The Yeh Mera India Bookaholics Club, founded by Smita Agarwal along with trustee Aruna Bhaniramka, has been on a mission to cultivate a community of readers who engage with books across spirituality, psychology, finance, and personal growth.
More significantly, the club has encouraged members to translate insight into action, bridging the distance between theory and practice. As an extension of this philosophy, an interactive panel session titled ‘Think and Grow Rich in Action’ was hosted on March 28 at Yours Truly Coffee Roasters in Bhowanipore, with entrepreneur Yashwi Ladsaria, founder of ethnic menswear brand Kisah. Ladsaria, who set up the brand along with her brother Yash after several days of initial hardship, shared her story with the crowd and became a case study in how abstract principles take shape in the real world.
The session opened with a reflection on the book of the month, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Rather than being treated as a dated manual on wealth accumulation, the book was reframed as a philosophy of mindset, one that suggested that success begins in thought before it manifests in material reality. Hill’s decades-long study of figures such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison was distilled into 14 principles, including desire, faith, persistence, and the idea of a “mastermind alliance.” Yet such principles risk remaining abstract unless anchored in contemporary, relatable narratives. This is where the conversation with Ladsaria came into the picture, shifting the tone from reflective to experiential.
Ladsaria began by situating Kisah within a specific gap in the market, one that she and Yash had observed firsthand. Traditional ethnic menswear had not kept pace with changing consumer behaviour. The process of commissioning outfits weeks in advance no longer aligned with the immediacy of modern lifestyles. “We realised that people today don’t want to plan a month in advance for a wedding outfit,” Yashvi told the audience. “They want something ready-made that they can pick up easily, wear instantly, and still feel stylish in. That’s where Kisah came in. We wanted to create Indian wear that feels as effortless as contemporary clothing.”
This insight shaped the brand’s identity: modern silhouettes rooted in traditional aesthetics. Pieces like bomber jackets adapted into ethnic wear became emblematic of this hybrid approach, linking occasion wear with everyday ease.
Ladsaria described the decision to launch as a digital-first brand as both pragmatic and strategic. Capital was limited, and the product was prioritised over infrastructure. “We didn’t want to spend on a showroom or large overheads in the beginning,” she explained. “Every rupee we had, we wanted to put into the product. So we started online, and in the early days, we did everything ourselves. From sourcing to packing to dispatching orders, it was just the two of us figuring it out.” This hands-on phase, she noted, was foundational in shaping their understanding of the business at every level.
This hands-on phase, she noted, was both a matter of necessity and a formative period for the growth of the brand. In the absence of a large team or external support, every small decision, from fabric selection to customer communication, rested with the founders. This forced proximity to the process allowed them to understand what they were creating and how it was being received. It also meant that early inefficiencies, mistakes, and customer feedback loops became critical learning tools rather than setbacks.
Expanding on this, Ladsaria explained that such immersion builds an instinct, of sorts, that cannot be taught. By being involved in every touchpoint, they were able to identify patterns in consumer behaviour, refine their product in real time, and build a foundation strong enough to sustain future growth. This phase, she suggested, also helped them internalise the value of resourcefulness, learning to operate within constraints without compromising on vision.
When the discussion shifted to the emotional landscape of entrepreneurship, particularly the question of doubt, Ladsaria’s response introduced an important nuance. Rather than framing the journey as one marked by moments of crisis or wavering belief, she distinguished between confidence in the idea and uncertainty about execution.
She elaborated that for many first-time founders, the absence of a clear roadmap can be unsettling. However, in her case, the absence of clarity did not translate into a lack of belief. Instead, it became an invitation to experiment, adapt, and evolve.
“We never really thought that it wouldn’t work,” she said. “But we also didn’t know how it would work. We had the belief, but the path — we had to discover that along the way.”
This articulation of belief, grounded yet open-ended, echoed one of the central ideas of Think and Grow Rich: that conviction often precedes clarity, and that progress is built through iteration rather than certainty.
In unpacking the day-to-day realities of entrepreneurship, Ladsaria also addressed a widely circulated narrative, the idea that success demands constant hustle and burnout. She suggested that while hard work is indispensable, the glorification of exhaustion can be counterproductive, especially for long-term sustainability.
“There’s this idea that if you’re an entrepreneur, you have to be working 24/7, constantly stressed,” she said. “Honestly, I think that’s overrated. What matters more is how organised and consistent you are.” This perspective reframed success as a function of discipline rather than sheer intensity, aligning with her broader emphasis on planning, execution, and consistency.
Failure, too, was discussed as an integral part of the process. Ladsaria contextualised setbacks as moments of recalibration rather than endpoints, suggesting that resilience lies in the ability to respond constructively rather than react emotionally. “You have to be ready to fail and then get back up,” she said. “That cycle never really ends. You fail, you fall, and you get back up again. That is the mantra I live by.”
One of the most important insights emerged when she addressed the idea of perfection. In many professional and creative spaces, perfection is often seen as a benchmark for readiness. Ladsaria challenged this notion by highlighting the cost of waiting for ideal conditions, particularly in fast-moving markets where timing can determine relevance. She explained that in her own journey, progress often came from acting despite imperfections and refining along the way. This emphasis on action over hesitation reinforced a key takeaway from the session: that momentum is often built through imperfect beginnings.