At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited Business Leader and Investment Banker Mihir Mehta to know more about his inspiring journey and the way forward. He is a Mentor, Leader, Keynote Speaker, and Investment Banker at Ashika Group of Companies. Let’s learn more about his impressive journey, way forward and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Mihir Mehta:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I’ll be honest, I was never an academically sound student through primary school! I did my schooling in Don Bosco and college in St. Xaviers College Calcutta where I graduated within the top 1 per cent. Fresh out of college I dabbled in marketing with Google India and worked as an Accounts Strategist in their Hyderabad team. But I think my heart was always in finance and doing something wherein I could make an impact.
Again, frankly speaking (and not with Arnab), the decision to quit Google was not even communicated to my parents because I thought they would not understand. Once I quit Google (and it wasn’t an easy decision), I felt so much lighter and in control of what I wanted to do next. So as soon as I completed my CA course, I started exploring the finance sector. In fact, I created a pet project called Fintuned where we created intelligent, bite-sized and engaging digital content from the world of finance. It is functional even today. I also used to consume and contribute to a lot of finance content, which, in retrospect, has been instrumental in my investment banking career.”
I was only 25 when I joined Ashika Capital and fortunately, there has been no looking back ever since. In my five years at the firm, I am proud of what we have achieved and the future has exciting things in store!
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
I think I was bitten by the business bug quite early in life! I have always taken a keen interest in the world of finance and somehow I knew I would eventually end up here.
I am an independent thinker and I have an unconventional way of doing things. In an entrepreneurial venture, I have more freedom and space to express my individuality. Moreover, I find business success stories inspiring and today I play a key role in facilitating that success.”
That’s an empowering feeling. I feel like I am making a larger impact and contributing to India’s growth story and entrepreneurial ecosystem
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
I think being a young professional in an advisory business is always a bit of a roadblock. Your age works against you in investment banking. Most clients would prefer to work with older, more experienced leaders in the field. Initially, it took a Herculean effort from our end to be able to convince investors and brands to come on board. Now, after creating a rather impressive portfolio of transactions, our work speaks for itself. But the first year was tough.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I don’t know if I can pick one! I think it’s a little bit of both. Considering I come from the world of finance, it goes without saying that money is important!
But there is something to be said about emotional investment in the brands we work with. We take our time to truly understand the passion and zeal of the companies and investors we work with that motivates us to drive their growth.
While business needs pragmatism, you have to give importance to emotions when it comes to establishing business relationships.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
As I mentioned before, this is a crisis but we have to see opportunity in adversity. Although there has been a crash in the economy, we believe this a good entry and exit point for investors. We have ensured that our transition to the new-normal which includes better WFH measures, adoption of technology to abet operations, working harder on business plans adopted by companies etc. Is agile and holistic.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I will not lie, the words ‘entrepreneur’ and ‘easy’ may have the same first letter but that’s where the similarity ends! Say goodbye to personal life at least during the first few years. There is a lot of hard work, multiple coffee breaks, long work hours and high-pressure situations in store. There are big bucks involved so the pressure and stress come along with that. But I think I love what I do so much and the journey has been so rewarding that I have never let this get to me. I do try to keep fixed work hours (I try!) and have at least two hours of no screen time in the day. Music and spending time with family helps too.
So once I came across an extremely interesting statement from Sadhguru which read – There is nothing called work-life balance, it is all life. The balance is within you. This has stayed with me throughout.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
I think it’s important to adapt and evolve quickly with changing market trends. For example, despite the pandemic, where most F&B businesses are hit badly, we have managed to close a deal for Independence Brewing Company. You should be able to think on your feet and see opportunity in adversity.
What has worked well for you so far?
At Ashika Capital, we don’t follow a cookie-cutter, formulaic approach. We have always had the vision to disrupt the industry and not follow the norms. While this was a challenge when we had just started out, our fresh perspective serves as a major distinguishing factor today. We really go all out for our clients with prompt service, going beyond the call of duty, constant follow-ups and intelligent business strategies that are tailor-made for them.
Secondly, we have invested in businesses that usually would not be considered by venture capital firms. We have created a name for ourselves in the F&B and fashion segment where we have worked with big players and secured significant investments for them.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
My business mantra? Keep going! Just keep at it, come what may, and success will find you.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Hard work. I know it sounds generic but there are really no shortcuts to success. You have to give it your all. Hard work pays off and it pays off well!
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Five years ago, I entered an industry that only favoured traditional big boys in the market. Today, my ability to steer away from the crowd and think differently has led me to where I am today. Thinking and doing things in an unconventional way is an asset and not a roadblock.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
