branches in the market with an astonishing growth rate. Our policy was simple to uplift the business digitally who are untouched with technology and promote them and make them new market power holders and we did it. We did it very well. Now Almond holds 50+ projects, with 10+ team members, with 3 of its own products, a wide network across the globe, 350+ internships provided across the world. Do you know whats the best feeling is? having your own business card as back then I use to attain meetups and spread cards of my boss and pitch to every possible attendee. Now when the checkbook with Almond Group is at my desk I feel blessed to take a feel of it. To be known as Almond Group. This would be possible without my teammates, they made this fortune happen and Almond to stand on their own feet.
Let me tell you a short story at the end, I and my friends went for a meetup in Pune. I remember I didn’t have enough money to pay the tickits, my friends did. In the event, we were asked to give our introduction, and a mic was placed in my hand. I said “Hey my name is Ketan and I’m from Almond Group and here’s is my team two of them, we are here to make a product that can change the Indian economy and be the next possible Google or its compitator”, Those were the exact lines. After the program, all were set free to have networking with others members. All people were sharing business cards, but as usual, we don’t have any As we were explaining the idea of “JUDO” and Almond Group a man said, this is only possible for IIT and IIM’s you are from Sinhgad it won’t be done. You can’t. Now we are hiring interns from IIT and IIM who are applying for our Internship program. I proved the sentence which I put on my Instagram status “I never studied at Harvard, but I will hire who do !” Life is all about hope and never give up. I have thousands of stories like this which shaped me into the person for today I’m. Remember, Almond started with 0 investment in my bedroom and now you can see, Together We Can, as Almond always says..