Manish Tripathi says the country allows entrepreneurs to flourish in whatever area they choose
Manish Tripathi chose to move to Australia because he loved the quality of life in Australia, especially the work-life balance, he had heard it promised. “When I got here in 2007, I was enamoured by the beautiful landscapes and the serenity the country offers with its beautiful beaches. And the most important the people who are so welcoming making it an amazing multicultural country,” says Manish.
After starting out as hospitality assistant with Grand Hyatt in New Delhi, completing a master’s in “Hospitality & Marketing” from Johnson & Wales University, USA, and then a series of rapid promotions to general manager with Holiday Inn Orlando, Florida to being awarded the youngest GM by the American Hotel & Lodging Association to returning to India to work for the Yum brand managing training of all Pizza Hut restaurants, Manish decided to pack his bags and move to Australia.
He landed a job with KFC and worked there in a management position for six years. In 2013, he decided he was meant to be an entrepreneur, and after clearing 12 rounds of interviews became a franchise with KFC.
“It means a lot to be an Indian entrepreneur in Australia, because you get to take the best of both cultures—blend the opportunities in Australia with work ethics from India. It means we are able to serve our community in a foreign land,” says Manish.
A few years ago, Manish switched paths again, this time venturing into finance and taking over as franchisee for FINN Business Brokers in South Australia. “My wife helped me with the business and we slowly acquired the whole South Australia market selling business worth up to 4-5 million. I then started another company called “BAC & Company”, which was primarily formed to make business plans and forecasts for our clients as a lot of them who had made business plans were rejected by banks for not being ‘realistic’ or ‘in accordance with the business’,” says Manish, who adds that the business plans prepared by his company had a 90% success rate at the bank.
“We slowly worked our way into commercial lending and became introducers with major banks and started got into commercial lending as well. At this stage, we have started consulting for small business mainly for streamlining their business and increasing their profit margins,” he says.
The single most important moment in my career was when my KFC did a complete turnaround and projected a profit of 25% in the first year. “The store was running at a loss when I bought it from the franchisor, so this was a huge moment for me,” says Manish.
He feels that if there is one thing he has learned over the years it is that growth is like progressive development. “It is a combination of development and expansion in segments like competency, cultural systems, values, and work-life balance,” he says.
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