Kapil Virmani | Entrepreneur
Every Sunday morning Kapil Virmani wakes up early to clean his office and car. There’s a magic in tidying up, one needs to clear the small stuff so one can focus on what’s important, he says. The 43-year-old mortgage adviser vacuums everything and takes out the trash. “It creates momentum, keeps my ego in check and reminds me of where I came from.”
The Smartline founder came from humble beginnings. He arrived in Australia at age 20, with just $500 in his pocket. He took up a job washing dishes and selling newspapers to make ends meet while he went to TAFE. He worked with Westpac and BANKSA for SA/NT/TAS and was awarded the Youngest State Manager in SA under 40. He stayed with Westpac for ten years, before he ventured out on his own.
Today, his Smartline Franchise won the New Franchise of the Year Award 2016, and has been nominated as a finalist for the India Australia Business & Community Awards (IABCA) Small Business of the Year, placing him in the top eight small businesses nationally.
“When I was looking for a job, many businesses said no, but I just kept asking until I got a ‘yes’. I know now that when you get your chance, you might only get one shot, so you have to make sure you do it well to make sure doors open in front of you.”
Kapil’s success has propelled him to expand his business and he plans to add three new mortgage advisers and an accountant to his team by the end of the year. He is also planning to expand into Melbourne and Perth next year.
“You need to get your fight on. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from a lifetime of competitive athletics, it’s that the best athlete doesn’t always win. The one with the most fight and determination always wins out. Someone else may be bigger, faster, or temporarily ahead of the pack, but you will come out on top if you fight smart and stick it out.”
The Way I See it
Business mantra… Be obsessed. You have to be obsessed. You have to be all in, all the time. So obsessed you lose the concept of time.
A book I recommend… Good to Great by Jim Collins
Advice to budding entrepreneurs… Business ideas alone are worth very little. If you want to start a business and become successful with it, you need to solve meaningful problems. Execution is everything in business.
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