Enterprise: Asia Commercial Fertilizer (PVT) Ltd
Founder: M.L.M. Thasim
Industry: Inorganic Fertilizers (Importer and Distributors)
Year it was founded: 2003
Location: Wattala, Gampaha

Starting a business is not an easy task, but if that business is a dream that’s been carved into the mind, then finding a path to that dream is not that hard. Mr. M.L.M Thasim, the Managing Director of Asia (Pvt) Ltd & Grand Solutions (Pvt) Ltd is one of those people who built his business to an extreme success by stubbornly aiming at his dream. He who has about 15 years of experience in the inorganic fertilizer industry, took his business to a whole new level, marking his position as one of the top five fertilizer importers and distributers in Sri Lanka.

This is the story of his journey to success.

1. Let’s talk first about your business, what sort of a business is tt, and how did you enter this industry?
I first started my journey as a distributor of imported fertilizers with the support of my father. I started Asia (Pvt) Ltd in 2003. As of today, we have expanded to cover the import and distribution of Agricultural Chemicals under the name of Grand Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. We have established our business in the Gampaha district, Wattala. This journey is not a one I made alone, and what we have today is the result of a joint effort and commitment of the whole team and all our group of companies.

2. How does your business differ from other businesses in the same industry?
In my opinion, what makes us stand out is higher standards and the quality of our products, because the one thing that everyone in the company believes is that we must ensure our customers always receive high quality end products. Likewise, we can provide our customers with a diverse range of products that will suit any requirements they have. In addition, we are able to distribute the products extremely fast, which is also one of our specialties.

3. You must have faced some challenges at the beginning of the business. Anything you would like to say about them?
Any business will face problems and challenges at the beginning. The biggest challenge I faced was the competition, because I had to compete with giants who had access to newer technologies and already had a hold of the market. Since then, we have faced various challenges. Even the recent government restrictions on imports and the country’s foreign reserve crisis have directly impacted us. The prices of fertilizers and agriculture chemicals keep skyrocketing in the global market. We tackle these challenges and keep moving forward.

4. You are a client of the commercial bank. How has the support you received from the Commercial Bank assisted your journey?
The Commercial Bank has been with me since the very beginning of my business. They gave me a lot of advice and assistance on how to conduct my business. From the very start to this day, the services they’ve provided have been outstanding. With their support, we were able to achieve all our targets. Commercial Bank is like a part of our family now. They are that friendly and cordial.

5. Has your dream finally come true? Or is there a bigger dream?
I have always been a dreamer and a person who works to achieve those dreams. Now my dream is to become the business leader in Sri Lanka’s fertilizer production and trading industry.

6. What is your advice to the generation who are dreaming to start a business of their own?
It’s not just one thing, I will share a few tips from my experience. First, identify the capital you can invest and make a plan based on that for the business you want to start. Also, you should only expand the business if you have the required resources for that. If you are going to take a loan, take only the amount you need and make sure to spend that only for what you planned for it. Proper business management and proper management of finances is a must.

Along with our wishes for them to go higher in their business and to shine in what they do, we end another successful business story we explored.

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