Archana Stalin is a resilient entrepreneur who didn’t let the failure of her first venture at the age of 22 deter her ambitions. Treating the setback as a practical MBA, she absorbed valuable lessons and patiently waited to launch her second venture. Six years after the closure of her initial business, Archana founded myHarvest Farms, a company dedicated to delivering fresh, organic produce to over 800 customers in Chennai. Starting with terrace gardening, she and her husband later secured a two-acre farmland in Sembedu village, Tiruvallur district, about 40 km from Chennai, named Vembu Farms. The journey wasn’t without challenges, but this time, Archana seemed to have cracked the success formula. In the first year (2018-19), the company’s turnover was Rs 8 lakh, which soared to Rs 44 lakh in the second year and reached an impressive Rs one crore in the last year. Archana’s entrepreneurial spirit took root even before her first venture. At 21, she made a pivotal life decision by marrying her college classmate, Stalin Kalidoss, against familial opposition. In 2012, the couple founded Geoverge, a geospatial company, investing about Rs 10 lakh, only to close it within two years. Undeterred, Archana gained experience in different roles, eventually joining the NativeLead Foundation in Madurai and Naturals Salon in Chennai. However, her interest in organic farming led her to quit her corporate roles and, in collaboration with her husband, establish myHarvest in November 2016. Starting small with terrace gardening, the couple soon leased a two-acre land, incorporating myHarvest Farms as a private limited company. The initial focus was on helping people grow greens and vegetables in urban spaces, but they soon realized the limitations of terrace gardening. Transitioning to organic farming on a larger scale, they established the Vembu Farm, involving both farmers and consumers in a community-oriented approach. The subscription model attracted families who paid a three-month fee, providing the necessary capital. The venture grew steadily, with the couple adding more farms and expanding their customer base. The Covid-19 pandemic posed challenges, but myHarvest Farms adapted its delivery model and thrived when other supply chains faltered. The switch to an order-based, cash-on-delivery model proved successful, and the business expanded beyond vegetables to include oils, rice, and snacks. With a strong emphasis on building a community that connects people to nature and healthier food choices, Archana’s myHarvest Farms has become a flourishing venture, delivering fresh, organic produce to families while fostering a sense of unity among farmers and consumers.

In marketing, emotive storytelling harnesses human emotions to craft narratives that deeply engage audiences. When executed effectively, emotive storytelling can leave a lasting imprint, enhancing brand recall and fostering loyalty. Here are strategies for employing emotive storytelling in marketing: Real-life Narratives:Present authentic stories of individuals benefiting from the brand, humanizing it and making it relatable and memorable.Hero’s Journey:Frame your products or services as the hero aiding customers in overcoming challenges, following the traditional narrative structure of a hero’s journey.Address Universal Themes:Tap into universally relatable themes like love, family, ambition, or perseverance to evoke strong emotional responses.Evoke Nostalgia:Transport the audience to a simpler time or specific moments in their past, creating an emotional connection linked to your brand.Dramatic Visuals:Use high-quality imagery or videos that align with the story’s mood and tone, enhancing the emotional impact.Authenticity:Ensure that emotional narratives are authentic; consumers can sense when brands are not being genuine.Interactive Stories:Engage the audience by involving them in the story through interactive videos, polls, or augmented reality experiences.Embrace Vulnerability:Showcase brand vulnerabilities or failures and illustrate how they were overcome to create a transparent relationship with consumers.End with a Positive Note:Even if the story begins with a challenge, concluding on a hopeful or positive note can enhance memorability and leave a positive impression.Consistency Across Platforms:Maintain a consistent emotive narrative across all marketing channels for a cohesive brand image.Empower the Consumer:Position the consumer as the protagonist, highlighting how the brand plays a pivotal role in their personal story or journey.Engage the Senses:Utilize sound, textures, or scents, if applicable, alongside visuals to create a multi-sensory experience that deepens the emotional connection. By leveraging emotive storytelling, brands can establish profound connections with their audience, leading to increased engagement, loyalty, and enduring brand recall.

The Uber founder is venturing into the cloud kitchen domain. However, around 12 years ago, two Indian founders initiated the development of a cloud kitchen company that is currently generating an annual revenue of 900 Crores. This is the fascinating story of Rebel Foods: It’s crucial to clarify that Rebel Foods is distinct from Zomato or Swiggy; it doesn’t operate as a food delivery tech platform. Rather, it operates more like a chain similar to McDonald’s but with a key distinction – a primary focus on an online delivery revenue model. Rebel Foods boasts impressive statistics: 4,000 virtual restaurants350+ cloud kitchensPresence in 40 cities (tier 1/2)Operations in 7 countries India has 3 crore restaurants with 90 lakh workers, and only 30% fall under the ‘organized’ sector. The rest are comprised of dhabas, food trucks, street stalls, and hawkers. The disruption in the food industry has been limited to the organized sectors. So, what did Rebel Foods successfully navigate? Let’s delve into the key aspects: Overcoming Location Challenges: The revenue potential of a single food joint is closely tied to its location. When Rebel started as FAASOS with 50 locations, it struggled to break even due to high rent costs. Online Take-Aways Dominate Revenue: Small eateries serving on platforms like Swiggy and Zomato generate a significant portion of their revenue online. Rebel questioned the need for physical stores when online customers didn’t frequent them. Emphasis on Software Engineers over Chefs: Recruiting and retaining skilled chefs is a common challenge for Dhaba owners. Rebel addressed this by creating extensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and automations for each recipe. Reducing Raw Ingredient Wastage: Restaurants often struggle with balancing supply and demand, leading to food wastage. Despite multiple brands in one kitchen, Rebel reduced wastage to less than 2% for most outlets. Non-Linear Scaling in Cloud Kitchens: Between 2016 and 2018, Rebel opened 50 new cloud kitchens (a 30% growth) while achieving a staggering 500% revenue increase. Each of the 50 locations translates to 900 individual brands on Swiggy and Zomato. Shared Common Costs: Rebel kitchens operate without server staff, and the cleaning staff serves the entire kitchen. This results in extremely low operational expenditure per brand, with a capital payback period of less than 12 months (typically, it takes 3 years). Plug & Play for Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Businesses like SLAY Coffee leveraged Rebel’s model, scaling to 100+ locations in 12 months. Other notable additions include Wendy’s, Mad Over Donuts, Haldiram, Chai Point, and Anand Sweets. The only caveat is that this entire model relies on Swiggy and Zomato, meaning Rebel doesn’t own its customer base, a challenge that Domino’s has effectively addressed.

The European Union (EU) has initiated a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to address carbon emissions related to imports. The first phase of CBAM requires importers in the EU to disclose the greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of goods in sectors like iron and steel, aluminium, cement, electricity, fertiliser, and hydrogen. During the initial phase, reporting these emissions is voluntary until December 31, 2025, after which penalties will be imposed for non-compliance. It’s crucial for Indian exporters to provide the necessary emission information to their EU importers to prevent potential trade disruptions. The CBAM has the potential to significantly impact India’s exports to the EU, constituting about 11% of India’s merchandise trade. India exports goods worth approximately $64 billion to the EU annually. However, Indian exporters are grappling with challenges in complying with CBAM due to a lack of understanding of the regulations and the absence of a domestic carbon pricing policy. Sectors covered under CBAM include iron ore and concentrates (19.9%), steel products (20%), iron and steel (31.4%), aluminium products (27.7%), cement (6.1%), and fertiliser (0.7%). Among these, 25% of engineering exports, the largest contributor to India’s exports at around $1.51 billion, could be significantly affected by CBAM. The implementation of the CBAM underscores the increasing global focus on environmental sustainability and the need for businesses to adapt to evolving regulatory frameworks.

Smaller cities in India have emerged as significant contributors to the online festive season sales, with platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho experiencing a surge in orders from Tier 2 cities and beyond. During the initial days of festive sales, approximately 80% of all orders came from non-metro cities for platforms like Meesho and Flipkart, while the figure was 60% for Flipkart alone. Cities such as Dhanbad, Vapi, Chittorgarh, Erode, Jabalpur, Tezpur, and Kurnool were among the top contributors to Meesho’s orders. This trend reflects the growing economic development, increased internet penetration, and rising aspirations in smaller cities, emphasizing the need for e-commerce companies to tailor their strategies to cater to these markets. According to Unicommerce, the share of Tier 2 and 3 cities in India’s e-commerce market grew significantly last year, surpassing that of Tier 1 cities.

“I hear people say Indian consumers only want cheap products, making it impossible to build a profitable consumer brand here,” remarked a founder at a startup event. However, this perspective may stem from a misunderstanding of the consumer landscape in India. With a population of 144 crore people, including 120 crore internet users, 30 crore unique UPI users, 28 crore food ordering users, 9 crore online learners, 8 crore income tax filings, and 3.5 crore mutual fund investors, India presents a diverse market. Analyzing income tax reports reveals that the middle class significantly drives consumption in terms of percentage. While only 0.27 crore Indians earn ₹1 crore or more (growing 50% YoY), 4.65 crore Indians earn ₹5 lakh or more (growing 250% over 2 years). The middle class engages in substantial spending on real estate, education, shopping, and travel. In the context of a $100 million revenue game in India, there are two options:Option A → Build a $10,000 Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for 10,000 Indians.Option B → Build a $10 ARPU for 1,00,00,000 Indians. It’s emphasized that a product can’t cater to both ends of the spectrum simultaneously. Many consumer brands find themselves stuck by developing low ARPU offerings and complaining about the lack of market depth. There is no depth for low ARPU, making it essential to choose a specific audience. The framework to consider includes: Build ‘value’ for the right audience, recognizing that not every consumer brand needs to target 10 crore Indians.’Communicate’ the product value by positioning it either on the lower or extreme higher end, ensuring the target audience deeply understands the product’s benefits and relevance.Get them to “experience” the value, as India’s trust deficiency demands genuine proof of a product’s worth before the first purchase.Capture the right amount of ‘value,’ making pricing straightforward when the previous steps are well-executed. Ultimately, the question of who a brand is building for becomes crucial. Asking this question within the team can provide clarity and guide strategic decisions.

COFFEE – The mere mention of this 2 syllable word brings an aura of its aroma to the olfactory organ. It stimulates the taste buds. Needless to say that slouching in an easy chair, a cup of South Indian filter coffee and the morning newspaper go hand in hand. Sipping a hot cup of coffee is an emotion for most of us Indians. The coffee plant was discovered around 800AD and since then there has been constant innovation around the product. There are humungous health benefits related to consumption of coffee. It slows the progress of dementia, it safeguards the liver, promotes heart health and lowers mortality risk. Just as International Coffee Day was observed on 1st October, we have a gripping tale of the man behind the brand “The South Indian Coffee House”. This brand needs no introduction. EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Mr.Amarnath was born and brought up in an agricultural family in Kangeyam, a small town in Tiruppur district. He had an advantage of not being a first-gen entrepreneur. His inspiration and pillar of support is his father whom he hails and adores. He was always included in his father’s ventures right from his childhood – be it accounts, packaging, logistics or sales. He even reminisces that he used to sell guavas from his farm. MY PROTAGONIST – MY FATHER Mr. Amar’s dad was a visionary and forward-thinker in many ways than one. His father  was a pioneer in  bringing fly ash bricks to TN. He was an avant-gardist  in selling 1 rupee sachets of gingelly oil that were used for lighting lamps  in temples in TN. This veteran was also the first trailblazer to bring AGMARK license for 1 rupee oil sachets & packaged coconut oil. No wonder, Mr. Amar shows so much of his father’s traits. EDUCATION Mr.Amar was actively in sales right from the age of 7. He was raised street smart. He completed schooling in Kangeyam. He completed his engineering degree in Computer Science at Trichy due to his father’s wishes. He started working in Chennai soon after his under graduation. Interestingly, he worked with BYJU Raveendran for a brief period. He completed MBA from IIPM. He learnt industry experience regarding sales & marketing during PG days. He is also a gold medalist and was recruited at Naukri.com (sales profile & achieved targets easily). He says that his only intention was always to start a business and that he took up a job just to gain hands on knowledge about the market. FROM EMPLOYEE TO EMPLOYER From the horse’s mouth – “To find out what you love doing is very difficult. It may take a moment for some or quite some years for many. Most people don’t even realize that they don’t love what they do.” STARTED THE FIRST COFFEE KIOSK IN ERODE In 2014, he didn’t have much savings. He was advised to take a franchise for a coffee shop by a comrade. As the adage goes, “ Failure is the stepping stone to success”, Mr. Amar is quite quirky when he  says, “Fortunately, it was a drastic failure”. The learning curve started from there. His meeting with Mr. Chandramohan of Hatsun was the game-changer. Mantra learnt from him- “Location is a very important aspect in the retail market.” It took quite some time for him to understand this. He was surprised that his target customers did not turn up to his kiosk though he gave best quality & service. It took a lot of determination and commitment for him to understand and rectify this issue. It is quite cinematic when he jokingly says that his first 3 employees betrayed him on the 1st day of his 1st start-up. As life always throws up surprises, he was hand-down on the floor for promoting & serving customers. He identified & trained his employees for his brand. What an irony that the owner of a chain of coffee shops does not drink coffee! MY BRAND – MY LIFELINE He started his brand with a very fascinating & catchy name. He along with his wife floated a Pvt. Ltd. Co. Deleting all the probabilities of failure, he came up with a success formula. He started back in 2017. Now, the brand houses 15 branches in Coimbatore & 2 in Chennai –All company owned, company operated outlets. He states that each and every day you have to work on the cost & sales. He says that investment in a coffee shop is much lesser than investing in a restaurant. So, new players keep pitching in every now and then and they become competitors. “We have NO USP. Our motto is to give Good coffee, Good service, Good location and best possible price ”says Mr.Amar. SECRET OF SUCCESS – how does he keep his coffee brewing? Their star product was ‘Ragi vada’ in their initial years. Nobody could replicate it. The raw materials were procured and ground by them. The key is to do extraordinary things using ordinary people. SENSE OF SATISFACTION Mr. Amar has never related himself with his brand. Whenever he was in his outlet, no one but his employees knew that he is the CEO. He always felt happy when someone spoke to him about his brand. He genuinely saw it as a justification for his business. When asked about what he wishes to say young entrants into this industry, he quickly gives his view points. Either by chance or design, you cannot make quick bucks in the retail Food & Beverage industry. Despite the fact that your idea and strategy is great, one has to be patient. Work on indirect expenses, opportunity cost , volumes and service. Contemplate on the support system you get when you take up a franchise. Mr.Amar associates with kaizen and says that the bench mark is yet to be reached. They are still working on improvising the services at their stores. Mr.Amar draws inspiration from Mr.Sivaganesh, owner (Sreedevi textiles, Coimbatore). He says that         ‘ his  service’ is unmatched in

Perfios has successfully raised $229 million at a valuation of $900 million, further expanding its presence in North America and Europe. V.R. Govindarajan, the founder, had a journey that began with working at IBM and DEC before returning to India to establish Aztec software in 1996. Aztec, a company built in India for global markets, went public in 2000 and was later acquired by MindTree in 2008. After this acquisition, Govindarajan, along with his Aztec colleague Chakraborty, envisioned a tool that could offer a unified financial dashboard. Their goal was to empower retail individuals to automate the consolidation and management of their portfolios and debt. Thus, the first version of Personal Finance One Stop (Perfios) was created. However, monetizing the tool proved challenging, given India’s limited internet user base of 93 million in 2008, and consumers were reluctant to pay for a personal finance management solution. Initially targeting CAs and wealth managers did not yield the desired results. To pivot, Perfios shifted its focus to the B2B market, enhancing its product with an analysis layer and presenting it to banks. By 2016, it had secured over 50 enterprise customers, leading to a successful Series A funding round in 2017. As of now, Perfios boasts 300 customers, positioning itself as a soonicorn, and concluded the fiscal year 2022 with a revenue of ₹136 crore. The company anticipates doubling its revenue projections for the fiscal year 2023, aiming for ₹270 crore.

Google Cloud, after 15 years of losses, is making strides towards its first profitable year. In contrast, Amazon Web Services (AWS), with 34% market share, has been a significant profit driver for Amazon, generating $23 billion in annual profits. Google’s cloud struggles stem from its emphasis on consumer-facing tech products, which differ significantly from the enterprise market. Despite launching after Microsoft’s Azure, Google fell behind in the cloud race due to its focus on simplicity rather than functionality and customer-centricity. The company experienced significant growth, but its costs soared, including expenses related to hiring and data centers. Attempts to compensate for organic shortcomings through acquisitions, such as the $550 million Firebase deal, did not immediately improve its cloud profitability. A turning point occurred with the hiring of Thomas Kurian, a cloud veteran from Oracle. Under new leadership, Google Cloud recognized that AWS and Azure were creating closed ecosystems, presenting an opportunity for Google to differentiate itself. Rather than directly engaging with clients, Google Cloud sought to win over channel partners who were being undercut by competitors. By championing open-source initiatives and attracting third-party developers, Google Cloud diversified its offerings and compensated for its lack of enterprise acumen. The company reduced marketplace commission charges for partner firms and adopted a co-selling approach. This strategy attracted over 35,000 entities to its Partner Advantage Program, with most enterprise wins now occurring through co-selling with partners like Accenture, Deloitte, and Tata Consultancy Services. As a result, Google Cloud posted profits of $395 million in the latest quarter, contributing to over 10% of Alphabet Inc.’s revenues. While the company has made progress, it holds a 10% market share, making it the third-largest cloud provider behind Azure and AWS. The question remains whether Google Cloud can close this gap and compete more closely with its rivals.

In 1994, AT&T placed the world’s first online banner ad in Hotwired magazine, marking the beginning of digital advertising. Fast forward to today, where the digital advertising market is projected to reach $19.2 billion by 2026. In this landscape, Indian startup Inshorts has made a notable impact, potentially disrupting the industry for Indian advertisers. Inshorts’ Journey: Early Years (2013-2015): Inshorts started as a Facebook page in 2013, providing news in a concise 60-word format. It quickly gained popularity, leading to the launch of a dedicated app that garnered one million downloads in six months.User-Centric Approach: Despite its popularity, Inshorts refrained from running ads on its platform for the first three years. The focus was on building for users rather than advertisers, with personalized news delivery in a fact-based 60-word format.Entry into Advertising (2016): Inshorts entered the advertising space in 2016 with its first ad featuring Airtel. By 2018, the platform had partnered with over 100 clients, including prominent brands like Netflix, Maruti Suzuki, MRF, and Audi.Maintaining Principles: Inshorts maintained its principles throughout its advertising journey. The emphasis remained on active and engaged users, with metrics such as shorts read per day considered crucial. The platform remained transparent with advertisers, avoiding false promises and offering clear demarcation for brand awareness and engagement.Innovation in Ad Formats: Inshorts focused on innovation in ad formats, moving beyond traditional display ads. The platform introduced more than six ad formats, experimenting with native, engaging, and personalized solutions for different industries.Revenue Growth: By following its principles, Inshorts achieved significant revenue growth, reaching $10 million in ARR from ads in 2019, with projections indicating it could surpass $30 million ARR by 2022. Survival and Evolution: User-First Approach: Inshorts prioritizes user experience, avoiding excessive ads that could compromise user satisfaction. The platform’s zero-tolerance for poor user experience includes options for personalized feeds and relevant content.Ad Formats and Placement: Inshorts’ ad formats seamlessly blend with the content, ensuring engagement. Popular ad formats include 60-word native ads, fact cards for engagement and awareness, magazine cards for extended engagement, and interstitial ads for awareness.Industry-Specific Customization: Inshorts tailors its advertising offerings for industry-specific use cases. For example, it created a live market replica for crypto trading platforms, demonstrating an innovative approach.Localization and Targeting: The platform is working on providing multiple language options to expand its reach. Inshorts acquired Retention.ai in 2017 to understand user patterns and behavior better, enabling effective targeting for advertisers.Clear Communication with Advertisers: Maintaining transparent communication with advertisers is crucial for Inshorts. The platform provides creative layouts and ideas, setting clear expectations from day one. Future Strategies: Innovation in Ad Formats: Inshorts plans to continue its focus on ad format innovation, improving click-through rates (CTR), introducing graphical and infographic representation ad formats, and optimizing the number of ads per user.Geographical Expansion: The platform aims to expand to more geographies, offering content in multiple languages to tap into diverse markets.Diversification of Clients: Inshorts plans to diversify its portfolio of clients beyond those focused on awareness, exploring formats or placements that lead to conversions at scale. This could open avenues for smaller brands and recurring revenue. Inshorts’ success hinges on maintaining a balance between user experience and revenue generation, and its strategic approach to advertising has positioned it as a key player in the Indian digital advertising landscape.