Running a business – lessons learnt from the movie Sholay.

The title of this post is not merely to entice readers into reading this post – this post is exactly about how running a business is akin to a movie full of action, drama, comedy and suspense; Sholay

Lean and Mean

Remember how to thugs got into the business of saving lives of hundreds of villagers of Rampur? A lean and mean team goes a long way. Theirs was a lean and mean startup (as opposed to the police force) that broke into an established business domain because there was a need (to protect the villagers from dacoits).

Bol diya hai to kar denge

The two small time thugs are true to their word, whatever the risks they take them head on and that’s an important factor contributing to their success. Like Jay tells Veeru “Partner, ab bol hee diya hai to dekh lenge” So, as an entrepreneur, never back out of your commitments.

Veeru se takkar?

Nothing speaks louder than confidence in your abilities. Know your strengths well and use them all the time.

Ye dosti hum nahi todenge

Founders of a business go way beyond being business partners – they become inseparable. They value their relationship and trust each other completely.

Jo dar gaya samjho mar gaya!

Fear is the worst enemy of a business enterprise. Dare, and you will win.

Loha garam hai, maar do hatoda

Know your strengths and capitalize on opportunities. Letting go of opportunities that come your way is not an optimal way of running a business.

Mujhe Gabbar chahiye. Zinda

While your investor (Thakur) trusts your abilities, he has an ulterior motive. VC’s always have ulterior motives.

The above is not an exhaustive list of sholayisms and I intend to keep adding to it as I discover them. Hope my readers enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed watching the movie.

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