Honestly, when I first heard about it, I was like, Wait, what? How does a small mithai shop turn into a huge education brand?
So I dug in. And here’s what I found:
It all started in 1961 with a simple sweets shop called Lovely Sweets in Jalandhar. Nothing fancy, just good old mithai.
Fast forward to 2005, and the same family launched Lovely Professional University, their dream of building a big, private university.
Now in 2024, LPU isn’t just any college. It’s a beast:
✅A massive 600+ acre campus
✅Over 30,000 students from more than 50 countries
✅More than 3,500 teachers and staff
✅A whopping ₹1,000+ Cr annual revenue
✅And top accreditations like NAAC A++ and UGC approval
Pretty insane for a business that started as a sweets shop, right? What made this possible?
They didn’t just open a university and hope for the best. They went all-in on:
-> Making education aspirational but also accessible for students from smaller cities and towns
-> Investing in flashy ads and even sponsoring cricket events to get noticed
-> Building a campus that honestly looks better than many top government colleges
-> Offering tons of courses, so there’s something for everyone
Here’s what I learned from their journey, as a founder and business guy:
1. You don’t need a fancy legacy to build something big. Vision matters way more.
2. Growth isn’t just about adding new products or courses. It’s about building a full ecosystem.
3. The next wave of big brands will come from India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the real growth engine.
4. And hey, even a sweets shop can turn into a ₹1,000 Cr university if you play the long game right.
So next time someone tells you to “start small,” remember LPU’s story.
Sweet shop → University empire. Crazy? Yes. Possible? Absolutely.
What do you think about this? Ever seen a business pivot so big?
Drop your thoughts below, I’m all ears
StartupStory FromSweetToUniversity BusinessLessons DevanshBreaksItDown IndianEntrepreneurs
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