In an interview with ETMarkets, Shinghal said: “I begin each day with a prayer and make a conscious effort to visit the temple at least once a month. This practice has brought me a profound sense of tranquility and relaxation” Edited excerpts:
Q) Thanks for being part of the segment. An IIT and IIM alumnus with diverse experience across banks, investment as well as markets. Tell us how you keep yourself mentally fit.
The ups and downs of entrepreneurship, mentoring budding entrepreneurs, and building a business from idea to scale are things that keep me mentally engaged and agile.
Family time, good food, travel, crosswords, reading, engaging conversations with friends and peers and golf are things that help me relax.
My spiritual inclinations often lead me to religious places across India which are a source of rejuvenation and serenity for me.
My family has a big role to play in this. My mornings usually start with completing a crossword, a habit since my IIT days.Now, it’s like a ritual with my wife over coffee. Even when I’m travelling, we solve crossword puzzle through Facebook chats or by sending each other answers over whatsapp. It’s both a relaxing and stimulating activity for us as a couple.
Additionally, my two daughters keep me mentally engaged. Whenever they are home, we enjoy bonding over a fun television show or conversations in the evenings. On weekends, my wife and I often spend time with friends, going out or hosting them at home.
I have a strong affinity for physical fitness and allocate at least 45 minutes every day to intense physical activity. Even when I am travelling, I end up taking long walks, exploring the nooks and corners of new places.
The 45-minute routine which you talked about looks very exhausting. Tell us more about it.
Growing up in an army environment, physical fitness has always been important to me. I try to dedicate 45 minutes, six days a week, to activities that include walking, badminton or gym. It helps me set a positive tone for the day and stay focused and energised.
Golf is another pursuit I really enjoy. It’s not just mentally stimulating but also offers me an opportunity to socialise.
I believe golf is one of those unique sports that lets you compete with yourself, challenge your own abilities and consistently work towards excellence.
Tell us about your spiritual side. Do you also do meditation and if yes, is there a specific setup or modality that you follow?
I begin each day with a prayer and make a conscious effort to visit the temple at least once a month. This practice has brought me a profound sense of tranquility and relaxation.
I enjoy exploring holy sites while travelling as well. And that is not just from a religious perspective but I find the architectural beauty of these places absolutely stunning.
Despite being built thousands of years ago, their aura and architecture is astonishing. It calms me down. One of my most spiritual moments has been in Auroville in Pondicherry. That is an experience that would always stay with me.
You are also an avid reader – A book that is a must-read for all?
Fiction: To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee
Non Fiction: The Psychology of Money – Morgan Housel
What inspired you to set up Scripbox – a wealth management platform? You manage a substantial AUM of more than Rs 12,500 cr in over 2500 cities across India.
After graduating from IIM-B and spending around 15 years in building businesses across South Africa, the UK, and India, I decided to pursue something of my own. This was way back in 2009 and startups were just popping up in India.
I was looking forward to the freedom to think, the independence to execute, and bringing my global learning to the nascent personal finance space in India.
I realised that India deserved better than what was on offer for the common investor and the intent was to provide a novel financial product that leveraged the power of data, science and technology.
Scripbox began with the idea of getting people to start investing. Our philosophy was, and still is, to help people worry less about money.
Over the years, we have expanded the scope of our mobile app to address financial needs centred around the client’s purpose of investing — from generic objectives like long-term wealth creation, parking short term money or emergency funds, to specific life goals such as child education or retirement.
At Scripbox, we don’t perceive ourselves as just a platform for investing, but as an enabler of financial security — both emotional and functional.
As an entrepreneur, the initial days are usually tough. What would you advise budding entrepreneurs?
For anyone building a business, the transition from an employee to an entrepreneur is a massive one. You must learn to do more with less. In a start-up, one needs to play with the cards they are dealt and move at speed.
There should be readiness and capabilities to don multiple hats and serve all roles starting from departmental heads to the company head. That also means you must be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.
I believe it’s significant to move beyond a perpetual startup mentality. Similar to the analogy of building a ship and sailing it, there are different approaches to running a business.
Once the ship is built and launched, your responsibility shifts to ensuring its stability and progress in the right direction. And the crew who runs the ship is different from those who built it. This adaptability and acceptance is key.
But most importantly, you should be able to build trust among your customers. For a business to scale successfully, customer interests should always be at the core of what you do. Ethics and transparency are of utmost priority.
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