This Second-Generation Entrepreneur Knows How to Work & Play all at Once Being at the helm at Intex, Keshav Bansal is also the owner of the Gujarat Lions - team in the Indian Premier League
By Aashika Jain
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Keshav Bansal, the Director of Indian consumer durables brand Intex Technologies – India's second-largest selling mobile phone and IT accessories manufacturer company – is a man with many interests.
Being at the helm at Intex, he is also the owner of the Rajkot-based team - Gujarat Lions - in the Indian Premier League.
His biggest advantage is being the second-generation of an illustrious brand.
While speaking to Entrepreneur India on the strengths and benefits of being a second-generation entrepreneur, he credited Intex's 22-year old legacy as the reason behind the brand's success.
"In my case definitely there is a great legacy since 1996. We have built a certain brand value, a brand name, a trust level among consumers, so Intex enjoys that kind of goodwill, I inherited that and it's a blessing to take forward a company which has years of trust in consumers' goodwill," Bansal told Entrepreneur India.
The 26-year old is looking to leverage the brand's good reputation. He thinks being the second generation in the business and can adapt to latest processes. He has been attempting to digitize departments and automate most of Intex's systems since joining the business.
"Most of the first-generation entrepreneurs have their set mindset. But we have to adapt and move as per the changing times otherwise we are gone. So I think at Intex, we now have agility with experience and depth of the knowledge and that's a deadly combination," said Bansal.
As a second-generation entrepreneur, he advises his father and the team about fresh ideas that they are not aware of and are more agile, also about newest technologies that can improvise organization's various departments.
Biting Competition Upping The Ante
Running a home-grown company in India at a time when international smartphone players are biting into a large segment of users is anything but challenging. Bansal sounded confident but cautious on the robust competition coming from cheaper smartphone brands from China. He said that it's very important to know your internal strength and weakness so that you can run your business well.
"I wouldn't say apart from the regular stuff there's a lot of competition. There are a lot of technological challenges and the Chinese are certainly biting into the market. These are still controllable because ultimately you will grow all because of your internal strengths and weaknesses," said Bansal.
Combining Work With Passion
Bansal's interest in Cricket has led him to become the youngest owner of an Indian Premier League (IPL) team. In a country that is often brimming with excitement over the IPL, it can be overwhelming for the owner of a team to feel immense pressure to not only perform but also get bothered about their team's reputation.
Especially at a young age of 26, Bansal has been able to do a fine mix of sports and technology – he credits this adrenaline rush to his inner passion.
"It's definitely very exhausting and time-consuming, but I always believe that if you have that fire within yourself, if you really are passionate, you can do anything. My parents taught me to never give up. I started very young, I worked for long hours and I think slowly and steadily if you do your homework really well and you know where you are focused and you align your energies to that task without other things distracting you, you reach a level," Bansal said.
