Vedasri Siddamsetty

Watching Shark Tank India is the most fun thing at the moment, the entrepreneurs who are coming up with the most fun ideas, making everything seem possible, the products that are at times path-breaking and other times extremely relevant, and finally the sharks who are so entertaining and inspiring in equal measure. We all have our favorite sharks, the ones who watch the show, (one of the few shows that are actually worth watching with a 6 year old amidst all the gore) mine keeps oscillating between Vineeta Singh (of Sugar) and Aman Gupta (of Boat) but yesterday hearing the man in real, who keeps it so real, was such a treat!

Starting out with a video presentation introducing himself, that man obviously needed no introduction, but putting out an introduction there that was so lively with bollywood references, music reminded my of Barney from ‘How I met your Mother’ and the Sanju movie, where Sanjay Dutts Dad makes a playlist depending on what value he wanted to impart to his son. After a very power-packed introduction featuring dialogues by Ranbir Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan and music that is of relevance to his story and importance to him he conveyed what life was to him. A very unique and fun way to get the audience interested for sure. Here are a few pointers he made all in a very fun and playful vibe, what with the very Delhi hindi, it did get me all nostalgic and a lot will be lost as I summarise in English but then, oh well.

1. In sales the only thing one needs to have is no ego. At all!
2. India is an aspirational market, the idea is not to make cheaper products, but valuable products that can be got for a steal. Remember Nano failed he says.
3. An entrepreneur’s soul is restless, it simply has to be.
4. The customer is GOD. This is says is the only marketing advice that anyone running a business needs. The best ways to market is to wear clothes with your brand name on it, he is in BOAT shirts 95% of the time, be your own brand ambassador and then bring on board several brand ambassadors who are relevant with the times, not just one as the Indian market is super diverse. Being relevant to the consumer makes or breaks anything. If K-Pop and Badshah are trending and their values vibe with yours then they are the apt ambassadors.
5. Its a new India and anyone can do anything. ABC always works in India, Astrology, Bollywood and Cricket he says.
6. Life Mantra is to do what floats your boat, literally. Doing what you like is very important. Enjoying it while one’s doing something is crucial for success. Quoting a very popular Shah Rukh Khan dialogue from teh movie Kal ho na ho he says joyo, haso, muskurao, kya pata kal ho na ho! Live, Laugh, Smile as you never know what happens tomorrow, he also believes that in life one really never knows what is in store next. If there is nothing you want to do, then simply do nothing. Life does not need to be lived doing something you dont want, then one would never do it well.
7. Be gentle with your employees as this is a ‘resignation in my pocket generation’ if you push them than they will say you are hurting my mental balance and will leave, just because it is a generation that is not motivated by money, a much more privileged generation. Having a work culture that echoes with the generation is also very important.
8. Being yourself, being authentic, there is a trend of being pseudo-intellectuals in India today or a show-off, he says if you don’t like to read and like to watch reels then that’s just you, so wing it as you live and you’ll be comfortable and relaxed thereby being more productive. There is a ton of creativity and knowledge in the reels that go viral these days. The health food is a trend and while everyone is probably chewing on cud, chew on what works for you!
9. As an investor betting on people rather than numbers works best. An entrepreneur turning investor is always a better investor than a VC turned investor mainly in the ability to take a risk is surpassed in an entrepreneur.
10. Think Big! Instead lining up outside Apple, think of building an Indian company that people all over the world will line up outside.
11. Finally, he says, Masti ke liye kaam karo, translating to do things for the fun of it.
12. Book suggestion: Essentially Mira by Mira Kulkarni the founder of Forest Essentials (sharing his wife’s recommendation, since he hasn’t read even one book in his life)
13. Movie recommendation: Air (the story of Nike)

The shark who had us in splits and sold us our dreams!