ABG, Realizing a Relationship - Siddhant Ahuja, NMIMS Mumbai

Here, I would like to bring the point of brand perception. For some time, I have felt that ABC has done a great job of letting the brands build their own image rather than the brand leveraging the ABG brand name. For Example, Peter England caters to demographic that prefers cheaper products compared to Louis Phillippe which presents itself as a premium product suited to richer demographic. Each brand has its own image with the underlying trust & promise of ABG. I have traversed through these demographic groups; from an engineering student looking to deep discounts at Peter England; to a corporate employee buying a Louie Phillippe shirt to make a statement.

But saying ABG was just about their textile stores & Pantaloons would by a gross understatement. My father is a promoter and Ultratech cement has to be their go to brand. Idea Cellular is our family network. My lunch has always been packed in Freshwrapp foil and I buy my groceries from the nearest More. Store.

All these products have one thing in common; quality. When we try to analyse how these brands have become so inherent in our lives the only answer that may emerge is that all these brands provide the best product. ABG has been able to enter my life through different routes by providing the best. Unconsciously, we are all part of the ABG family at large.

The next question that comes to my mind with respect to ABG is ‘What’s Next?’ Automobiles? Theatres? Stadiums? The sky is the limit and ABG is the sunrise illuminating it.

How I overcame challenges to achieve my ambitions so far

I have been brought up with the principle that I can achieve anything if I try hard and work on it. But as I went around strolling through this sandstorm called life, I learnt what I had to work hard at. It wasn’t my school or IIT JEE. But it was my attitude.

In a world that’s always changing I had to learn to adapt and change my approach to life every single day. I stopped looking at problems as a whole and started taking each part of a puzzle one at a time. This taught me to organise my thoughts and develop positive habits like early to bed early to rise. As an engineering student I had to force myself to sleep at night, but slowly I could develop a positive sleep cycle. I had started sleeping for 8 hours and work with a fresh mind. My foray into MBA presented me with a new problem; suddenly 8 hours of sleep seemed too much. I had to train myself to reduce my sleeping hours to be able to absorb all that my B-School has to offer.

And I have been able to change my sleep cycle to match my requirements. I have still not perfectly adjusted to the reduced sleep and make up for the lost hours on Sunday. But I’m certain that with time and effort I shall be able to achieve this goal as well.

Other than being able to change my sleep cycle, I have also learnt the power of positive thinking. My mother is extremely religious and believes that we have been sent on earth to do our jobs. Our successes & failures are destined; so if I keep working with diligence I would reap the rewards. This never resonated with me. But slowly I started reading into her thoughts. What this simply means is that we need to keep a positive outlook. Take the problems in your stride and don’t dwell on failures. Do the job you are here for. This has now become the policy I live by. My goals and achievements are now defined by the happiness they provide rather than the societal value they add. In hindsight all I had to do was listen to my parents and tweak their teachings to fit my perspective.

But would I be the same if I hadn’t failed at all?

#NMIMSMumbai #ABGLPWooMe