From ₹4,000 salary to owning ₹10 crore company: Office boy turns entrepreneur; meet Dadasaheb Bhagat

Dadasaheb Bhagat, who once earned ₹4,000 per month, has become the owner of a company worth ₹10 crore. His journey has earned praise from various corners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Education was never a focus in his family. Born in a drought-prone village in Beed district, Maharashtra, Bhagat studied only up to the 10th standard and later completed an ITI course, which prepared him for basic factory jobs.

Moving to Pune, he earned just ₹4,000 a month before landing a job as an office boy at Infosys for ₹9,000. His duties were menial, such as cleaning and delivering items. However, what he observed in the office left a mark.

Bhagat saw employees working comfortably on computers. He realised that knowledge could change his life. When advised to explore graphic design and animation, he remembered his childhood passion for art. He was inspired by a temple painter near his boarding school.

Dadasaheb started learning design. He spent his days learning design while working night shifts as an office boy. Within a year, he became a professional designer, finally earning by working on a computer.

Instead of seeking a job at a big company like Infosys, he started his own design venture. However, the journey was far from easy. When the COVID-19 lockdown began, he had to shut his Pune office and return to his village.

There, with limited electricity and internet, he and his team set up a workspace on a hill near a cowshed and began working. His company, Design Template, started taking shape. It offers free professional video templates and effects. People can download unlimited After Effects and Premiere Pro templates for free.

Dadasaheb Bhagat landed on Shark Tank India Season 3. He asked for ₹1 crore for a 2.5% equity in his company, valuing his company at ₹40 crore.

Bhagat mentioned on the show that the company’s revenue was ₹1.6 crore in the previous year. It was projected to earn ₹3 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

His story was covered by various media outlets. Eventually, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for embodying the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

“I believe that one should never leave life to circumstances. That’s why I decided to design my own life,” he said on the show.

Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, said, “Your story is inspiring. Life should be lived by design, not by default. You’ve truly made design your life. You should feel proud."

Then, boAt co-founder Aman Gupta offered ₹1 crore for a 10% equity stake, matching Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal’s offer. While Bansal asked for a 2% royalty till ₹2 crore was recovered, Gupta refused to take any royalty.

Dadasaheb Bhagat accepted Aman Gupta’s offer, keeping the company valuation at ₹10 crore.

Social media reaction

Social media hailed his journey. Lots of users found Dadasaheb Bhagat’s story motivating.

“Unimaginable... so much clarity and vision from someone who comes from a place like Beed! Very motivating…” posted a user.

“I contacted him during lockdown when he started his journey in a cowshed. Such a visionary guy he is!” posted another.

“Maharashtra is a land of talent,” exclaimed another.