The numbers and the stories.

Infosys Big Indian business

Seven founders and ₹10,000

In 1981, N.R. Narayana Murthy and six colleagues started Infosys in Pune with about ₹10,000 that his wife Sudha Murty lent from her savings. In those licence-raj years, even importing a computer or getting a phone line took ages. They kept going, shared ownership with employees through stock options, and built one of India's biggest IT companies.

Today₹1,78,650 crore revenue and ₹29,440 crore profit in FY26, with about 3.29 lakh employees. PTI, Apr 2026 ↗

The lessonStart small, and share the upside with the people who build it with you.

Asian Paints Big Indian business

Four friends, one garage

In 1942, with the Second World War cutting paint imports, four friends started a paint business from a small garage in Mumbai. Instead of fighting foreign brands in big cities, they sold small packs in towns and villages the big players ignored. Asian Paints grew into India's largest paint company.

Today₹35,516 crore in consolidated sales in FY26. BW Retail World, May 2026 ↗

The lessonGo where the competition isn't, with a pack your customer can afford.

Tata Nano Big Indian business

When 'cheapest' backfired

Ratan Tata said the idea came from seeing a family of four squeezed onto one scooter in the rain. The Nano, launched in 2008 at about ₹1 lakh, was a feat of engineering, but marketed as the 'cheapest car' it was seen as a poor man's car. Ratan Tata later admitted that message was a mistake, and production ended about ten years later.

The lessonCustomers buy pride, not only price. How you describe a product matters.

Royal Enfield Big Indian business

The brand the owners nearly sold

Around 2000 the motorcycle business was losing money, and the Eicher group seriously looked at selling it. A young Siddhartha Lal asked for time. He cut the group back to focus on a few businesses, fixed quality, and leaned into the Bullet's old-school character. The Classic 350, launched in 2009, turned Royal Enfield into the group's star.

TodayA record 12.38 lakh motorcycles sold in FY26, up 11%. DriveSpark, Apr 2026 ↗

The lessonBefore you add something new, cut what distracts you.

Bisleri Big Indian business

Buying a name nobody wanted

Bisleri began in India as an Italian bottled-water brand with a small market. In 1969 the Chauhan family's Parle group bought it, reportedly for about ₹4 lakh, then spent years building plants and distribution. Today many Indians simply say 'Bisleri' when they mean any bottle of packaged water.

The lessonDistribution builds the brand. Be everywhere your customer is thirsty.

Chik Shampoo, CavinKare Small start

Shampoo at a small-change price

In the 1980s, shampoo in India came in bottles most families could not afford. C.K. Ranganathan from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu started with about ₹15,000 and sold Chik shampoo in small sachets at a tiny price. Towns and villages that big brands ignored became his market, and the sachet became the way much of India buys shampoo.

The lessonPrice the pack for your customer's pocket, not for your factory.

Zerodha Small start

Growing without advertising

Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started Zerodha in 2010 without outside investors and with almost no advertising. Low, simple fees and free learning content made customers bring their friends. It grew into one of India's largest stockbrokers, mostly by word of mouth.

TodayStill without outside investors, it reported a net profit of about ₹4,237 crore in FY25. Indian Startup News ↗

The lessonWhen customers do your marketing, you are doing the product right.

Nykaa Small start

Starting at fifty

Falguni Nayar left a senior investment-banking job at about 50 to start an online beauty store in 2012. Many said it was too late. When Nykaa listed on the stock market in 2021, she became one of India's richest self-made women.

TodayAbout ₹10,022 crore revenue in FY26, crossing the 1-billion-dollar mark. Entrepreneur India, May 2026 ↗

The lessonIt is never too late if you know your customer better than anyone.

Mumbai's dabbawalas Small start

Lakhs of lunches, one simple code

Mumbai's dabbawalas, many with little formal schooling, deliver home-cooked lunches across the city every working day. Their secret is a simple colour-and-number code painted on each tiffin, plus strict teamwork. Business schools around the world study how they rarely get it wrong.

The lessonA simple system that everyone follows beats a complex one nobody understands.

Apple Global giant

Close to broke, then four products

In 1997 Apple was close to running out of money. Steve Jobs returned, cut the product range from dozens of models to four, and accepted a 150-million-dollar investment from rival Microsoft. A few years later came the iPod, and then the iPhone.

The lessonFewer, better products beat a long list of average ones.

Toyota Global giant

From weaving looms to cars

Before it made cars, Toyota made weaving looms. Sakichi Toyoda's automatic loom stopped itself when a thread broke, so one worker could watch many machines. Money from selling the loom patent helped his son Kiichiro start the car business in the 1930s.

The lessonYour business today can fund the business you want tomorrow.

Nokia Global giant

Paper mill, boots, phones, then a fall

Nokia began in 1865 as a paper mill in Finland, later made rubber boots and cables, and became the world's biggest phone maker in the late 1990s. Then it was slow to move to touchscreen smartphones and lost its lead within a few years.

The lessonChange before you have to, even when you are on top.

IKEA Global giant

The table that would not fit in a car

After a photo shoot, an IKEA designer named Gillis Lundgren could not fit a table into a car, so he took its legs off. That small moment helped spark flat-pack furniture, which made IKEA's low prices possible: cheaper to store, cheaper to ship, and the customer carries it home.

The lessonYour customer's small hassle can become your biggest advantage.

Netflix and Blockbuster Global giant

The 50-million-dollar 'no'

In 2000, Netflix's founders offered to sell their small company to Blockbuster, then the giant of video rentals, for about 50 million dollars. Blockbuster said no. Ten years later Blockbuster was bankrupt, and Netflix had changed how the world watches.

TodayNetflix earned 45.2 billion dollars in 2025 with over 325 million paid memberships. Advanced Television, Jan 2026 ↗

The lessonNever laugh at the small new player. Watch your customers, not your size.