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Issue No. 26 - December/January 2005/06
Business pitch in India
by Rex Buckingham
I am sitting in a 747 and I have my laptop open enough for me to just make out the screen. I’ve started feeling guilty about how time-expensive travel is, so I felt compelled to do some work no matter how inconvenient.
I am on my way back from India where I have been investigating opportunities. Let me share with you what I found out about the sub-continent. You need to hear this. Let me give you a big tip; India will be on your scope before too much longer. There are over 1 billion reasons why.
My visit to India was part of the South Australian Premier’s Trade Mission organised by the South Australian Department of Trade. The trip included the Minister for Trade, Paul Holloway, about 30 business people, and was facilitated by former Test cricketer Darren Lehmann as a special envoy.
I will admit to thinking of India as a third world country. Certainly, much of India is shabby compared to the West. There are still miles of shanty towns. In Mumbai (Bombay) I drove past the largest slum in Asia.
By contrast, there are modern business centres complete with the usual tall buildings, road systems, modern communications and other infrastructure. Shopping malls and supermarkets are starting to appear.
A common sight in India is a fine retail outlet boasting floor to ceiling glass with stainless steel door and window frames, complete with showroom lighting. Staff are well attired in suits. Alongside is a business housed in a dilapidated structure. Its proprietor can be seen squatting on the floor with a piece of metal held under his feet the better to work on it with his tools. A hundred similar businesses are visible on the same street.
The bustle in the streets is constant. The streets swarm with enterprise. So where is the business opportunity?
With a population of over 1 billion people, at least 750 million people live above the poverty line. In fact some live way above it; there are more millionaire...
