Ashish Bhasin - Director, Marmo Solutions

It's not every day that you come across a leader who despite all odds, shines through and accomplish extraordinary results. As the #SurfacesReporter team engages into a heart-warming conversation with Mr Ashish Bhasin, Director, Marmo Solutions, we are fascinated to discover the courageous journey of this man, who didn't even get the opportunity to get a formal education. With the passion to create a mark, Mr Bhasin left the comforts of his home in Gwalior and came to Delhi at a young age of 12. Interestingly, he had only Rs 180 in his pocket that time. Not much welcomed by relatives staying in Delhi, Mr Bhasin chose to stay at the railway station in the initial days. To meet the basic needs, he worked at a cycle puncture shop and even as a labourer in a factory. Things looked up when a friend from a construction company, provided him a job opportunity within his firm. Gaining expertise in the construction segment thereon, the he went on to establish his own firm, Marmo Solutions. The journey from Rs 180 to Rs 1,80,000 to several Crores is definitely a highly inspiring one. Read on!

How did Marmo Solutions come into being?

The idea of creating my own brand in stone solutions struck me for the first time while working with a German company. I could see that Indians were really developing a taste for luxury products. I realized that Indians do not have issues about money and 90% of their money gets utilized in building houses, as it has become more of a luxury symbol. Stone is playing a major role in creating these beautiful homes. You visit any luxury building, stones will be the major element of beauty.

I found that at most of those places, people were spending a lot on international brands. These brands were becoming popular mainly due to the word of mouth publicity. I found that the promises made were many times not met. The prices were also unnecessarily high. These facts motivated me to establish my own brand. I decided on the name 'Marmo', meaning marble solutions, derived from Marble and Solutions, along with the tagline, ‘The next generation of stone solution products.’ We began with 2-3 products and then from there on slowly and steadily things began to fall on the place and today we are on the verge of closing business worth crores.

What's the significance of having the 3rd party certifications in your product range?

The certifications make the commitment with the products foolproof. The materials go through various laboratory tests and give a clear-cut picture of the imparted knowledge of being authentic or not. Usually, people don't ask for third-party certification, and this allows brands to compromise on quality. With 3rd party certifications in place, the cost also can’t very much in terms of manufacturing. If I am quoting ‘x’ price of the manufacturing cost, then my competitors will also quote a similar price and fluctuations are not possible at all.