Belonging to the growing group of young business heads who are members of the global Entrepreneur’s Organization, Tater actively seeks out success in the new era.
--BY AASHIYANA ADHIKARI
There is a famous quote by Chris Grosser an American Photographer that says, "Opportunities don't happen, You create them." Vishal Tater, Director of H.G. Ent Pvt Ltd lives by this quote. According to him, being born into a business family shaped his mind while growing up. Tater never thought of doing anything else other than getting into his family business.
Born in 1975, Tater joined is family business immediately after finishing his MBA from University of Queensland, Australia. He did his primary schooling from Sawan Public School in Delhi. He completed his undergraduate degree from India."Initially I faced a lot of difficulties in operating the company as I had never had any prior experience," he mentions, adding," But gradually with time and a lot of hard work, I successfully started operating this company."
HG Ent. Pvt. Ltd., a part of business conglomerate Tater Group, deals with a wide range of construction products like cutting-edge machines, and equipment for applications of all scales. It offers sales and comprehensive after-service for concrete batching, hydropower, roads and heavy equipment, construction chemicals, and agricultural products."Our company is basically into trading of construction and power related items," says Tater.
Established in 1974 by his father BR Tater, HG Ent. Pvt Ltd, has an approximate turnover of USD 15 Million. The company staffs approximately 50 employees in trading division.
According to Tater, other segment of his group majorly manufactures wires and cables, PVC and HDPE pipes and fittings along with scaffolding and shuttering items. Major business imports for his company are India, Thailand, Korea, Russia, and Japan.
Beside this the group are also a leading contractor mainly focusing in hydropower, tunneling and infrastructure projects construction through its subsidiary M/S South Asian Infrastructure Tater has been an active member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) for the past eight years. The organisation is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 12,000 influential business owners with 163 chapters in 52 countries. Founded in 1987, EO is regarded as a kind of catalyst enabling leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, leading to greater success in business and beyond. EO Nepal, one of the chapters, was founded in 2003 with a current chapter strength of 51 members.
According to Tater, EO has helped him grow his connections throughout the globe. "Before joining EO I hardly knew any entrepreneurs or business persons outside of Nepal," he says, adding, "EO provided me with a great platform to meet new people and build connections abroad."Tater says that EO also helps in the personality enhancement of its members. "EO regularly organizes programmes and workshops which pushes us to grow outside of our comfort zone."
A father of three, Tater likes to relax and spend time with his family whenever he is not working. He describes himself as a travel enthusiast who loves exploring new places and meeting new people. "I love my work and I am very dedicated towards it," states Tater, adding, "You will never find me complaining about my work even when the situations get tough."
Tater, who is also the Director of Gurans Life Insurance, loves challenges and feels that challenges help a person grow both personally and professionally. He believes in living life with no regrets and admits being a very optimistic person. "During my initial days, I made a lot of mistakes and looking back at that time, it was those mistakes that have made me a better businessperson now," he says. "I was very persistent and never thought of giving up regardless of how many times I failed."
He feels that the market has changed a lot since he joined the company. "The competition was much smaller and the business was easy when I entered this industry," Tater recalls."The change in the market scenario with greater competition has encouraged me to work harder."One example he cites, is that with increased competition he feels that the trend of credit payments has increased significantly. "Contractors a few years back used to take everything in cash but now they play around with credit which is a major challenge for our industry."
"Nowadays, there is less cash flow in the market as buyer’s prefer credit rather than cash and sometimes the contractors run away without paying cash they owe to us." He considers this as a major problem which should be addressed by the government. "We do not have proper plans and policies for the trading business which creates a favourable environment for the culprits to get away with it."
"Not only do the foreign contractors run off without paying us, the local buyers also deceive us at times," says Tater, adding, "Having policies against such fraud is not enough, the government must be able to implement it as well."
Tater recognizes the challenging nature of trade and business in Nepal. "The overall business condition in Nepal is quite tough with lots of ups and downs. One should always be prepared for a financial crisis or economic breakdown that might incur at any point in time," he adds.
His company also has investments in diverse fields from banks to agriculture. "Although we have invested in a variety of fields we are currently focusing on hydropower," Tater mentions. Nepal is growing economically day by day and the demand for construction materials are at an all time high. "Currently we are working very hard to meet the country's rising demand and we are hopeful that in the next five years we will be able to meet all the requirements."
