Aron Govil

Aron Govil is Chairman & CEO of Ducon Group, an international conglomerate, whose companies are involved in industrial engineering & construction, environmental control, material handling, infrastructure, and entertainment globally. Aron Govil graduated from CUNY with a BE in Chemical Engineering. Aron Govil, is a Chemical Engineer, with an MBA and has a P.E. engineering license. In 2007, Aron Govil was honored by USPAACC with the 2007 Excellence Award for his outstanding achievements in Business & Entrepreneurship. In 2011 Aron Govil was named among the 25 most influential Indians in North America by Global Indian Organization.

Where did the idea for Ducon Group come from?

I bought Ducon in 1996. It was an established company since 1938 with an illustrious history. I started my own business after working 5 years in the industry after getting my BS in Engineering. My own business grew and after several years I came to know that Ducon was for sale, I put together all my savings and borrowed some to buy it. I kept the Duocn name for the merged company since it was a well-known name in the industry.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I generally work 10 hours a day starting from 7 AM. There is always so much going on with answering emails and phone calls and dealing with all sorts of operational, financial, and personnel issues. However, in order to be productive, you have to put all your daily activities in a sequence and not let yourself be interrupted constantly. However, one can do multitask whenever possible.

How do you bring ideas to life?

One must have tremendous knowledge to bring new ideas. I read a lot online about everything. It is also part of my daily activity. I keep myself abreast of all news and recent events outside my area of work and business activities.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I am very excited about new Technological breakthroughs associated with artificial intelligence and medical science.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

My ability to stay calm, composed, and positive in face of adversity, friction, and hardships allow me to be productive in life.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be more patient and listen to advice from experienced people more.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

If I believe something to be true, I have found that almost 50% of people in this world believe it that way also. I have never had an occasion where over 90% of the people do not believe me.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

There are no shortcuts. Whatever you are trying to achieve, you have to be prepared to do it regularly and diligently and only then you will rise up, one step at a time.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Provide complete satisfaction to my clients and have a long-term approach. Even if we make less profit on a project we have to take care of the customer and make sure they are happy and satisfied. It pays dividends in the long run when you have so many satisfied and happy clients. If you get tempted to make a quick buck in the short run and forget the long-term approach, it will catch up with you and will adversely impact your success.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I would have to say that one failure would be the ability to secure financing to grow the business. As a growing business, you always are short of capital and need more working capital. It was difficult to get business credit lines required to execute multiple projects simultaneously. Banks only give you $1.0 million when you have $2.0 million in your bank account. We worked with our customers to get progress payments on projects and worked with our vendors to get better terms and kept investing funds back into the business to grow it.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Make shoes with smart chips that can determine the stress on your feet based on your weight, walking, and weather conditions, and then send it to your phone.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I recently bought a nice bottle of Caymus red wine at a discount and enjoyed it thoroughly. I like full-body red wines.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google calendar, docs, and email. All this software working together makes you very productive.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“A Nation of Sheep Will believe a Trump”. Protecting our democracy is very important. The freedom which we take for granted to achieve and accomplish can all be taken away if we are not in a democratic society. Everyone needs to be vigilant and smart to know that our freedom can be lost very easily without realizing if we elect the wrong person in power.

What is your favorite quote?

You will never make footprints in the sand of time by standing on it.