Deven Shah is an alumnus of IBS Pune, Class of 1999 . An achiever, dreamer, visionary, die hard worker- all this and more is Devan Shah.

Meet him in Page 3. He is an entrepreneur, the Founder Director of ‘Safe World Systems Pvt Ltd’ a company in Ahmedabad which deals in fire safety and security systems. In just a few years since its inception, the company boasts of a turnover of Rs. 10 crores!

Me and My Family
I belong to a family where business runs in the blood.  From the very beginning I knew where I belonged and the career I would pursue.  I finished my Engineering and took a plunge into my family business. I very soon realized that I am not qualified enough to start or manage a business .It was important to add on and learn various skills and become adept in certain fields of knowledge. I attempted many small courses to learn various skills related to accounting, sales, et al. the piecemeal approach was like taking spoonfuls of water from the big mighty ocean. Hence, came the decision to join full time residential course from a premier institute- IBS.

My family consists of my loving parents, who are my pillars of strength and have molded me into what I am today.  Rupal, my better half is a beautiful graceful woman. We got married on 10th March 2002. She is very caring and supportive and plays an equally important role in my success.  I have two caring sisters who are well-settled and doing great.

Making the most at IBS
The 2 years at IBS, was the best time of my life. It helped me gain a vision and develop a sound and strong knowledge base. We always have two choices in life for a given situation. Either to complain about the system and the surrounding and do nothing about it OR to extract the best out of available resources. I had also opted for a few courses in IT as I wanted to acquire diverse knowledge. Since, I was determined to get into the business; I  co-related all the subjects with the “Business Plan” and kept making notes for utilizing the concepts in future. Even today these notes are a great help me when I face difficult situations in business.

Determined to put theory into Practice
After the IBS exams were over, I stayed back at hostel for three months to develop the Business plan, vision, mission, value system and strategies for business. Retrospectively, now I feel that when we get engrossed in business, it’s very difficult to find time for Planning & Visualization. The three months of intensive and extensive thought and planning gone into the making of the business are like the lifeline on which it runs today.

No looking back after studying at IBS.

After IBS,my expectations from self had increased drastically.  I had to prove myself. Immediately after I completed MBA, Safe World systems was launched for which I had started laying down the initial plans during college. Now,he turn-over  has touched 10 Crores. This is just a take-off,now, it has to  accelerate and  reach the sky.
Job Vs Business
Job situations are completely different then running a business, especially from the risk point of views. In business one has to pay a heavy price for every small mistake.  And since the entire responsibility rests on ones shoulder, the intensity of challenges and  gravity of obstacles  is felt directly .By the  grace of  the God,  blessings of my parents and the knowledge gained at IBS,I emerged successful in the  worst of all situations.
No situation is a stressful situation

Running a business, especially during its inception and in the the initial years,   is a continuously challenging phase.
At IBS , training the students to survive  and handle  high pressure situation is built  in  the curriculum . during the study program of two years, various skills like managing stress, analyzing case studies and handling presentations are taught to the students. If one decides to give his best at all the activities, he  can overcome stress despite being surrounded with it. This is well taught is IBS. Believe me - it increases the threshold limit of minimum stress you need to live…so after training at IBS, no situation is a  stressful situation. However, yoga, meditation & other such spiritual activities also help a lot in handling and relieving stress.
     Balance Work & Home
  It is very important to realize the need to strike a healthy balance between work and family. To me this realization came late. Though it is never late to start. I have done that and would definitely  putting it on priority
Life has taught me

 To stay on top in any venture one must not get complacent even for a moment. The energy and enthusiasm should continue to reach and remain at the top.
An Ideal life is
 

• Living in love & joy with stability and peace
• Enough time on hand  for knowing  self (Self-actualization)
• To improve the surroundings by providing a better quality of life.

My company five years from now

The fire safety & security industry is growing at more than 20% in India and will maintain the growth rate at least for the next 5 years. In India, this market is still in an infant stage and there is a tremendous scope for its development. Even if we go by Maslow’s Hierarchy of need, the need of safety comes second after the basic needs are satisfied. India is growing and people have started realizing the need. There is business for all players and demand is more than supply as I see it.
Me and my friends and batch mates at IBS

Frankly speaking, I am not really in touch with my batch mates, but would surely love to do so. IBSAF provides an excellent platform networking.