Dare to Dream success story: Meet Ramesh Babu, the barber who owns fleet of 600 luxury cars

This is an India success story that will inspire current generations and the future ones yet to come. In the 90s, a 14-year-old Ramesh Babu was forced to work as a barber after his uncle failed to run the old shop owned by Babu's father. Today, he owns a fleet of 600 luxury cars, including Rolls Royce, and employs about 300 people. Speaking to Zee Business Online on the sidelines of Zee Business Dare to Dream Awards in Delhi, Ramesh Babu said that he was just a seven-year-old when he lost his father. Babu's father was a barber and used to run a shop in tech city Bengaluru. 

The family was hit by a huge crisis and Ramesh Babu's mother had no other option, but to rent the shop to his uncle for Rs 5 a day. Still young at that time, Babu did odd jobs like selling newspapers. 

"My mother rented out the barber shop for Rs 5. I did odd jobs like paper guy.... I never wasted time," he said, while adding that there came a time when his uncle couldn't pay the rent anymore. "He wanted to return the shop and that is how I got into the salon business in the 90s," he added. 

The business soon picked up from one client to two and soon, Babu was attending 150 people every day including many celebrities and politicians. 

WATCH | Ramesh Babu's story here

In 2004, he got into the luxury car rental and self-drive business and started Ramesh Tours and Travels. Initially, Babu started renting cars to small clients locally before he bought his first E class Mercedes. At that time, there were no rental services, which were providing luxury cars for VVIPs. 

Since then, there has been no stopping Ramesh Babu. His list of clients boasts of big names in entertainment and sports. 

"All the celebrities and sports personalities are using my services. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan...you name the actor or actress, whenever they come to Bengaluru, they use my car service," Babu said, who owns three branches in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Currently, Ramesh Babu provides jobs to 300 people including 190 drivers. He now plans to open a new branch in Vijayawada.