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When we buy our everyday products, we rarely stop to think about the packaging. At least we do not think about who made the packaging. But if you think about it, sometimes we prefer some products over others simply due to the cover. If you are looking for that eye-catching package that will take your product to the masses, maybe you should talk to Sandeep Goyal. Sandeep started Sanex Packaging Connections Pvt Ltd and the packaging portal www.packagingconnections.com known to be “Your Destination for Anything in Packaging ™.

They offer help to foreign packaging companies to set up business in India by way of market research, feasibility, and then initial business development until they set up their own. They also provide packaging consultation to companies worldwide on various activities like project management, specifications management, and development. They are also known for setting up AQL standards, in house packaging innovation newsletters for companies, mentoring packaging professionals worldwide, and igniting packaging innovation discussions during internal brainstorming workshops of companies.

Sandeep sums it up saying “It’s the company run by packaging professionals to make it the final destination for anything in packaging by offering online direct contacts with no middlemen. It’s not only about connections but also technical help in case of problems and implementing the packaging ideas. It’s a cost effective medium to connect with the beautiful world of packaging in every field in a simple format. We are a company with the confidence and the ability to deliver in any area. We hunt down the problems and create opportunities from it.”

With more than 100,000 packaging professionals and related professionals involved with them directly and indirectly, they have their fingers in a lot of pies. Sanex works on very simple principles; Sandeep says “We work on direct contacts with no middlemen and share our knowledge with straight answers immediately after the first meeting. We have the experience of being the scientist, buyers, suppliers, innovators, knowledgebase and the credibility of offering sincere solutions with right connections in the world of packaging...It’s our customers who recommend us and we believe in continued customer support even after the project is complete”

There is also an interesting story behind his entrepreneurship. Sandeep recalled his story saying “I found a gap in the packaging industry to share the knowledge and the lack of a single platform to network. Due to my education and experience, I thought I could contribute more to the profession and probably make more money. I was thinking of this for a long time as I read that no one can work in a vacuum, but packaging professionals are regularly asked to do just that and I wanted to eliminate that vacuum. I could not gather the courage to start as I was not sure.”

“I once worked on an innovation which was also sent for a patent and the company got big benefits in terms of profits, market, and the consumers got a better product. Then there was a second project where a senior colleague of mine whom I trusted took the project papers to look at and then filed the patent in his name jointly with my junior colleague who knew the background. I did not take any steps as that person had helped me in past and I did not want to spoil the name of organization but that triggered my decision to create a more transparent and trustworthy organization. So with that fire, I took the decision to be my own boss and took this initiative. I remembered Nike’s slogan Just Do It! Now this is going good and I am thankful to them for creating this indirect opportunity for me.”

His biggest challenge was to adjust in the new environment of doing everything alone. Without any infrastructure and systems support he more or less did everything, from booking the car, and booking the tickets to finding partners for site designing. His passion to show the world what packaging can achieve kept him going. He says “Initially I started trusting everybody without any reference checks and forgot to remember what Mahatma Gandhi said. The Customer is God and he is the reason for us to be here.”

He used his Provident Fund amounting to 100,000 to start his business. From being a one man show he now has 6 employees and 4 branches. Sanex is also recognized as the World’s largest packaging community at single place. Sandeep says “We had been selected the council partners to Gerson Lehman Group, USA for doing their packaging projects worldwide.”

We asked him what keeps him running and motivated in a world where nothing seems to be lasting, he answered “Whenever I visit potential customers’ young professionals tell me that their packaging projects pipeline is full by the ideas from our free packaging innovations newsletter. Once I was at Interpack (World’s largest packaging exhibition in Dusseldorf Germany), and handed over my card to someone I met, he told me that he knew this company without knowing that I owned it. I asked him how he knew and he said that he gets the regular packaging innovation newsletter which he finds very useful and has received all of them. Then I knew that the concept was working. My business partner Mr Ulrich Steuerer in Germany told me, “Sandeep keep it whatever happens.” Mr Steuerer is an elderly person and just talks straight without any hidden corporate agenda.”

He was thus inspired by these individual incidents to keep working at being the best. By 2010 Sandeep plans to make Sanex a cost effective partner to one company every week to promote their packaging business through www.packagingconnections.com and bring two world-class packaging technologies to India to help the Indian consumer. Being the first and only packaging professional from India to be awarded the title of lifetime Certified Packaging Professional by Institute of Packaging Professionals has been a big boost to Sandeep’s already formidable credentials.

Sandeep advises future entrepreneurs saying “Develop the content, build the community and the commerce will follow”

Hats off to Sandeep for taking Indian entrepreneurship to a global level.