Every Indian knows Kapil Dev as the Captain and all-rounder of the Indian Cricket Team who led India to its first World Cup win 36 years ago. But Dev, now 60 years old is still strong and an all-rounder indeed.
Off the field..
His World Cup win and stellar performance as a cricketer got him fame. And this opened up opportunities for him off the field. He has been a part of a lot of advertisement commercials, autobiographies (Three), and even in cameo roles in major Bollywood Films. Even off the field, Kapil Dev handles his work with the same grace as he used to score on field.
The flight to entrepreneurship
Kapil had the idea of investing in some business back in the day when he saw some crickets have a tough time making ends meet. And so, soon after his World Cup win, he and his family opened up a restaurant named Kapil Hotel (now Kaptain’s retreat) in the heart of Chandigarh. And the idea worked.
Reaching the skies
At that time in India, a retired cricketer had a hard time financially and Kapil wanted to secure his retirement plan. Since then, Kapil has invested in a lot of businesses and now is the director of 9 companies and two limited liability partnership. His major business was a brand called Dev Musco Lightings Pvt. Ltd, which he now owns completely.
He has mentioned that being famous does bring in business opportunities faster. Besides cricket, he has always been interested in the Stock Market. In 2015, Dev bought a minority stake in a brokerage firm Samco Ventures Pvt. Ltd. And after that, he has been a big shot in the Stock market as well. He has developed his own Business and investment philosophies and seems to be like the perfect All-rounder in Business as he was on the field.
Here are some insights into Kapil Dev’s Business plans and ideas.
Business interests: Media and communication, lighting infrastructure, discount brokerage
Investment philosophy: ‘If you ask me about the idea of being part of a particular company or running a business, then I would say I would like to see companies grow slowly. Too fast is not very good.’
Investment success: ‘As far as my investments are concerned, I like to invest money (in avenues) that give good returns. Anything more than a 15-20% return is wonderful, especially in a scenario of volatility and rupee depreciation.’
Investment advice: ‘You should have a plan for five, seven, 10, 15 years.’
