The Job
If I were not a food entrepreneur, I would be an adventure sports entrepreneur. Food and mountaineering have been my lifelong passions. Besides the fact that I am deeply in love with food and always experimenting, food is the largest canvas out there. It changes every 100 kilometers, with hundreds of festivals giving rise to countless food cravings. The total addressable market is billions of people, each eating at least three to four times a day (even if on a diet). Food trends emerge every season and evolve every few years.
Given how we’ve set up our company as “an operating system for launching and scaling loved food brands across customer missions,” we have an infinite canvas to keep innovating, with trends that are geographical, seasonal, or long-term.
The Weekdays
I live in Pune and work in Mumbai, so I travel to Mumbai on Mondays and return home on Thursdays or Fridays. Most days, my time is spent in three types of discussions: Short-term results with the team, long-term projects that help us strengthen our moat, and new experiments within the company, whether it’s a new brand or a new line of business. I also have frequent meetings across various levels. I usually conduct at least five one-on-ones each week, which gives me a ringside view of how talent is feeling across the company, whether the company’s vision is resonating with people, and what improvements we need to make in our strategy, culture, and execution.
The Weekend
I go for a long run and either take a day hike to a nearby hill or head to the rock climbing gym in the city. Aside from that, I spend a lot of time reading and writing. I believe all my light bulb moments have come while I was writing, reading, or hiking.
All dinners are family dinners, and on most weekends, we go out to eat at least once, trying out new restaurants. Our conversations usually revolve around Bezos or Buffett (if I’m doing most of the talking), Jeremy Zucker or Justin Bieber (if my daughters are in the mood), or new yoga techniques (when my wife is sharing her knowledge).
The Toys
The only gadgets I have are a Kindle for reading and a Remarkable paper tablet for writing. I am very bad at figuring out new gadgets.
The Logos
One of my favourite brands is Reccy — the outdoor clothing brand. These are the only clothes I can wear both in the mountains and in the office (disclaimer: I’m a small investor in the brand). Their clothes are built to last. I also like March Tees, because they have the most comfortable cotton tees out there. Plus, they don’t have a logo on them, which I love. The fabric is really great.