The ‘Global Smart' Businessman

Vignesh Vijayakumar’s success story from an ordinary office administrator to being the brain behind a million-business conglomerate filled with grit, grace and grinding life experiences.

It was a cold December morning in Dubai in 2005. As the clock struck 4.30 AM, nineteen-year-old Vignesh Vijayakumar sprung out of his bed in a jiffy. In a place like Dubai waking up early for work was something uncommon, especially for those involved in a 9-to-5 job. Although Vignesh had an administrative job, an old habit of waking up early, taught by his father stayed even after he migrated to Dubai.

After freshening up, Vignesh picks a pack of microfiber cloth, a bucket and liquid cleaner and steps outside his home while humanity at large sleep in Dubai. Then he trots over to a spot where over a dozen cars are parked in the neighbour-hood, all waiting to be washed.

Till 7 AM, Vignesh then starts his morning chore of washing cars. Every day he would wash 14 cars to earn that extra buck. “So early in the morning there was no other job that a young man could do in Dubai,” says Vignesh who currently runs a multimillion conglomerate.

“I used to earn 100 dirhams for a car wash. My body clock woke me up early and this was the only job that was available at that time. I did this job for 7 months,” chuckles Vignesh, lovingly called by his friends and colleague as Vickii.

Today, its been 18 years, from washing cars to owning a fleet of 13 luxury cars, Vignesh has come a long way in terms of growth and is one of the most sought young businessmen in the GCC. But the rise of his business verticals was no rosy tale.