"Competition wasn't as aggressive when I launched Marico": Mariwala

Would it have been easier for Marico founder and chairman, Harsh Mariwala, to build the company in 2021? His immediate reaction is that since the FMCG market wasn't as large and competition wasn't as aggressive, it was an easier task to build Marico in the eighties. However, he also believes that 2021 would have probably given him a new set of opportunities. "Today you can launch D2C brands and sell them through your website or a marketplace. We are seeing a new set of entrepreneurs who are launching niche brands which they would have never been able to do earlier. You need a critical mass to go through the traditional distribution route. These entry barriers are eliminated now and tech is also playing an important role," tells Mariwala.

In his book, 'Harsh Realities - The Making of Marico', Mariwala gives a detailed account of not just how he broke out of the clutches of a family-run business and set up a professionally managed FMCG company, he also gives insights on entrepreneurship, innovation and the importance of having the right talent pipeline.