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Staff post about: Vijay Mallya Become an Author

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Head to India and you will no doubt hear about a man named Vijay Mallya. At 50 years old, he is one of the most famous personalities in the country, with his life being splashed across tabloids on a daily basis. He has built Kingfisher into one of the country's most profitable and well-known brands, and his hands are in everything from beer to airlines to hospitals and schools. How did this one time doctor wanna-be become a billionaire tycoon?

Confidence: Despite admitting to suffering from low self-esteem, Mallya has made confidence a hallmark of his business ventures. When his father doubted him, when investors thought he had gone crazy, and when colleagues suggested he take a break, Mallya pushed ahead. Indeed, though he made several mistakes along the way, he now credits his bold sense of confidence for much of his business success.

Foresight: When Mallya told people he wanted to go into the airline industry, they told him he had lost his mind. He would lose millions, they said. He would waste years. But Mallya had something that the others did not: he had foresight. Mallya had taken a look at the trends and despite the initial "bloodbath" that was sure to occur, he knew that the long-term prospects for the industry were very promising, and he wanted in on the action.

Branding: Mallya is not the "King of Good Times" for nothing. His image as the brand ambassador of almost all of his business ventures has lent itself to the creation of a strong luxury lifestyle brand. Drink his beer or fly his airline and you too might get a taste of his lavish life that is splashed over the national newspapers on a daily basis. That kind of marketing is priceless.

Challenge: Nobody could have predicted the success of an Indian company purchasing the Scottish brand, Whyte & Mackay, but Mallya saw it as a challenge he had to tackle. Even where other competitors were facing problems and considering pulling back, Mallya could always be found at the front of the pack, pushing ahead, and conquering challenges.

Determination: Everybody could see that Mallya knew how to spend money. The only problem was that it was his father's money that he was spending. Could Mallya stop living off of his father? Could he earn enough fortune on his own to continue to sustain that lavish lifestyle he was accustomed to? Mallya was determined to prove all the naysayers wrong and in the end, he did.

He might have been born into a rich family, but Mallya turned what was once a good company into a great global leader all on his own laurels. Today, this 50 year old father of three, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion remains Chairman of the United Breweries Group, Kingfisher Airlines, the Force India F1 Team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, East Bengal FC, and United Racing and Bloodstock Breeders.

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