Nithin's idea was to attract a small niche group of active online traders, which is how Zerodha started. The company was never meant to be a large brokerage, but rather a boutique firm to cater to these traders. Nithin's journey serves as an example of the power of compounding and his ability to inspire young entrepreneurs.
He emphasizes the importance of building trust before buying a financial product, which is built through word of mouth. They have worked on building trust by answering customer queries on forums and providing market intelligence.
Highlighting Zerodha's self-sustainability, Nithin argues that having growth capital could have allowed them to grow faster, but also acknowledges it still happened at the same pace nevertheless minus the pressure of raising one round after the other.
Nithin discusses the importance of long-term thinking in business, contrasting with other peers who focus on short-term goals. At Zerodha, the core team has been together for at least five or six years, ensuring their understanding of the business and skill sets compound over time. This approach has kept the business together, as the top hundred members are dedicated to the company's philosophies, such as treating customers right and using success to give forward.
[00:01:26] - Welcome to the podcast Nithin
[00:02:00] - Initial trigger to start a business
[00:04:59] - Impact of Aadhaar
[00:08:16] - Why no VC money for Zerodha
[00:12:39] - Zerodha’s DNA
[00:16:59] - How to permeate company philosophies
[00:19:00] - Hiring right
[00:19:45] - Compromises and course correction
[00:21:21] - How has India changed
[00:26:51] - Indian markets in the next 30 years
[00:30:44] - Supporting Indian start-ups
[00:32:34] - Why no IPO for Zerodha
[00:32:34] - Investing in Public Stocks and startups
[00:39:12] - Beyond Finance - Health and Climate Change
[00:45:05] - Why storytelling is important for businesses
[00:48:05] - Parting advice for founders
You can find Transcripts on Blume's official website - https://blume.vc/podcasts/blume-podcast
In this season of Blume Podcast, we hosted another eminent personality in the finance space, Raamdeo Agrawal of Motilal Oswal Financial Services. Check out our last episode here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3b6aJ3PGFujrT6P4oPTkTZ
All episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/227rW4Ee4ob6wRT8U7pJ8s
https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/blume-podcast/id1651800944
Don't Forget to Subscribe to our YouTube channel and Follow the Blume Podcast.
#BlumePodcast #Nithinkamath #Zerodha