'First, develop the ability to sell -- to persuade, negotiate and close. Second, understand the financial mechanics that determine where value pools and how profits are captured,' says Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal.
Anupam Mittal, the entrepreneur behind Shaadi.com and Shark Tank India judge, has sparked a viral conversation about what truly makes a successful businessperson.
His advice? Forget romanticised notions of disruption and get your hands dirty with sales before diving deep into cold, hard numbers.
In the glittering world of start-up unicorns and billion-dollar valuations, Mittal is offering a dose of unglamorous reality.
Anupam recently took to LinkedIn (external link) to share what he calls the 'dhandha mindset' -- a street-smart approach to business that has nothing to do with business school theories and everything to do with survival instincts forged in the trenches.
The early hustle: Where business sense is born
Anupam's philosophy stems from his own adolescent experiments with entrepreneurship.
Reflecting on his formative years, he revealed a pattern of ambitious failures that ultimately shaped his business DNA.
'At 13, I thought renting books would make me rich. At 16, I tried to build a sports club,' he shared, adding that he launched several hustles during his college years.
The verdict? 'Most failed. All taught me one thing -- selling.'
These weren't merely teenage misadventures -- they were his unofficial MBA, teaching him persuasion, negotiation and influence in ways no classroom ever could.
This is where Anupam's first prescription for aspiring entrepreneurs begins: Start selling and start early. Whether it's a product, a project or selling yourself to land a job, the act of selling builds what he describes as critical survival instincts.
It's in these moments of trying to convince someone to part with their money or attention that real business acumen develops.
Beyond the sale: Understanding where money actually lives
But Anupam's advice doesn't stop at becoming a master salesperson. In fact, he argues that selling alone can leave you vulnerable to your own storytelling. This is where his second pillar comes in: Understanding the financial architecture of industries.
'Because finance strips away the romance of 'disruption' and shows you the raw truth -- where margins lie, where capital flows and where profit pools actually sit.'
He recommends that young professionals spend time in finance roles, particularly equity analysis or investment banking, to strip away the buzzwords and see how businesses genuinely generate returns.
Too many operators, he suggests, become intoxicated by their own narratives. They talk about disruption, innovation and changing the game but they miss the fundamental question: Where does the money actually come from? Which parts of the value chain capture the most margin? Where does capital naturally flow and why?
Finance professionals, he argues, develop a scepticism that serves as a valuable counterbalance to entrepreneurial optimism. They are trained to ask uncomfortable questions about unit economics, customer acquisition costs and sustainable competitive advantages.
This analytical lens, combined with the hustle and persuasion skills honed through selling, creates what Anupam calls true 'dhandha' sensibility.
The dhandha mindset: Forged, not taught
His core message challenges conventional wisdom about business education. 'Sell something. Anything. Then spend a year or two learning how industries really make money,' he advises.
This two-pronged approach -- practical selling experience followed by deep financial literacy -- is what separates business operators who thrive from those who struggle.
'Because dhandha is not taught in classrooms. It's forged in the trenches of selling and sharpened by the discipline of numbers.'
Dhandha -- a Hindi word that roughly translates to business or trade but carries connotations of street smarts and practical dealings -- is deliberately chosen. It signals a philosophy rooted in pragmatism rather than in theory, in demonstrated results rather than in projected pitch decks.
Anupam's post resonated widely, drawing reactions from entrepreneurs, finance professionals and business students across India. The commentary revealed that his message had struck a nerve in the start-up ecosystem that is sometimes criticised for prioritising storytelling over fundamentals.
One reader commented, 'Great post! Businesses are built through failure, learning from it and keeping ego aside. Business is trial and error.'
A finance professional wrote, 'Coming from finance, this hits home. Selling teaches you to chase opportunity; finance teaches you to respect gravity. That's when business stops being theory and starts becoming judgment.'
Others praised the synthesis Mittal proposed.
'The best founders start in the trenches but rise to the balcony,' one user observed, capturing the journey from hands-on execution to strategic oversight.
Another declared, 'Dhandha isn't just business, it's a mindset. Those who sell learn to survive; those who understand numbers learn to win. Massive respect!'
A counter-narrative to start-up glamour
What makes Anupam's advice particularly potent is its timing.
In an era where young founders often race to raise venture capital, build minimum viable products and scale before establishing product-market fit, his message offers a sobering alternative pathway: Start with something to sell -- anything.
Learn to close deals, handle rejection read people, and adapt your pitch. Only then, armed with that commercial instinct, dive into understanding how industries actually function economically.
This isn't advice designed to inspire; it's advice designed to prepare. Anupam isn't selling dreams of overnight success or viral growth. He's offering a blueprint for building the kind of business judgment that sustains companies through multiple market cycles, pivots and challenges.
The two pillars stand firm
For Anupam Mittal, who has built and scaled companies like Shaadi.com and Makaan.com over two decades, the formula remains unchanged. First, develop the ability to sell -- to persuade, negotiate and close. Second, understand the financial mechanics that determine where value pools and how profits are captured.
Together, these skills create what he calls the 'dhandha mindset' -- a practical, numbers-aware, commercially sharp approach to building businesses that don't just raise funding or generate headlines but actually make money and create sustainable value.
In a world obsessed with disruption narratives and unicorn valuations, Anupam's message is refreshingly unromantic: Master the art of the deal, then master the science of the spreadsheet. Everything else is commentary.
