You have identified an ideal partner for your business in India: strong financials, common interests, and experience in the field. The company is an older family-run business. You soon realize that the key to sealing an agreement is a meeting with the patriarch, an older man who doesn’t come to the office much anymore. His blessing is essential, but you are having a lot of trouble getting his attention. What do you do?

In this episode of Working With India, I talk with Arjun Buxi. Arjun is a native Indian who grew up in a Punjabi family business, and is now a Communication Consultant and Educator in the San Francisco area. Arjun is a true expert in the field of Indian business culture, especially when it comes to how family dynamics affect things. His knowledge is both experiential and scholarly.

Here are a few of my favorite moments in this show:

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• What an HUF is and why it’s central to understanding Indian business
  
• How to ‘investigate the hierarchy’ of an Indian family business #PowerPlays
  
• Practical tips on how to correct someone of higher status than you #ThinSkinned
  
• Really insightful rules for gift-giving
  
• Why Jugaad is essential for your ability to navigate Indian businesses #GreyisWhite, #ChaosBeatsLogic
  

Here are some of the links mentioned in the show:

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• An article about Mukesh Ambani’s house (it’s actually 27 stories tall!)
  
• Arjun’s blog post on the role of the personal and professional in Indian family business
  
• More background on the K-serials, and Balaji Telefilms
  
• Links for more info on family businesses in India:
  
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  • business.gov.in
    
  • Taxguru.in – Specific to a Hindu Undivided Family
    
  • KPMGFamilyBusiness.com
    
  
  
  
• Find Arjun on LinkedIn, Twitter, his website, or email him
  

Listen to the player below, or subscribe via iTunes!

The post Episode 4: Arjun Buxi appeared first on Learning India.

1. 
   
2. Episode 5: Robert Stephens
   
3. Episode 3: Rohan and Shannon Prabhakar