Setting-up and Running a successfull business in India - A Pardocixal market for the mystics

India is a market filled with Paradoxes...every MNC that come here get carried away by the GDP growth (6-7%) even during recession, the middle-class size (remember the 200 million middle class episode painted by Chidambaram in late 90s and the market flooded with MNC searching opportunities), the growing affluent class (also remember the Percapita income of ~USD 3000) demanding new products and services, deregulation and progressive structural changes in economy leading to open policies for investments (remeber the 1991 deregulation and the gradual expiry of license raj), strong regulatory & legal system (IRDA, RBI, TRAI, NASSCOM, you name it all strong) etc. Among all these positives juxtapose the abject poverty with more than 25% of population living below poverty line (BPL) with a Gini Index of 36.8 (not really bad is it..but then this was in 2004 and it had a rising trend...also this is a sample and knowing fully well we have no basis to anchor on this number!), 86th rank as the most corrupt country, the infrastructure (social/Physical/Infrastructure) in shambles, pending cases that comes for hearing after the petitioner dies (remember Lakhubhai Pathak and NRI who has the famous Masala, pappad business who died before his corruption suit against the Govt. of India was filed), largest stock market in Asia with ~ 5000 companies listed and actively traded in the market, etc. You bet this is country of paradoxes....


Now why is this country so mystical. Look at it this way there are great academicians (remember the number of Indian Profs have taught you in your PG courses in US/AUS/UK/etc.), Nobel laureates (Chadrashekahr, Raman, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan), CEOs (Vikram Pandit, Indra Nooyi), relegious leaders (Buddha, Mahaveer, Dalai Lama, Vivekanand), environmentalisits (Pachuri), Sociologist (Amartya Sen), poets (tagore), activist (Gandhi) endless names...all eminent people who have played on the World platform and recognized for their endeavors that shaped and changed the world, but how much impact did they have on India? Have you ever considered why? sometimes it make me believe they are all mystics of India!

I'm sure we may not have answers to it...these are profound questions not worth bickering...

But lets look at what is required to set-up and run a successfull business in India...what wualifies me to say this...well I'm entitled to my perspectives as I've set-up and run a business for a MNC in this very market...but unsuccessfullat that...Well I've walked the talk (shall I say my inflated overambition busted by the reality of the markets) by set-up a business, accepted a sales target and trying to meet these numbers in a year in this market...

Lets simply see what it takes an MNC to set-up and run a successfull India market:


1. Setup a separate LE with following mandate: RoI focused, Separate brand (avoiding brand dilution of Accenture), engineered cost/price/margin structures to meet market requirements, focused team and differentiated operating model.
2. Define sharp Go-To-Market-Initiatives for key growth areas (Government, Banking, Communications, etc.) in collaboration with partners (Hardware, OEMs, etc.) in the market.
3. Provide Autonomy to India team: Empower the India team to run the business enterprisingly and enable decentralized decision making.
4. Remember three golden rules to foster business in Indian market: Cost, Cost and Cost.
5. Be conscientious of India market paradoxes and don’t set unrealistic growth goals.

I participated in an Idea competetion with my above perspectives before my CEO visited India and lost in the competition...so dont take my perspectives too seriously :-) ....