From Selling Roadside Tea to Delivering a Speech at Harvard: Praful Billore, owner of MBA Chaiwala

1. Introduction
2. Who is this famous MBA Chaiwala?
3. Praful’s thirst for MBA
4. The initial struggle MBA chaiwala faced
5. The birth of Praful’s chai dreams
6. The stepping stones
7. The unforeseen obstacle in Praful’s journey
8. Fortune favors the brave
9. And Praful faces another challenge
10. Did Praful give up on his chai dreams?
11. Was Praful successful in convincing the authorities?
12. How MBA Chaiwala got its name
13. How Praful used criticism as fuel
14. The Growth of MBA Chaiwala
15. From a tea stall owner to giving speeches at prestigious B-Schools
16. Concluding Thoughts

Introduction

“MBA, MBA, MBA was all that was going in and out, day and night in my mind” was the first statement that came out of Prafull Billore’s mind when asked about his tryst with destiny. For those who don’t know who Prafull Billore is, here is a small overview for you.

Who is this famous MBA Chaiwala?

Prafull Billore is popularly known as the MBA Chaiwala. He is the proud owner of the ‘MBA Chaiwala’ franchise, which is now a three-crore empire built on ‘chai’ and his dreams. Praful is a B.Com graduate hailing from a middle-class family in Madhya Pradesh. 

MBA Chaiwala Full Form

Many of us thought here MBA means Master of Business Administration but MBA in Chaiwala is  ‘Mr. Billore Ahmedabad Chaiwala’.

Praful’s thirst for MBA

Like his peers, Praful was very keen on pursuing his MBA from the top B-schools in India. The sole reason for his decision was the lucrative salary and opportunities that an MBA degree had to offer. His parents were also eager for their son to clear the MBA entrance exam and get admitted into the premium management institutes of the country.

Despite spending two toilsome years preparing for CAT, he failed to clear the exam twice. He was shattered and depressed due to the failure of his B-school dream. Praful wanted a break from everything he was doing. He packed his bags and set out to travel across the country.

Eventually, after traveling to multiple cities, Praful decided to settle in Ahmedabad and hunt for a job. He started working in McDonald’s for a salary of INR 200 per hour of work, roughly amounting up to Rs. 6000/month.

The initial struggle MBA Chaiwala faced

Praful started climbing up the ladder at McDonald’s by initially starting as a housekeeping staff and finally ending up as a cashier. Although he was making good progress, he despised the idea of working for someone else and wanted to establish an identity for himself. He often wondered, “Why sell burgers for someone else, while I can make and sell on my own,” and that led to the inception of the 3-crore MBA Chaiwala empire. 

The birth of Praful’s chai dreams

Praful paid heed to the wise quote that stated, “Dream big, start small, act now.” He quit his job at McDonald’s and decided to set up a tea stall, as tea was his staple beverage during the CAT preparation, and India loves chai. Initially, he loaned out eight thousand rupees from his dad on the pretext of pursuing a short-term course. He couldn’t tell his family the truth as they would be petrified and furious as to what his future would hold.

The stepping stones

Praful set up a makeshift tea stall, and the first day went pretty bad as there was not even a single customer. He decided not to give up and devised a new strategy. The second day, he started approaching customers with a friendly gesture and conversed with them in English. Intrigued by an English-speaking Chaiwala, people started coming over to test his tea. The tea was served with a toast, and Praful earned 150 rupees that day for five tea glasses. 

The chai business slowly started gaining traction, and he invested more of his time and efforts, and the dividends were finally starting to pay up. 

The unforeseen obstacle in Praful’s journey

One fine day Praful received a call from his father asking about what he was doing these days. Praful had to lie to him over the phone that he was pursuing his MBA dream. Feeling guilty, he went ahead and enrolled himself in MBA classes in a nearby community college. 

His classes engulfed most of his time, and he felt like he was wasting his time rather than doing what he wanted to do. He felt like he was losing the opportunity to thrive somewhere else but was often caught between his father’s desire for their son to pursue an MBA and his dream to sell chai. 

Fortune favors the brave

Praful could not resist his dream calling out, and one day he just walked out of his MBA class and never turned to look back. Now he had all the time in the world to plan and resume his chain business, and he felt liberated. He tried out various combinations of chai and experimented quite a bit with its taste in a vision to make the best chai in India.

And Praful faces another challenge

As the chai business started getting popular, it garnered people’s attention from various walks of life. The attention the chai shop got had its negative side too. It irked the roadside vendors and other small business owners, as Praful’s chai business was bringing down their business. He got threats from local goons and local authorities to shut down the chai shop. 

Although he was able to dodge the threats initially, there was a stage that threatened his life and health. He shut down his successfully performing business, fearing the outcomes of continuing his business despite the life-threatening warnings. 

Did Praful give up on his chai dreams?

Praful was so invested in his dreams that he embarked on a pursuit in search of a haven to run his business. He wanted to ensure that nobody should be able to displace him again legally or by force.

He visited a place outside a hospital and made up his mind to set up a stall outside, and it would be safe for him to operate the chai business. He went and held a discussion with the hospital authorities and had requested them for space and that he would be paying rent for the place.

Was Praful successful in convincing the authorities?

The hospital authorities, after much consideration, accepted Praful’s proposal and gave the nod for setting up his stall. His hopes rose high, and he started setting up his business. Between all the hassle of setting up the shop and making his business up and running, he had forgotten to keep a name for his chai business. 

How MBA Chaiwala got its name

Praful sat down and listed down hundreds of names. He wanted the name to reflect his identity, as the tea business was his life and all that he loved. After striking down hundreds of names, he finally got a name that would resonate with his identity. The signboard read, ‘Mr. Billore Ahmedabad Chaiwala’, which is now called the ‘MBA Chaiwala.’

How Praful used criticism as fuel

The tea stall’s name invited a lot of criticism as people started mocking, ‘How can a person who doesn’t have an MBA degree be called an MBA Chaiwala?’. He received criticism from his close friends too, as they mocked, ‘Kahan MBA kar raha tha, kahan chai wala ban gaya.’ Even his parents felt that he brought shame to his family’s name by going ahead with the chai business.

Praful’s positive mindset turned a deaf ear to these comments as he considered that the ones who were not there to support during the struggle don’t deserve a chance to be heard during the success. 

The Growth of MBA Chaiwala

Within a few years, the tea stall was transformed into a chain of franchises and cafes. Praful’s hard work and dedication paid off, and MBA Chaiwala became a name that resonated in the minds of chai lovers all over India. 

Praful Billore has graced almost 200+ events with his chai that ranges across women empowerment, entrepreneurship, LinkedIn program, etc. He got invitations to cater marriage functions and even political rallies to spread the warmth and love of his chai.

The most memorable event for Praful was the event he organized during Valentine’s day. He gave free chai to singles on valentine’s day, and it became a viral event and gained popularity all over the world.

Apart from focussing on the chai business, Praful also supports social causes like economic upliftment of underprivileged people and women’s empowerment by organizing fundraising social events and campaigns.

From a tea stall owner to giving speeches at prestigious B-Schools

Praful Billore’s success journey did not end with his chai shop. His success story reached far and wide, and guess what? He was invited by IIM-Ahmedabad, the B-school he was yearning to pursue his MBA to share his business journey with the post-graduate students. He also got invites from various other IIM’s and Harvard Business School to address his journey. 

Today MBA Chaiwala has over 20 employees and a business turnover of three crores this fiscal year. This is no ordinary feat considering the hard work and struggle Praful had to face. He believes that fear is temporary, but the mark of regret is forever in life, and one should not live with such regrets and pursue their dreams, even if it is a small one.

Concluding Thoughts

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