Raymond Goveas, Founder, Sharon Associates
The Sharon Group has been taking rapid strides in the ‘Affordable Housing Sector’. “Sharon Garden” and its recent launch of 228 flat residential projects in Neral, Taluka Karjat has come in for praise. Founded in 2005, the promoters of Sharon Associates, Raymond Anthony Goveas and Samantha Raymond Goveas are first generation Realty players offering a host of the industry related services in areas of Land Acquisition, Legal, Liasoning and Construction. Sharon’s strength lies in its ability to forecast, verify, evaluate, plan, pace, and channelize its resources to achieve the desired result. This distinguishes itself from the rest of the realty providers. In conversation with Dominic Rebello, one of the partners, Raymond Goveas explains how they grew the company from scratch…
“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success", this famous inspirational quote propounded by Dale Carnegie suits extremely fit on businessman and entrepreneur Raymond Goveas who beat all the odds of the life and now heading en empire of a real estate group worth Rs 120 crore.
Currently, the partner of Sharon associates, Goveas started writing his success story in his early days by doing small scale business in railways, while completing studies and during the summer vacation was working 12 hour nonstop service in a chemical company for earning Rs 25 daily and then trying his luck in the stock market that went through with lots of twists in his 30 years long professional career.
In his own words, "My family's monetary position was on average, till I lost my father at the tender age of 10. Realizing the grimmer world realities, I had no option but to do some job and hence I started selling chocolates in trains, which started giving me an earning of Rs 50 to 100 per day. Not only this, I also worked in a chemical company for 12 hours to earn 25 rupees per day and this phase continued for four years till 1989."
Later on, he worked in Chembur Gymkhana, but quit it in two years later and tried his luck in stock market as a sub broker, however, his this venture went down and dusted following the time of the Harshad Mehta scam and Goveas saw his fortune dwindle and was in back to square one position.
"Meanwhile, I stumbled upon in brokerage job of flat selling and commission earned through this was a turning point in my professional career. With the brokerage money of Rs 50000, I planned to buy a piece of land in Kharghar suburb. But I was disappointed sensing that the land was not economically feasible to fetch return," said Goveas adding that he changed his plan to purchase the plot in Panvel.
He added, "I purchased the plot in Panvel at a rate of Rs 150 per sq ft and fortunately I got double the money after six months and sold it. I and my partner earned Rs 30 lakhs each with this deal."
After this successful deal, Goveas along with his partner drew confidence and experience in real estate and formed a firm Sharon Associates. Then he never looked back and due to the result of their restless efforts clubbed with entrepreneurial skill sets that they are currently running a real estate empire with a turnover of over Rs 120 crores and intends to raise this turnover upto Rs 500 crores in next three years. Now, he is a member of NAREDCO (National Real Estate Development Council).
Currently, this firm is engaged in affordable housing and coming up with projects Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pimpari-Chinchwad, Neral and Nashik where flats are available at the cost of Rs 12 lakhs.