Rizwan Sajan lost his father when he was 16 years old. Since he was the oldest of three siblings, Rizwan was responsible for the family’s finances.
To support his family, Rizwan Sajan started selling books and stationery on the street. To supplement his income, he also worked as a milk delivery guy.
He says, “Things were quite difficult. My father made Rs 7,000 each month as a supervisor at a steel mill. Running the home and paying for the children’s tuition was a hand-to-mouth scenario.”
But Rizwan Sajan, who is 55-year-old now, persevered and put forth a lot of effort to start Danube Group in 1993. The Danube Group had an annual revenue of almost USD 1.3 billion, as of 2019.
The Danube group oversees a number of portfolios, including a real estate company, an infrastructure company, and a construction materials company.
When Rizwan Sajan turned 18 in 1981, his uncle played a significant part in his development by offering him a job in Kuwait. In Kuwait, Rizwan Sajan was a sales trainee earning 15,000 Indian rupees (150 Kuwaiti dinar) a month.
Rizwan became sales manager after eight years. Kuwait was destroyed by Saddam Hussain in 1990. After the Gulf War, Sajan returned to Mumbai and resumed his job search. He then obtained employment in Dubai and joined a building materials trading company. Danube was founded after Rizwan made the decision to leave his job and launch his own building materials trade business.
Conclusion
Rizwan Sajan, the 55-year-old owner of the Danube, started his family’s financial needs at 16 years old. He started selling books and stationery, and worked as a milk delivery man. Despite his father’s low income, Rizwan persevered and started the Danube Group in 1993. The firm manages real estate, infrastructure, and building materials with over USD 1.3 billion in 2019 revenue. His uncle hired him as a sales manager in Kuwait in 1981.
Sajan returned to Mumbai and joined a Dubai building materials trade firm after the Gulf War. Danube was founded after he decided to launch his own building materials trade business.
