Enterprise: Helix Infrastructure Consultants P Ltd

Founder (Managing Director): Jagadishwaran Guruswamy

Year it was founded: 2011

Sector: Construction & Real Estate

Based out of: Hyderabad

It takes a spark to light a fire. Jagadishwaran G had this spark and with his enterprise he is shining a light, ushering in a new way of working in India’s civil engineering and real estate sector. Helix Infrastructure Consultants P Ltd is a civil engineering company that provides end to end services that facilitate efficient and timely delivery of large turnkey projects. The firm is based out of Hyderabad and they operate in Telangana and Karnataka. After initial starting up troubles, what Jagadishwaran calls the ‘3-year teething phase’ the firm is on a firm foundation moving towards their goal. That goal is to make property transactions as simple as buying a loaf of bread across a counter - something that would make life easy for all stakeholders.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL), Jagadishwaran Guruswamy (JG) shares his business journey.

GL: Tell us about your business.

JG: Helix is a civil engineering company, that provides turnkey services in civil engineering and real estate. We also undertake project marketing for medium to large real estate projects. We have introduced India's first end to end service model in this field.

I had come up with the idea about 7 years ago. I was becoming increasingly dissatisfied and tired of corporate life. And I realised since the higher-ups back then were taking credit for and owning my ideas anyway, why not set out on my own? I chose a field that I was familiar with and took what was the most glaring problem, for me and decided to fix it. The common practice in real estate sales and development transactions would quite often lead to delays and shelving of the project. Hence, my goal was to find a way to quickly deliver the finished product to potential property owners and help them improve their margins as well.

Now with GST & RERA, the real estate industry is going through much needed reforms. This may lead to a shake out and only those players who are running their operations professionally may be able to survive. We see great opportunity for us here.

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

JG: We definitely had the 3-year teething phase that most companies will have. The challenge is to not lose faith in yourself and your idea and pursue your goal persistently.

As for more personal struggles. We had a bit of a struggle finding people who would be a good fit for our company. We needed engineers, specifically graduates. Engineering sites need an on-site civil engineer, usually in a remote part of town, whereas potential candidates wanted a desk job in the city. That's understandable, given the economic conditions at the time. But the more candidates I'd interviewed, it was starting to show that that there’s a vacuum when it comes to young talent them having little hands on experience. Our education institutions can fulfill this by letting civil engineering & architectural students experience real construction sites as a part of their academic curriculums.

Also, being a new model and bringing a new product in the market, we did face some resistance from clients who were more used to the traditional models.

GL: What is your big business dream?

JG: We are planning a new disruptive method which will help Indians transact properties in a simple and easy way. Our plan is to make property transactions as simple as buying a loaf of bread across a store counter. And yes, it will be totally safe for all the stakeholders.

GL: How did you hear about GlobalLinker? How has it helped you?

JG: I came to know about GlobalLinker through newsletters. It's a great tool for networking and getting to know other people in the industry. And it saves time and marketing costs by allowing one to contact a business owner directly.

GL: What is your message to aspiring business owners?

JG: Have a solid plan and persevere. There will be many challenges along the way, and they can be financial, professional, mental and emotional, but never lose faith, keep at it and you will start to see results. Our experience has taught us that 'success is guaranteed when failure is not an option'.

Network with Jagadishwaran Guruswamy by clicking on the 'Invite' button on his profile.

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured member. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the member.