WHAT YOU WON’T LEARN AT BUSINESS SCHOOL

"Once I was speaking to students at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and I opened my statement by saying, 'If you all believe that this college is going to make you an entrepreneur, you are mistaken. Entrepreneurs are born.' However, what a good business school does is help you think in a more systematic manner, it gives you a great network and gives you exposure. There are many other enabling ecosystems that help you, but they don’t make you an entrepreneur."

FOLLOWING YOUR GUT

"All the businesses that I’ve made that have become big in my career, the feasibilities were not done by PwC or EY or any professional economists or gurus. It all came from the heart. It was my business acumen, it was my intuition. It was all situations that I was thrown into and I made the right decision at the spur of the moment. I took risks, a huge amount of risk, which, in hindsight, probably nobody would support—a traditional businessman or an investor would never support."

THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE

"To have a holistic life, a life that is complete, there has to be a balance between your professional aspirations, and the right element of spirituality. These two elements look like the two extremities of a line, like the two shores of a river, but they need to travel together."

THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF A FAMILY BUSINESS

"I think it's the right blend of family values and family tradition, as well as the pains, so to speak. I think what puts family businesses apart from a purely professionally run company is the fact that my blood and sweat, as well as the future of my next generation, and many more generations to come, is invested there."

THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG NETWORK

"I didn't have a formal education; my education came from my network, my strengths came from my network. Whenever I needed to do something that was extraordinary, different, challenging, I had someone to help me, someone to whom I could look at. And that doesn't happen just by calling on someone when you need that person. It has to be a relationship, an unconditional journey, which is a lot of giving, a lot of sharing. It takes time. If you are a good time manager, if you have discipline, you can always find time."

THE NECESSITY OF SACRIFICE

"To get something, you've got to sacrifice something in return. But there's nothing wrong in sacrificing if there is a purpose behind it, if it serves a meaningful purpose. It's not always quitting the battle just because it's become tougher—sometimes the strategic goal is to sacrifice, to leave something to the table because there is a bigger game."

Quotes are edited for clarity and brevity. 

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