Ruchit was a young man who had always been passionate about food. After completing his engineering degree, he worked in a corporate job for a while. However, he soon realized that he wasn't cut out for the 9-to-5 life and wanted to do something more fulfilling. Ruchit had a vision of starting his own food business, and he wanted to make it a success.
Ruchit Goswami's story is not just one of success, but also perseverance and hard work. His journey from a mechanical engineering graduate to the co-founder of Size Zero Cafe Restro is a tale of determination and grit.
He grew up in Rajkot, Gujarat, where he completed his Mechanical Engineering in 2014. After graduation, he started his career with KGP Solar, a solar panel manufacturing company in Rajkot, as a sales executive. Ruchit spent around 8-9 months at KGP Solar before he realized that he wanted to explore new opportunities.
He had always wanted to be an entrepreneur and had been fascinated by the food business. Along with two co-founders, Ruchit decided to take the leap of faith and start their own food business. The three partners decided to start with Paanipuri, a popular street food in India. They noticed that Paanipuri was available everywhere but there wasn't any specific brand in the market at that time. They saw a huge opportunity in this huge market and planned to create a brand around Paanipuri. Thus, Size Zero Paani Puri was born, representing the female figure "size zero" to attract the female audience.
Initially, the partners faced challenges in finding a suitable location for their business. They tried with real estate agents and a couple of land brokers but were unable to find a suitable location due to the lack of capital. After a long search, one of Ruchit's partners suggested trying to get some space at Marwadi University, a well-established university in Mumbai with around 10,000-12,000 students at the time. The partners wrote applications and visited the university multiple times, and finally, they got a place at the university. They started at a remote location within the university for one year before shifting to the main building of the university and gradually expanding.
As the business grew, Ruchit and his team learned from their mistakes and gained practical experience. They developed a menu, recipes, SOPs, and staff recruitment processes. They started franchising their business and learned about performance marketing, advertising, digital agencies, and much more. Slowly, the business doubled, and the team expanded, including an HR manager, a purchase manager, a warehouse and dispatch manager, a franchise relationship manager, and an accountant.
Size Zero Cafe Restro has now become a popular cafeteria in Gujarat with multiple locations across the state. The initial Paanipuri business evolved into a cafeteria, providing students with affordable and healthy food options. The value of the business, which started with only 15-20k in 2015, is now around 60-70cr. Ruchit's team includes more than 100 staff members, and they have five outlets in Rajkot and several others across Gujarat, including Jamnagar, Dwaraka, Junagadh, Gandhidham, Surendranagar, Pujh, Valsad, Navsari, Vadodara, and Gandhinagar.
Despite the success, the journey was not without challenges. Ruchit and his partners had to face multiple challenges, from finding a suitable location to learning how to franchise the business. The overhead costs in the initial Paanipuri business were high, and they had to change the menu to make it profitable.
Ruchit's story is a testament to the power of hard work, determination, and perseverance. He followed his passion and took a risk, and now his business is a success. His journey shows that with the right attitude, skills, and mindset, anything is possible.
Despite the success of his cafe, Ruchit soon realized that he had weaknesses as a founder. He and his team had never delegated any work, and they had learned and done everything themselves. This slowed down their growth and made it difficult to keep up with the competition. However, Ruchit learned from this experience and now understood the importance of delegating work to others who had the expertise to handle it.
Ruchit's pleasure in founding Size Zero Cafe came from the appreciation he received from his customers. The customers loved the food and the cafe, and they shared their experiences on social media, which brought in more business. Ruchit was happy to see that his idea was being appreciated and loved by the people.
The journey of starting and running Size Zero Cafe transformed Ruchit into an individual. He had to learn many new skills, including cost optimization, planning, and year-end projections. He also had to get out of his comfort zone and learn public speaking, attend investor meetings, and socialize with other people in the business. This experience taught him a lot and helped him grow as an individual.
However, Ruchit faced some challenges from his family. His elder brother was already in business, and his parents were government employees. They expected Ruchit to take up a government job, but he had other plans. When he started Size Zero Cafe, he didn't tell his parents and continued going to his shop every day. His family was ashamed of him and never introduced him to their guests as business owners. It was a difficult time for Ruchit, but things changed when his brother asked for a franchise in Rajkot. Ruchit's family was proud of him and his business once again.
Looking back, Ruchit wishes that he had delegated work from the start. Ruchit's journey as a founder was filled with pleasure and pain, strength and weakness, but it taught him valuable lessons that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
Focus on executing your idea and success will follow
Ruchit Goswami,
Founder, Size Zero Cafe Restro
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