Mahesh Kulkarni: Aiding Small Businesses In Scaling Up To Become Big Corporations
Mahesh Kulkarni
Founder Partner
Mahesh Kulkarni, Founder Partner of Indian Business Advisories is one such evangelist who has challenged the notion that small firms cannot scale up to become large organizations. He has been instrumental in reinvigorating the business ideals of owner-managed firms, putting an end to the unstructured informal and largely traditional manner of operating a business.
In an exclusive meeting with CEO Insights Magazine, Mahesh Kulkarni walks us through his professional journey along with the unique traits of the company.
Throw some light on your professional background and experience. What inspired you to start this venture in this niche segment and what is it that drives you today?
Over the course of my career, I have worked with notable organizations such as Formica India, Merind, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and TATA AIG Life Insurance. I began my career as a sales executive and worked my way up the corporate ladder to become a profit center head before renouncing the corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship.
I believe that if one enables individuals and businesses to achieve more, they will definitely realize their full potential. Thus, sparking the idea of developing a company that provides various types of advisory services to various businesses and their owners. This concept piqued the interest of two of my school mates, Sudhir Jejurkar, a CA who works for Deloitte, and Yogesh Bane, an Instrumentation Engineer and entrepreneur who runs a metal fabrication business. Indian Business Advisories, a partnership
firm, was incorporated in May 2015.
How would you define Indian Business Advisories as an organization and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its clients?
Indian Business Advisories (IBA) is a results driven consulting firm based in Mumbai. It focuses on inperson face-to-face impact meetings with the entrepreneur for the development and execution of growth criteria, and then handholds the business owner to ensure the best possible results. For MSME owners IBA is a companion, philosopher, and a mentor. IBA is one of the few organizations that provides services to MSME owners ranging from accurately identifying growth breakers to assisting the entrepreneur in developing a growth strategy that takes into account the limitations and strengths of that particular business and its owner, and then assistingthe same in implementing that strategy and hand holding them until the desired results are achieved. The services provided are comparable to a project management firm taking on a turnkey project.
The unique advantage IBA gives its clients is the emphasis on face-to-face meetings rather than seminar hall sessions, as well as hand holding the entrepreneur until the predetermined outcomes are accomplished.
Reflect on some of the major challenges you have experienced in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?
The primary set of challenges is to make the entrepreneurs understand that consultants can help to scale up their business and hence they should be hired and then the consultants should be paid for the good work that they do. IBA has developed a tool called Business Fact Analysis(BFA) sheet, a sort of a questionnaire, which when presented to and discussed with the entrepreneur, helps the entrepreneur understand the specific hurdles in his growth. It is kind of a need analysis, based on which IBA can
How would you define Indian Business Advisories as an organization and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its clients?
Indian Business Advisories (IBA) is a results driven consulting firm based in Mumbai. It focuses on inperson face-to-face impact meetings with the entrepreneur for the development and execution of growth criteria, and then handholds the business owner to ensure the best possible results. For MSME owners IBA is a companion, philosopher, and a mentor. IBA is one of the few organizations that provides services to MSME owners ranging from accurately identifying growth breakers to assisting the entrepreneur in developing a growth strategy that takes into account the limitations and strengths of that particular business and its owner, and then assistingthe same in implementing that strategy and hand holding them until the desired results are achieved. The services provided are comparable to a project management firm taking on a turnkey project.
IBA emphasizes face-to-face meetings rather than seminar hall sessions, wherein, we further hand hold the entrepreneur until the predetermined outcomes are accomplished. For MSME owners, IBA is a companion, philosopher, and a mentor
The unique advantage IBA gives its clients is the emphasis on face-to-face meetings rather than seminar hall sessions, as well as hand holding the entrepreneur until the predetermined outcomes are accomplished.
Reflect on some of the major challenges you have experienced in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?
The primary set of challenges is to make the entrepreneurs understand that consultants can help to scale up their business and hence they should be hired and then the consultants should be paid for the good work that they do. IBA has developed a tool called Business Fact Analysis(BFA) sheet, a sort of a questionnaire, which when presented to and discussed with the entrepreneur, helps the entrepreneur understand the specific hurdles in his growth. It is kind of a need analysis, based on which IBA can
suggest and offer tailor made solutions.
Further, team IBA makes it amply clear to the entrepreneur that our consultants are there to assist him. Our consultants are there to help him/her identify the growth breakers and suggest solutions to do away with the said growth breakers. Our consultants will help him/her implement the solutions but the execution part has to be carried out by the entrepreneur personally. Team IBA will stand by him/her shoulder to shoulder till the time the predetermined results are achieved.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
In the future, this sector will require a consulting firm that specializes in coaching skills development process analysis, technology implementation, strategy formulation, operational improvement services, and a few other services. These firms will be able to develop standard operating procedures that will assist the needed company in achieving its aims and objectives of predictable, consistent growth and expansion.
In the light of your strong experience in the Advisory industry, what advice would you give to the budding entrepreneurs?
Whether in services or in manufacturing, the trick is to stay ahead of the curve. I believe we should not wait to be disrupted we should become disruptors ourselves.” This would be my mantra for all budding entrepreneurs.
Mahesh Kulkarni, Founder Partner,
Indian Business Advisories
Mahesh’s professional journey spans across 20+ years and has worked for prominent and reputed firms like Formica India, Merind, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, and TATA AIG Life Insurance. After doing his Masters in Science, he pursued Entrepreneurship and Business Management by completing OLPE (Open Learning Program in Entrepreneurship) from the most prestigious Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India(EDII), Ahmedabad. He began his career as a sales executive and worked his way up to become a profit center head before renouncing the corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship.
•Hobbies: Reading, watching comedy and feel good movies.
•Favorite Cuisine: Indian
•Favorite Book: Dream with your eyes open by Ronnie Screwvala and Connect the dots by Rashmi Bansal
•Favorite Travel Destination: Places close to nature or having a historical significance and monuments.
Further, team IBA makes it amply clear to the entrepreneur that our consultants are there to assist him. Our consultants are there to help him/her identify the growth breakers and suggest solutions to do away with the said growth breakers. Our consultants will help him/her implement the solutions but the execution part has to be carried out by the entrepreneur personally. Team IBA will stand by him/her shoulder to shoulder till the time the predetermined results are achieved.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
In the future, this sector will require a consulting firm that specializes in coaching skills development process analysis, technology implementation, strategy formulation, operational improvement services, and a few other services. These firms will be able to develop standard operating procedures that will assist the needed company in achieving its aims and objectives of predictable, consistent growth and expansion.
In the light of your strong experience in the Advisory industry, what advice would you give to the budding entrepreneurs?
Whether in services or in manufacturing, the trick is to stay ahead of the curve. I believe we should not wait to be disrupted we should become disruptors ourselves.” This would be my mantra for all budding entrepreneurs.
Mahesh Kulkarni, Founder Partner,
Indian Business Advisories
Mahesh’s professional journey spans across 20+ years and has worked for prominent and reputed firms like Formica India, Merind, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, and TATA AIG Life Insurance. After doing his Masters in Science, he pursued Entrepreneurship and Business Management by completing OLPE (Open Learning Program in Entrepreneurship) from the most prestigious Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India(EDII), Ahmedabad. He began his career as a sales executive and worked his way up to become a profit center head before renouncing the corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship.
•Hobbies: Reading, watching comedy and feel good movies.
•Favorite Cuisine: Indian
•Favorite Book: Dream with your eyes open by Ronnie Screwvala and Connect the dots by Rashmi Bansal
•Favorite Travel Destination: Places close to nature or having a historical significance and monuments.