Growing up in a small town in South India, International Business Management graduate Ranjodh Singh ’16 had his reservations about moving to a big city. Armed with a master’s degree in biotechnology, he pushed past his nerves and followed his brother to Bangalor, a fast-paced IT hub. The move proved to be a good one—Singh advanced to bigger and better jobs in marketing for healthcare and pharma solutions companies. 

Still, something was missing. He knew he wanted to be a business owner. “When you work for someone else, no matter how much effort you put in, your salary is your salary,“ says Singh. “Working for yourself, success is however high you want to take it.“ He also knew he wanted to come to Canada, “a peaceful country where people are friendly and there are a lot of different cultures.“ With a cousin who was studying at Mohawk College at the time, Singh decided to take himself out of his comfort zone once again. 

His impressions of Canada quickly proved correct. “People smile, they acknowledge each other,“ says Singh. “I used to tell my mom, ’I constantly hear ’thank you’ and ’sorry’.’“ He also learned about what he wants in life and what he’s passionate about. 

That passion is his restaurant, Wah Sardaarji, an Indian vegetarian restaurant in downtown Hamilton that he launched in 2017, two years after arriving in Canada. Singh credits his classes and instructors at Mohawk with giving him the tools to become an entrepreneur. He’s still in touch with Professor Laura Cole, who taught him about goal setting. When he decided to fill a need he had as a student—affordable, vegetarian Indian cuisine—he conducted a survey of Mohawk students using techniques he had learned in class to test out menu ideas and price points. 

Singh pushed himself again after graduating when he decided to stop applying for corporate jobs knowing if he landed one, he would not move forward with the restaurant. Singh admits, “I was scared but I was confident.“ The positive responses he received from the survey led him, with the help of fellow students Shekher Singh, Chetan Nayyar and Amritpal Singh, to rent a kitchen space and begin selling boxed meals. Within six months, he had enough demand to open a location in downtown Hamilton. 

These days, Singh is planning a second location in Hamilton and a third in Brampton. “I want my restaurant to be the top choice for students who want vegetarian Indian cuisine,“ he says. When Mohawk students come into the restaurant, Ranjodh is quick to point out he’s a Mohawk grad. He’s also happy to share his best advice to students looking to start their own business: “Patience, commitment and dreaming with your eyes open will lead you to success.“ 

By: Mary Teresa Bitti 

This story was originally published in Spring 2019 in the Mohawk Alumni In Touch magazine.