Success can come from luck, hard work, persistence or sheer brilliance. That last one is the adjective to use for Roman Saini.
Most people keep the search for that one good opportunity all their life and settle down as soon as they find it. For lakhs of your students in India becoming an IAS officer or a doctor is a dream too good to come true. For those who achieve these distinctions, the race is considered won. But then there are few people who see these achievements not as a destination but as different stops in their journeys. One such person is Roman Saini, a doctor, a former IAS officer and a highly successful entrepreneur.
From being one of the youngest civil servants in India to becoming the founder of a company that helps lakhs of UPSC aspirants and is valued at over Rs 14,000 crore, here is the inspiring success story of Roman Saini.
1. A young achiever
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At the age of 16, Saini became the youngest person to clear the AIIMS admission exam. At the age of 18, he had already written a research paper in a prestigious medical publication. After completing his MBBS, the young Roman Saini worked at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) at AIIMS. Most people would cherish such a well-reputed job but for Roman, his stint as a doctor lasted only 6 months. He was now enroute to becoming an IAS officer.
2. Choosing the IAS path
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At the age of 22, Roman Saini passed the UPSC Civil Services test, one of the toughest examinations to crack in India. On why he chose to become an IAS officer, he once remarked, “I was pursuing my MBBS and was posted in Haryana's Dayalpur village. I saw how people were deprived of basic facilities. That's when I decided to serve the nation.” Roman was among the youngest IAS officers at 22 years of age and was posted to Madhya Pradesh as a collector.
3. The BIG change
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But his stint as an IAS officer was destined to be a short one. Soon he left the coveted job and instead joined his friend Gaurav Munjal in founding Unacademy, a platform that today helps thousands of IAS aspirants prepare for UPSC exams. The idea behind Unacademy was to provide a platform for UPSC coaching classes that doesn’t require students to spend lakhs of rupees.
4. Creating a Rs 14,000 crore company
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While Unacademy had its humble beginnings as a YouTube channel created by Gaurav Munjal in 2010, the company was officially founded in 2015 by Munjal, Saini and their third co-founder Hemesh Singh. Six years down the line, Unacademy is one of India’s largest education technology platforms with a network of 18,000 educators. The company is valued at $2 billion (around Rs 14,830 crores). The platform as more than 50 million active users.
5. Mantra of success
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Roman Saini believes that learning how to learn is the first step toward success. You must first prepare for a challenge before taking it. As per him people are not born genius and that everyone possesses the knowledge, talent, and character to attain whatever goals they set for themselves. According to him, what one needs to do is overcome their fear of going against their parents' or society's wishes, as well as their fear of pushing their limits.
Pics courtesy: Instagram screengrab/ @romanunacademy
