An Immigrant Success Story: From a Farm To a Global Empire Ronnie Teja is the founder and CEO of the acclaimed Branzio watches brand

Ronnie Teja was born on February 17, 1985, in Jalandhar, India. With a population of over one million people, the area is well-recognized for its expertise in manufacturing sports equipment. Items made in Jalandhar have been used at the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, among others, earning the region significant name for its dedication to quality craftsmanship.

Teja has taken this very approach and employed it in his business pursuits.

The beginning

Teja was educated at two of India's most prestigious boarding schools. The school has earned the moniker "the Eton of India" according to media outlets such as the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The New York Times. Teja completed a bachelor's in marketing and micro-finance at Xavier's College in Mumbai and, at 22, relocated to London to continue his journey.

By the age of 30, he had already established multiple businesses from the ground up. As a result, he is now one of the most widely-acclaimed figures in the world of e-commerce and is well-established as a leading public speaker and startup advisor. He fulfils countless orders daily, manages no fewer than fifteen websites and works with a team comprised mainly of remote employees.

Teja is the founder and CEO of the acclaimed Branzio watches brand. With a wide array of styles to choose from, Branzio understands that a watch must serve a double purpose and be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The brand is dedicated to using qualitative materials, timeless designs that feel modern at the same time, and pieces that blend well with all outfits and are comfortable enough to be worn throughout the day. There are both casual and formal options so that you can get the perfect watch for any situation. And since versatility is one of the foundations of the brand, the watches also come with interchangeable straps that can be mixed and matched depending on your outfit.

Dedication to excellence

Teja has made it his mission to create value for his customers. He is driven by the wish to help them improve their lives. He is just as dedicated to helping his employees. The team currently numbers over 75 of them, located all over the globe, creating an eclectic team for which thinking outside of the box and coming up with creative solutions is no problem.

His people-first approach comes from his own life and experiences. While in London, he had begun pursuing a master's degree in welfare economics at the London School of Economics, but it had to be cut short when his family was offered the opportunity to emigrate to Canada. For the first few years, he lived with his family in a rented basement apartment for which the rent amounted to $500 per month.

During this time, Teja worked three jobs simultaneously. His day would begin well before 5 am, when he would begin work on his first job, picking blueberries. Then, from 3 to 10 pm, he was outside selling radio advertisements door to door. There was no such thing as a free weekend. He worked seven days a week, for roughly seventeen hours on a daily basis.

A realistic success story

Teja has never forgotten his beginnings and upbringing, which have helped him remain grounded and humble throughout his successful career. This doesn't mean that all he's ever known were triumphs. In fact, he's experienced quite a few setbacks. As a self-taught digital marketer, he built his own success story from the ground up and experienced quite a few failures down the road. However, never one to accept defeat, he harnessed these experiences and set out to learn from them rather than allow difficulties to take him away from what he had set on his mind to achieve.

Teja took a leap of faith and decided to pursue his dream against the better judgment of his parents, who advised him against taking up a risky venture. His first business, a digital agency, was not as successful as he had hoped, and the second, a men's jewelry, met the same fate. However, as time was set to prove, this was only the beginning, and Ronnie currently has several ecommerce businesses under his direct guidance. He has used everything he learned to build his path to success and become who he is today. As a result, he recently made the list of AWC's "40 under 40 people to watch in ecommerce" poll.

While originally from India, he now splits his time between Vancouver, Melbourne and Bangkok. He travels around the world regularly to network and meet more people. He's well aware that learning is a continuous process in business, as the markets are constantly changing, and entrepreneurs have to keep up if they want to remain relevant in their respective niches and not be ousted from the market by competitors. Traveling also allows him to learn from the best in business, as well as come into contact with new and exciting ideas that can help propel his company further.

Giving back

Teja believes integrity and hard work are the stepping stones to any successful business story. He believes in working with his employees as a team, in which everyone can express their views and opinions on what can help the brand develop. He also believes in providing only the best for his customers, and that business should be conducted with the clientele in mind. He's also dedicated to giving back to the community, taking practical steps in this regard. For every watch sold at Branzio, the brand donates $5 to grassroots organizations that help support disadvantaged households and individuals in both rural and urban areas.

Ronnie is ready to help anyone with problems regarding entrepreneurship. After speaking at public events such as Affiliate World 2022, it's clear that he knows how to share what he has learned with others to help make the process a little easier. With over 15 years of experience, Teja certainly knows a thing or two about creating and running a successful business.