The 5th edition of the business contest for next-generation transport entrepreneurs brought out insightful case studies, by grads from the ‘MPOWER’ programme, an initiative by Mahindra Truck and Bus (MTB), in association with the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A). Mr. Pyare Khan of Ashmi Road Carriers from Nagpur was declared as the champion of the event.
Whenever I came across titles like “second generation entrepreneurs” or “next-gen entrepreneurs”, I had always wondered whether those titles are oxymoronic. The expressions are seemingly contradictory, partly because of the premise that since they didn’t start the business on their own, how can they be really called as entrepreneurs? Further, they inherit rich capital (both economic and social) from their previous generation, which is of immense importance in sustaining any business or economic activity. Are they really qualified enough to take forward that baton, merely because of blood relationship?
At the recently held conclave of next-gen entrepreneurs from the transport and logistics sector – the Mahindra MPOWER War Room V, my premises on the aforementioned paradox were rendered null and void. I was made to realise that any senior management role in established businesses can hardly be taken for granted these days, since the “silver spoon” days are long gone. The world is fast-changing, business worlds are expanding like anything, but we do witness so called invincible giants falling like dominoes! You either have to perform or make way for someone. More so in the trucking industry.
“MPOWER is an effort to professionalise the transport and logistics sector, something that is cardinal to the future of this industry and economy”
– Prof. G. Raghuram, Director – IIM Bangalore and transportation expert.
I would like to call it the ‘uncertainty principle’, a right metaphor derived from the quantum mechanics concept, which bluntly means simultaneous measurement of some complementary variables is impossible. In trucking logistics, one of the most dynamic businesses involving a multitude of factors and variables, you can be responsible for only those variables you can reasonably control, but not everything. Further, this industry is the bellwether of the entire economy, meaning larger risks at stakes if smaller businesses do improper jobs at their level and burden the industry altogether.
Learning the ‘Curves’
At the MPOWER War Room V discussions, I could make sense of those multitude of ‘externality’ factors impacting the transport businesses in India. The two-day event held on November 23 and 24 last year at the IIM-A campus saw 17 shortlisted new-generation entrepreneurs, who have taken up the leadership of their family-run trucking enterprises, presenting their case studies to informed juries. The participants are indeed the graduates from Mahindra’s MPOWER programme that needs no introduction.
With IIM-A as the knowledge partner, the business management programme was launched in 2013 with a vision to provide an influential platform to cater to the learning needs of young transporters. About 368 individuals from 14 batches have passed out from this programme so far.
“This programme boosted my confidence and morale as a businessman. The course helped me to realise that I need to structure my business in a formal way, by hiring skilled executives as second line of leadership, manage finances through MIS, and so on”.
– Mr. Pyare Khan, Ashmi Road Carriers (Nagpur).
As a brand extension of MPOWER to take the learning experience to the next level of self-introspection and learning, the ‘MPOWER War Room’ was launched in July 2014 with the objective of enabling delegates of previous batches to reflect on their successes and challenges in carrying forward their course learnings into their respective businesses. For War Room V, participant entries from all 14 batches were invited, who were then mentored by professional teams to develop their case studies. After a series of jury screening, 17 participants were shortlisted for detailed presentations.
The expert jury and grand jury of War Room V had representation of IIM-A faculty members and industry experts, including Prof. G. Raghuram, Director – IIM Bangalore and transportation expert. The young entrepreneurs presented their business case studies and analysis of their enterprise and its performance on various counts. The presenters discoursed on the scientific assessment of their respective firms and innovative initiatives they are spearheading, towards formalisation of various processes and overall operational efficiency. They brought out their personal experiences as next-gen entrepreneurs, while taking on the traditionally prevalent status quo in their respective organisations, and that how they struggle enough to make all the difference.
“Growth-oriented work design and defined targets were my major takeaways from MPOWER. It helped me formalise my processes and realise the best out of my resources”.
– Mr. Manoj Sahu, Ganpati Carrying Corporation (Mumbai).
The presentations were evaluated based on five parameters – analysis and identification of areas of improvement, quality of recommendations and effectiveness of implementations, impact of their MPOWER learnings on their businesses, innovative thinking, and overall presentation of their cases. Based on the cumulative scores, six finalists were selected to present their cases with the grand jury, including Ms. Kajal Kapoor of Delhi Gujarat Road Carriers (Delhi), Mr. Manoj Sahu of Ganpati Carrying Corporation (Mumbai), Mr. Pyare Khan of Ashmi Road Carriers (Nagpur), Mr. Nimit Jalan of Sri Roadlines (Mumbai), Mr. Rohan Shah of Real Ajanta Carrying Services LLP (Mumbai), and Mr. Harshit Jain of Prem Chand and Company (Delhi).
Rejuvenated passions
The following day saw informed discussions based on the case studies of the finalists. Noting that IIM-A’s speciality is case-study method of teaching, Prof. Viswanath Pingali said, “the MPOWER’s effectiveness is seen in all the case studies presented here. The War Room conclave is the application of a unique learning for everyone’s development in the transport sector”. He also added that logistics is the backbone of our economy, which helps supply meet demand, and that Mahindra serves a strategic vision in the development of this sector.
While observing that the common theme that was concurrent in all the participants’ presentations was growth and consolidation, IIM-A Prof. Arvind Sahay said that the trend is representative of the transport industry’s strident performance in recent times. “The industry is at a water-shed moment now, a great opportunity for transporters to realise their true potentials and transcend the horizons”, he noted.
“The course helped me list down the strengths and weaknesses of my firm that was a need of the hour. I gained more confidence in the business, by coming out of a shell of my own circle”.
– Ms. Kajal Kapoor, Delhi Gujarat Road Carriers (Delhi).
Later, the grand jury announced the champions of this year’s War Room contest. Mr. Pyare Khan clinched the top position for his case study, titled “Business Analysis and Organization Building to Grow”, on his brainchild company. Unlike most other participants of MPOWER, he is a first-generation entrepreneur who ventured into the transport business from a very humble background (Do refer to MOTORINDIA’s exclusive piece on Mr. Khan’s “rag to riches” story titled “Ashmi Road Carriers – Mettlesome movers” in our April 2018 issue).
Mr. Manoj Sahu, who presented on “Restructuring the Business for Growth” based on his leadership initiatives at his company, emerged as ‘first runner-up’ at the event. There was a tie for the ‘second runner-up’ position, with Ms. Kajal Kapoor and Mr. Rohan Shah sharing the award for their case studies “Becoming Cashless and Going Digital” and “Creating an organizational structure and Technological changes” respectively.
“MPOWER gave me an opportunity to exchange synergies with other enterprises including that of Mr. Pyare Khan. Three biggest learnings from the course were the importance of strong and clear organisational structure, diversification of services, and leveraging IT and other technologies”.
– Mr. Rohan Shah, Real Ajanta Carrying Services LLP (Mumbai).
It was indeed overwhelming to see brimming passion and commitment towards their businesses among the next-gen transporters. The way these new leaders are infusing innovation and new spirit in line with the fast-changing world is truly inspiring. It made me realise that the young transporters are the ‘titans’ of this industry’s future. They are here to professionalise trucking and bring the best out of it.
“It is awe-inspiring to see that MPOWER has helped the young entrepreneurs to engineer significant changes in their respective companies; it’s yet another example of Mahindra contributing to trucking entrepreneurship in the country”, claimed Mr. Rajeev Malik, Senior General Manager – Marketing and Brand, MTB.
Mahindra will felicitate all the winners at the upcoming Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards 2018. Select case studies will also be featured in the third edition of the IIM text book on transport and logistics titled “Trucking Business Management – Cases and Concepts”, thereby becoming permanent fixtures of knowledge for the transport industry.