Reminiscing about the journey of FourPlus thus far, Siraj Bolar our Founder, says:

“Well, I first started out as a space seller in the popular magazines – Celebrity and the Movie – a contemporary of Shobha De and Rauf Ahmed. After a few years, I struck out on my own, working from a modest home office as a tiny ad agency. My first billing was a princely Rs 140/- for press ad design for a sweet shop near Malad station, MM Mithaiwala! What a great feeling that was!!

I persevered and garnered other clients – builders, liquor companies, pharmaceuticals, and a couple of optical spectacle frame sellers creating ads, brochures, and packaging. In just three years from its inception, Four Plus Media was registered.

My energy was fuelled by passion. All my three sons were my only staff for some years. I conceived, wrote, and designed the communication material, while Alim and Tabrez created on a new 486 home computer. Jasbir was, and is, my marketing support. I created and proposed an optician-specific B2B magazine for an optical industry client. When that did not materialise, I decided to strike out on my own. Optic Plus was born, and then the magic happened. The very first issue had 2000 subscribers, and quickly became famous for its exemplary visual appeal, up-to-date trade information, and lead optical trade interviews issue after issue.

On a chance visit to Dubai during 2007 I started the Dubai operations from the grass-roots. Doing cold leads from Yellow Pages contacts, I entered the optical industry there – VisionPlus magazine started there and against odds, became a hit.

FourPlus has till now remained loyal to the industry, creating platforms that help and add value to the optical business with its initiatives like the annual VisionPlus EXPO in Dubai, VisionPlus and You&Eye magazines, as well as You&Eye Awards (India and from 2023, global as well), and Vision Plus Awards. Our VP Academy is an invaluable industry-specific teaching Institute.

Another successful venture was my magazine Cookery Plus at that time. One day, my opthalmologist in Mumbai pointed out that I could leverage my goodwill with optical industry stalwarts here. This resulted in my Book on the Optical industry. Thus a tribute to the pioneers of the Indian optical industry, Visionaries, was published in 2014.

In time, FourPlus Media expanded its advertising business into a 360-degree Marketing communication consultant, with Creative Design, Marketing Communication Strategy and Creative, Digital Marketing, Public Relations, Media Relations, Web & IT Services, Event Management, and Print Publishing.

I have only one thought now – THANK YOU!”