Partner Heroes : Combating Traffic, Societal Notions and Stereotypes…Every Day
Not all Heroes exist only in stories
“Opportunities are often disguised as hard work so people don’t recognize them.” Ann Landers
As a child my favorite fable was the ‘rabbit and tortoise’ where the tortoise, despite being slow, won the race because he was consistent and hardworking. Life’s race also works on the same principle and rewards the diligent. One such example that comes to mind when I think about principle and hard work is our Porter partner Hemanth. After hearing the astounding stories of Rajeshwari and Umesh, I did not know what to expect from the quiet and unassuming man sitting across me. During the process of talking to him, I slowly realized that I had finally met the fabled and wise tortoise from my favorite childhood tale.
Hemanth is 23 years old and has been a breadwinner since his childhood. He is a planner and one of the most sorted, mature people I have met, especially given the fact that he is so young. He could have become a good financial strategist if life had given him the correct education and training to back it up. Life being life gave him lemons but he used it to make himself lemonade! He planned and worked himself into attaining financial independence. He was born in Mandya and studied till his 10th there. He had to discontinue one year into his ITI degree due to financial troubles.
Hemanth learnt to drive at the age of 15. Like most things in his life, it was self-taught. Following his passion for driving he began driving cars at the age of 18. He realized the lack of job opportunities in his hometown and moved to Bangalore with his mother. He then set a target of having his own fleet in the next 3–5 years by setting aside a predefined amount of money every month and working as many hours as it takes to earn it. Despite trying his best, to his great disappointment, he realized that this profession was not giving him his expected returns. He then moved on to tempos and switched to trucking as a profession. He worked for different logistics companies but was unable to improve on his income. It was in this low period that he was introduced to Porter by a friend. In a period of three months, he started meeting and overshooting his targets as a Porter partner.
Currently, our ‘Hero’ lives in Banashankari, with his mother. He loves and respects her the most in this world. His daily target is to present 1000 rupees every single day to her. He aims to fulfill all her wishes. The proud smile that he sees on her face everyday when he gives her this token amount is the fuel that sustains and pushes him to do better. He says “I am very happy with Porter. It gives me great delight to work for a platform that gives me the ability to achieve all my dreams and more importantly my mother’s. I will always be committed to the platform. I also gets nakka trips but I hand them over to other drivers and only take trips through Porter app. I ask customers to book trips only through the app and work only with this platform. I get paid on time, am able to earn remarkably well and do this while taking trips as per my availability!”
Hemanth humbly adds “Within 3 months of joining Porter platform. I have earned enough money to invest in my 2nd vehicle ,which I will also attach to the Porter platform. I started my career as a driver and now have the capacity to own two vehicles. I have saved the amount needed to buy a vehicle but will keep these savings and purchase it by taking a loan. I have full confidence to pay it back in a year because of Porter”.
Like most people, Hemanth wants to own a house which he can call home. Unlike others, he has planned well for it. He proudly says “I am ambitious. I believe in working hard to achieve things. I have clear targets that I need to achieve everyday. I will get married after 25 and only after building my own house. I have prepared for it financially. My mother is my touchstone, earning for her is my biggest blessing. I will ensure that she is always content and taken care of”. I asked Hemanth for advice for our partners. He calmly replied “Be your own master and use the Porter platform with good planning and commitment. It is the key to success, but only if you use it well. Work hard and plan well and you can all be successful like me.”
This is a part of a continuing series called “Celebrating Real Heroes through Real Stories”. Our aim is to provide well deserved recognition to our amazing driver partners. We will be sharing our partner stories to inspire everyone, the way we are inspired by them every day.
(Porter has helped many partners like Hemanth achieve the dream of starting their own business. Our partners are not just partners but a part of our lives, our equals, the pillars on which we stand. They are the fueling force behind our success. More than 10,000 driver partners, across 5 cities are porter’s champions in disrupting the Indian logistics market. We believe in being the change we want to see! Be a part of this change.To know more visit https://porter.in/ ).
