Building Kitply Industries From the Foundation Up

If you want to support your family and help them through hard times, you need to start your own business and work for yourself. – Ankit Sharma

When I entered college and started thinking about pursuing a career in business, I never thought I’d find myself in woodworking. I’m not what you would call a handyman in any form and, for a long time, considered myself much more in the category of information technology. I was unsure of where the road would lead me, but I pushed forward until I found my niche. Sound familiar?

Finding that niche can be really difficult. No one can predict what will cross your path, but it’s important to face each challenge as it comes head on. Maybe you’ve had a hard life up until this point; I can relate. While I was growing up, my family was poor. When I was 15, my family moved from Bareilly, India, to the Lower Mainland for better opportunities, but we still struggled with money. During this challenging time, I reached the same conclusion almost every entrepreneur makes before they go into business: If you want to support your family and help them through hard times, you need to start your own business and work for yourself. I entered college, deciding to play to my strengths. Knowing what you’re comfortable and interested in is a great way to keep yourself motivated, so I entered into the IT program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I did well there, but I knew that I needed to step out of my comfort zone to find true success, especially when my goal was to start and run a business. After I got my degree in computer information systems, I came back to KPU and entered the business administration and entrepreneurial leadership program.

Most business owners have been in the same position I was in: jumping head first into something you’re not familiar with while knowing how important it is. It can be scary but, if you do it well, extremely rewarding. In my classes, I noticed that the teachers always grabbed onto the ideas I offered, and I realized I had a natural ability to view the larger picture. Finding that reassurance gave me a strong sense of confidence that the decision I made was correct. It’s an incredible feeling.

But, I will say that the best feeling comes when you find your true niche. In my case, it hit me like a bolt of lightning: “This is what I’m supposed to do!” I thought. My moment came at Hardwoods Specialty Products, where I discovered I had a gift for selling products to manufacturers.

Oftentimes, you’re faced with important choices in life, and as business owners, each choice has major consequences, both good and bad. But to become better in every aspect of life, we need to take those risks. You know what it’s like to have to make an important decision that involved significant risk. Just starting a business from scratch is part of that risk. Launching Kitply Industries was a risk, but it was one I knew I needed to take.

When you first opened your business, you may have run it from a small office, a building you were renting from, or, similar to myself, from your parents’ basement. I may have started small, but through the help of my wonderful wife, Amrit, Kitply Industries flourished. We put a lot of our time and effort into ensuring Kitply continued to move forward, in addition to raising our two children. It was hard, but our blood, sweat, and tears paid off.

Over 10 years have passed since Kitply started up, and our business has grown immensely in that time. We are so proud and thankful for how far we’ve come and what our business is today. It was through the efforts of our risk-taking, the people who are part of our team, and, of course, our customers who have supported us over the years that we have found such success.

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