Prakash
Shaw

My first classroom was
my father's shop.

I was born and brought up in Kolkata, where my early years were filled with school, friends, sports and curiosity. But my most important learning began at home.

When I was in Class 8, my father asked me to sit at the cash counter of our family business. What started as simply helping at the shop gradually became a responsibility I genuinely enjoyed.

By Class 10, I was managing the shop independently. Over time, I became involved in operations, suppliers, customers and everyday decision-making. The family business became my first management classroom.

As I became more involved, I began looking at the business not only as something to manage, but as something that could be improved and scaled. I introduced structured processes and SOPs and contributed to the development of an additional floor. The expansion subsequently helped increase revenue by around 40%.

If I know how to run a business, how do I learn to make it bigger?

That question became one of the reasons I chose an MBA. At IIM Bodh Gaya, I stepped outside my comfort zone, developed broader perspectives and learned through academics, sports and peer interactions.

My SIP at One Point One Solutions became my first corporate experience, exposing me to workforce analytics, cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder management and the connection between people decisions and business outcomes.

Today, I am building toward a career in marketing, with particular interest in brand management, product management and strategic stakeholder-facing roles.