Mukesh Ambani’s Dad, Dhirubhai Ambani: How He Started Asia’s Richest Family Business Selling Fried Food

Mukesh Ambani is currently ranked as the wealthiest person in Asia, with a net worth of $117.5 billion. However, both he and his sibling owe their success to the entrepreneurial spirit and invaluable lessons instilled by their father, Dhirubhai Ambani. Let’s take a look at how their father built this billion-dollar empire, starting from selling fried food.

Dhirubhai’s life stood in stark contrast to that of his children.

The Ambani family often grabs the world’s attention with their lavish weddings, famous connections, and interesting stories. However, the life of their patriarch, Dhirubhai, was quite different from that of his children.

Starting from humble beginnings, Dhirubhai began his entrepreneurial journey by selling fried food to pilgrims on weekends and working as a petrol attendant. He’s credited with revolutionizing the business scene in India. This is the inspiring tale of the man behind Reliance Industries, whose influential legacy will always be remembered.

It’s Indian industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani in the photo below, with guests at the wedding of his son Mukesh Ambani to Nita Ambani, Mumbai, circa 1985.

Dhirubhai Ambani was born in 1932 in the small village of Chorwad, Gujarat, where he led a modest life. His father worked as a teacher in a village school. From a young age, Dhirubhai showed a keen interest in money-making ventures. He often skipped school to observe people selling goods in the streets.

Even though his mom didn’t like it when he skipped school, Dhirubhai was determined to make money. He started selling bhajias, a tasty fried snack, on weekends. After he finished school, he went to Yemen. There, he got a job at a big trading company, doing odd jobs like pumping gas and working in the office.

Dhirubhai worked hard and moved up in the company.

He saved every penny he earned with the dream of coming back home to start his own business. This time away laid the groundwork for his future success as an entrepreneur. With the money he had saved from his job, Dhirubhai ventured into the import and export of polyester yarn and established his own company.

Later on, he founded Reliance Commercial Corporation. This move turned out to be highly profitable. However, despite his success, Ambani and his family lived in a small flat for years before eventually upgrading to a larger home in the renowned Altamount Road area of South Mumbai.

Today, Reliance oversees a vast network of over 230 subsidiaries.

He laid the groundwork for Reliance in 1958, starting as a commodity-trading firm. Transitioning from trading spices and polyester yarn, Dhirubhai shifted focus to polyester production, establishing Reliance Industries Private Limited in Maharashtra, India, in 1966. Following Dhirubhai’s passing in 2002, Mukesh and his brother Anil took over leadership responsibilities. Eventually, Mukesh gained majority control.

Reliance Industries remains a family affair, with Mukesh’s three children each taking charge of different sectors within the company. Recently, they officially joined the company’s board, with Akash leading the telecom and broadband division, Isha overseeing retail and financial services, and Anant heading the energy sector.