Bhavesh Agrawal
INSEAD
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Fun Fact About Yourself: During high school I studied at a missionary catholic hostel on top of a hilly city in India. I, along with some friends of mine, sneaked out of the school, climbed down through the mountain forest in the rain, crossed the river, climbed up the adjacent mountain forest (all wet and dirty) to reach to the city centre and have some drinks. We had to get back to the hostel in the same manner that we came so as to not get caught. And we did, and we never got caught. Well, until now…
Undergraduate School and Major / Degree programme: Ramanujan College, University of Delhi / Bachelors in Management Studies (B.M.S.)
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your life so far: If we are talking about an academic achievement, it has to be INSEAD. If we are talking about a professional achievement, it has to be the three start-ups that I launched during my undergraduate degree, with one garnering a revenue of more than 1.5 million Indian Rupees in six months. But all in all, I’d say that the biggest accomplishment of my life is the network of people that I have. I believe that human capital is the biggest and the most important capital of your professional and personal life.
Was Entrepreneurship always your career goal? I have been indirectly enterprising since I was 10 years old. During high school I used to make innovative paper planes and sell them to my classmates. It was all about canteen money then and I didn’t realise what this actually meant. But my first exposure to an actual business plan competition in 12th grade (which we won by the way), for which we developed a chic fashion brand called Bellamour changed everything. From then on, there was no coming back.
What led you to pursue a MIM at this point in your personal development? By the time I graduated in 2019, I’d launched two start-ups and I was working on the third, Vertex Management. We started earning and expanding our operations, but I was not feeling fulfilled. I started looking for alternatives to enhance my business acumen – I had practical experience but was lacking in the theoretical/principle aspects. After some research, I came across the Masters in Management and it was all I had hoped for, especially as a fresh graduate! I only wanted to come to INSEAD once I came to know about their inaugural MIM batch 2021. Well, here I am!
How did you decide if a MIM was worth the investment? There are many kinds of investments involved in this course. First and foremost is the investment of time and effort. It’s been almost two months since I started and, trust me, I have never made a better decision in my life. Second is the monetary investment in the form of fees, living and travel costs etc. I am a scholarship recipient, but even if I was not one, I’d have never missed such an opportunity. The MIM course is the bridge between you and the amazing corporate/professional you. In the end it depends on you to make the most of it. I know I will.
What was the key factor that led you to choose the MIM at INSEAD and why was it so important to you? INSEAD is a conglomerate of the best possible minds chosen from across the world, coming together to train the best possible minds, again chosen from across the world, so that these individuals can change the world as we know it, for the better. I knew I was the latter party in that statement so the decision was simple. All I needed to do was show that to INSEAD. Now it’s my time to show them and the world that they were not wrong.
What quality best describes your classmates? I have never seen such a diverse group of people, coming from such culturally vast backgrounds, speaking so many different languages with such a stark difference in personality and behaviour! The warmth with which each person accepts the other person’s culture, simply amazes me! Each one of them is charismatic, ambitious, analytical, practical and has a different quality about them. I have learned so much in the past two months.
Tell me about your start-up venture: I have launched three start-ups in my career. The first, Localepal, was a tourist hospitality firm which connects tourists to local people to make their travels efficient, effective and safe! What better way to make friends and travel buddies? The second, Bookademics provides students with an alternative to purchasing books, notes, exam papers and other resources, by giving an option of purchasing pre-made semesters sets, professor’s notes, and crucial academic resources. The third, Vertex Management, manages and develops artists from music making, and shows, to logistics, to PR, marketing, and legal issues. Working for each one of these took my heart and soul and I have learned a tremendous deal in each of them.
How will your business school experience help you to develop your business? At INSEAD, we are given real-life business problems to solve according to what we think should be done. This helps us develop a sharp business acumen and make sure that we are ready for similar problems in the future. Secondly, and quite importantly, the level of network that INSEAD or any business school for that matter, provides is simply amazing! In two months, I have met amazingly talented people from more than 45 countries!
What will be the next steps for you / your entrepreneurial venture? I am working on an ideas day and night, forming a team, developing and creating a market offering for the same. Each day I learn something new and it gets added to my marketing, financial or operational plan. I know this will work out in the near future. I am just hoping it happens soon.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I’ll be giving another interview with your publication, talking about the success of my most recent venture, Localepal, and how it changed the way that people travel all around the world.
DON’T MISS: MEET THE MIM ENTREPRENEURS OF 2020
