Relationship Thursdays: Siblings in Business

As kids they fought, played pranks on each other and teamed up against the world. Today as adults, their bond couldn't get deeper. From partners-in-crime to partners-in-business, these siblings have seen each other through the good, the bad and the ugly. In business, more often than not, the old saying 'Blood is thicker than water,' holds true.

Producing Matrimonial Magic 
Varsha Agnihotri-Vadhyar and Abhishek Agnihotri, Footloose No More 

Varsha and her brother Abhishek co-founded new-age matrimonial platform Footloose No More in 2009. But that's not their only venture together. They also run a production house called Magic Mushroom Entertainment Ltd, which they started in 2005. Their work together began when Abhishek fell ill in the midst of doing an ad film, and Varsha—who is part of the cast of The Vagina Monologues and was formerly a full-time actress—stepped in to help out. There was no looking back.  

“He's five years younger than me, but behaves as if he's my grandfather. He's grown from being my baby brother to being my partner. As a child every time he did something wrong, I would own up to it. It came to a point where my mum latched on and everytime I took the blame for something she would punish him,” shares Varsha. “I would beat him up if I got the chance. And he started crying wolf, so even if I was just passing his room, he would start screaming, 'Mum, she's beating me up'.” 

As the CEO, Abhishek comes up with all the great ideas, that Varsha as COO runs with and achieves. “Abhishek is the creative one. I am more the producer,” says Varsha. “That's not to say that we never encroach on each other,” clarifies Abhishek. “At times we work as a team. We're two of us with one brain. Of course, we fight a lot. We argue a lot. When we started out, I wanted to call our company Fighting Siblings.” 

“Until I got married we also lived, worked and partied together,” says Varsha, who is presently back at her brother's place after she recently delivered twins. “We are each other's strength and Abhishek is pretty much my weakness as well. When I got married, we were in the middle of a project and we just took two days off. He did the sweetest thing and organised a surprise mehendi and sangeet for me,” reminisces Varsha. 

“We are boarding school products; I remember one Raksha Bandhan my brothers both broke their piggy banks—Abhishek gave me Rs 3 and Ashish gave me Rs 5—after some time we fought and they took it back,” laughs Varsha. “Our rakhi tradition has sort of vanished. Abhishek is an early riser. I'm a late riser. So I tie the rakhi whenever; he keeps it on for about 30 seconds and then we go out to eat.”

“As a teenager, I would buy her Raksha Bandhan gifts that I wanted. How was I supposed to know what she wanted? Once I bought her a Metallica tape, which she gave right back to me; So I gave and received on the same day,” laughs Abhishek.  

“Stressful!,” exclaims Abhishek. “Working together is stressful, because you know each other well and you don't have the boundary that separates two colleagues. From my end at least, it is difficult to keep it professional. At the end of the day, though you may wind up discussing all that you need to discuss professionally, you cross boundaries and then come back to normal.

“The best thing about a working relationship like this is that it is straight up, honest to God. There are no hidden agendas. Even if we disagree, at the end of the day, we know that what is coming out from each other is the absolute honest truth. That is rare in any business,” pontificates Abhishek. “We are a natural extension of each other. We know exactly where one takes over and the other takes a back seat. There are no power plays. Unlike a corporate space, we work on interpersonal energy not KRAs. It doesn't matter which way victory comes in. Victory belongs to both of us”. 
 
Fashion Sense
Anita Dongre, Mukesh Sawlani, Meena Sehra, AND Designs India Limited



“In the fashion business, you need more than two hands. Trust sometimes takes years to develop. If you look at fashion houses the world over, the Italian ones for instance; they tend to start off as family businesses, where the family bond helps you struggle through the initial hardships. The family bond enables you to work hard,” suggests Anita. 

The division of work is very clear and has been for a long time; Anita heads the creative side of the business, Meena manages the branding and manufacturing and Mukesh takes cares of business and expansion. “I don't think there is a 'worst' part to working with your siblings. All three of us have the same values and principles. We have a relationship of giving. The brand is bigger than us and our egos,” says Anita. 

“My sister Meena and I started the business; she's good at management, dealing with the labour and production,” shares Anita. “I always looked up to Anita; she was creative and had a great sense of design; when we went to Jaipur she always knew what to pick. I just naturally ended up working with her. When the business got bigger and we couldn't manage we roped in Mukesh,” explains Meena. Mukesh elaborates, “We have been working together since 1995. I was working in the banking sector in Dubai; after gaining three years of experience, I decided to come back home, as I always wanted to settle in India. The business was growing; we all felt it would be a great partnership, as I could attend to the business and finance needs of the company. The best part of working with my siblings is that we are all committed to the business and are very passionate; this lends a certain extent of comfort and stability to the business. I don't think there is a 'worst' side to it.” 

“I'm really bad at numbers. Mukesh is brilliant at what he does. I know he has me and the business interest at heart,” says Anita. “Though, we're both terrified of him when we have to approach him for finance,” points out Meena.  

“We have been a close-knit family right from the time we were kids. I've always felt protected. Anita is two-and-a-half years older than me and Mukesh is four years younger. I have a polio leg and I remember how, before my wedding, I was worried about the steps at one of the venues being too high for me to climb. Anita went out early in the morning to check the location and came back to assure me that I would be able to do it. We have a younger brother who is mentally challenged, and Mukesh ensures that he is taken out at least twice a week,” shares Meena.  

“Right from a young age our mother ensured that all of us could cook. We're all foodies and there were times as kids when we would wake up at 2 am and bully Mukesh to bake a cake for us. Anita used to bake an excellent marble cake too,” shares Meena. “Life as kids was great. There was no internet and no mobiles. We spent a lot of meaningful time together; I cherish that the most. I used to bake great cakes; I would bake a cake in 30 minutes and we six siblings (who used to get very hungry at night) would finish it in 5 minutes flat. I think the funniest incident was one night when we didn't have eggs; we made up a story that one of our friends had run away from home and woke up our neighbour at 1 a.m. to borrow eggs to bake a cake,” laughs Mukesh.

Counting Coins
Farokh and Jeroo Todywalla, Todywalla Auctions

Farokh S. Todywalla (65), the owner of Todywalla Auctions started a numismatic auction house in 1976, when his sister Jeroo (five years his junior), was just finishing her Bachelor of Arts from St. Xavier's College, in Mumbai. “It all started when he was working for Central Bank of India. He had a coin collection that he would go through when he came home. Soon it turned into a business. I would help him after I got home from college, initially attending to his customers and looking after the administrative work. I've never worked anywhere else. I remember doing a test for Air India, but I never bothered to check for the results,” reminisces Jeroo. 

President of the Mumbai Coin Society, Farokh is an expert on coins and the guiding force, while Jeroo oversees everything—from accepting lots and looking after the auction process to supervising all their staff. 

It's been almost 40 years since they started working together and they have had their share of arguments and disagreements, but, “they never last long. Within a few hours we're back together,” shares Farokh. “I cannot remember a time when we've not spoken to each other,” adds Jeroo. 

Both claim that there is nothing they dislike about working with each other, but the best part is “We are family. It's a homely atmosphere and there are no fixed timings. Sometimes we come in late and work late. It's all very flexible,” says Jeroo. For Farokh, the best part is that, “Jeroo looks after practically everything and I trust her completely. She is confident in what she does. We have no secrets between us and we're a good brother-sister team.”

Do they celebrate Raksha Bandhan? “As Parsees, it's a normal day for us. We did celebrate it a long time ago. I remember tying a rakhi on his wrist and then going about our day as usual, but I don't think we have celebrated it at all in the last 10-15 years.” However, their bond goes deeper than a one-day celebration. Their father passed away when Farokh was not yet 14 and Jeroo was less than 10 years old. Their mum was not too well, “but we were a happy family. I got married in 1974 and Jeroo has helped my wife with our kids' education and in looking after them.” Jeroo chimes in, “Farokh was like a father figure to me. I'm not married and I live in a joint family with him, his wife, their children and grandchildren. He cares for and pampers me; we love each other a lot.” 
 
He Says, She Says
Danish and Kubra Sait, TV Hosts of the Pro Kabaddi League launched in July 2014

“I've hosted the WOW Awards, Event FAQs, given TED talks... but at the end of the day, I'm still known as Kubra Sait's little brother,” sighs Danish, Bangalore-based Fever 104 FM RJ. Not that he's complaining. “Only family can give you honesty and clarity. Kubra was very vocal about the crap audition I gave for Pro Kabaddi. It was perhaps her belief that I was much better than my audition that caused the producers to take me on. My sister has made mistakes that I have not. I wanted to leave radio, but Kubra sat me down and convinced me otherwise. It helps to have an elder sibling in the industry,” surmises Danish. “I'm very happy in the space we are in. The best part is the time we get to spend together hosting events. Otherwise, she is busy doing her shows and I do my own thing.”  

“The first show we hosted together was for a textile brand, sometime in 2011” says Danish. “Thanks to Pro Kabaddi, we're working together a lot; we're going to Thailand, Pune, Vizag, Bangalore...”  shares Kubra, anchor, actor and TV host, who is no stranger to Bollywood. “When you're doing a live show you have to be able to rely on your co-host; Kubra is reliable. Quick thinking is essential when you have to fill in. While Kubra sticks to the topic, I'm always happy to take a detour,” reveals Danish.  

“I used to stand and recite poetry at a gate in my grandfather's home which had a latch that was just the right level to serve as a mike. Danish was always animated; he would pick up random books and be different characters from them. Perhaps it's in our DNA. Our grandfather was a politician; he was the only one who had anything to do with the stage. If we start a company together it'll be something to do with sound and entertainment; I have registered the name Paid to Talk; perhaps we'll call it Paid to Perform.”
 
“The best part about working with my brother is that I can't stop laughing. The worst part is that I'm laughing so much that I'm not saying much. And then it takes several minutes for me to come back (with a come back),” laughs Kubra. “I admire his quick wit, his ability to break into several different characters and his unnerving ability to go out there, make friends and keep them—it's probably the time he spent in boarding school that made him this way.” 

“I once burnt his bum on a brass boiler (not intentionally of course), because he refused to take a bath. In my family, we have always been equal. So I would tie a rakhi for Danish and he would tie one for me,” reveals Kubra. “I think the last rakhi she sent me was when I was in boarding school. We are not bound by tradition. I will always be there for her. Sometimes I think I need raksha more than she does,” mentions Danish.

“We've been working since we were 15-16. We don't come from an overtly wealthy family. The fact that we come from a broken home made it important for us not to trouble mum. We're good at what we do; while I thrive heavily on humour, Kubra thrives on being prim and proper. She's always telling me things like, “Don't slouch. Don't stand on one foot!” complains Danish. “I'm his proxy mom,” clarifies Kubra, “I keep telling him to smile a little less–it'll look nicer in pictures. We can ideate, be each others' stylists... We don't share secrets all the time, but when we do they are fun. I think, because we grew up in a broken home, we have a perfect set of emotions. Danish is not afraid to cry. I am not afraid to stand up to responsibility.”

A Suitable Shoe
Payal and Dhiraj Bathija, Heel & Buckle 

When Dhiraj, a chartered accountant based in Switzerland, went shoe shopping in India with his older sister Payal, he couldn't find anything suitable. Add that to his sister's observation that other than a brand or two, women in India didn't have too many great shoe brands to choose from and the Sindhi siblings who had launched bespoke shoe studio Heel and Buckle in London and Geneva around 2011 had just found the perfect reason to bring their brand to India in 2013. “We realised that there wasn't much bridge to luxury footwear and there was also a gap for a footwear specialist,” narrates Payal, an economics and psychology major from the University of Michigan, who worked as a research analyst in New York's financial district before moving back to India. “Our working together was a fairly organic decision. Once we identified the opportunity that the market presented, going into business together seemed like the logical next step,” explains Dhiraj.

“As siblings, we’ve always been accustomed to sharing our personal space,” shares the duo who have managed to translate their personal bond into a healthy working relationship. “We have the same vision for Heel & Buckle and can safely assume that each will do whatever it takes to achieve this vision,” shares Payal. “We have designated roles, but value each other’s inputs,” says Dhiraj. While the duo conceptualise together, as CEO Dhiraj spends his time working on strategic business alliances while Payal as COO manages the operations and merchandising.  

“The best part about working together is that because of our rapport we understand each other very well. It's not like two colleagues who don't know each other,” explains Payal. “The worst part is that it never stops. We're often talking about business even at the dinner table”. The duo is honest about the fact that, “even if we leave the conversation behind, our emotional responses such as anger and stress sometimes still stick, even after we’ve left the office”.

“When we were younger, I once stuck chewing gum in Dhiraj's hair so well that we had to shave off an entire chunk of his hair. The story gets worse; even after a couple of weeks he continued to have a bald spot in that patch–his hair just never came back in that area,” recounts Payal. 

“We grew up in the days when bragging about having a relative bring you Kit-Kat from a trip abroad was one of the primary conditions to enter the cool-kid group. I would steal Payal’s stash and share it with all my friends. This way I didn’t have to share my half and everyone still thought I was the much cooler sibling,” reveals Dhiraj. 

“With all the travelling we both do, we may not always be together on Raksha Bandhan. While we don't follow any traditional Raksha Bandhan customs, I always end up arm-twisting him into giving me a gift,” shares Payal.  

When 1+1 = 11
Rahul and Nidhi Gupta, Rays Power Experts

'For the last four years building the solar power sector is all that we have done. We don't know much of anything else,” says 27-year-old IIT Rourkee graduate, Rahul Gupta who started Rays Power Experts in 2011. His yougest sister Nidhi, now 23, a graduate of the International Institute of Management Engineering and Technology, joined his business in 2012 and serves as the operations manager. Their company has grown from a ₹70-crore turnover in its first year to ₹360 crores in 2013-14. 

“We have different ways of thinking, though both are constructive. While we don’t have a clear-cut line between our work profiles, I am more into expansion and strategy and she looks after execution, finance and day-to-day issues. Any time one of us is stuck, we talk and sort things out” says Rahul. Of course Nidhi is working from Jaipur and Rahul in Delhi, which means that they end up spending between three to four hours a day on the phone cumulatively with Rahul calling every 20 mins for updates, according to Nidhi. Rahul tells us, “Because I try to take things forward in a bigger manner, I sometimes create new problems for the company. This is where I introduce Nidhi; she talks, travels, meets people and closes the issues”. 

'I am very straightforward with clients,” explains Nidhi. Does that make Rahul the more tactful of the duo? Apparently not! “I find these things monotonous', says Rahul, explaining why he hands off calls to Nidhi, who he claims has the “patience to handle local contractors”. When she just joined and started playing a bigger role, they had several conflicts. “Fortunately, she still considers herself younger and listens to me,” laughs Rahul. 

They find that the best part about working together is the fact that they “trust each other blindly and that they share equal responsibilty. “Working together makes us 1+1=11”, says Rahul. “The worst part is that our office hours are unlimited,” states Nidhi matter of factly. “All we talk about is business. Even if we try to talk about family or personal matters, it automatically shifts towards work,' explains Nidhi who Rahul affectionately calls Chotu, though not at work, though he has slipped up on occassion. As odd as it may sound, Nidhi refers to Rahul as 'Sir' at work. The informal bhaiyya works well at home, but as a show of respect she has never called him by his first name. Rahul explains that their company employs people aged 18-70, and a lot of them would be uncomfortable with the first-name culture.     

As far as Rahul can remember, all he has gifted Nidhi is a ₹1,000 note. “We exchange sweets as everyone does and post that, the three of us, including my middle sister Priyanka go out and party, watch movies... We are already so close that I don’t feel any different on this day,” says Rahul. 

Rahul tells us that he and Nidhi used to fight a lot as kids. “Nidhi was more like a boy right from the start. She had a boy-cut and always wore a shirt and a pant. Mostly, it was her chasing me holding something in her hand. I still remember, her trying to jump from one roof to another, both on the second floor; she fell and fractured her toes. The first thing she did on recovering, was try it again—this time successfully”. Nidhi remembers standing on a roof in Jaisalmer and flinging a ball at her brother's face causing his specticals to break and leave a cut near his eyes. While she does not remember why she flung the ball at him to begin with she does remember pleading with him not to tell their parents. And to this day, big brother hasn't. 

Siblings beyond Religion
Riyaz Ganji and Mamta Kapur, Libas 

“She is family,” says Riyaz Ganji about Mamta Kapoor, his rakhi sister, who also manages the production and other work involved in his design label Libas. “When Mamta is around, I have nothing to worry about. I trust her completely. She is the more practical and organised one between the two of us. She understands people and gets the best out of the labourers that we work with. She is the business person and I am the creative one. She has the foresight to warn me where I could go wrong. She has a mind of her own,” explains Riyaz who often defers to her judgement. 

Practically from the minute Mamta applied for a job at Libas seven years ago, the two developed a big-brother/younger-sister relationship. Mamta has been performing the traditional aarti with the puja thali, applying tilak, tying a rakhi and sweetening his day with the typical home-made sweets practically every Raksha Bandhan since they met. 

Riyaz has two sisters of his own, neither of whom follow the customary rakhi traditions. The conservative Muslim background he comes from means that his real sisters are more restrained than his rakhi sister, though Shamin (Jiva) did work with him for a while, after her husband passed away 15 years ago. 

“I come from the North, Amritsar to be specific, where the Hindu-Muslim-Sikh divide is strong. There were so many riots in my region when I was in college that my perception about Muslims was skewed,” explains Mamta Kapur. That changed when she met Riyaz, who is three years younger to her. “He doesn't believe in community differences and never degrades other communities. Even his wife, who works with me is a Hindu”. 

“We rarely have conflicts; and when we do, we sort them out like true professionals. If we have a difference in opinion, we each offer reasons for our particular stand. As a Scorpian, I find it very easy to get along with Cancerians like Riyaz; my husband is also a Cancerian, which make things easier.”

“I've learned a lot from Riyaz—everything from running a store, to handling people to developing a good business sense. The best part is that I love my job,” expresses Mamta. “I don't see any worst part of working together. Riyaz is good in securing business. I am good at execution. He may get angry sometimes, but he has always proved himself right”. 

“I have three sisters and when I started working with Riyaz, he took me under his wing and suggested that I become his rakhi sister. Though he always makes me wait on Raksha Bandhan, he eventually shows up. He has made me feel at home here. I don't miss my family. And I never felt like I'm working with someone from another community.” 

Finding Middle Ground
Tanya and Kartik Kapadia, id8Media Solutions

Tanya, a Public Relations professional launched id8MediaSolutions 15 years ago; but it was only four years ago that her brother Kartik an audio engineer, who was working with bands such as Red Chillies and producing ad films, came on board to spearhead their digital content division. At a time when viral videos were nascent and social media and digital marketing were on the brink of a boom, Kartik happened to be working on a viral film involving an animated Rajnikant spoof for IDBI, when his client realised they needed a PR company; Kartik directed them to his sister and then hung around to supervise. “There was no looking back,” says Tanya. “We have different skill sets that compliment each other and as a company we can offer multiple services; each of which requires specialisation.”   

“I think it was only just before I got married that we got to know each other better, because we realised we would not be in the same house for much longer. We're both strong-headed. We used to fight a lot... for everything from the phone to the TV remote. I don't think we spoke for the first 15 years of our lives; but I think that happens with most siblings with a three- or-four-year age gap,” Tanya tells us. The clashes continue, especially when they are debating strategy for their client. “Communication is very important. We encourage that even for our own teams. We believe in Honesty, Integrity and Quality.” And as Kartik tells us they “always find middle ground.”  

Nonetheless, “The best part about working with family is that you know you have a great team of people who always have your back,” explains Tanya. “The worst part is that because you don't divide work and home everything merges. There are no boundaries between the personal and the professional”. Kartik on the other hand believes that there are no 'worst' parts to working together though, they “have to make a conscious effort to keeping the professional part out of our personal lives; it was initially a challenge. Tanya has developed a way to nurture people who work with her. I am still very impulsive and aggressive. My mom being a single mother had a lot on her plate. My elder sister has been my guide and I respect her. I've learnt a lot from her”. 

“Culturally, thanks to our mother, we are grounded, and Raksha Bandhan is an important day for both of us, now, more so that Tanya is married and we don't get to meet as often,” says Kartik. The family lunch is a tradition that they look forward to now, more than ever. So what's on the menu this year? “We're making chole at home and ordering samosas from sweet bazaar,” says Tanya.