Vivek Oberoi reminisces about selling perfumes door-to-door at age 10
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi recently opened up about his entrepreneurial journey, crediting his father, Suresh Oberoi, for instilling a business mindset in him from a young age. The 48-year-old actor, who has founded several companies and invested in over 30 firms, reportedly revealed that he started selling perfumes door-to-door when he was just 10 years old. Here are more details on this.
'Whatever I managed to sell beyond marked price was mine'
Talking with Entertainment Live, Oberoi shared that his father tasked him with selling them. "I was about 10 years old when my father approached me, saying we'd go on a holiday in a month, but before that, he would teach me something over the first four weeks," the actor said. "He told me that whatever I managed to sell beyond the marked price would be mine." This exercise was his father's way of teaching him about business concepts.
Oberoi ventured into stock market at 15
Further, Oberoi revealed that he continued this practice every year, and by the time he was 15, he started developing his own ideas and ventured into the stock market. "I began pursuing small entrepreneurial projects," he said. At 19, he founded a tech company and sold it for a profit at 22. He said this experience made him realize that it was possible to establish a company, sell it to an MNC, and help both investors and himself earn money.
'Entrepreneurial journey supported me when film career faced challenges'
Oberoi also highlighted how his entrepreneurial journey supported him when his film career faced challenges. "I felt capable and confident that I could do something on my own. That was the point when my journey restarted," he said. Emphasizing his commitment to everything he does, Oberoi said, "There should be no mistake in hard work from my side. We have to give 100%. When we do that, the result would mostly be good—be it in films, business, philanthropy, or love."
Oberoi shares experience from 2004 tsunami
Oberoi also spoke about the importance of collaboration, sharing his experience during the 2004 tsunami. "I went to ground zero and realized that if I raised my flag saying, 'I am Vivek Oberoi, and I'm doing a project here,' it wouldn't work," he said. He then created Project Hope, a collective platform with no boss or owner. This experience taught him many valuable lessons.
