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By:

Divyaa Advaani 

2 November 2024 at 3:28:38 am

When agreement kills growth

In the early stages of building a business, growth is often driven by clarity, speed, and conviction. Founders make decisions quickly, rely on their instincts, and push forward with a strong sense of belief in their methods. This decisiveness is not only necessary, it is often the very reason the business begins to grow. However, as businesses cross certain thresholds, particularly beyond the Rs 5 crore mark, the nature of growth begins to change. What once created momentum can quietly begin...

When agreement kills growth

In the early stages of building a business, growth is often driven by clarity, speed, and conviction. Founders make decisions quickly, rely on their instincts, and push forward with a strong sense of belief in their methods. This decisiveness is not only necessary, it is often the very reason the business begins to grow. However, as businesses cross certain thresholds, particularly beyond the Rs 5 crore mark, the nature of growth begins to change. What once created momentum can quietly begin to create limitations. In many professional environments, it is not uncommon to encounter business owners who are deeply convinced of their approach. Their methods have delivered results, their experience reinforces their judgment, and their confidence becomes a defining trait. Yet, in this very confidence lies a subtle risk that is often overlooked. When conviction turns into certainty without space for dialogue, conversations begin to narrow. Suggestions are heard, but not always considered. Perspectives are offered, but not always encouraged. Decisions are made, but not always explained. From the outside, this may still appear as strong leadership. Internally, however, a different dynamic begins to take shape. People start to agree more than they contribute. This is where many businesses unknowingly enter a critical phase. When teams, partners, or stakeholders begin to hold back their perspective, the quality of thinking around the business reduces. What appears as alignment is often silent disengagement. What looks like efficiency is sometimes the absence of challenge. Over time, this directly affects the decisions being made. At a Rs 5 crore level, this may not be immediately visible. Operations continue, revenue flows, and the business appears stable. But as the organisation attempts to grow further, this lack of diverse thinking begins to surface as a constraint. Growth slows, not because of lack of effort, but because of limited perspective. On the other side of this equation are individuals who consistently find themselves accommodating such dynamics. They recognise when their voice is not being fully heard, yet choose not to assert it. The intention is often to preserve relationships, avoid friction, or maintain a sense of professional ease. Initially, this approach appears collaborative. Over time, however, it begins to shape perception. When individuals do not express their perspective, they are gradually seen as agreeable rather than essential. Their presence is valued, but their input is not actively sought. In many cases, they become part of the process, but not part of the decision. This is where personal branding begins to influence business outcomes in ways that are not immediately obvious. A personal brand is not built only through visibility or achievement. It is built through how consistently one demonstrates clarity, confidence, and openness in moments that require it. It is shaped by whether people feel encouraged to think around you, or restricted in your presence. At higher levels of business, this distinction becomes critical. If people agree with you more than they challenge you, it may not be a sign of strong leadership. It may be an indication that your environment is no longer enabling better thinking. Similarly, if you find yourself constantly adjusting to others without expressing your own perspective, your contribution may be diminishing in ways that affect both your influence and your growth. Both situations carry a cost. They affect decision quality, limit innovation, and over time, restrict the scalability of the business itself. What makes this particularly challenging is that these patterns develop gradually, often going unnoticed until the impact becomes difficult to ignore. The most effective leaders recognise this early. They create space for dialogue without losing direction. They express conviction without dismissing perspective. They build environments where contribution is expected, not avoided. In doing so, they strengthen not only their business, but also their personal brand. For entrepreneurs operating at a stage where growth is no longer just about execution but about expanding thinking, this becomes an important point of reflection. If there is even a possibility that your current interactions are limiting the quality of thinking around you, it is worth addressing before it begins to affect outcomes. I work with a select group of founders and professionals to help them refine how they are perceived, communicate with greater impact, and build personal brands that support sustained growth. You may explore this further here: https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani In the long run, it is not only the decisions you make, but the thinking you allow around those decisions, that determines how far your business can truly grow. (The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

"Delist me, but give me my audience": Kunal Kamra to BookMyShow



Just days after ticketing platform BookMyShow removed Kunal Kamra’s content and dropped his name from its list of performers, the stand-up comedian has issued an open letter, requesting the platform to share the contact details of audiences who attended his shows.


In a post shared on X, Kamra said he understands that BookMyShow has to “maintain a cordial relationship with the state, and I know that Mumbai is a major hub for live entertainment.” He added, “Without the state’s cooperation, iconic shows like Coldplay and Guns N’ Roses wouldn’t be possible.”


He continued, “However, the issue at hand isn’t about whether you can or will delist me – it’s about your exclusive right on listing our shows. By not allowing artists to list their shows through their own websites, you’ve effectively prevented me from accessing the audience I’ve performed for from 2017 to 2025.”


BookMyShow, run by Bigtree Entertainment Private Limited, removed Kamra’s content and delisted him following backlash over a parody song targeting Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. During a performance at Mumbai’s Habitat studio, Kamra sang a version of ‘Bholi Si Surat’, a song from Dil To Pagal Hai, in which he called Mr. Shinde a ‘gaddar’ (traitor).


Mr. Shinde had led a political revolt that split the Shiv Sena and led to the fall of Uddhav Thackeray’s government in 2022. Since then, Mr. Thackeray and his allies have repeatedly labeled Shinde a ‘gaddar’.


In response to Kamra’s parody, Shinde’s supporters vandalised the Habitat studio, a popular venue for stand-up acts. The studio, located in Khar, later shut down operations, clarifying that it does not control show content. The next day, civic authorities demolished parts of the building, citing violations of building regulations. However, the timing raised suspicions that the move was related to the Kamra controversy. Multiple cases have been filed against the comedian, and after skipping three summons, he has been granted interim protection from arrest by the Madras High Court.


Kamra also questioned BookMyShow’s business practices, saying, “You take a 10% cut of the revenue for listing shows, which is your business model. However, this raises an important point: No matter how big or small a comedian is, we are all compelled to spend between 6,000 to 10,000 rupees a day on advertising to reach our own audience. This cost is an additional burden that we, as artists, must bear.”


He then made a direct appeal: “What I’m requesting is simple: please ensure that you hand over the contact information of the audiences you’ve collected from my solo shows so that I can continue living my life with dignity and work towards a fair livelihood. As a solo artist, especially in the world of comedy, we are both the show and the production. For instance, if I performed at the Pune Comedy Festival with 30 other artists, that would be considered comedy’s collective data. But my solo shows – that’s my audience. The least I deserve, should you choose to delist me, is access to them.”


He concluded, “With that in mind, I request one of the following: Do not delist me, or Provide me with the data (contact information) I’ve generated through your platform from my audience. Thank you for your understanding.” Kamra also noted that while BookMyShow might cite data protection concerns, “the question of who protects what data, and from whom, is a much broader conversation”.


Earlier, Sena leader Rahool Kanal had appealed to BookMyShow to deny Kamra a platform. After the delisting, he thanked the portal, saying, “Thank you for keeping your portal clean and keeping such artists out of the list of pure entertainment, because we all being Mumbaikars love and believe in every form of art but not personal agendas.”

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