"We are all impostors who must deploy a fiction that captures imaginations and capital to pull the future forward and turn rhyme into reason." - The importance of story / narrative in business was one of my earliest lessons in business thanks to dad. 1/12
profgalloway.com/tell-me-a-stor…
profgalloway.com/tell-me-a-stor…
He ran a biscuit company in Kerala in the 90s with the tagline "fostering health". As someone who got diabetes in his late twenties, health held a strong value for him as he launched an array of biscuits with a focus on health, starting with India's first sugar free biscuit. 2/12 
He followed it up with a high protein biscuit (Chickee Bickee), a fibre rich biscuit (Fibrich) and a spicy biscuit (Karu Muru). Of course, the major business happened in the usual variants already familiar to the market, but these products helped the brand stand out. 3/12
Apparently, the then Home Minister of India enquired about the sugar free biscuit when dad received an award from the central government. By then, he had expanded into manufacturing confectioneries, wafers and ice cream cones and printing of packets. 4/12
But like many overstressed start-up bosses that we see, he too suffered a heart attack in 2002, prompting a step back from manufacturing. In 2005, after setting up his last unit, a bread and cookie factory near Kozhikode, he sold his story, nearly two decades in the making. 5/12
However, while the entrepreneurs tell their story, an investor need not be taken in by it. Talk is cheap, but sales talk can be expensive, if you don't do your due diligence. The onus is on the investor to assess what they hear. 6/12
It was again in the 90s that I was introduced to this "strange language" of the people working in sales. Dad had a good network of distributors across the state and on rare occasions, I would also accompany him when he visited them. 7/12
In an era when companies only had one distributor in a district, dad got a better reach with multiple distributors. Being a distributor himself, he knew the futility of serving a large area, and was aware of the importance of maintaining a good rapport with distributors. 8/12
As a school kid, it was fun for me to travel to all the major towns in the state (except Munnar & Nilambur) with dad. But it also meant I got to interact with the sales staff and the distributors and learn a bit.
And the first lesson was to never to trust what they say. :) 9/12
And the first lesson was to never to trust what they say. :) 9/12
Just like an entrepreneur's dream, we often prefer to project our best selves. But over time, we need to be able to develop a baseline and recognize the gap between dreams and results.
Getting fooled once is fine (If you can afford it), but twice is not. 10/12
Getting fooled once is fine (If you can afford it), but twice is not. 10/12
So, form your own opinions and make your own decisions. The decision to do something or not do something is always yours. It may be correct or incorrect, but it is for you to live your life and not for you to let others take it over. 11/12
Be sincere and honest in your conservations. It makes life easy for everyone.
(Also if you frame it well, it is easier to deceive by saying the truth) 12/12
(Also if you frame it well, it is easier to deceive by saying the truth) 12/12
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