The Years That No One Talks About | Aditya Poddar | TEDxDFBEDU

The speaker recounts his journey from childhood aspirations to entrepreneurial success, starting with his early dream of becoming a cricketer, inspired by Shane Watson. Despite practicing rigorously, he soon realized the immense difficulty of pursuing cricket professionally in India. His next major goal was to crack the JEE exam, but despite two years of preparation, his rank of 62,753 in April 2016 left him disappointed. Subsequently, he aimed for an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad to compensate for past failures, but again, he didn't make it. He did, however, secure admission to a lower-ranked IIM and a decent-paying corporate job. By 2020, at 21, he was earning one lakh per month, but felt unfulfilled. He questioned if this was the path he wanted for his future, realizing his passion lay in entrepreneurship. He was fascinated by how entrepreneurs turn ideas into impactful ventures. Identifying a personal problem, he noted the difficulty of finding sufficient protein as a vegetarian during his 20kg weight loss journey. He observed that existing protein brands catered mainly to bodybuilders, neglecting casual consumers, mothers, and corporate professionals, often presenting protein in an intimidating manner. This led to the idea of "Fitfeast" in 2021, a brand focused on "fitness while feasting" – providing protein without compromising on taste. His initial attempts to find manufacturers were challenging. The first demanded a prohibitive 100,000 kg minimum order, while the second only worked with established companies. After extensive searching, he found a manufacturer willing to work with a lower minimum order quantity. He launched the brand in 2021, learning performance marketing himself to drive initial sales. However, he soon realized the need for significant capital for marketing, branding, logistics, and R&D. Having invested his 10-15 lakh savings from two years of work, he began approaching investors via LinkedIn, messaging numerous firms and individuals. He received few replies and even fewer meetings. Early investor feedback was demotivating, with rejections citing a cluttered market or other vague reasons. At a point where he considered shutting down the business, he met an investor named Rajee, who agreed to invest a small sum of five lakh rupees. More importantly, Rajee shared a profound insight: "Adita, in business, if you're able to survive for the long run, then one day magic happens on its own." This meant that even if a business isn't immediately successful, merely keeping it afloat for over five years increases the chances of connecting with the right people—investors, vendors, customers, employees, or co-founders—leading to a breakthrough. Inspired by these words, he resolved to keep the business alive, no matter the difficulties. Throughout 2022 and 2023, the business grew slowly, operating near break-even, but he managed to keep it afloat. A huge fan of Shark Tank, he applied for Shark Tank India in 2022. Out of over a lakh applications, Fitfeast made it to the top 1,000, reaching the third phase of pitching to the Sony team, but was eliminated just before the shark round. In 2023, on his second attempt, the same scenario repeated. Despite advice from close ones to give up on Shark Tank for his third attempt in 2024, he knew the show offered unparalleled validation and trust for a consumer brand. He applied again, in stealth, and this time not only got through but secured a deal from two sharks. When the Shark Tank episode aired on March 13, 2025, it appeared to be an overnight success. However, the speaker emphasized the four years of unseen, mundane work he had put in: acting as a business development manager, operations manager, marketer, customer service executive, logistics executive, finance controller, CMO, CFO, CEO, and even an office boy, often mopping the office himself. This "boring work" and the foundation he built were crucial. Post-Shark Tank, Fitfeast’s sales grew tenfold, they raised approximately seven crores in venture capital, and received numerous inquiries from customers, investors, and vendors. He believes in the Bollywood dialogue, "The universe conspires to give you what you want," adding the nuance that this happens "when you keep trying even when times are worst." Recently, Fitfeast onboarded Indian all-rounder Axar Patel and Australian legend Shane Watson as brand partners, fulfilling a childhood dream for the speaker, who had previously used Watson's photo as his Facebook DP. He concludes by stating his belief in manifestation and that dreams die not when one fails, but when one stops trying.