At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Santosh Srivastava for an exclusive interview with us. He is an Entrepreneur, Founder of Business Now India and Founder & CEO of KSKT AgroMart Private Limited. Santosh has been Awarded as Top 50 CXO of India. Let’s learn more about his incredible journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Santosh:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
My professional journey so far has been a rich experience of Creating Brands & new business verticals for organizations of repute such as Tata Steel. I have also been instrumental in Putting Young Brands and Small/ Mid-Size Businesses into the next orbit of growth by crafting and implementing of Growth Strategy.
After my B-TECH from Prestigious IIT BHU in 1996, I joined Tata Steel, wherein in my 11 years stint I have been instrumental in Setting up SAP ERP, Sales & Operations Integrated Planning (S&OP) Systems, Creating the Distribution Networks for Brands such as Tata TISCON, TATA WIRON & TATA SHAKTI. My last assignment with Tata Steel was national head of Sales.
Then, in 2007, I Joined a Smaller Organization in the Lifestyle Domain and Created the 2nd largest Retail & ECOM Company of then in Jewellery, watches & Designer apparel Segments. 2009, I was assigned the role of Managing Director, India Business and won the Prestigious Top 50 Retail CXOs Award in 2011.
Year 2013, I decided a bid adieu to my corporate career and took the entrepreneurial Plunge Starting My Own Growth Consulting Firm Franchise & Business Now (India) Limited and a B2B marketplace for Jewellers India Jewels Mart. My Consulting Firm has helped more than 30+ Brands & MSMEs by Crafting and implementing Growth strategies for them with initiatives like D2C Brand Creation, Marketing Strategy, Channel Development, E COM Establishment, Digitization of Business Processes & Implementing Agile Ways of working.
Doing something in the Agri & food Segment was a long-cherished dream, which fructified when the pandemic hit in 2020 and other businesses came to a halt giving me much wanted precious free time to structure my thoughts and Start Natural Farming by taking two 40-acre farms on lease.
Soon a passion Project was pivoted to create a Startup in the Agri & Food Domain, Kisaan Se Kitchen Tak, Delivering Healthier Food Alternatives to customers and motivating and enabling farmers to switch to Natural & Organic farming.
‘KSKT AgroMart Private Limited’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving.
Kisaan Se Kitchen Tak was the first name which propped up in my mind when this idea was conceived, and it was liked by all to whomsoever I bounced it off. KSKT is an abbreviated form.
KSKT AgroMart is Creating the Supply Chain & Market Linkage using Technology to enable Kisaan to take up jaivik (Natural) & Organic farming and Deliver Healthier Produce to the Kitchen of Consumers of India.
The Problem which we are solving is too much of Harmful Chemicals in the food we consume, and the solution requires two-pronged efforts for that
1) Motivating & Enabling Small & Mid-size farmers to switch to Natural farming by educating them and getting them fair price for their produce
2) Educating & Enabling Consumers to consume Healthier food alternatives by Creating Supply Chain & ECOM Infrastructure to Deliver Healthier food to their homes directly from these Jaivik farms
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
We have Come across Numerous challenges along our journey and me & my Team love solving these one by one. Challenging the myths, stereotypes and wrong beliefs has been an integral part of the journey.
We can broadly categorise these into below:
> Physical Supply Chain challenges such as variability of harvests, Weather Challenges, Transport Variability, Perishability and wastages of certain produce, packaging innovations etc and
> Consumer education & awareness Challenges about What is healthy Food Alternatives and about the Myth that only the super rich can afford and buy Organic and natural.
Pay to farmers for Healthy Food Now or Pay Multiple times to Pharma for healthcare has been our constant Communication campaign.
Gita Preaching of if You are relentlessly doing what is right, the Outcome has to be right has been the inspiration for me and the team. If Your Karma is right, You will Reap the Right Fruits.
What are the most important lessons you have learned in your life?
My life is shaped around certain strong beliefs inculcated in me by freedom freedom-fighter grandfather, parents and my teachers
1) Everyone in this world is equal and has equal rights
2) Every Problem has a solution, creativity, Perseverance and focus is required to attack it
3) Humility is the most precious ornament Humans can have and
4) If you are honest in your efforts and duties, results would be right (In the short term or long term)
5) Education is The Most Potent weapon to bring any change in this society
In My Professional Life also apart from my personal life, I do deploy this basic value system. Coupled with right education, knowledge and skill sets developed and a sound value system gives me the courage to take any challenge in my professional & Personal Life.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, the most important Keys to Creating a Successful Business are:
> Keep Things Simple Sincere: Be in your Communication with team, Customers, Vendors, Partners, Your Business Rules, Processes your vision and mission anything
> Own Up the action and the outcome: In Business as well as in Life
> Challenge the Regular: There has to be a better and more efficient way
> Be Creative & Innovate: Everything has a simpler way of doing it
> Small regular Improvements, leads to big gains over time
> And last but not the least, If Your Purpose, People & Process are Right, Performance would be right
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
My Simple advice to Young Professionals would be as following. Choose a Career option based on a balanced LEED Model (This is my Proprietary Model)
– Learning: Choose a Career where you learn new things regularly
– Earn: It makes you earn Sufficient Money, but may not be best paying option
– Enjoy: You love and enjoy what you are supposed to do every day at your job
– Develop: It Gives you the opportunity to develop yourself as a professional as well as a Person
I Take Guest lectures at MBA & Engineering colleges on Entrepreneurship and marketing as well as get invited to address the students in their various events and tell them similar things.
Anyone can reach me on my LinkedIn seeking advice on career and entrepreneurial advice and brands and MSMEs seeking growth advice.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
There have been many ups and bright days and a few downs on dark days in this journey. I would honestly say that I am extremely satisfied with what this world has given me, be it my Professional achievements or my personal Life.
In all My professional endeavours, I have been rewarded with more than decent success, recognition and financial returns. At Personal Spaces have been blessed with a wonderful family, Bright kids, Some Great long-term Loving friends, and almost all Good collogues, What More you ask for.
Now Going ahead from here, I have certain visions which I want to realize are:
1) Enabling Young Entrepreneurs to become successful in their initiatives
2) Contribute Little efforts to create a happier, just and equal society for all
3) Able to see peace all across (May sound a Little unrealistic but have this dream)
4) And Live a happy peaceful life in the lap of nature, In a farmhouse close to a quite hill stations
All of us are, eventually seeking happiness, what gives you happiness keeps on changing with times and it is entirely upon the individual from what he derives his or her happiness. Being little content (as my name say Santosh) helps you get more happiness out of life than disappointments. Every needs to have stretched goals, Objectives and Visions across everything in life but also needs to learn to be contended from results of their endeavors
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.
