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By:

Divyaa Advaani 

2 November 2024 at 3:28:38 am

Presence Before Pitch

Walk into any business networking room and you will witness something far more telling than exchanged cards or polite handshakes. You will see personal brands at work — quietly, powerfully, and often unintentionally. The way a business owner carries himself, engages with others, and competes for attention in public spaces reveals more about future growth than balance sheets ever will. At a recent networking meet, two business owners from the same industry stood out — not because of what they...

Presence Before Pitch

Walk into any business networking room and you will witness something far more telling than exchanged cards or polite handshakes. You will see personal brands at work — quietly, powerfully, and often unintentionally. The way a business owner carries himself, engages with others, and competes for attention in public spaces reveals more about future growth than balance sheets ever will. At a recent networking meet, two business owners from the same industry stood out — not because of what they said, but because of how they behaved. One was visibly assertive, bordering on aggressive. He pulled people aside, positioned himself strategically, and tried to dominate conversations to secure advantage. The other remained calm, composed, and observant. He engaged without urgency, listened more than he spoke, and never attempted to overpower the room. Both wanted business. Both were ambitious. Yet the impressions they left could not have been more different. For someone new to the room — a potential client, collaborator, or investor — this contrast creates confusion. Whom do you trust? Whom do you align with? Whose values reflect stability rather than desperation? Often, decisions are made instinctively, not analytically. And those instincts are shaped by personal branding, whether intentional or accidental. This is where many business owners underestimate the real cost of their behaviour. Personal branding is not about visibility alone. It is about perception under pressure. In networking environments, where no one has time to analyse credentials deeply, people read cues — tone, composure, generosity, restraint. An overly forceful approach may signal insecurity rather than confidence. Excessive friendliness can appear transactional. Silence, when grounded, can convey authority. Silence, when disconnected, can signal irrelevance. Every move sends a message. What’s at stake is not just one meeting or one deal. It is long-term growth. When a business owner appears opportunistic, others become cautious. When someone seems too eager to win, people question their stability. When intent feels unclear, credibility erodes. This doesn’t merely slow growth — it quietly redirects opportunities elsewhere. Deals don’t always collapse loudly. Sometimes, they simply never materialise. The composed business owner in the room may not close a deal that day. But he leaves with something far more valuable — trust capital. His presence feels safe. His brand feels consistent. People remember him as someone they would like to work with, not someone they need to protect themselves from. Over time, this distinction compounds. In today’s business ecosystem, especially among seasoned founders and leaders, how you compete matters as much as whether you compete. Growth is no longer just about capability; it is about conduct. Your personal brand determines whether people lean in or step back — whether they introduce you to others or quietly avoid alignment. This is why personal branding is not a cosmetic exercise. It is strategic risk management. A strong personal brand ensures that your ambition does not overshadow your credibility. It aligns your intent with your impact. It allows you to command rooms without controlling them, influence without intrusion, and compete without compromising respect. Most importantly, it ensures that when people talk about you after you leave the room, they speak with clarity, not confusion. For business owners who want to scale, this distinction becomes critical. Growth brings visibility. Visibility amplifies behaviour. What once went unnoticed suddenly becomes defining. Without a refined personal brand, ambition can be misread as aggression. Confidence can feel like arrogance. Silence can be mistaken for disinterest. And these misinterpretations cost more than money — they cost momentum. The question, then, is not whether you are talented or successful. It is whether your personal brand is working for you or quietly against you in spaces where decisions are formed long before contracts are signed. Because in business, people don’t always choose the best offer. They choose the person who feels right. If you are a business owner or founder who wants to grow without compromising credibility — who wants to attract opportunities rather than chase them — it may be time to look closely at how your presence is being perceived in rooms that matter. If this resonates and you’d like to explore how your personal brand can be refined to support your growth, you can book a complimentary consultation here: https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani Not as a pitch — but as a conversation about how you show up, and what that presence is truly building for you. (The writer is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

Ajit Pawar, Muralidhar Mohol at war

The Mahayuti coalition partners have turned into bitter rivals in the municipal fight for Pune and western Maharashtra

Pune: An open, and in some places covert, conflict is underway between BJP leader and Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Nationalist Congress Party president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for dominance over cooperative institutions and local self-governing bodies in western Maharashtra.


A fierce exchange of accusations and counter-accusations between Mohol and Pawar has unfolded during the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation election campaigns. In the first phase of the campaign, Mohol targeted Ajit Pawar, alleging that his party had given tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds. Ajit Pawar responded strongly, saying, “Check the list of candidates fielded by the BJP in the last 15 years, and you will understand how much truth there is in the BJP's allegations and who has actually given tickets to criminals.”


Pawar also demanded an inquiry into who helped a person from Pune flee abroad and obtain a passport. He escalated matters further, demanding an inquiry into how a Pune-based figure had allegedly fled abroad and secured a passport - an insinuation aimed squarely at the BJP’s local power structure. At rallies he has also accused the BJP of presiding over seven years of developmental inertia in Pune, dismissing the party as a “triumvirate of power brokers.”


Except for BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, other local leaders have avoided responding to Pawar. Local leaders have taken the stance that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will respond. One former BJP MP said, “We will be coming together after the municipal elections anyway, so why respond?”


Widening Schism

This conflict between Pawar and Mohol has been ongoing since the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Ajit’s wife, Sunetra Pawar lost the Baramati Lok Sabha seat to Supriya Sule. Traditional BJP voters did not vote for Ajit Pawar’s party. This incident put both the BJP and the NCP on alert. BJP leaders realized that their alliance had not resonated with the voters. Ajit Pawar understood that while he had a good rapport with BJP leaders, BJP voters were not shifting their allegiance to him.


His party’s platforms prominently feature the late Yashwantrao Chavan, a Congress patriarch and invokes the legacy of Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar (icons of social reform) rather than Hindutva. This deliberate signalling is to reassure his traditional constituency in western Maharashtra where the Pawars have dominated politics and cooperative institutions for decades across Pune, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and Solapur.


The BJP wants to establish its party on a firm footing in western Maharashtra. The BJP has been trying to achieve this for several years. Senior leader Sharad Pawar, and consequently Ajit Pawar, dominate the politics and some cooperative institutions in the Pune, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, and Solapur districts of Western Maharashtra. The BJP's strategy is to take control of these institutions or gain a foothold in them. Recognizing that it is necessary to stop Ajit Pawar for this purpose, the BJP has formulated a complementary strategy.


Murlidhar Mohol was given the responsibility of the party in Western Maharashtra. After Mohol was elected to the Lok Sabha, he was given the post of Minister of State for Cooperation. In the central government, the cabinet ministership of the Cooperation department is held by Amit Shah. Through Mohol, Amit Shah has kept his focus on Western Maharashtra. The party has given Mohol the 'charge' of Pune city and district. Therefore, the Mohol-Pawar conflict has become inevitable for maintaining dominance. Ward boundaries were drawn for the municipal corporation elections. The Congress alleged that BJP leaders interfered in the administration while drawing these boundaries. Expressing dissatisfaction with the ward boundaries, Ajit Pawar expressed his displeasure with the BJP’s ‘administrators.’ Subsequently, Mohol challenged Pawar’s presidency in the wrestling association. After the Chief Minister intervened, the presidential election was averted and Mohol was given the post of senior vice-president.


Battle For Dominance

Seeing signs of achieving good success through the alliance with Sharad Pawar's party in Pune city, Ajit Pawar became more aggressive. So, the BJP wants to maintain its dominance in Pune, and Mohol is working towards this goal, with the party also supporting him. Ajit Pawar is striving to regain control of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and in this effort, he is naturally clashing with the BJP and Mohol.


The Chief Minister is stating that the proposed Purandar airport will be beneficial for farmers and industrialists in Western Maharashtra for exporting goods, and in a way, he is trying to appease young farmers by implementing this airport project. This is an ambitious project for the BJP. The BJP wants to maintain its hold on the municipal corporation for this project and the development around it.


Considering the social situation in Western Maharashtra, a political leader opined that Sharad Pawar's leadership is deeply rooted, and the youth here are attracted to Ajit Pawar. Mohol is relatively new to Western Maharashtra. However, the BJP has chosen him keeping the next 10-15 years in mind. It seems that the BJP’s senior leaders have decided on a long-term strategy to provide Mohol with all-out support.


What looks like a local spat is thus something larger - a test of whether the BJP can finally crack western Maharashtra’s cooperative fortress, and whether Ajit Pawar can prove that his rebellion has yielded more than ministerial office.

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