Over Coffee And Croissants

A  long, long time ago business deals were struck in neutral places associated with wealth—think exclusive, gated business chambers in plush hotels like Oberoi and the Taj. These clubs worked on a simple premise: you had to be a member or be rich enough to buy a membership. An outsider could also break in via recommendations. So business people used these familiar, comforting marble-friendly zones to transact, soc­ialise, even get married in.

But all that is establishment now, like the boring club bar or over on the golf course. The cooler, more happening deals in India today are being struck in nondescript cafes or convenient business-friendly meeting points. Flashy displays of money are a no-no, the loc­ation isn’t really important. What matters is convenience, given today’s horrendous traffic situation.

India has made its mark on the start-up map and the people who are building these multi-million dollar companies are not the Ambanis or Mittals but probably that really smart boy or girl who used to live next door. As the demographic of our business people changes, so does the venue of the deal room. The new entrepreneur is now striking deals in bars, cafes, each other’s houses and sometimes even nightclubs. Given long commute times, even the backseat of a comfortable sedan en route to the airport is a preferred option.

“We have moved to a time when business has gone down to the middle class. The new crop of entrepreneurs in the country knows what they want and will ask for it,” says Raman Roy, CEO of Quatrro, a business and knowledge processing service agency. Conventional business deals quite often involve a cer­tain amount of show and extravaga­nce. “The new crop of business people are more real,” he says. These are people who are not driven by a code of conduct or a uniform. We are emerging into an era where markets are individual-driven instead of driven by industries.

The entrepreneur of today does not need an office or even a desk to do his dealings. All he needs is his brain and perhaps free WiFi. A gym and shower would help too, thank you. Business meetings are no longer a show of power but, increasingly, more a meeting of minds. Cafes and other public places are devoid of a hierarchy, outside the corporate ladder and have thus become the go-to place for business. Most ent­repreneurs of today consider conventional set-ups an artificial deterrent. Foodpanda’s Saurabh Kochhar agrees: “One can never really gauge the earnest reaction of the person you are dealing with in an artificial setup.”

Coffee shops and restaurant owners too have been quick to catch on to this trend. The past few years have seen the sprouting of outlets such as Social in Delhi which has customised its space as a co-working area in the day and provides packages to individuals and group who need a space to work in. This could be to hold meetings or even just plug in a laptop and work alone. Mumbai too has recently witnessed a surge of co-working cafes such as The Playce in Mulund and Collab in Bandra. For partying and striking that deal, this new generation of business people are making their own rules.