The Costa Coffee Calculation
Third week of the month. 65% of target achieved. My distributor calls and says, "No more billing. My ROI is worse than a bank FD." My team had already accepted defeat.
When 400 Became 164
New Branch Manager. First strategy download at HQ. Handed a "benchmark database" showing 400+ retail outlets in Chandigarh. Target: cover 160 of them. My distributors looked at the list and said two words: "It's wrong."
The 48-Hour Warehouse Siege
We'd decided to replace our super distributor in Rajasthan. One problem: he was holding ₹12 crores of our inventory. If he dumped it at distress prices, market pricing would collapse across the state.
The Birthday Cake Philosophy
Competitors offered better margins. Bigger schemes. More incentives. Yet when I needed that extra push during month-end, when I had supply crises, when rivals tried to poach my partners — they stayed.
The Five Bosses Who Made Me
I didn't learn leadership from a book. I learned it from watching. Some taught me what to do. Others taught me what never to do. Both were equally valuable.
