Figuring Out with Raj Shamani

Order my first book here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Toshan Tamhane, an avid adventurer who lives with 1 aim - “regret minimization - you only live once”.

He followed the conventional IIM-A to consulting path - spent 18+ years at McKinsey across 55+ countries, advising billionaires, making deals, and building businesses. Then, a bit bored and a bit reflective, I ventured into traditional corporate roles with a passion for investing, M&As, digital builds & sustainability.

Currently trying to make the full use of 24 hours every day, I also invest in start-ups (~30+ investments), teach in B-schools, serve as an active Board member, and write extensively.

Managing 2 kids (and my wife) is an adventure of a different order. To do this efficiently, he keeps himself fit by climbing mountains in Nepal & the Alps as well as practicing intense sports (kickboxing, bouldering, capoeira, running marathons).

Lastly, he tries to meet and learn from at least 1 person every week - that's 52 intense conversations.

Will you be the next?

•   •   •

🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

☑️ Subscribe to Figuring Out Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FiguringOutClips

•   •   •

Toshan's Social Media Handles ⤵︎

LinkedIn: Toshan Tamhane
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toshan-tamhane-b3b641/

Twitter: @TamhaneToshan
https://twitter.com/TamhaneToshan

0:00 How Steve Redgrave became 5x Olympic Champion 
4:33 Toshan’s Sports role model
8:13 How important is attention to detail 
12:40 What does Toshan Tamhane do
13:45 What exactly does a CSO do? 
15:30 The most important skill for a CSO 
16:47 What role does Raj have in his startup 
17:56 How Steve Jobs vision led to Apple’s success
19:05 Alex Ferguson’s role in Manchester United’s Success
20:40 3 books every aspiring CEO should read 
28:20 Do books help in real life? 
29:35 3 best books that Raj has read
31:40 What does a CFO do? 
38:05 What does a COO do? 
40:35 Best books for CFO and COO
42:50 difference between Startups and Corporate
48:40 Why failed startups are important 
50:40 Why a startup shouldn’t chase a big market
52:00 Should you follow trends or passion in Business?
56:15 Founder vs Market in a Business 
1:00:00 Peter Thiel’s Unconventional School  
1:01:00 How gut feeling can turn into a business
1:04:25 Most important functions of a startup 
1:06:45 How to develop problem solving skills
1:17:50 Good vs Bad problem solvers 
1:23:30 Why are their 2 Mafias in India 
1:28:30 How can people get CEO skills?
1:33:35 Toshan’s top 3 learnings 
1:38:50 Why and When do businesses need consulting
1:45:45 The right way to scale a business 
1:53:15 Closing the loop 

About Raj Shamani
Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion economy space.

To Know More,
Follow Raj Shamani On ⤵︎

Instagram @RajShamani
https://www.instagram.com/rajshamani/

Twitter @RajShamani
https://twitter.com/rajshamani

Facebook @ShamaniRaj
https://www.facebook.com/shamaniraj

LinkedIn - Raj Shamani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajshamani/

Order my first book here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Priyanka Khimani, founder of Khimani & Associates, a full-service law firm that is highly recognized for its entertainment and intellectual property practice. We talk about
- Her life's journey and career
- Work life balance
- Connecting, convincing and networking with people
- Her experience of working with celebrities and more!

She has been able to coalesce her legal expertise with her sharp business sense, and in the process, has emerged as an opinion leader with a deeply nuanced understanding of an ever-changing technology and entertainment landscape.

Much of her legal career has been devoted to bridging gaps in the consumption of Indian music between the East and the West with a purpose to ultimately connect artists with its global audience.

Her counsel is highly regarded in eminent product launches, mergers and acquisitions in the technology and entertainment sector, as well as market entry by foreign multinationals.

• Listed as one of India’s “top individual lawyers” by Forbes in the first edition of its “India Legal Powerlist” in 2020.
• Recognized as one of the most “Powerful Women in IP” in India in 2021 by the World IP Forum.
• Elected as the first Chairperson of the India Chapter of “Women in Music” (“WIM”), a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to championing the female voice across global music spaces.
• The only Indian to be invited to speak during the Grammy Week in January, 2018, and is a regular speaker at NylonConnect.
• The only Indian lawyer to be invited to the prestigious “MIDEM” conference since 2017.

•   •   •

🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

☑️ Subscribe to Figuring Out Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FiguringOutClips

•   •   •

Priyanka Khimani's Social Media Handles ⤵︎

Instagram @priyankakhimani
https://www.instagram.com/priyankakhimani

Twitter @PriyankaKhimani
https://twitter.com/priyankakhimani

00:00 Introduction
04:40 Maximizing your Capital
06:10 Importance of Networking
08:00 A moment that shaped your life and career
11:35 Adapting a legal American show in Indian context
14:50 Lata Mangeshkar as your first client
20:30 The cancel and troll culture
23:00 Work life balance
26:20 Your Law life and 'Suits'
30:00 Consumer product vs Intellectual services
32:30 More than just lawyers
34:40 Creators needing a lawyer
40:00 Saving Digital Assets
48:30 Building relationships
53:20 Connecting people
58:20 Convincing people
1:02:00 The hardest thing you've faced
1:06:35 Less women entrepreneurs
1:13:40 How can we help build woman entrepreneurs
1:21:00 Working and learning with the top talents 
1:34:54 Maintaining relationships while working
1:39:15 Interviewing Priyanka for her own Company! 

Follow me and my content on other social media handles:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajshamani/​
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajshamani/​
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rajshamani​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shamaniraj

Raj Shamani is a business content creator, an entrepreneur, an investor, and a renowned keynote speaker. He is a businessman at heart. 

Raj helps businesses and startups become recognized brands and influential leaders through various marketing and business tactics. He is the driving force behind several top brands’ 360-degree brand-building approach. 

Besides, Raj is also an active angel investor and is particularly interested in crazy minds who are creating a se

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Asish Mohapatra,  Co-Founder of two unicorns startups in India. 

OfBusiness turned unicorn with a $160 mn funding round that came on July 31, 2021, thereby becoming the 18th Indian startup to turn unicorn in 2021.

Link to watch the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV5hpZRJtSY

-------------
00:00 - Introduction
03:13 - What content Asish consume?
06:13 - How to achieve top in everything?
09:20 - How did Asish get inspiration?
13:08 - Why doesn't Asish have his own cabin?
16:34 - Top 5 principles of Asish Mohapatra
21:23 - Why don’t make plan B
23:21 - Dhanda approach
25:08 - Everyone should be a salesman
27:08 - How to build a billion dollar business?
36:49 - 4 big billion dollar businesses in India
42:55 - Dollar Vs Euro
45:00 - How to export?
49:08 - How Asish learn business?
51:55 - Role model of Asish
52:53 - Why was Asish a terrible investor?
58:26 - Investment philosophy of Asish
59:21 - How I receive investment from Asish
1:03:27 - 7 steps to become successful
1:07:51 - How to find your passion?
1:11:03 - I have stopped celebrating
1:14:43 - Why startups fail in India?
1:24:07 - Commitment vs Competency
1:28:51 - Which business Asish likes the most?
1:39:36 - Top 3 business fundamentals
1:40:35 - Why should business be complex?
1:43:51 - Where does Asish invest?
1:46:24 - How to become an alpha?
1:56:22 - How to become a better salesman?
2:03:39 - Conclusion

Preorder my first book here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Sharan Hegde and we have discussed:
-Should you buy a house or rent it?
-Why content creation is a great career?
-How to get started with content creation?
-Why creating content on Linkedin is necessary if you are in the corporate world?
-What are the biggest money mistakes people make in their 20s?

Sharan Hegde is the founder of Finance with Sharan, where through his social media channels he creates content to educate people about finance, money management and investments. He is a former consultant who worked on strategy projects with banks and NBFCs. 

He began his influencer journey during the pandemic. After consuming hours of video content and studying various content creators all over the world, he started his own venture focused on the one buzzword that puzzles all millennials today - personal finance. He has over a million followers on his Instagram channel @Finance With Sharan.

Sharan's Social Media Handles ⤵︎

Instagram @Finance With Sharan  
https://www.instagram.com/financewithsharan/

Twitter @financewsharan
https://twitter.com/financewsharan

•   •   •

🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

☑️ Subscribe to Figuring Out Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FiguringOutClips

•   •   •

00:00 - Introduction
03:35 - Why should everyone become a content creator?
05:19 - Why should you create content on Linkedin?
10:20 - Structure of a Story on Linkedin
15:12 - Low attention span of people
16:08 - Why are people not able to grow on Instagram?
20:46 - How to win an Indian audience?
23:31 - How much time will it take to go from 0 to 100k on Insta?
27:12 - 3 Things to ace content creation
33:23 - Why do people quit content creation?
36:50 - Biggest money mistake
43:42 - Trading Vs Long Term Investing
45:34 - People should know this about Sharan
54:22 - What Sharan is most confident about?
57:27 - Conclusion

About Raj Shamani
Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion economy space.

To Know More,
Follow Raj Shamani On ⤵︎

Instagram @RajShamani
https://www.instagram.com/rajshamani/

Twitter @RajShamani
https://twitter.com/rajshamani

Facebook @ShamaniRaj
https://www.facebook.com/shamaniraj

LinkedIn - Raj Shamani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajshamani/

•   •   •

#Podcast #FiguringOut #RajShamani

About Figuring Out
Figuring Out Podcast is a Candid Conversations University where Raj Shamani brings raw conversations with the Top 1% in India. Become an exceptional speaker and own any room you enter with your confidence: https://m.rajshamani.com/4UtT

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
03:18 - Smaller cities are better than Tier 1 cities
06:38 - Why is greed good?
08:05 - Economy Vs Business in flights
13:36 - Flipkart Vs McKinsey
15:38 - Superpower of Founders
18:17 - How do you develop connection with your team?
24:15 - Raj’s biggest mistake in his entrepreneurship journey
26:19 - Biggest mistake of Shantanu in Bombay Shaving Company
29:49 - Founders should not be optimistic?
36:20 - Why did you choose entrepreneurship?
42:11 - Every successful person is privileged
44:05 - Wealth vs Privilege
50:38 - Parents on their kids success
54:45 - Biggest opportunity for our generation
56:51 - American Investment in India
57:27 - Story behind Bombay Shaving Company
1:04:50 - Large businesses vs startups
1:07:51 - Brands in India
1:11:52 - How to find the startup idea?
1:19:22 - How to judge the value system of Founders?
1:24:53 - 3 important things in startup ideas
1:27:32 - Most successful unsexy businesses in India
1:33:54 - Why Parachute is successful?
1:37:01 - Consumer brands in India
1:38:07 - Should businesses be profitable from beginning?
1:42:17 - How do founders make money?
1:47:13 - Work life balance
1:53:15 - Shantanu on his 18 hours work Linkedin post
2:00:14 - How to build a brand?
2:05:04 - Next big opportunity in India?
2:07:45 - How can we improve?
2:11:26 - Interview round for CEO of Bombay Shaving Company
2:17:22 - Conclusion

Preorder the book here: https://rb.gy/n5nt2w

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO of Byju's, the biggest edtech startup and we have discussed:

-How did Byju’s become the biggest edtech startup?
-How BYJU's Became the Most Valued Startup of India?
-Why did Byju invest his own money in his startup?
-Why did they sponsor the FIFA World Cup and Cricket World Cup?
-What’s happening with Byju’s employees?

BYJU'S was founded in the year 2011 by Byju Raveendran. He is India's youngest billionaire with a net worth of $3.05 billion as per the Forbes list of India's 100 Richest People (2020). BYJU's The Learning App was launched in 2015 and is currently noted as the most valuable startup from India with a valuation of $22 bn.

Coming from Azhikode, a small village in Kerala, Byju Raveendran was an engineer with a shipping company based in the UK. While he was working, he started to help his friends prepare for the CAT exam, an entrance exam for getting into the best business schools in India. To test himself, Byju also gave the exam and secured 100 percentile! He did not join any of the IIMs but started teaching students for their mathematics exams.

Initially, he took mathematics workshops for free and then started charging a fee when he was confident about his prowess. At one point his workshops were so popular that more than 20000 students participated in one such workshop. In the year 2009, he started to record videos of the workshops he organized.

His former students who graduated from the IIMs encouraged him to start BYJU’s classes. ‘Think and Learn Pvt Ltd’ was then formed to create content for school students. He launched Byju’s – The Learning App in 2015, and the app was downloaded by more than 5.5 million people in the first year itself.

•   •   •

🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

☑️ Subscribe to Figuring Out Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FiguringOutClips

•   •   •

00:00 - Introduction
03:23 - Early life of Byju
05:41 - His parents role in his journey
07:40 - Monitoring vs Mentoring
09:46 - How Maths should be taught? 
11:03 - Byju Raveendran's childhood
17:24 - His mindset during his surgeries
20:00 - What he learnt from his parents?
27:11 - Tough time of his life
30:27 - Why Byju's endorse Bollywood and Cricket?
32:48 - Biggest challenge for entrepreneurs
34:09 - His take on work life balance
41:11 - How to create Founders?
43:07 - How was BYJU's Started
46:58 - Byju's growth hack
53:16 - Why people are bullish on India?
1:01:57 - Byju's next global brand from India?
1:04:41 - Hiring vs Firing
1:08:15 - How to keep your team together?
1:12:13 - When should you raise funds?
1:16:15 - Acquisitions of Byju's
1:19:38 - What people misunderstood about Byju's?
1:29:04 - Byju on dealing with hate on social media
1:37:32 - What should founders focus on?
1:39:02 - How to get customers?
1:43:09 - Why there is so much negative noise about Byju's in media?
1:45:55 - Why there was audit delay?
1:47:15 - Akash payment
1:48:01 - Self funding in Byju's
1:50:12 - Future of Education in India
1:52:24 - Next big industry in India?
1:54:34 - Entrepreneurship in India Vs US 
1:57:27 - Byjus Raveendran's advice to all of us

About Raj Shamani
Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion

Preorder the book here: https://rb.gy/n5nt2w

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Sharan Hegde and we have discussed "Top 7 Things About Money Which Every Person Should Know In Their 20s To Make A Lot Of Money".

Sharan Hegde is the founder of Finance with Sharan, where through his social media channels he creates content to educate people about finance, money management and investments. He is a former consultant who worked on strategy projects with banks and NBFCs.

He began his influencer journey during the pandemic. After consuming hours of video content and studying various content creators all over the world, he started his own venture focused on the one buzzword that puzzles all millennials today - personal finance. He has over a million followers on his Instagram channel  @Finance With Sharan .

Sharan's Social Media Handles ⤵︎

Instagram  @Finance With Sharan  
https://www.instagram.com/financewithsharan/

Twitter @financewsharan
https://twitter.com/financewsharan

•   •   •

🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

☑️ Subscribe to Figuring Out Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FiguringOutClips

•   •   •

00:00 - Introduction
00:47 - Book launch announcement
02:15 - Make money through wifi
03:44 - Money you need for retirement
05:04 - Money is time not price
06:32 - Know your risk appetite
07:36 - Making money vs cutting cost
10:44 - Invest in liquid asset classes
13:20 - How to generate wealth?
18:35 - Conclusion

About Raj Shamani
Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion economy space.

To Know More,
Follow Raj Shamani On ⤵︎

Instagram @RajShamani
https://www.instagram.com/rajshamani/

Twitter @RajShamani
https://twitter.com/rajshamani

Facebook @ShamaniRaj
https://www.facebook.com/shamaniraj

LinkedIn - Raj Shamani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajshamani/

•   •   •

#Podcast #FiguringOut #RajShamani

About Figuring Out
Figuring Out Podcast is a Candid Conversations University where Raj Shamani brings raw conversations with the Top 1% in India. Become an exceptional speaker and own any room you enter with your confidence: https://m.rajshamani.com/4UtT

Order my first book 'Build, Don't Talk' here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

--------------
Link to watch the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcAXML17cJQ
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In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast with Raj Shamani, we are in conversation with Srikanth Subramanian, CEO of Kotak Cherry.

Kotak Mahindra Bank is one of the leading banks and financial services groups. Kotak Bank offers a wide range of banking and financial services such as investment banking, personal banking, general insurance, life insurance, and wealth management. To enhance its banking and services and make users more independent and knowledgeable, Kotak has introduced a new financial product and platform called Cherry by Kotak.

Kotak Cherry is a one stop solution for all investments — mutual funds, gold, ETFs, NPS, bonds, stocks and much more. This platform helps people invest like experts as it has lots of rich content, easy calculators, and financial/investment tools to assist in getting the ideas and knowledge of investing. On Cherry you can invest using your Savings Account of any other Bank! Simple journeys, easy navigation, news and insights, all this is jargon-free — It's a complete Do-It-Yourself platform where you are the master!

-------------

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
02:26 - Investing is not art
07:18 - How to get rich quick?
09:46 - Spending Vs Investing
14:43 - Top 3 skills you need to learn
18:50 - Kotak journey
19:38 - How to upgrade business acumen?
23:31 - What is capitalism?
26:59 - Capitalism Vs Socialism
30:03 - Why can't Indians create wealth?
33:46 - Top 5 opportunities in India
37:19 - Story behind name Kotak Cherry
39:40 - What can Cherry do for us?
46:06 - What’s wrong with investment platforms?
49:30 - How other parts of the world affect India’s economy?
54:46 - Recession in India?
57:40 - One advice for investors
59:45 - Conclusion

Order my first book 'Build, Don't Talk' here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

In this latest episode of Figuring Out Podcast we are in conversation with Ananth Narayanan, founder and CEO of Mensa Brands.

The former CEO of Myntra, an Indian fashion ecommerce company, started Mensa Brands and within six months was able to reach a billion-dollar valuation and became India’s fastest unicorn.

Before becoming CEO of Myntra, Narayanan was working at McKinsey and was able to reach the position of managing partner. His experience as a managing consultant to various businesses became a huge asset in acquiring and growing digital global brands.

Mensa kick-started its journey in May 2021 with a vision to partner and invest in digital-first brands across fashion and apparel, home and garden, beauty and personal care and food and scale them exponentially. Mensa works closely with founding teams to accelerate growth on marketplaces, through the brand's own websites, and global platforms by using a combination of initiatives across product, pricing, marketing, distribution, and brand building with a technology platform at the core.
-------------------------
Link to watch the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8H097tYBi4
-------------
Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
02:45 - Engineering Vs Consulting
04:58 - How to make sure you are joining the right company?
06:40 - How to build a reputation?
10:53 - How to hire the first 5 people?
13:59 - Why hire a tech person?
16:46 - 3 things to look for in an operations person CV?
19:21 - Sourcing Person in D2C Business
20:28 - Consulting to Startup
23:33 - How to scale your business?
24:59 - Why is the USA a world power?
26:58 - Why is China rising so fast?
28:51 - Growth of India in next 10 years
32:05 - Purchasing price parity in India
36:42 - How to increase profits in D2C?
39:42 - Brand building in D2C
45:33 - Top 3 Brands
46:42 - Demographics in terms of higher spending power
48:33 - How to build customer retention in D2C?
51:26 - Right time to get into entrepre

Order my first book 'Build, Don't Talk' here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu
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In the latest episode of the Figuring Out Podcast, we are in conversation with Akash Sinha, CEO & Co-founder of Cashfree Payments, India’s leading payments and API banking company, a IIIT and ex-Amazon employee.

Akash Sinha and Reeju Datta started Cashfree Payments in 2015 and initially, they were digitizing offline COD payments. Then in April 2016, they got into the online space completely. When they started, it was just Reeju and Akash, along with another member who handled sales. At the time, Akash and Reeju started out by powering small restaurants in Bangalore. They were focused on night delivery restaurants, as it was a segment that required alternate options for cash payments. So, night delivery restaurants are where they found their very first users.

Today, they help businesses of all sizes accept payments, make payouts, verify bank accounts, Aadhaar, PAN, and more.

In this podcast, we had an amazing conversation about digital transactions, the role of payments in the growth of startups and small businesses, and more. Watch the episode till the end to know the complete details.
-------------------------
Link to watch the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLvlWo_2UVI
-------------

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
00:56 - Tech industry in India
07:11 - How to make a business tech savvy?
10:04 - Story behind Cashfree
12:08 - How to hire the right team?
14:00 - Key learnings in Amazon
18:54 - How to spot a good business idea?
21:07 - Future of Banking system in India?
22:03 - Where is India moving?
26:42 - Importance of Fintech for every industry
28:12 - How Fintech helps small businesses to grow?
38:51 - Why do businesses fail?
42:16 - Every small business comes online or not?
43:34 - How can online businesses attract customers?
45:54 - 3 key attributes to make  a startup successful
53:32 - How can people scale their business?
1:00:52 - Books every entrepreneur should read
1:04:34 - How are you helping offline businesses to grow?
1:09:46 - Why are small businesses not able to grow on a large scale?