CHENNAI: Coming from an illustrious business family has its advantages and flipsides, and no one knows that better than CK Kumaravel, co-founder, Naturals chain of salons. The father of two is simple and gregarious, full of punch lines and positivity as he speaks to us about his business, his ambitions as a child and more.
When did you realise you want to be an entrepreneur?
When you’re working with your brothers, you come out with a lot of ideas and suggestions and most are not taken. An element of self-doubt begins to grow. There’s that urge to test if your dreams and ambitions will survive in the real world. You have two options — either lead a comfortable life or an exciting life. I chose the latter.
Did you always want to become a businessman?
When I was younger, I wanted to play cricket. I played for the districts. Sunil Gavaskar was my idol. But when I joined college, I realised that there are too many distractions. And other priorities come up and these little dreams took a backseat.
T20 or test cricket?
T20. We see so many parallels between the format and the ways of the world today. The ‘my country’ sentiment is dead. Yesterday’s competitor is today’s collaborator. There is no place for a single specialist. You have to be an all-rounder. I am not a traditionalist in the sense that you get stuck in a rut in the process.
How different are yours and your wife’s business styles?
Very different. I keep taking risks and am always on the move. I’m an open book but she is a private person. She’s organised and systematic. I am the opposite…Not impulsive but intuitive. Until 2010, I believed this business was Veena’s. I believed I was a good background operator; execution is her forte. That worked as long as our business was small. Once it became people-oriented, things had to change. I am more of people’s person. So I stepped up and she handled everything else.
What was the high point in your career?
One day, I went to the salon and the people there didn’t know me and they said no appointment. That was truly a really big moment for me.
Why is women empowerment important to you?
It is a personal goal for me. My father passed away when we were young. We were six of us. I saw my mother, a homemaker, become the ‘man of the house’. She helped us balance between being rooted and chasing our freedom. She anchored us for 35 years and did it effortlessly. She gave us very candid but detached advice. She never complained. Most women have this trait of learned helplessness — they don’t believe in themselves. Hence, this is a big thing for me to pursue.
What do you do to unwind?
Is there ever an off-day for anyone today? In this smart-phone age, we carry work home through those million emails and messages. When I was younger, I used to think that I would retire at 40 and play golf. Now, the goal is to work till 99, have a peg every night and wake up next day to carry out your business with renewed vigour. We are anyway permanently retiring when we die. Why do it when we are living?
(The writer is a freelance journalist)