From Scissors to Supercars: The Extraordinary Rise of Ramesh Babu, India’s Billionaire Barber

From Scissors to Supercars: The Extraordinary Rise of Ramesh Babu, India’s Billionaire Barber

Many entrepreneurs begin their careers in business schools or boardrooms, but Ramesh Babu started his career with a pair of scissors in a modest, leased barbershop in Bengaluru. Today, he owns Ramesh Tours and Travels, a luxury car rental firm with a fleet of over 400 vehicles, including Rolls-Royce, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and other premium brands.

 Nonetheless, Ramesh continues to provide haircuts himself – not because he has to, but because he wants to. His incredible journey from poverty to success as a businessman is more than a feel-good narrative. It demonstrates how effort, persistence, and remaining modest can result in tremendous success.

Ramesh Babu lost his father at age seven. His father ran a modest barbershop in Bangalore. Ramesh's mother was left to care for the family following his death. She worked as a housemaid and earned barely ₹5 daily. To supplement her income, she rented out the barbershop to another barber for ₹5 per day. 

Ramesh grew up under difficult circumstances.  He delivered newspapers and milk before school to help his family.  However, his drive to overcome his situation never wavered.

Return to the Roots 

After finishing his education, Ramesh chose to take over the barbershop and start working there himself. Ramesh built his business on trust. He managed customers and won them with his craftsmanship skills. Gradually more people came to know about him. Eventually his business and car collection grew. Fast forward to this day. His company provides luxury cars to top clients like CEOs, Bollywood stars, and international guests. But even with all this success, Ramesh stays humble.

1. Still a Barber at Heart:

In 1993, Ramesh applied his entrepreneurship mindset and took a risk to buy a Maruti Omni van. The intention was to rent it out to supplement his income.  This Plan B sowed the seeds of what eventually turned out to be a luxury automobile rental empire. He started small, renting out one vehicle at a time to corporate clients and travelers.  He continued to work at the salon during the day and handled the automobile rental business in his leisure time.

Even after all the money and success now, he continues to work as a barber because he loves it and never forgets where he came from.

2. Lessons for Business

Ramesh Babu's journey provides important lessons for the young corporate employees:

Start with whatever you have. You don't need perfect conditions to begin anything important. Ramesh started with no formal education, no business degree, and little money – but he started nonetheless.

Customer obsession prevails: Give attention to details. That’s the key to your success

Stay grounded, always: Richness is known by the humbleness you show. Even with crores, Ramesh's down-to-earth style gives him respect and trust, all of which are important factors in corporate leadership.

Resilience beats resources: His story is a true example of how life can throw stones at you and give you challenges but with a resilient mindset you can turn the odds in your favour.

Taking Risks: In business you have to take risks. In 2004, I purchased my first luxury automobile, despite initial doubts from others. At the time, investing forty lakhs on a car—even a high-end one—was a tremendous risk. I was nervous, but I felt compelled to take the opportunity. I reminded myself that if things didn't work out, I could always sell it.

Fortunately, the risk paid off. There was no other rental firm with such a high-quality automobile. Others were renting second-hand models in fair shape, but I had a brand-new luxury car—the first of its kind in Bangalore's rental scene—that earned decent money.

Final Thoughts

“One of the most difficult times for me was in April last year, when I had to pay more than three crores in road tax. I'm still not sure how I managed to organize that much money. I had to mortgage property and take out many loans to make it happen.

Challenges like this are inevitable while running a business; you simply have to meet them straight on with commitment.”

His narrative is a poignant reminder that one does not need to be born with luxury. You only need to believe that your beginning point does not determine your outcome.

So, the next time you find yourself waiting for the "right opportunity," remember Ramesh Babu, the wealthy barber who did not wait. He began with scissors and ended up with supercars.