Building A Business Is Like Running

Ranu Vohra is the MD and co-founder of Avendus Capital. He is a self-made man from Karnal. He was a participant of the Mumbai Marathon.Before today he has three marathon experiences to his credit.He believes that the most interesting marathon he has run is the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromso, Norway,where he admits to making a the mistake of landing  in Norway just 36 hours before the event and having to run against his biological clock.Most marathoners put in runs between 32km and 36km in preparation for the 42km journey. Vohra, though, ran two half-marathons before he thought he was ready for twice the torture — 42km.

Vora believes that building a business is similar to running — you basically take it one mile at a time. For him, being able to marathon was a slow struggle to conquer the distance. As he puts it,“I first ran for a few minutes and then added more every time until one day, I realized that I had run 15km. I knew I could run the half marathon.      

Vohra lives by the dictum that runners must not make progress too quickly. “If you attempt too many big things and too much progress, you tend to get injured.” So is the case with breaks. “I am always taking breaks from running, which are partly forced. Breaks help you reinvent yourself.” Vohra takes a two-week break after the Mumbai Marathon.Pacing himself and taking breaks are things he finds useful in his business too.