Ashutosh Garg quit his job as CEO of Spaceway Asia, Hughes Network Systems, to start Guardian Lifecare, a chain of health and beauty retail outlets in April 2003. The company started with one store where Garg worked himself. Today, Guardian Lifecare has more than 180 outlets in 26 cities in the country.
The company, which recently raised around Rs 30 crore from Japanese conglomerate Mitsui Corporation, now plans to raise Rs 30 crore more for expansion in five to six months. With the kind of growth it has seen, Guardian Lifecare is one of the fastest-growing pharma retail chains in the country.
In an interview with VCCircle, Garg talks about his journey to build Guardian, challenging and cynical phases, how he motivated himself to keep moving and shares his advice to entrepreneurs.