Age has nothing to do with success; you can succeed in your 20s, 50s, or even at the age of 10. No, we ain’t kidding even kids can become an entrepreneur. Mumbai’s Tilak Mehta has proved to the world that “Age is just a number.”
At the young age of 13 when we were busy in playing and studying, Tilak Mehta launched a startup- PapersNParcels.
via:republicworld
The company offers courier services using the most efficient and fastest human supply chain network of Mumbai. Mumbai’s Dabbawalas work as a courier boy after tiffin deliveries and offer door-to-door pick-up and delivery services of non-food items. This collaboration of an age-old network and unique idea of Tilak has benefited hundreds of customers across the city.
Also Read: Youngest Indian Entrepreneurs Who Are Self-Made Billionaires
How did Tilak come up with the idea? Here’s his story.
Beginning Of PapersNParcels
“Age is just a number” proved right once again!! My 1st successful venture PapersNParcels at my age of 14 has been aquired by a multinational company within its 2.5 years of working. pic.twitter.com/wDhLk6EBAM
— Tilak Mehta (@TilakMehta7) April 20, 2020
“Necessity is the key to the invention” Well applied to the case of Tilak as the journey of PapersNParcels began from a problem that clicked a unique solution to his mind. It all began in 2017, Tilak was 13 then and preparing for his exams.
But, he forgot some books at his Uncle’s residence that lived in Mumbai too but far away from Tilak’s house. He could not trouble his dad as he arrived late at night and not in a condition to drive so far just to get the books. Neither he nor nobody else could bring the books back.
Moreover, courier services won’t be able to deliver the books on the same day. Who will then? This question hits Tilak’s brain and the answer was Mumbai’s Dabbawalas as their network is spread across the city and they are well-aware of every nook and corner of Mumbai. So, who could be better than them when it comes to super-fast delivery?
Also Read: College Dropout Arshi Khan Turns Into A Successful Entrepreneur
Tilak suggested the idea to his father who works in a logistic-based company. Vishal Mehta, Tilak’s father, and his Uncle Ghanashyam Parekh found his idea worthy and helped him to turn his dream into reality.
The idea was discussed with the head of the Dabbawala network for collaboration. They found it useful and this is how the journey of PapersNParcels began.
PapersNParcels Grew From Traditional To Digital
via:timesnext
The company has 100+ employees now and around 300 Dabbawala work with Tilak. To make the service more efficient, fast, and accessible to all customers, there is also a dedicated app for the customers with the same name as the company.
The app allows user to schedule their order according to their needs and the price is also set as low as Rs 50 so that more and more customers can benefit from their services. Besides this, they also take orders from companies that fall within the radius of their network. The daily orders are around 1000-2000 as stated by Tilak in an interview.
Customers are happy with the services as they can track their orders and place them before 2:30 pm which is not provided by other courier services for same-day delivery.
Balancing School Life And Work Life
via:dailynews
Childhood means classes, homework, exams, assignment, and enjoying with friends with no tension to earn money. But for Tilak childhood is all about managing his studies, dreams, and his dream company. How does he do that?
In an interview, he revealed how he manages his time without affecting any of the two. All five days he focuses only on school during his school timing and after classes, he gets back to the work. Even on weekend, he works but also give some hours to his hobbies. He takes meetings, stays in touch with employees, and takes customer feedback to improve the services.
Motivating Millions To Follow Their Dream
Undoubtedly, Tilak’s first venture has inspired all the young dreamers to follow what they believe and don’t let age hold their dreams. He brought a new wave in the Logistic Sector of India and was awarded the “Youngest Entrepreneur In Logistics Sector” and “Global Child Prodigy Award.”
Happy Entrepreneur Day!
Our Child Prodigies Te’lario Watkins ll(Founder of Tiger Mushroom Farms) & Tilak Mehta(Founder of PapersNParcels) are the winners of GCP Awards 2020 in ‘Entrepreneur’ category.@MushroomFarms @TilakMehta7#childprodigy #gcpawards #kids #entrepreneur #joy pic.twitter.com/cfNHIGSBWO— Global Child Prodigy (@gcpawards) August 21, 2020
Story of Tilak Mehta and his PapersNParcels taught us to dream, big or small doesn’t matter, and work hard to make it reality without thinking that who we are and what our age is.