An Exceptional Businessman: Shareef Muhammed

By Europe Times | October 17, 2020

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Only a determined entity can persist in the face of perils. Shareef Muhammed, Chairman and Managing Director of Cubes International Group, is a living example of this proverb.

Hailing from a small town in Thrissur, Kerala, Shareef’s entrepreneurial journey commenced with an initial capital of dreams. He invested substantial hard work to build his empire, and the result is the successful, strong illustrious Cubes International Group.

Born to a simple middle-class family, Shareef kickstarted his career in a Qatar-based construction firm in 2011. He saved his earnings from back then, intending to invest in his own business. He invested his two-year worth of savings in the business. He received much disdain in his earlier days when conversing about his dream business. But that didn’t get the better of him. He had his eyes set on the result and stood focused until he achieved it. Faith in oneself and one’s enterprise is the foundation stone to business success. Nine years from then, today, building the eight verticals of Cubes International Group has helped Shareef prove his naysayers wrong, proving his worth as a business leader.

In the early days of business, Shareef was still an employee in a Qatar-based construction firm. At a time when his company required manpower for the completion of a particular project, Shareef took the initiative and provided 10 labourers for the job. He invested his earnings as a capital investment for his dream business. Balancing work and business was quite difficult for Shareef, but never once did he give up on his dreams. His struggle went on till 2013. In the same year, he began working for a vehicle leasing firm. It was then that he realised where his true business strengths lie. The vehicle leasing company he joined was providing commercial vehicles for construction purposes. Shareef saw an opportunity there as the firm needed drivers. He could successfully manage to provide three hundred drivers for the project. The Turkey-based company invited Shareef to be a subcontractor with them and at that moment, his story shifted tracks from struggles to success. The jump from 300 to 1,300 drivers was in no time. His determination and dedication towards his work eventually led him to set up his own business in Kerala. The groundwork for Cubes International Logistics started in 2017 and the firm started functioning in full-fledged in 2018.

An ardent person, Shareef says that his mother is his biggest inspiration. He lost his father at a very young age and the strength his mother displayed in raising him gave the grit in life. Taking his mother’s advice and his love for Kerala to heart, he opened more firms here. The years that followed made Shareef realise the business potential in Kerala. Shareef credits his success to his team members.