#KetchupTalks: Restaurateur and businessman, Divyansh Gupta on his various ventures and setting up a medical NGO in India

Divyansh Gupta, one of Lucknow's most dynamic and aspirational entrepreneurs talks about his several ventures and the dream of setting up a medical NGO in India!

Divyash Gupta wants to know everything about everything and how does he do it? Nope. Not by Google-ing the hell out of it like most of us, he does so by starting setting up new ventures. After working for one of India's biggest Event Management companies, he set off on his own to start several business opportunities including the recently launched pub, The Tipsy Trunk. We recently caught up with Divyansh Gupta and spoke all about his vision, his journey and his entrepreneurial accumen.

Take a look at our conversation with Divyansh Gupta here:

How has your journey as an entrepreneur been so far?

"Mainly during my school days when I was in class 10 or 11, my friends organized an event in Lucknow. They were the third runner’s up in India's Got talent. So, 15-20 of us decided to call them during those days. We organized that event and that's how I decided to become an event manager. I studied at Manav Rachna University, Faridabad. Event management was one of my subjects in Mass Communication and Journalism. I did my first internship with Envisage at 17. They do events for ACC cement. Then, I worked for NDTV also. I interned at Wizcraft and organized IIFA Utsavam Awards and handled logistics for 750 people. It included hotel dropping and venue drops and hotel rooms. During the Wizcraft internship, I was the auditor of the stylist who worked with Rana Daggubati, the anchor of the event. IIFA was my last day at the internship. They offered me to work as a full-time employee. So, I went for a permanent job at Wizcraft after completed my semester in 6 months. I worked for 1.5 years. Then, my mom passed away, and my sister got married. Dad was alone in Lucknow so I decided to come back to Lucknow. I decided to start my own business. Wizcraft gave me a large amount of knowledge. I applied for a job but there are no big opportunities and this city doesn’t have a broad scope in event management. So, I was getting fewer events. Wiz got 10 events in a month. I got only 1-2 events in a month here. I worked for 12 hrs a day at Wizcraft and worked for a few days a month here. So, I was relatively free. I decided to do something useful. It was a struggle for me to work so less so I opened a clothing showroom in Lucknow of COBB Italy. It was a franchise. It went well and got settled. But again, I was free. I like working 12 hours non-stop so I decided to open a bar and restaurant in Lucknow. It started 3 weeks back. The tipsy trunk is a trial business. I am opening Lakhnavi Brew Works too. The innauguration is set for 30th January. It will be the first microbrewery, at a Kitty Su level in Lucknow. So, I am pretty excited."

Does your inclination towards running a business come from your family background?

"No, my dad was in service and has no experience in the business. My aim in life is to open a medical NGO. You need a lot of money for that. To earn money, I do this, because I want to open a medical NGO in India because there are only 2-3 of those."

Every Business you've ventured into is pretty different. What's the thought behind each? Do you follow market trends?

"When I was small, I used to play cricket, basketball, badminton. I don't stick to one thing. I want to know every detail about everything. I don't want to lose an argument just because I don't have any knowledge of it. I want to learn each thing about every department. I want to do something related to the pharmacy since it has a broad scope. I want to learn. I want to learn about alcohol distribution since it's a great option to earn profit. I want to learn how people earn so much money."

Location is of prime importance fo any pub or restaurant. How did you choose yours for The Tipsy Trunk?

"Alam bagh and Ashiyana are not central areas. They are not developed. The main crowd consists of businessmen who are Punjabis and Muslims. This area was the outskirts of Lucknow three years back.  Punjabis love to drink. And there is only one bar. Since this was my first business in hospitality, I wanted no competitors. Lucknow has a crowd of 20-30 which is 60%  and 45-55 around 30% who are middle-aged."

What upcoming trends do you see in Lucknow's business sector?

"Corporate is coming in Lucknow. Paytm, Amul and HUL have signed deals. Lucknow is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. Corporate ventures increase the city's economy. Each business in Lucknow will benefit from this growth."

Are you looking at a certain demographic to expand your business ventures?

"It depends on the business. Event management has no target audience.

Even the club doesn't.  Profit is generated from middle-aged and the youth gets a crowd. Tipsy Trunk has no set target audience. Depends on the situation, if it is Valentine's Day then youngsters and if it's New Year's then middle-aged."

How important is social media in your business?

"One of our friends asked me about social media protests and internet shutdown and that's the same thing I want to answer. Social media is the leader today. Social media is Mahatma Gandhi. It is the best marketing I need for my biz. 4/10 people use it. Hoardings don't work for me. Social media is key. I think even a lawyer should have social media."

Besides your soon-to-be lunched Micro Brewery, what else do you have in the pipeline?

"I want to open LBW 2 in Noida and another Tipsy Trunk in Lucknow. Liquor license might create a problem but I want to open LBW in Bangalore and Goa. Iwant to make it into something like Farzi cafe. I want to start an alcohol distribution."