When I was younger, my brother-in-law let me work summers in his
convenience store. It was a fun job for a kid, and I really got excited
about the contests that different companies would put together for
creative ways to do merchandising. I always tried to win whatever prizes
they would offer.
Later, in college, I’d work with friends to buy and sell cars so we could earn a few extra bucks. Then we started renting Indian movie reels and showing them at theaters around West Texas. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to be involved in the work I was doing from a business standpoint.
I’ve thought back on what shaped me to think this way, to want to be in business for myself. Part of it comes from my family. My dad got laid off from his engineering job in New York City. So did he look around for another position as an engineer? No. He took his severance money and decided to buy a motel in Texas. Talk about taking a risk!
And you know, that risk didn’t pay off. As a family, we all worked hard running that motel, but he ended up handing the keys over to my mom’s brother — my uncle — and walking away. His next venture was a motel in Wichita, Kansas. We were there for 7 years, but that didn’t end up working out either. My dad as a business man was not the most successful of people.
What my mom and dad did do was instill the desire to be an entrepreneur in me. They taught me a few things that I use today as a managing director in the Chalak Mitra Group of Companies:
You have to work hard to succeed.
Being in the restaurant business now, I see others outside the industry think of it as being sexy. Running a restaurant isn’t sexy, I can tell you. You’re working nights and weekends, because that’s when other people want to relax and go out to eat. You’re responsible for making all these moving parts come together.
You can’t be afraid of failure.
I remember when we opened our first restaurant, and on opening day, from 4 to 10 p.m., not a single person came in. Of course, that motivated us to keep working on the marketing side of things, but it took a good 18 months for us to break even.
My dad showed me that you can fail, and it’s all right. You still have your family, you still are the same person. If you have good morals, and you work hard, and you fail anyway, just pick yourself up and move on to the next thing. Apply the lessons you learned from your past to the new endeavor.
You’ve got to understand money and how it works.
Like I’ve said, my dad wasn’t a great businessman. But by working with him, I was able to learn something about finances and how to plan and manage the financial side of running a business. I applied what I learned in my own initial projects, and was able to build on that knowledge.
You need to be able to work as a member of a team.
When my dad ran a motel, the entire family was involved. I had five sisters, and we all had a role to play, whether that was working at the front desk, cleaning or running errands. Now, at the Chalak Mitra Group of Companies, I work with six of my best friends. I’ve been doing that for the last 15 years, and while we’ve had disagreements, we have all been able to handle them with respect for each other. The ability to pull together, even under stressful conditions, can help you make a success out of a struggling business.
You have to lead by example.
My parents had a great set of core values, and they taught me to be responsible and honest. My values have helped me to be a good businessman, but also to be a good husband, a good dad and a good friend. They taught me to set an example for other people. Have I always been able to do it? Let’s be honest, no — but I’ve tried to live by the morals they displayed and the leadership they showed.
My son is 3 years old right now. He’s not going to start his own business right away, but I intend to model for him the behaviors that make a good entrepreneur. Whether he goes into business for himself, or works for someone else, I hope to give him a good understanding of the work and character it takes to be successful.
Al Bhakta
Later, in college, I’d work with friends to buy and sell cars so we could earn a few extra bucks. Then we started renting Indian movie reels and showing them at theaters around West Texas. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to be involved in the work I was doing from a business standpoint.
I’ve thought back on what shaped me to think this way, to want to be in business for myself. Part of it comes from my family. My dad got laid off from his engineering job in New York City. So did he look around for another position as an engineer? No. He took his severance money and decided to buy a motel in Texas. Talk about taking a risk!
And you know, that risk didn’t pay off. As a family, we all worked hard running that motel, but he ended up handing the keys over to my mom’s brother — my uncle — and walking away. His next venture was a motel in Wichita, Kansas. We were there for 7 years, but that didn’t end up working out either. My dad as a business man was not the most successful of people.
What my mom and dad did do was instill the desire to be an entrepreneur in me. They taught me a few things that I use today as a managing director in the Chalak Mitra Group of Companies:
You have to work hard to succeed.
Being in the restaurant business now, I see others outside the industry think of it as being sexy. Running a restaurant isn’t sexy, I can tell you. You’re working nights and weekends, because that’s when other people want to relax and go out to eat. You’re responsible for making all these moving parts come together.
You can’t be afraid of failure.
I remember when we opened our first restaurant, and on opening day, from 4 to 10 p.m., not a single person came in. Of course, that motivated us to keep working on the marketing side of things, but it took a good 18 months for us to break even.
My dad showed me that you can fail, and it’s all right. You still have your family, you still are the same person. If you have good morals, and you work hard, and you fail anyway, just pick yourself up and move on to the next thing. Apply the lessons you learned from your past to the new endeavor.
You’ve got to understand money and how it works.
Like I’ve said, my dad wasn’t a great businessman. But by working with him, I was able to learn something about finances and how to plan and manage the financial side of running a business. I applied what I learned in my own initial projects, and was able to build on that knowledge.
You need to be able to work as a member of a team.
When my dad ran a motel, the entire family was involved. I had five sisters, and we all had a role to play, whether that was working at the front desk, cleaning or running errands. Now, at the Chalak Mitra Group of Companies, I work with six of my best friends. I’ve been doing that for the last 15 years, and while we’ve had disagreements, we have all been able to handle them with respect for each other. The ability to pull together, even under stressful conditions, can help you make a success out of a struggling business.
You have to lead by example.
My parents had a great set of core values, and they taught me to be responsible and honest. My values have helped me to be a good businessman, but also to be a good husband, a good dad and a good friend. They taught me to set an example for other people. Have I always been able to do it? Let’s be honest, no — but I’ve tried to live by the morals they displayed and the leadership they showed.
My son is 3 years old right now. He’s not going to start his own business right away, but I intend to model for him the behaviors that make a good entrepreneur. Whether he goes into business for himself, or works for someone else, I hope to give him a good understanding of the work and character it takes to be successful.
Al Bhakta
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