Success stories serve as powerful motivation in times of uncertainty, and they become even more compelling when they are as unique and fascinating as Manoj Bhargava’s journey—from Lucknow to the Forbes Billionaires list.
So, buckle up! This story includes everything from living as a monk in the mountains and driving a taxi to eventually reaching the pinnacle of the business world.
The Lucknow Connection
Manoj Bhargava was born in Lucknow in 1953. Later, in the year 1967, at the age of 14, he moved with his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Right from his schooling years in Lucknow, Manoj excelled in Mathematics.
Owing to his talent in the subject, he secured a math scholarship in one of the US’ elite private academies, named The Hill School. Continuing to flourish in his academic life, Manoj got into the Princeton University in 1972.
However, like most successful entrepreneurs have done, Manoj dropped out of the university after one year. From there, he took a rather unconventional path.
‘Monk life’ as he ‘made ends meet’ in the US
The next 12 years of Bhargava’s life involved a lot of travelling. But rather than being on the journey to explore the world, he opted for a spiritual foray to find his true self. He moved to and fro between India and the United States, spending a lot of time in monasteries in the mountains of India.
He would live the ‘monk life’ for months and then move back to the US for a while, where he worked odd jobs like working as a taxi driver, taking up construction gigs, and a brief stint as a printing press operator. This cycle continued for a dozen years as he maintained a perfect balance between the material and the metaphysical world.
The birth of ‘5-hour-energy’
Behind Manoj Bhargava’s leap into the Forbes Billionaires List is ‘5-hour-energy’, a popular energy drink in the States. The idea to manufacture this energy drink hit him during a tradeshow he was attending in the year 2004.
After trying the energy drink being featured at the show, he thought of making one of his own. But Bhargava’s energy drink will be not like the one he tasted, nor like any other in the market at the time, that were extremely sugar-reliant.
Instead, he envisioned an energy drink without sugar and with less fluid ounces, that would be transparent about its ingredients. And just like that, the now-popular ‘5-hour-energy’ was born. This healthy version of an energy drink caught up with the calorie-conscious consumers and it’s success took Manoj Bhargava into the the Forbes Rich List by the year 2012.
Not all eggs in one basket
Just like any industrious businessperson, Manoj did not stop at the success of his energy drink. He diversified his investments with a foray into the media and technology industries. Today, he holds shares in a variety of ventures, including The Arena Group, that runs a number of magazine brands.
When asked about his successful stint in the cutthroat world of business, Manoj has only one thing to say, “Everyone asks, how did you do that? I tell them, we weren’t that smart. We just didn’t do dumb stuff… and that pretty much differentiated us from all other corporations”.
Furthermore, Manoj has donated a significant portion of his wealth for the cause of alleviating poverty across the globe. Ever since his initial days as an entrepreneur, he has believed in using stature and success to bring a positive change in the world.
