“I Want To Be An Investor To Enable Entrepreneurs”

What do you intend to pursue next following the mega exit deal? Would India continue to be your playground for your future plans?

Currently, I am looking to be an investor, I want to enable other businesses by helping them learn from the knowledge that we have gained. Yes, I see maximum potential in India. But I will always look for opportunities around the world as well. By and large, I don't see myself living anywhere else or doing anything which is not based in India at this juncture. Even if I have something that I want to do abroad, it will be with an idea to operate from India.

What was your family’s reaction to your exit?

They knew about it, we have been discussing it. They realise that especially after Rakesh Jhunjhunwala passed away, I was alone in this discussion. To think that you are talking to a Titan board, which is the Tamil Nadu government and the Tatas, it can be quite daunting. So, for them there was a sense of relief that everything happened smoothly. That feeling made them very proud.

Any comments on Avnish Anand’s appointment as CEO?

Avnish Anand is somebody I learned so much from every day. He is the smartest person to run a D2C business. I can sleep peacefully knowing that he is running it. We are not alike as personalities at all. But at the same time, we are very synchronised about how we want to build and what it takes. I feel Titan has chosen the right leader for the right job.

If you look back, what are some of the most significant lessons you learned, both personally and professionally?

When I started this business, I was a shopkeeper. I was running a family-owned jewellery business in which I used to manage six people in a store and about a dozen people in the factory. That is the scale of people management I was able to do. However, today we have become very good at people management. I feel like that journey has been the most fruitful one. My ability to manage people, grow with people and make them grow along with me, I think that has left me very satisfied.

Which are some of the Indian businesses and entrepreneurs that have impressed you?

I appreciate and admire many Indian businesses. I am a big fan of what Deep Kalra has done when it comes to travel planning with MakeMyTrip. Sanjeev Bikhchandani of Info Edge is somebody I consider iconic. Also, the leap of faith that the Flipkart founders took when they decided to operate in India was impressive. I think they enabled thousands of entrepreneurs to dream and build something extraordinary.

What Girish Mathrubootham did with FreshWorks has put Chennai on the map for SaaS. Similarly, Sridhar Vembu of Zoho, a maker of cloud-based business software has an impressive track record. I really look up to him.

I am also impressed by the developments at PhonePe and Paytm. Also, what the government has done with UPI is commendable. Overall, I feel that India’s ability to solve problems is phenomenal.

Other than jewellery, which sectors attract you the most?

I feel consumer businesses have immense potential in India. I am not a big fan of finding a problem in the US and trying to replicate the same thing over here. I feel that in all those areas where technology can play a role in increasing the demand, consumer businesses will flourish. For example, travel is another sector where one can explore possibilities be it in travel luggage, ticketing or hotels.

Any other protagonists we are missing out on who contributed to CaratLane’s stellar story?

All my colleagues at CaratLane and their families have sacrificed a lot. For the company to grow 10 times every four years, involves a lot of work. Frankly, work-life balance is not even a word in our company. It is all about work-life integration and that is how I look at it. So, the silent heroes in all of this are the family members of all those who work at CaratLane.