In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Karthikeyan Selvaraj, Founder & CEO of Dunkel Kitchen, a successful cloud kitchen chain! They delve into why passion and business are two different but essential things in your entrepreneurial journey and why you should always find different ways to succeed, as well as outlining the importance of mentorship in business.

Karthikeyan is India’s leading cloud kitchen coach, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. With over five years of experience in cloud kitchens, QSRs and fine dining Restaurants, he’s supporting aspiring food entrepreneurs across the globe to achieve their vision and unlock their full potential. Not only is he the Founder and CEO of Dunkel Kitchen, but he’s also the Founder of Biryani 2 Home (B2H), a biryani-specialized multi-cuisine restaurant!

👉 Karthikeyan started in the corporate world, but his love was always for food, so he decided to jump into the food industry with all hands on deck. For a first-generation entrepreneur, things are never going to be easy, and unfortunately, passion alone isn’t enough to get you places in business. One day, it had gotten to the point where he was ready to give up, but his wife encouraged him to find ways to succeed, and it worked out!

👉 Although passion is good for an entrepreneur, it shouldn’t be the sole thing you rely on to succeed. Business requires a lot of different factors and moving parts, but it all needs to be done with some passion. Karthikeyan believes that, if making money is your only goal, then you will surely fail because, if there’s one thing customers care about, it’s what your values are; if you’re doing it for shallow reasons, then people will be able to tell.

👉 When you start off as an entrepreneur, you will find that you have a huge lack of financial knowledge; this won’t necessarily be your fault, because not everyone is taught about it. It will be a hurdle for sure, but you will be able to overcome it. With a bit of self-education and experience, it will all come together. 

👉 Mentorship is incredibly important. Karthikeyan says that, to this day, he has a business coach that helps him through the process. It was because of them that his life became easier and he gained more clarity on what he should be doing. He spent half a decade of his entrepreneurship journey putting everything as a blueprint for his online courses so that he can support aspiring food entrepreneurs.