Roots: Rizwan Sajan - From humble beginnings to architectural innovator

Many young, enthusiastic entrepreneurs and industry professionals are searching for the answer to industry success. What path will ultimately lead to recognition? Is industry acceptance driven by a carefully constructed career path or is the less orthodox path a key to acceptance and acknowledgement in a chosen field? What can be learnt from the stories of others?

Rizwan Sajan is a dynamic mix of career paths. A self-made man with a keen eye for a deal, Rizwan has pursued innumerable opportunities in property development and he has cultivated a belief in never resting on his laurels. This, ultimately, has made him a powerhouse in business and property development in Dubai.

Rizwan’s childhood was marked with adversity. He was only a teenager when his father died. The eldest son of three set his sights on financial success and never looked back. His early years do not reveal a traditional educational path in business management. There is no MBA qualification to be seen, yet this man has almost single-handedly constructed a business empire with a global footprint worth billions.

The rags -to -riches billionaire has never taken the easy path. Hard work and perseverance have been the hallmarks of his early career. Menial jobs that reinforced a strict work ethic and a keen eye for building personal relationships in business has been his mantra.

An illustrious list of business leaders makes up the top Indian leaders in the UAE and Rizwan has firmly cemented his place among them. It is the entrepreneurial mind set and business acumen of men like Rizwan that has been responsible for much of the phenomenal growth and innovation in UAE based enterprises today. His property development organization Danube Properties is further testament to his entrepreneurial skill and innovative approach to real estate development.

This may all sound like a cliche from a past era but there is a deeper philosophy which lies behind his success. Surely a man who has enjoyed such phenomenal success would espouse a cut throat philosophy on deal making and business interactions? The answer is not as you may think.

In a recent Instagram post Rizwan shared a unique view on ‘wealth creation’ which could shed some of that much sort after insight young entrepreneurs crave in the pursuit of financial and career success. Rizwan shared ’If you decide one day to calculate your wealth, do not count your money and bank balances. Count how much love and respect you have gained and how many hands will pray for you, and that is your real wealth.’

Perhaps a surprising insight for many into the path to billionaire status but a reminder to young entrepreneurs that everybody remembers the actions of the person in the room, long after the deal has been done.

One of the great lessons one does see from many who have travelled a similar journey to success, is that the journey is clearly more complex and difficult than can ever be captured in a single article or conversation. Meeting and interviewing Rizwan in Dubai was a charming experience but one would leave with as many questions as one almost began with. This is not to say that Rizwan did not answer the questions but that it is hard to delve beneath the surface to understand the whole story. This can often be the case with self-made entrepreneurs; there is more lying beneath the story.

Maybe the answer is to simply understand that success can be difficult to achieve but for Rizwan his cornerstones to success, after all is measured, is that people, friendship, trust and respect is what really is the best measurement of a person and success?