The 3 Mistakes Of My Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

baskets inside and
    closed shop at 7.00 p.m., after the puja. To celebrate our opening we chose the
    chana-bhatura stall. Atfour bucks a plate, I could expense it to the business.
    'Do I get to take some money home? I really want to give mom my first salary,'
    Omi said as he tucked in half a chili with his hot bhatura.
    "Wait, this isn't real profit. This is contribution. We earn th< rent first and then
    we will see.' I placed my empty plate back a the stall. 'Congrats guys, we are in
    business.'

    Three Months Later

    'Eight thousand three, four and five hundred,' I said as I emptied the cashier's
    box. 'This is our profit for the first three months after paying rent. Not bad, not
    bad at all.'
    I was super-pleased. Our shop had opened at an opportune< time. The
    summer vacations had started and India had won the one-day series with South
    Africa. Kids with lots of time and patriotism flocked to Team India Cricket Shop
    the day they received their pocket money.
    Some came even without money, if only to meet Ish and ge tips on cricket. I
    didn't mind as it helped us pass the time. The dull aspect of opening a shop is
    boredom. We opened from nine to seven, and even with twenty customers a day it
    meant only around two customers an hour.
    'So we get our share now?' Omi said excitedly.
    I divided the money into four stacks. The first three stacks were fifteen
    hundred rupees each - the money each of us could take home. The remaining
    four thousand was to be retained in the business.
    'What do you mean retained? What do we need to retain it for?' Ish questioned
    even as Omi happily counted his notes.
    'Ish, we need to keep a war chest in case we want to renovate the store. Don't
    you want a better glass countertop? Or nice lighting?'
    Ish shook his head.
    'Sure we do. And ... I have expansion plans,' I said. 'What?'
    'There is a new shopping mall under construction at Navrangpura char rasta. If
    you book early, you can get a discount onrenting a shop.'
    'Renting? But we already have a shop,' Ish said, puzzled and irritated at the
    same time.
    I knew why Ish grumbled. He wanted to buy a TV for the shop, listening to
    matches on radio during shop hours was no fun.
    'No Ish, a proper shop. Young people like to shop in swanky malls. That is the
    future. Our shop has been doing good business, hut we can't grow unless we
    move to a new city location.'
    'I like it here,' Omi said. 'This is our neighbourhood. What we sell is being used
    by kids in Nana Park.'
    'I don't want this short-sighted mentality. I will open a store in a mall, and by
    next year have one more store. If you don't grow in business, you stagnate.'
    'Another shop? What? We will not be working together?' Omi said.
    'It is Govind's bullshit. We have only started and he already aspires to be
    Ambani. Can't we just buy a TV?' Ish said, 'Shah Electronics will give us on
    instalment if we pay a down-payment of four thousand.'
    'No way. We keep the four thousand for business.'
    'Well, the TV belongs to the business, no?' Ish said.
    'Yes, but it is a dead asset. It doesn't earn. We have a long way to go. Three
    thousand a month is nothing. And Ish doesn't let me keep notebooks and
    pencils...'
    'I said this is a sports store. I don't want kids to think about studies when they
    come here.'
    Ish and I had argued about this before. I saw an easy opportunity, but Ish
    protested every time.
    'Ok, here is a deal,' Ish said, 'I agree to the notebooks, not textbooks mind you,
    only notebooks. But we buy a TV. I have to watch matches. I don't care, here take
    my fifteen hundred.'
    He threw his share of cash at me.
    Omi tossed in his money as well. As usual, I had to surrender to fools.
    'Ok, but we need to increase the revenue. Target for next quarter is twenty
    thousand bucks.'
    They ignored me as they discussed TV brands. I shook my head and outlined
    my strategy for increasing revenues.
    'Will you do coaching classes?' I asked Ish.
    'What?'
    'Kids love your cricket tips. Why not do