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Meet the man who sold milk on a cycle before building a 16,000 CR company. 1. Born in the slums of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Rizwan Sajan lived such a poor life that he shared a bathroom with forty people. However, his luck changed when his father won the lottery, and he shifted to a new house with a private bathroom. But then things went wrong. 👇 2. When his father passed away at age 15, he had to take on the family responsibilities. He sold books, fireworks, rakhis and milk to survive, and then he eventually wrote a letter to his uncle in Kuwait for a job. Finally, Rizwan's fortune changed again in 1981. 🙌 3. He started working as a trainee salesman in his uncle's building material shop at a salary of Rs 18,000. His hard work led him to become a manager, earning Rs 2.5 Lakhs monthly. After spending eight years in Kuwait, his fortunes changed again. 👇 4. The 1991 Gulf War disrupted his burgeoning career, and he had to move to India. Rizwan started selling door-to-door on a scooter, earning Rs 500 daily. But then he worked hard again to move to Deira, Dubai in 1993 and started a trading firm. Danube group was born. 🚀 5. His idea was simple ⏩Buy materials on credit from Kuwait and resell them in Dubai for its growing construction needs. To execute this, he signed a contract with a supplier of galvanised corrugated sheets for exclusive agency rights in Dubai. And the idea worked. ✅ 6. Within six years, Danube had a revenue of 16 CR and a profit of 1 CR by 1999. However, Rizwan needed to expand the business into other parts of real estate. By 2005, Danube expanded into sectors like home decor, sanitaryware, electrical products, tiles, and water purifiers. And the 2008 global crisis happened. 👇 7. But he was not going down this time. He kept growing and touched a revenue of 1300 CR by 2010. He had everything - building construction materials, home decor and architects. So Rizwan thought, why not start a real estate company? 🤔 8. In 2014, he started Danube Properties to provide affordable housing to the middle class on the 1% rule. The rule meant a small down payment and a 1% monthly payment from salary as the EMI towards the house. And the idea worked like magic. 🪄 9. By 2016, the Danube group had grown to a revenue of 9000 CR. Even banks were ready to offer loans once the building was 60% completed. Since they owned everything required to build a house, they could offer houses at 50% off their prices. 💵 10. Today, the Danube Group has a revenue of 16,709 CR and a presence in more than 30 countries, including the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 💪 ➡️The boy from the slums of Mumbai who could not even afford to buy a Rs 10 samosa is worth Rs 20,883 CR today. 🙏