TBT to that time I found a friend in Grant Sahag at NUMA

A few months ago I travelled to the United States to participate in the accelerator program hosted by NUMA - a New York-based organization that helps cultivate an atmosphere of growth and learning for budding global start-ups. Entrepreneurs with varying business experience are invited to interact with each other, pick each other’s brains and basically become an overall supportive community.

I was fortunate to be paired up with Grant Sahag, VP - Operations of Bank Novo. As is usual, meeting a stranger for the first time can be a little awkward, but Grant was fluent with breaking the ice and soon we began to delve deeper into our respective ventures. I shared with him my plan for Royal Brothers and the dream I have about making it THE trusted mobility platform in India, if not on an international scale. I must say, he was impressed with my introduction about Royal Brothers, and soon we were chatting about topics beyond business.

We spoke at length as equals, exchanging ideas and thoughts we have learnt along the way. One of the things that I really admired about Grant was his real concern with his team members. I think that’s what connected us the most. We both care about the people we work with and want them to be the best versions of themselves at the workplace and even in their personal lives. I don’t find it an interference with my time when a team member comes to me to talk about issues that could be work related or just something that’s personal. There is a level of respect I hold for them, and I’m sure they already know that.

Grant also shared with me that in life, it’s not about being happy only when we hit a milestone. The journey in itself is exciting and one should enjoy the way. Riding motorcycles feels the same. If we’re only concerned about starting and ending the ride, what happens to the time in between? Are we enjoying our environment, are we thriving along the way?

If I want Royal Brothers to break through milestones, I need to realize that the vision, the dream must be shared with everyone in the team so that it can be shared with our customers outside the organization.