VMPL
New Delhi [India], June 18: In India's booming startup ecosystem, growth is glorifiedbut often without context. Kaustubh Mishra, Founder of Shail Advisors, observes that funding rounds, viral reels and rapid hiring can create the illusion of progress. Anyone can become a founder, but to be an entrepreneur takes a different mindset. A passionate mindset full of perseverance and optimism. So where does it go wrong?
As someone who has worked closely with founders across metros like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Ahmedabad, I've seen a harsh truth emerge:
Startups don't die from lack of ideasthey die from lack of execution clarity.
Many founders and startup teams, love chaos. Their dopamine kicks in when the brain rewards them every time they solve something urgent. It reinforces that chaos = value. But here's the trap: Dopamine doesn't distinguish between what's urgent and what's important. That is one reason why you keep seeing the smallest and biggest startups fail. They love chaos.
From Chaos to Clarity
Most founders I meet are not short on ambition. What they lack is focus. Their calendars are packed, their teams are stretched and their strategy changes every quarter. Growth feels like a treadmill, not a milestone. Burn without a path to profitability, chaos without a map to building systems!
On the other hand, many founders are masters of their product or service offerings. They are experts on every minute detail of it. But, growth, sales & building a company requires a different set of skills. Growth Hacking skills, which we at Shail Advisors, have developed through years of work.
At Shail Advisors, we work with founders who want to break this cyclenot just grow but grow profitably and sustainably. We don't just help them in their strategy but stand with them and help them execute the same.
Whether it's diving deep into data to uncover new insights, crafting innovative strategies tailored to unique needs, or offering hands-on support when challenges arise, we're here to ensure success. Our team approaches every partnership with the tenacity, creativity and resilience needed to turn ambitious goals into concrete achievements.
To scale startups without chaos, we use a 4-part growth engine:
-1. Clarity - Nail positioning, ICP, and value proposition
- 2. Cadence - Weekly execution rhythms, check-ins, dashboards
- 3. Compounding - Focus on small wins that scale (sales, ops, hiring)
- 4. Coaching - Founders need support too (advisors, mentors, feedback loops)
This is not theory. It's field-tested.
Real Growth, Real Results
Case Study 1: FitFormance (Fitness-Tech Brand)
When FitFormance approached us, they were scaling rapidly but struggling with scattered sales efforts. Within 90 days, we helped them build a centralised sales engine, track weekly KPIs, and roll out structured founder check-ins. We also helped them expand their offereings, by utilizing their knowledge and existing skill set.
Result: 3x jump in monthly revenue, reduced CAC by 30% and created a clear roadmap to ₹10 Cr ARR.
Case Study 2: Emerging FMCG Brand in Madhya Pradesh
An FMCG startup with great product traction but stagnant distributor engagement needed clarity. We restructured their statewise channel strategy, built a performance-linked sales playbook, and empowered the founding team with data-driven dashboards. We also started a B2B division, which ensured capacity utilization and profits. The same profits were used to improve their D2C sales.
Result: Doubled their retail footprint across 2 states and increased monthly order volume by 70% in 4 months.
Three Things I Suggest Every Founder:
1.Audit Your Sales Funnel: Where are the real drop-offs? Most times, it's in follow-ups, not in leads.
2.Track Your Energy, Not Just Tasks: What's draining you? Founders need energy management more than time management.
3.Design a 90-Day Survival-to-Growth Plan: Set 3 clear outcomes, review weekly and get external accountability.
While execution led growth and systematic progress is our core strength, we also help our portfolio companies in raising funds, hiring, digital marketing, basically everything that is required for them to grow.
Our partner's growth is our mission and together, we make it happen. By doing, whatever it takes!
About the Author
Kaustubh Mishra is the founder of Shail Advisors, a growth consulting firm that helps early-stage and scaling startups grow 10x profitably. A serial entrepreneur, with experience across India's startup hubs, he advises founders across industriesfrom fitness tech and FMCG to EVs, SaaS and D2Con execution strategy, sales acceleration and founder clarity. An alumnus of IIM, Lucknow, he has worked as a Business Head with many firms like Paytm, IndiaMart, RBL Finserve and more.
Ready to grow without burning out?
Connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me for weekly playbooks, growth strategies and smart startup hacks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaustubhmishra
Email: Kaustubh@ShailAdvisors.com
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