Rahul Verghese
Have you put on your running shoes yet?
What makes a 47-year-old, high up on the corporate ladder, decide to chuck it all and start -- of all things -- a venture premised on getting Indians to run? Passion, an instinct to gamble, or just self-belief?
Rahul Verghese, IIM-graduate, ex-Levers, ex-Nestle, was posted in Chicago managing Motorola's global market research cell of the mobile phone business, when he got running. "The first winter, it was really cold, so I bought a treadmill. I ran my first marathon in October 2001 and set myself the goal of running 50 marathons in my lifetime."
Back in India, Gurgaon, two years ago, Verghese found there was nothing for runners like him, which was strange considering that Indians were "well known for their unhealthy lifestyles".
The next thought, "It would be good to start people off on running here," was a logical step and Verghese started with a Web site, www.runningandliving.com. Initially, it was a hobby, says Verghese, but on August 15 last year he decided to take the plunge, full time.
He had no clear business plan, only a "modest" goal -- to get 200 million people in India to start running, not just once a year in Mumbai or Delhi, but regularly and in their neighbourhood. From his long experience in marketing, Verghese realised that running events are participative and would provide sponsors with a wonderful opportunity to engage with target audiences.
The business, into which Verghese has put in Rs 25 lakh of his own (not to speak of the opportunity cost of going without his salary), also includes a line of "world-class but affordable" running gear -- shorts, headbands, socks and the like -- and running workshops with corporates on how to get the best out of individuals and build high-performance teams.
He's already done four of these, and a few more are "hotting up". Verghese has also started a "fun run" in Gurgaon where, on a Sunday, people come together to run around 5 km, picking litter and garbage along the way. Two have been held, quite successfully as it turned out, with 135 and 200 people turning up. "For the next, on August 10, we're targeting 500," says Verghese.
"Basically," he says, "there's a phenomenal opportunity here. And it's already started with Standard Chartered and others coming up with marathons." Even so, the venture's still a far way from paying off. "I've given myself a year to make it work, Verghese says.
Image: Rahul Verghese is minting money trying to make Indians run.
Also read: Will these super cars come to India?
Advertisement
