Rajiv Vij
CEO, Hertz India

Whoever said ?Money is power? hasn?t heard of Rajiv Vij. When he started out in the car rental business, the chief executive officer of Carzonrent India had very little money. Everyone laughed when they heard that the small and financially modest company was working to forge an alliance with Hertz, the No. 1 car rental company in the world. Especially so at a time when several other big Indian groups like the Mahindras wanted to join the party.

Now, four years later, Vij is having the last laugh. Carzonrent is the master licensee of Hertz in India. Starting out as a humble Rs one crore company, Carzonrent India Private Ltd ? or Hertz India ? is today worth over Rs 42 crore and provides service to over 450 corporate clients. Says the 40-plus Vij: ?I believe you should either aim at being the best or you should not be there.?

Vij started his career in sales and marketing with Hindustan Motors. There he introduced the Contessa. Then he joined International Travel House. Within 30 months, he changed its entire business structure and expanded the business nine times. Vij created a national network of operations and franchisee locations. Though he was merely an employee at both these companies, his approach to work was always that of an entrepreneur. ?I think I have the ability to look at things slightly differently from what everybody else does,? he says.

It was his penchant for dreaming big that made Vij and a couple of his colleagues leave their secure jobs and do something different. Today Carzonrent has become a huge company with over 1,000 employees. But the CEO thinks that a person is successful only when he is doing something in a new field. Says Vij: ?I think when you try to be a medium-size player who is providing a service which is available through 50 other people in the city, you have actually achieved nothing in life. That?s the reason I opted for the car rental business.?

Being the youngest among four brothers and two sisters, Vij was the most pampered child in the family. He recalls: ?I played lots of cricket and bunked classes.? The fun-loving streak was evident when he was doing his masters from New Delhi?s Faculty of Management Studies (FMS). Vij recalls having occasionally bunked college to watch movies like Bobby, Julie and Chaudhvin Ka Chand. Sometimes he was spotted by relatives at cinema halls. But those FMS days were also about imbibing knowledge. Vij remembers one of his professors, Dr Narang, with respect. ?His personality and his ability to make things easy to understand and his patience with students impressed me a lot,? he says.

As a CEO, Vij?s day starts as early as 6 am and he remains engaged till seven in the evening. A modest man who loves eating homemade food, he unwinds watching family soaps such as Kasautii Zindagi Kay and Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. His pastimes include travelling, driving out on holidays and listening to instrumental music, the tabla and santoor in particular. That he is a workaholic is evident watching him looking at three laptops placed simultaneously on his table.

Vij believes that his dedication has helped him achieve what others don?t even dream of. For instance, says the Hertz India honcho, his company is now associated with Hindustan Petroleum which has enabled them to set up operations in 3,600 locations. No car rental company in India had entered into a business relationship with a fuel company before.

Hertz India hopes to take its turnover to about Rs 100 crore in the next two years and expects to increase its fleet strength to 1,400 cars from the current size of over 600. ?The self-drive segment, which contributes around two per cent to our current revenues, is expected to increase its share to 45 per cent by March 2006 when we expect the turnover to touch Rs 100 crore,? says Vij.

He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to aim to be the best in whatever they do. Says Vij: ?One should be the best and not the No. 2. Even if one has no money, he should not get disheartened. One should keep walking without losing one?s own path and should keep on saying, ?I will win?.?

The Carzonrent CEO is not resting on his laurels yet. From him, there is much more to come. On his part, Vij will consider himself successful only when he is recognised by the academicians of the country and when his story becomes a case study at the top b-schools.