From zero: building without a safety net
The forty-year version of what it actually takes to start with nothing — and the four decisions that mattered most.
Speaking
Invite Rajiv K Poddar to speak
Rajiv K Poddar speaks at business schools, universities, corporate events and inspiration sessions. He has given 1000+ talks and interactions worldwide on entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation and the lessons of building a business from zero.
Request a date
Topics
What Rajiv K Poddar speaks about
Six subjects, all drawn from 40 years of building businesses rather than from a reading list.
Leading people who are better than you
Hiring above your own level, delegating without abdicating, and building teams that outlast the founder.
Innovation on a real budget
How a small applied research team creates more value than a large one, and why its budget must survive weak quarters.
Sustainability as a commercial decision
Making the business case for cleaner processes and longer-life products without a single slide of moral pressure.
Music, business and the same discipline
What 100+ recordings taught a businessman about practice, patience and finishing things.
Thirty countries, four human wants
What travelling 30+ countries reveals about customers, colleagues and negotiation.
Audiences
Who he speaks to
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Business schools
Keynotes and case sessions for MBA and executive-education cohorts, usually 60–90 minutes with questions.
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Universities
Convocation addresses and entrepreneurship-cell sessions for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
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Corporate events
Annual meets, leadership offsites, partner conferences and sales kick-offs, in person or online.
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Inspiration sessions
Community, school and not-for-profit sessions — frequently given without a fee.
The signature talk
From zero: how the talk runs
Roughly 55 minutes, built around five turning points and finished with questions. It can be shortened to 30 or extended into a workshop.
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The ledger
Where it started: a family shop, a ruled book, and the habit that everything else was built on.
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The first sale
Why the first customer buys the person, and what that means for anyone starting today.
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The failure
The order that nearly ended the business, told with the numbers left in.
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The team
The shift from doing the work to choosing who does it, and the discomfort that comes with it.
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The long middle
The decade where nothing looks like progress, and how to keep going through it.
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Questions
Fifteen minutes, unfiltered — usually the part audiences remember.
Testimonials
What organisers say
Our students hear plenty of success stories. This was the first one that spent twenty minutes on the failures, and the questions afterwards ran an hour past the schedule.
He spoke to 400 of our partners without a single slide and held the room completely. Three of them have since changed how they run their own businesses.
Warm, specific and completely unpretentious. He stayed back for another ninety minutes talking to students individually — nobody asked him to.
Booking
Request a speaking date
Tell me about the event and you will have a considered answer within two working days — including when the date is not possible.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about speaking
What topics does Rajiv K Poddar speak on?
Entrepreneurship from zero, leadership and team building, innovation and technology, sustainability in business, music and creativity, and lessons from travelling 30+ countries.
What kind of audiences does he speak to?
Business schools, universities, corporate events and inspiration sessions. He has given 1000+ talks and interactions worldwide, to rooms of 30 people and to halls of 3000.
How far in advance should we book?
Six to eight weeks is comfortable for most events. Shorter notice is sometimes possible — ask, and you will get a straight answer within two working days.
What are the speaking fees?
Fees depend on the format, the travel involved and the organisation. Talks for students and not-for-profit institutions are frequently given without a fee.
Does he speak online as well as in person?
Yes. Virtual keynotes, panels and fireside chats are all available, and work well for international audiences.
Invite me to speak
Available for talks at Business Schools, Universities, Corporate Events and Inspiration Sessions.
Book a session