October 6th, 2014; this was the date that Nishyarth Prasad and business partner Pranav Pai officially opened 154 Breakfast Club, which is now ranked 2nd best breakfast restaurant in (Bangalore), India. Cultural and community boundaries were some of the most difficult to break through for Nish, but there was a vision born all because Nishyarth simply had a feeling.
From a 500sqft café to a 1600sqft restaurant – this is Nishyarth’s story.
It started when Nishyarth decided that a corporate investment banking environment just wasn’t for him. He became tired of a corporate structure – so he quit. And he never looked back. Acting out of feeling may seem irrational and reactive to many, but if you wait for something tangible to happen rather than trusting your feeling before making the big jump – you may be waiting the rest of your life.
“I was told to throw my idea in the dustpan.”
Transformation IS discomfort.
One night, Pranav invited Nishyarth out for a drink, and over conversation they realized the didn’t have a direction they wanted to follow but they knew they wanted to do something for their community. Then it happened, they started sketching out a business plan for a coffee shop on tissue paper. Neither of them had any experience running a business or experience in the hospitality industry, and it was apparent to Nishyarth the amount of personal leadership he had to take on for this vision.
How did he apply personal leadership to make this happen?
For six months, Nishyarth spent his days sitting in restaurants doing practical research to better understand the industry and industry consumers. Months of unpaid work in order to get an in depth understanding how what customers need, and priceless learning that led him to feel the importance of building relationships.
“The whole café was designed by myself and the co-founder, we were doing this for the first time and we felt it was necessary to learn every corner of the business to know what goes into a café and how it runs. When the café first opened, I worked as a cashier and managed the whole place for a year. By doing so, I was able to meet new customers everyday, take in their praises, and also listen to their complaints.”
His leadership has resulted in resonance throughout his family, and he is a living example for what others can do to empower their lives. To further spread resonance, Nishyarth has also made the café a space for entrepreneurs in the community to come ideate and work on their vision.
“A lot can happen over a cup of coffee. NOW is the right time to do something, and if you put your heart and passion into it; obstacles become irrelevant to your commitment.”