Dinesh Verma: Distance learning needs special discipline

The Physio Asia Therapy Centre - situated in the International Building at the heart of Singapore's premier shopping district - looks nondescript compared with the swanky shops lining the streets. But Dinesh Verma, the centre's director, points out that having premises in the district makes it easy "to meet clients to chat over coffee at a nearby cafe in a more comfortable setting".

Networking is a frequent pastime for the entrepreneur, who is also the chairman of Rehab Asia, which specialises in physiotherapy and rehabilitation products and services.

These days, Mr Verma comfortably juggles various ventures but, coming from a humble background in Delhi, India, the thought of running his own business never seriously crossed his mind until he arrived in Singapore in the early 1990s.

"I was working for Gleneagles Hospital in 1992 and started to wonder about my career." I thought to myself: "What can I be? Probably, the highest I could climb would be the level of head of department. So there wasn't much of a growth there."

The realisation prompted him to explore his options. He did not have the resources to set up in private practice and he felt the best option would be to do an MBA.

"I decided if I wanted to be my own boss one day, then I need to know about business management and development, subjects that were alien to me given my clinical background."

Pragmatism drove Mr Verma to opt for a distance learning programme in 1994, even though such courses were not popular, as e-learning had not yet taken off.

"I was in a financially difficult position. My wife had just given birth to our first child. I had to support my family and couldn't afford to give up my full-time job."

He chose to do the MBA offered by the Singapore subsidiary of the UK's Henley Business School. Henley introduced this distance learning programme in 1984, making it the city state's first international MBA.

Its online degree is flexible and allows students to establish their own study schedules - they can complete in two-and-a-half years following the "standard" study schedule, but are registered for a full four years.

"The flexibility of the course suited my needs, as the classes were spread out during the week and not crammed over the weekend," says Mr Verma. "The framework was very open and the project-based case studies were practical. I could apply what I learnt and relate it to my work."

However, an online MBA does come with challenges. He recalls that many of the students in his cohort dropped out half way, because they did not have the self-discipline and commitment necessary for a distance learning programme.

"There were about 30 students who started the course, but the class started shrinking until there was just a small group of us."

His determination and drive enabled him to graduate with a gold medal award in 1998. "I was very surprised," he says. "But I felt a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement."

He acknowledges that the degree boosted his confidence and spurred him to enter the business world.

Fortunately for Mr Verma, a local scientific and laboratory supplies firm Quintech Scientific, was looking to build up its physiotherapy business and decided to hire him as a manager in 1998, just as he was about to graduate.

However, his confidence was shaken in the early years of his new job. "I won't lie that a few times I felt like quitting, because I wasn't sure of how to develop the business or enter new markets" he admits bluntly. "Many of my peers wondered whether I knew what I was doing."

But then he got a break in 2002, when the owner of Quintech offered him an opportunity to spin off the physiotherapy area. This led to the creation of Rehab Asia.

Two years into the venture, he was starting to expand into neighbouring Malaysia and eventually, he bought the Quintech shares in Rehab Asia and became the sole owner in 2007.

A self-confessed workaholic, he is currently consolidating his businesses. Last month, he formed a company called V2U Healthcare, with the aim of international expansion.

The wholly owned entity would incorporate both Rehab Asia and the Physio Asia Therapy Centre ventures, among others.

This strategic move shows that, despite his self-effacing demeanour, Mr Verma has a strong entrepreneurial streak.

This was clear from quite an early age, when he was a teenager in Delhi. "When I was 17, I was already thinking of doing business. I started my own drama company then. It was a small outfit offering music shows for birthday parties."

But the passion fell by the wayside once he began his academic studies. "I never pursued it. But the spirit was always there."

He uses a sport analogy to illustrate how the MBA helped him realise his potential.

"Even if you are naturally talented at tennis, you still need a coach to instil in you the discipline and help polish your game.

"That's what the MBA did for me. It helped polish my innate entrepreneurial ability, making me more focused and helped me to evaluate more critically and be strategic in my planning."

It has been more than a decade since Mr Verma obtained his MBA, but the lessons learnt have been invaluable for him. He hopes his newly formed company will develop a global presence.

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