The One Percent Project- Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Resilience

About Arjun Ranga: Globally, incense is the silent bridge that connects humans to the divine. And naturally, no Indian wants to compromise when it comes to their hopes and prayers. This episode of The One Percent Project is an intriguing exploration of the incense business and its essence in Indian culture with a remarkable guest, Arjun Ranga, the CEO of Cycle Pure Agarbathis, a part of the NR Group.  In this insightful conversation, Arjun delves into the fascinating journey of Cycle Agarbathis, the world's largest incense manufacturer, and its transformation into the world's first certified zero-carbon manufacturer of incense, prayer, and air care products. Arjun also shares his journey as the CEO, drawing inspiration from his grandfather and NR Group's founder, Shri N. Ranga Rao. He sheds light on the deep-rooted significance of prayer in Indian culture and the sentiments attached to it, his marketing strategies through the years, his vision for the company and much more.  Joining him in this conversation is Sarthak Ahuja, a seasoned Chartered Accountant with expertise in startup advisory and investment banking and a LinkedIn top voice who brings a wealth of intriguing insights to the discussion. Join us in this fascinating episode to explore the dynamic intersection of business, culture, and sustainability. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to it and sign up for The One Percent Project's "Think" newsletter at onepercent.live for curated content that adds value to your professional and personal development. Key Take Aways & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_ArjunRanga Follow & Subscribe: WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/TOP_WA2 YouTube: https://bit.ly/TOP_Youtube LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/TOP_LinkedIn Twitter: https://bit.ly/TOP_Twitter1 Instagram: https://bit.ly/TOP_Insta In this conversation, he talks about: 00:00⁠⁠⁠ Intro 02:28 History of the incense industry 03:44 Journey of building Cycle Pure Agarbathi 09:54 How can you innovate and stay relevant in a highly commoditised industry? 12:20 Product Positioning 14:42 Key customer retention metrics in the incense industry 17:02 Customer segmentation for a diverse Indian market 20:32 Premium positioning of incense: Who is the target audience for premium incense products? 23:50 Why is vanilla the most used fragrance in premium stores and bakeries worldwide? 24:36 Why are the Gulf, Europe and Africa the largest markets for incense? 25:42 Value chain & Unit economics of making an Agarbathi. 27:09 Actual product differentiation Vs product marketing and branding 27:55 His journey of becoming the CEO. 31:43 The growth and impact of D2C. 34:50 Cyle's association with cricket 37:45 Cycle's next decade 39:42 The disruption AI would bring to the industry

About Vijay Rayapati: The next guest on The One Percnet Project is Vijay Rayapati, the co-founder and CEO of Atomicwork a startup that helps enterprises bring their employees, IT systems, and HR operations together to drive business impact. Previously, Vijay co-founded Minjar, a cloud management startup. Minjar was acquired by Nutanix in 2018. Vijay’s journey is a testament to grit, patience, and perseverance. From his early life in a small town in Andhra Pradesh in India to becoming a prominent entrepreneur, Vijay shares his counterintuitive insights on entrepreneurship, the importance of people's success, and his passion for seeding and building.  Join us as we explore Vijay's journey, from his roots in a small town to his role as a leader in the tech industry. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to it and sign up for The One Percent Project's "Think" newsletter at onepercent.live for curated content that adds value to your professional and personal development. Key Take Aways & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_Vijay Follow & Subscribe: WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/TOP_WA2 YouTube: https://bit.ly/TOP_Youtube LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/TOP_LinkedIn Twitter: https://bit.ly/TOP_Twitter1 Instagram: https://bit.ly/TOP_Insta In this conversation, he talks about: ⁠⁠00:00⁠⁠⁠ Intro 02:28 Influence of his mother 05:01 Journey from a small town to Atmoicwork 13:52 Why build Amnigos- a Food delivery startup in 2007? 20:28 Why build Minjar after Amigos’s failure? 25:23 Types of entrepreneurs 27:27 Why build Atomicwork? 35:13 Outbound vs. Inbound lead generation 39:17 Pricing 42:07 Why is generative AI the next Saas? 46:40 Generalist Vs Speacialist 47:07 Counterintuitive insights about entrepreneurship 49:24 Three Books 51:05 Advice to younger self

Sawan Kapoor, India's foremost career coach and CEO of a multi-million-dollar organization in the Wine & Spirits industry, shares insights on finding the ideal job fit, investing in oneself, starting a mid-career coaching business, the history of the Michelin guide, impactful books, and essential elements of a thriving career.

Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-founder of Wakefit, shares his remarkable journey of building a successful venture, turning adversity into an advantage. Topics include the importance of sleep, starting English classes in a garage, founder market fit, heartwarming customer stories, acts of kindness, and the difference between branding and marketing.

About Dhruvank Vidya: Dhruvank is the Head of Podcasts for Spotify India. Over a career spanning 25 years, he has launched several media and technology businesses and held leadership positions (CxO/ Business head) in digital media, content, television and technology companies like Star TV, Times of India group, NDTV Imagine/ Turner Broadcasting etc.  In his entrepreneurial stint, Dhruvank co-founded ‘The Adaptation Company’-- a content company focused on book-to-film/TV adaptations. Dhruvank delves into key topics that shed light on his unique perspective. Drawing from his experiences, he shares valuable insights on decision-making, career choices, good workplace relationships, and effective team-building. Furthermore, Dhruvank emphasises the significance of grit, the balance between being a generalist and a specialist, and the power of a clear vision in leadership. Key Take Aways & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_Dhruvank Follow & Subscribe: WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/TOP_WA2 YouTube: https://bit.ly/TOP_Youtube LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/TOP_LinkedIn Twitter: https://bit.ly/TOP_Twitter1 Instagram: https://bit.ly/TOP_Insta In this conversation, he talks about: 00:00 Intro 01:53 How was life growing up? 02:40 What is the journey to becoming the head of the podcast at Spotify India? 04:47 What made you join Spotify? 05:57 What did your parents expect you to be? 06:44 What influence does IIM have in your life? 07:44 Do you attribute your success to your brilliance or your network? 08:52 Decision Making: You kicked off your career as a manufacturing consultant and moved into media, which is a significant jump- How do you reflect on it and study your decision-making? 10:26 What is your view on being a generalist Vs specialist? 13:11 You have been an entrepreneur and launched new businesses for MNCs. What is your counterintuitive insight about building a business? 14:31 What is the role of Ego in one's career? 15:23 Team Building: You have played a lot of team sports. What do you think about building a team? 17:06 What is your superpower? 18:07 What is the best leadership advice you have ever received? 19:13 Who is Dhruvank in a stressful environment? 19:57 What are your three productivity hacks? 20:50 Books, coffee and your walks- What is your relationship with books? And your passion for coffee? And your walks? 18:07 One advice that you would give to yourself? ⁠24:31⁠ If you had to work with one of these people, who would you choose, someone with grit or brilliance?

Listen to the entire conversation: Spotify: https://bit.ly/3pwiWwe YouTube: https://bit.ly/44bkR8s Apple: https://bit.ly/3NXQnkL Or available on all other platforms (The One Percent Project Podcast) Show notes & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_Mayank

Listen to the entire conversation: Spotify: https://bit.ly/3pwiWwe YouTube: https://bit.ly/44bkR8s Apple: https://bit.ly/3NXQnkL Or available on all other platforms (The One Percent Project Podcast) Show notes & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_Mayank

Listen to the entire conversation:Spotify: https://bit.ly/3pwiWweYouTube: https://bit.ly/44bkR8sApple: https://bit.ly/3NXQnkLOr available on all other platforms (The One Percent Project Podcast)Show notes & Transcript:https://bit.ly/TOP_Mayank

Listen to the entire conversation:Spotify: https://bit.ly/3pwiWweYouTube: https://bit.ly/44bkR8sApple: https://bit.ly/3NXQnkLOr available on all other platforms (The One Percent Project Podcast)Show notes & Transcript:https://bit.ly/TOP_Mayank

About Nuno Goncalves Pedro: In the realm of innovation and strategy, few individuals embody the true spirit of transformation, possessing a unique blend of strategic prowess, unwavering determination, and a passion for creating lasting impact. Nuno Goncalves Pedro, the co-founder of Chamaeleon and Strive Capital, epitomises this rare breed of visionary leaders. Welcome to the second part of our captivating series with the remarkable Nuno. In The One Percent Project episode, we continue our deep dive with him about carving a unique path in the venture capital landscape. In this second episode of the two-part series, he shares his insights and perspectives on building a venture capital fund, investing in start-ups, shedding light on his decision-making strategies and the meticulous analysis behind his investment decisions. As we delve further into this conversation, Nuno reveals his favourite books, productivity tools, and the mechanisms he employs to analyse his decisions- part one with Nuno. Key Take Aways & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_Nuno_2 Follow & Subscribe: WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/TOP_WA2 YouTube: https://bit.ly/TOP_Youtube LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/TOP_LinkedIn Twitter: https://bit.ly/TOP_Twitter1 Instagram: https://bit.ly/TOP_Insta In this conversation, he talks about: 00:00 Intro 01:32 Building Chamaeleon and decision framework of investing in start-ups. 07:18 Investing in consumer tech and the impact of AI. 11:13 What is his due diligence framework, and how do they analyse their decisions? 20:27 Three productivity tools 21:10 Three books 23:03 Advice to the younger self.