One Guaranteed Hack to Succeed in your Business
It has nothing to do with your competition
14 Jan is a very auspicious day according to Hindu calendar and celebrated widely all across India. In Gujarat (one of the Indian states), it is known as Uttarayan and people fly kites everywhere as a way to celebrate it. This year, I happened to be in Ahmedabad (capital of Gujarat) on this day. To experience the traditional festivities, a family friend took us to Heritage House in old city. It is the name of the Haveli of Mr. Jagdip Mehta who runs it as a homestay as well (pretty popular on AirBnB).
We were 5 people and only one of us knew Mr. Mehta directly. We entered his courtyard and it was full of people. Our family friend introduced us and told him, “We are here to view the kite festivities.” Mr. Mehta was already smiling. He came and shook hands with each of us, requested us to eat something. We politely declined and headed upstairs to the terrace (that is where you see the real kite fight). It took climbing 3 storeys of extremely narrow and closecut staircases. This was around 3 pm and sun was harsh. Many of the people were taking a rest and the sky had only a handful of kites. We sat and chatted for 15 minutes when Mr. Jagdip came upstairs with a plate full of chikkis (sweet peanut wafers) for us which we devoured after our initial hesitation.
He suggested that we rest inside for another half an hour and then head back to the terrace again. We were sweating by now and gladly accepted his proposal. As we sat down, he told us about his 200 year old haveli and how he and his wife run it as a homestay. He mentioned they have 14 rooms, all filled with guests from various countries as this was peak season for them. Then, he showed us an album of previous guests, media coverage and various activities they do there (henna, saree wearing workshop etc). He told us how they harvest rainwater and we were all engrossed in his story.
Then, he invited us for a tour. He took us to another part of the house upstairs and showed us the rich decor including Italian ceiling, 100 year old Dutch painted mirrors, etc etc. The glass painted windows, the traditional lanterns, a replica of Ravi Verma’s painting etc. He told us that the house has been featured in some famous Hindi movies such as Kaipoche and Raees.
By the time we reached downstairs again, he insisted and served us a thali of famous undhiyu jalebi and puris (the traditional delicacies of Gujarat). We started slow but soon found ourselves asking for more. By this time, his homeguests had arrived. They were a mixed bunch of crowd from West and other parts of India. He took us all to the terrace and we witnessed a colorful evening of KaiPoChe (when one kite cuts another).
As we bade him farewell at the terrace, he was still beaming at his guests and so effortlessly hospitable. He didn’t ask us for anything. The moment we reached downstairs, a whiff of nice strong tea hit us. I was truly salivating for tea at that time. His wife told us, “No, you cannot leave without having chai first.” Ah, it was delightful. We had a good cup of tea and left with complete satisfaction.
I have already posted about his homestay on Instagram, Quora and now I am writing this. And I realise he or his wife never once asked us for any favors while showering us with their hospitality. I told our family friend that he must be really special to Mr. Jagdip for getting us to experience all this. But he told me that he knows him very superficially. We were not getting any special treatment, this is how Jagdip and his wife talk to anyone who reaches their doorstep.
Jagdip Mehta is a born host and in this case, businessman. He has no formal business education but Gujaratis are known to be keen businessmen as a clan in India. What he did with us is an example of most organic marketing and sales — so organic that it is not even marketing, it is simply being. He lives his business. And I mean it in a very admirable way. I am not even implying that this was a deliberate tactic on his part.
PS. Link to heritage House — Heritage House in Ahmedabad
He has made me spread word about his business for no incentive whatsoever. That is what makes him so good at his business.
The key to succeeding at your business is to breathe it, live it and bleed it. The irony is that he may never even have heard of Paul Graham :)
At that level of existence, competition and other external factors do not matter as much. This is how most of the great businesses started when their founders had a ‘oneness’ with their venture. They flourished together. As next generations come and treat it as a business they have to grow, they start struggling.
There is no growth hack here. Pure intentions.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going — Beverly Sills
