Ramesh Babu was only 7-years-old when his father passed away in 1979, leaving behind nothing but a barber shop as the sole source of income for a family of 5. Incapable of running a salon, Ramesh’s mother soon rented out the shop to his uncle.
“My father left a saloon in Brigade Road. My uncle took care of it and paid us Rs 5 each day. My mother took a job as a maid and earned perhaps Rs 40-50 per month that was used for everything,” recalls Ramesh.
But little did Ramesh know at the age of 7 that his story was not that of tragedies but instead a “millionaire barber who owns Rolls Royce!”
Family spat & the birth of ‘Inner Space’
Ramesh focused on his education upto the pre-University level and obtained a diploma in electronics in the coming years, on the continuous insistence of his mother. But after a spat with his uncle, who afterwards refused to pay the shop rent, Ramesh took over the salon at the age of 18 and started running his own business, with family savings and a determination to succeed, by name of ‘Inner Circle’
“One morning, while I was waiting for my workers, a gentleman came and asked me for a haircut. I said I didn’t know how to cut hair but he insisted that I try it. So I cut his hair, and maybe he liked it because he gave me double the standard price. He is still my customer,” says Ramesh.
As Ramesh took up hairstyling himself, the business began to flourish and a year later, he began to sign up for hairstyling courses to hone his seemingly natural talent. For professional touch, he even went to Singapore and did a course with Toni & Guy.
Love for cars that paved way for a luxury venture
Ramesh Babu has always been a car-enthusiast. It was this love that encouraged him in 1993 to pool tiny savings and a loan to buy his first car – a Maruti Omni. The paurchase came with steep EMIs and so he began renting out his car to raise the amount.
What began as a necessity soon translated into an enormously successful car-rental business. In 2004, Ramesh got into the luxury car rental and self-drive business after the government opened up the tourism sector. And that’s how Ramesh Tours and Travels got hooked.
“I started with renting out my cars to Intel and to other small clients locally. As it was going well, I took a brave step and bought my first E-class Mercedes. This was because at that time there was no taxi rental service which rented out luxury cars, even for big delegates,” says Ramesh.
From BMWs to Mercedes to Jaguars to Rolls-Royce
In the mid-2000s, Ramesh received a proposal from Mercedes India to buy a model. He made the best of the opportunity and put together his savings along with yet another loan to take his business to a whole new level. From this point on, his business never looked back.
As of today, Ramesh Tours & Travels’ garage takes pride over a fleet of over 400 cars next to models of BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar and the highly prized Rolls-Royce Ghost.
“Running a business like ours can be scary when things come to a sudden halt. In 2011, I bought my Rolls-Royce. It was highly expensive and the government levied heavy taxes. I was almost bankrupt, but I kept trying and one and half years later I finally managed to succeed,” concludes Ramesh.
