BIO: Sahil Vaidya co-founded The Minimalist in 2015, one of India’s fastest-growing creative solutions companies. In 2019, Sahil was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.
STORY: Sahil’s worst investment was investing too much time chasing dopamine hits.
LEARNING: Incorporate gratitude in your life. Don’t be fooled by the shiny object syndrome.
“Gratitude is really underrated.”
Sahil Vaidya
Guest profile
Sahil Vaidya is the co-founder of The Minimalist, one of India’s fastest-growing creative solutions companies. An engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, Sahil co-founded the company during his final year in 2015. Marshaling a crew of over 170+ creative minds, Sahil wakes up every day with a single-minded focus: to turn The Minimalist into India’s most inventive company in the creative business.
In 2019, Sahil was featured in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. He has also been the driving force behind the company’s growth, which resulted in The Minimalist being featured in LinkedIn India’s Top 25 Startups List (2018).
In 2021, Sahil and Chirag launched their book Think Like The Minimalist, which is a short read on their unique IP of Minimalist Thinking. Filled with detailed techniques, examples, and anecdotes, the book is a potent tool for design, marketing, and branding students, practitioners as well as leaders to master the art and science of thought-provoking design.
Worst investment ever
Sahil’s worst investment was investing too much time chasing dopamine hits. When he started his business, it was an instant success. He received a lot of accolades, awards, and recognition. Sahil thoroughly enjoyed that attention and high.
He desired to cultivate a bigger external image. Sahil started chasing things like better looks, more fame, better relationships, and a much bigger company. It took a lot of time for Sahil to realize that the stuff he was after wasn’t really important.
Lessons learned
- Incorporate gratitude in your life.
- Write down a list of all the things you’re grateful for every day.
- That external high you’re chasing will never be enough, so pursue meaningful things.
Andrew’s takeaways
- Don’t be fooled by the shiny object syndrome.
- Follow one course until successful.
- PR doesn’t generate revenue.
- Go over your financial statements monthly.
- Wear an attitude of gratitude.
Actionable advice
Start meditating as soon as possible.
No.1 goal for the next 12 months
Sahil’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to do a lot of inventive work for his clients so that his company is known as the company that does unique, unconventional, innovative work.
Parting words
“It’s been a fantastic opportunity to be a guest here. I hope the audience constantly incorporates the learnings they get from these sessions and become better versions of themselves.”
Sahil Vaidya
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