Meet man who quit govt job to start his business, built bestselling brand, today his net worth his Rs...

Some make brands and while very few are able to make legacies that become memorable and part of people’s lifestyles for years. The story of Karsanbhai Patel and his brand Nirma redefines brands, their values and their impact on people’s lives.  

Karsanbhai Patel’s early life 

Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel was born in Ruppur in Gujarat’s Patan district in 1945. His family had a farming background. He completed graduation in BSc Chemistry at the age of 21. His first job was at New Cotton Mills, Ahmedabad as a lab technician and Patel later switched to the Geology and Mining Department of the Gujarat government.  

Karsanbhai Patel’s entrepreneurial venture 

While continuing his government job in 1969, Patel started manufacturing detergent powder by mixing various detergents in his backyard. He then tried selling them door to door travelling by his bicycle. He priced his handmade detergent at Rs 3 per kg as against its powerful rivals. He named his detergent Nirma, after his daughter. It immediately gained popularity in Gujarat because of its low price and effectiveness.  

With Chemistry as his education and years of experience in government companies as a lab technician taught him as much to enable him to make his own success recipe in the face of highly dominating brands like Hindustan Lever with their detergent brand, Serf. 

Karsanbhai's determination and business skills drove Nirma's rapid growth, enabling him to quit his job and set up a workshop in Ahmedabad within just three years of launching his successful detergent. He built Nirma’s factory with the first loan of Rs 15,000. 

Nirma a game changer 

In the 1970s, India's detergent market was dominated by costly multinationals. Nirma, founded by Karsanbhai Patel, disrupted the market with affordable, high-quality detergent, catchy marketing, and local employment, becoming India's largest-selling detergent within a decade. 

Under Karsanbhai's leadership, Nirma diversified into soaps, cosmetics, and cement, with notable successes in edible salt and beauty soap. Despite some setbacks, Nirma now holds a significant market share in soaps (20%) and detergents (35%), cementing its position in India's consumer goods industry. 

As per Forbes, Karsanbhai Patel’s net worth is valued to be approximately Rs 27,545 crore (USD 3.3 billion), as of May 2024. Under Forbes Billionaires’ List of 2024 he ranked 949.