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When we were kids, I wanted to get into the family business while he wanted to become an IAS.
Between the two of us, he was always the brains, while I was seen as the adventurous one – though I like to call it entrepreneurial.
Dhruv, my younger brother, was a state topper in his 12th grade and secured a seat in SRCC’s Economics program – arguably the toughest to crack. We all expected him to get into IAS or at least go to an IIM.
But plot twist – at 20, just as he completed his degree, Dhruv dropped a bombshell: no IAS, no IIMs. Instead, he decided to head back to Agra to grow our family business. Today, he looks like a visionary, but back then, he had us all puzzled.
But just as my family respected my decision to prepare for the IAS, we all respected his choice too.
While the diversity and scalability led me to switch sides, I’ve always been curious about what made him take the opposite route. And what better occasion than Raksha Bandhan to finally get inside his head and find out?
Here is what he said!
1. Family: Business allows me to stay close to family, which is not possible in an All India Service like the IAS.
2. Compounding: Growth is the norm in business but an exception in bureaucracy. In a conventional business, sustained moderate growth is quite achievable. Especially after retirement, compounding can be carried forward by the next generation, whereas in bureaucracy, the next generation has to start from the bottom again.
3. Transferability: If you don’t feel like doing your job, you can’t transfer it to anyone else. However, a business can not only be transferred as an asset but also preserves past compounding.
4. Freedom: Probably the most important factor. Having independent, robust processes allows me to enjoy my own free time at my discretion without needing to apply for CL/EL.
5. Huge Potential Upside: Having a separate family business protects my downside. In my own business, I can take risks and reap the benefits of those risks and efforts, leading to infinite potential upside.
6. Low Marginal Benefit of Having Two Civil Servants: With one sibling already in the IAS, the benefits of having another are minimal, if not negative.
7. Bootstrapped: Having the capital to bootstrap the business gives me the freedom to grow at my own comfortable pace and with patience, without the pressures associated with external funding.
While I, for my biases, can’t fully agree with him, it’s interesting to see his side of things.
Even with our differing paths and divergent views—and since it’s Raksha Bandhan days after all—I have to admit, he’s still not just the smartest but also the wisest person I know.
Happy Rakshabandhan!
