Driving the Party: Ankur Vaid, 28 and Saurabh Shah, 29

Ankur and Saurabh are co-owners of party hard drivers that offers chauffeur services. Their Rs 5lakh startup has a turnover of Rs 60 lakhs

Ankur Vaid, Saurabh Shah, and Mishal Raheja were just regular lads who loved to party and enjoy the city's buzzing nightlife. But three years back they decided to turn this interest into a profession, and thus was born Mumbai-based, Party Hard Drivers (PHD). Their venture was launched at a time when the Mumbai Police was already cracking a whip at drunken drivers in the city.

They soon realised that their venture was not just a good business proposition but also served the city like a safety belt. "We were strong believers of the 'no driving while drinking'. But when one of our close friends met with an accident in a similar situation, we decided to launch PHD," says co-owner, Vaid.

Their company provides chauffeur service for clients to be driven home after a night of hard clubbing. They say, the venture has been a huge hit since the past two years due to influx of customers who are not just regular social butterflies but also celebrities. Their clientele includes politicians to film stars and famous wives.

"Due to the city's appetite for partying, demand for drivers is no longer seasonal," says Vaid. All they need is a two hour notice and a call at 022-4333 1333 before the party ends and the customer is driven home safely. Drivers are provided between 10 pm and 3 am for Rs 500 with an additional overtime charge of Rs 50 per hour, in other words more hours of party means more investment. They firmly believe that once you are focused, everything will fall into place.

Sneak peek

• These B.Comm graduates started their venture Party Hard Drivers in Mumbai in December 2007.

• They believe in setting a goal and being focused to it and, most importantly, having faith in your work.

Reproduced From India Today. © 2011. LMIL. All rights reserved.