A lot of people travel each year and the buzzing stations, ports, and hotels can vouch for that. However, only a tiny fraction among them prefer exploring places. Exploring a place depends on a person’s inherent values – some go out for the uncharted lands and some deep dive into the daily chores. But it is something that never fails to deliver insights. Insights that can lead to realizations, to something life-altering and Jean-Christian Rindoni is a stellar example of the same. The idea he had developed with Johan Prettre and Mare Novak to form Sanilives is a result of such an insight derived from trips worldwide.
The three do not share a common business background. However, their jobs made them travel to different corners of the world for business ventures and opportunities. It exposed them to diverse social strata. Their cumulative experience has all the little details of “a small restaurant in China or a 5-star hotel in the US or an airport business Lounge in Istanbul.” It enriched their views. It loaded them with perceptions about lives people live in different social environments.
However, from it, one thing emerged as typical. During the frequent trips, Jean-Christian Rindoni and his partners noticed that all the places offer the same sanitizing devices. From a luxury hotel of some business capital to a small eatery in a corner street of Hong Kong, this one thing has always remained constant. And for the trio, that was worrying.
The Beginning
In fact, this worry led to several brainstorming sessions. They realized that there should be a differentiating factor aligned with the promised experience luxury hotels often sell as their USP. They started making plans about “an upscale device that could help certain types of businesses bring an added value to their staff and customers.” This was their first step and it was just the tip of the iceberg.
The second step got them thinking about the lotion they would sell to their clients. Rindoni and his partners settled for “an eco-friendly lotion that could be used safely by everyone from age 1 to 90.” It was in sync with their plan to ensure the implementation of healthier ways, which in due course was supposed to evolve as a stand out feature.
The third step was about generating revenues for the client. The plan was to allow their clients to get something tangible in return for their investment. It resulted in the birth of an LCD screen on Sanideluxe. The company came up with a unique idea. It is the state-of-the-art disHANDfection device that addresses both public health issues and generates revenue through advertising.
From the early days of its inception till now, the company has developed “a complete range of disinfection devices to cover all major industries such as transport, hospitality, hospitals, retail, etc.” Moreover, the products are easy to install, easy to use, and affordable, because of which Sanilives is now experiencing wider permeation across industries.
The Value It Offers
Sanilives has kept its business philosophy simple: “Treat each client and each sale like it is the only one in our portfolio…” This triggers a hike in involvement and dedication, and every client gets to witness their infectious energy and commitment.
When it comes to clients, Sanilives considers the delivery of products as just the beginning of an experience they offer. They aim to make the experience pleasant and professional. Simultaneously, the company ensures its clients find the experience profitable from a business perspective. It is evident from how the company treasures its clients.
Most of the companies focus only on numbers and consider clients as another account. But that is never the same with Sanilives. The team always tries to ensure “all clients, big or small, are happy during the whole journey.” In fact, its strong and reactive maintenance and after-sales service have been designed to serve this purpose. If one digs deep, he will find that each aspect of the business, from innovation to services, is tuned to this one aspect of earning satisfied customers.
The Journey
For an entrepreneur, days never repeat themselves. Each day comes up with its own challenges and opportunities, which puts an entrepreneur on a roller coaster ride. The ride has its ups and downs. Ups are always exhilarating. But despair is not an option when one goes down. The right way to counter it is to learn as much as possible from it and try to never redo the mistakes.
People who have never experienced a mile-long walk in an entrepreneur’s shoe would always judge him by his appearance. They will try to define his identity by what he wears or what kind of a life he is living. However, they often fail to look past the exterior. They fail to see the toiling, the long nights, the times far away from family or friends, and the alert mind that is always busy with schedules and deadlines. It is not just a professional space, it is a lifestyle, and not everybody is cut out to lead such a life.
The obvious question then comes to mind is what gets such entrepreneurs going. It is not easy to work round-the-clock, to multitask all the time. Sometimes even a break becomes a distant-shot.
For Jean-Christian Rindoni, it is the intent to strive and grow with his partners and “embark on a journey that brings a new day each day of the week” that gets him going. Mere words are incapable of translating what he feels each day and how he looks back at the months he had spent to reach where he is now. In simple words, Rindoni describes it as “Create, innovate, overcome challenges, build a legacy for your children…these are all factors that drive my partners and me on this Sanilives journey.”
However, when it is time to look back, and a question pops about regrets, Rindoni feels that such thoughts are irrelevant. One can always ponder upon decisions and try to weigh them as per their merits. But then he trusts his intuition and follows his gut feeling. In addition, he stirs it with rationality to impact more.
The Future
The New Normal has made things easier for Sanilives. The company is now well-established in the PRC and will now start its journey in the UAE to evaluate the GCC market. The goal is to find partners who could join the venture of Sanilives.
Sanilives is prepared to take on challenges. Jean-Christian Rindoni believes that with “the right partners and the right mindset,” they can accomplish everything. He finds inspiration in the evolving UAE government. In his words, “Who could have thought 30 years ago that The Emirates would have been able to launch a probe to Mars? This is a typical example that with the right vision, the right people and the right mindset…the sky is no longer the limit.”
The Leadership
Helming a ship is not an easy task as a lot of things depend on split-second decisions. To explain what it is like to lead a team of experts and achieve goals, he has a perfect analogy. It is like racing a sailing boat.
A good leader should have the know-how of his company then only it becomes possible for him to steer the boat and coordinate tasks. However, he cannot do it all by himself. That is where he needs a crew where each member has to be hand-picked based on their mettle. But this part should also rely on an ability to coordinate between the crew members. Even the fastest boats cannot win the race without proper teamwork.
The next step is to find a favorable wind to sail the boat and turn adversities into opportunities. A good captain knows “where and how to navigate the seas, take advantage of the winds, maneuver in dangerous storms.” In similar ways, a business leader should also know how to maintain a thin balance in strong winds and calm oceans.
For an entrepreneur, it is never easy to survive and sustain. That is why it is better to be prepared beforehand for failed attempts and closed doors. Before taking the plunge, the entrepreneur should know that persistence is the key and the longer he has it, the better are the chances of success.
