1. Tell us about your journey For years now, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with entrepreneurs and business owners, fostering a rich and deep understanding of various business operations. My mission has always been clear: to empower these hard-working individuals by providing them with the tools they need to solve their business challenges and unlock their business and personal growth. I am from New Delhi. I completed my MBA at IIM Indore. I worked with a few large organisations, including Aon Hewitt and Reliance Group, before getting involved in tech startups. 2. What are the key ingredients to achieve success?
    1. Crystal clear objectives: The first step to success is to have an unambiguous vision of your goal.
    2. Conscious awareness: A thorough understanding of oneself, the business landscape, industry trends, and competitors is crucial. This demands a high level of alertness and attentiveness.
    3. Self-belief: Have the confidence that you can navigate through challenges and find the best solutions to any problem that arises.
    4. Organization skills: To achieve grand ambitions and expedite growth, it’s imperative to have exceptional organization skills – for yourself, your resources, and your business.
    5. Momentum: Maintaining and directing momentum is a critical aspect of success. You need to amplify momentum in the right direction, overcome any obstacles, and establish the right pace to ensure successful outcomes.
    3. How do you handle failures? In the face of setbacks, I maintain the perspective that there are no absolute or  personal failures. One should always be looking to learn and optimize, ensuring that mistakes aren’t repeated again and again. You always have work to do. And when one is focused on the work, there is not much time left to be affected by the notion of failure or success. Done – now, move on to next. 4. What’s the one word or phrase that defines your identity? Truth seeker. You know, every scenario, whether it’s a particular industry or a specific business issue, has its own set of fundamental truths. I truly believe in the power of first principles thinking – stripping down a problem to its bare essentials. It’s like peeling an onion, layer by layer, until you reach the core. And by rigorously applying these first principles, we can uncover and truly comprehend these underlying truths. It’s a bit like being a detective in the business world – and I like to be that detective.  5. Is the search for excellence utopian or is it for real? Search is absolutely real. There is no joy in mediocrity. But this search for excellence is a process, and you enjoy this process or journey. Think about it like this – as customers, don’t we all want to purchase top-notch products or services? The same goes for us in our professional roles. We’re always aiming to craft outstanding products or services that can truly make a difference. So, the secret ingredient? It’s the unyielding chase for excellence.  6. How would you mentor / advise people struggling in their lives? Just remember this: never throw in the towel. Persistence is key. If you hold on, even the toughest struggles will mold you into a stronger person. You see, life is not always a bed of roses; it’s bound to throw some curveballs your way. These challenging situations, they’re a part of the journey, and they have a lot to teach us. But the secret sauce? Keep showing up, keep fighting. Don’t give up, no matter what. It’s kind of like being a boxer – even if you’re knocked down, you get back up and keep swinging. 7. What’s the one quote that defines your approach to life? Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.

    Rahul Pai

    (Co Founder, PropertyAngel)

    Tell us about your journey and how it has moulded you as a person?

    Each entrepreneur’s journey is different. Mine started very early! I had to decide between a college placement opportunity with an MNC,or going it alone. At the time, I had freshly read Rich Dad /Poor Dad so freshly [or naively!] inspired, I just took the plunge! & quite frankly, even though I have had a fair share of hits & misses-I haven’t looked back,I’ve never felt I’ve missed out on any fancy MNC job/fancy titles,etc- I’ve just been happy, for better or worse,to explore the road less taken,as Robert Frost puts it!.&  God has been kind, we have taken a small family business which was essentially a small shop set up at the start, & are building it, bricj by brick,patiently, & thoughtfully, on its core strengths of deep goodwill,trust & customer centricity.

    While my Co Founder & better half Sapna, is blazing her own trail in our allied business -spin off from the original business-A Proptech enabled-Property Asset Management business, PropertyAngel, which we built together from zero to a 1500 crs + of AUM & still growing. & proud to say, we haven’t raised a single rupee of funding for it, nor any debt, it’s a closely held,profitable, growing & steady business.

     We are now setting up a crack capital markets team for addressing the issue of capital shortage in real estate. An AIF is also being proposed, to raise 1000 cr of institutional capital for our first Real Estate Fund. A team of vastly experienced & highly credible, industry-leading proffessionals, is being put together for the same.

    So, all in all, we’re building nothing short of a Promoter owned-Professionally managed ‘Desi IPC’ ,which will create immense value for all stakeholders, right here, in our own backyard, with a vast range of services from real estate consulting to asset management to financial services & funding of real estate- So, we indeed, seem to be coming full Circle!

    As I said, God has been kind, without his blessings to us & our family, none of this would have been possible.

    How its moulded me-

     Each day is a challenge, & an opportunity to learn something new, to grow!

    I have learnt to place absolute faith in the Almighty, & seek his continued blessings for all our ventures.

    What are the key ingredients to achieve success?

    It’s the basics which count in any business-Put your customer first, there are no shortcuts, so act with integrity & transparency, first & foremost. Put in the hours, the hard work. Again, there is no substitute for the basics. Aim for the basics, get them right first, then look for the stars & spotlight, the funding etc, & not the reverse which seems to be the norm these days!

    How do you handle failures and setbacks?

    Learn from them! Each day is an opportunity to improve your life.

    What’s the one word or phrase that defines you?

    Calculated risk taker

    How would you mentor/advise people who are struggling in their lives?

    Examine your relationship with the Almighty. Seek help,there is no harm in admitting you need help.

    What’s the one quote that defines your approach to life?

    Just Do It!

    Your company is enhancing property management constantly, with innovative initiatives. Please tell us more about your pursuits

    • I like to say, We’re creating a Desi IPC [ International Property Consultant] right here, Make in India. The comparable giants, are the Cushman Wakefields, Knight Franks,& JLL”s of the world, who are large, publicly listed MNC’s,having Billions of Dollars of Market Capitalization.
    • The customers are both B2C,like HNI’s,local investors, as well as B2B like Developers, Family Offices, Corporates & of course, Financial Institutions who are our allies too.
    • So right from buying/selling of ultra high end real estate for HNI’s, institutional-grade commercial real estate to turnkey Property Management, to Loans, funding & finally, Institutional Property Investments & specialized Fund Management, there are dedicated & highly specialized & experienced teams set up, to drive each of those activities, all of which have their own synergies.

    Please tell us the role of technology in your business pursuits

    • Our Industry-leading Proptech platform & the eco system of Apps which are property-industry-specific,has been developed from scratch, with my Co-Founder, Sapna Chandiramani, an Ex Oracle/Yahoo Senior Team Member, taking the lead in this respect & building out a world class suite of Proptech solutions, in house & with an in- house tech team.
    • We have spent the past 4 years refining, testing,& building various apps which would be useful & be a game changer, to the whole Real Estate community, be it property owners, tenants, brokers,& builders too!
    • We have used low code platforms to do this, & our teams are presently working on a SAAS model, to scale these offerings, with God’s Grace, to a Global Scale.