Moving halfway across the world at 19 can feel lonely and overwhelming. But that’s exactly how an Indian immigrant’s journey in the United States began, which took him from being a depressed teenager to owning multiple businesses in America.
From a college dropout to a businessman
Money Singh moved from Punjab to San Francisco in 2006 at the age of 19 and struggled to adjust. “I was [depressed] for that one year. I wanted to go back. Socially, I was very alone,” Singh told CNBC Make It.
However, what started as a reluctant move eventually turned into the start of his American dream. Singh went from earning $6 an hour as a cab dispatcher to building two successful businesses that now generate more than $2 million a year.
Speaking to CNBC, Singh, now 38, shared that after moving to the US, his first attempt at college stalled because his credits from India didn’t transfer. On his mother’s advice, he started working. First, he worked at a drugstore, then as a dispatcher at his uncle’s cab company, earning around $6 per hour, he said.
He stayed in the taxi industry for over a decade, first driving for himself before owning five cabs, running his own dispatch setup and later launching Driver’s Network, which would become ATCS Platform Solutions, a marketing and advertising platform for independent drivers.
{{/usCountry}}He stayed in the taxi industry for over a decade, first driving for himself before owning five cabs, running his own dispatch setup and later launching Driver’s Network, which would become ATCS Platform Solutions, a marketing and advertising platform for independent drivers.
{{/usCountry}}Then, in 2019, Singh decided to diversify and opened Dandies Barbershop & Beard Stylist in Mountain View, inspired by his mother’s salon business. It was a gamble, but it paid off. According to CNBC, Dandies brought in $1.07 million in sales last year, while ATCS Platform brought in $1.18 million in revenue. Both businesses are profitable, and Singh splits his time between them.
(Also Read: 'I was miserable': Indian-origin author Sahil Bloom on leaving a high-paying career to pursue a more meaningful life)
Building a business
However, Singh shared that before success came struggle. He recalled a time when he invested $75,000 from his taxi savings and spent a year battling permits and paperwork. “You have to go through permitting. You have to go through dealing with the city. It took me a solid year to get the license to even open the shop, so I was paying rent for one year before I could open the shop,” he said.
But because he had no experience as a barber, he partnered with a friend. Then, six months later, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. His partner left due to a family emergency, so he closed the shop for about a year, but rent still had to be paid, Singh said.
To stay afloat, Singh took loans, borrowed money from friends, tapped into his life insurance and ran up credit card debt. He also liquidated his stock portfolio and spent less money on necessities like food “so the business could stay open,” he said. “I had to sell everything. I had to eat less. I literally had to focus on eating $1 per meal to make sure the business stays open,” he recalled. During the downtime, Singh also enrolled in barber school so Dandies could reopen with expanded services.
The business eventually turned around. Today, Singh owns three Dandies outlets and employs 25 people. He’s paid off his life insurance loan and credit card debt. Dandies became profitable in 2023, he told the outlet.
Singh said that the discipline and persistence came from his childhood in Punjab, where his family struggled through violence and instability. He still works “15 to 16 hours a day” and is now building his next project - Barber’s Network, a booking app for barbers.
“I don’t think I’ll ever retire. I would want to work all the way through. That’s just what I breathe,” he said.