Ishaan Arora

READ THIS if you’re feeling stagnant in your career!


If you’ve clicked to read more, I’m pretty sure that you’ve been trying hard, but nothing seems to be working.

Stuck in the same job for years, with no promotion, raise, or new opportunities!
The first step to get out of this situation is to understand the reason behind it!

Career stagnation happens when you:

⇢ Keep using the same skills without learning anything new.
⇢ Stay invisible at work and assume hard work alone will get you noticed.
⇢ Stick to a job or company that has no real growth path.
⇢ Avoid challenges because they feel uncomfortable.
⇢ Wait for opportunities instead of creating them.

Here are 5 things you can do to start growing again:👇

💡 Talk to People Doing Better Than You

Find colleagues, mentors, or friends who are ahead in their careers. Ask them what they did differently. Sometimes, the right advice can open new doors.

💡Learn a Skill That’s in Demand

If your job feels repetitive, chances are your skills are outdated.

Pick up a new skill that companies actually need, such as AI tools, data analysis, public speaking, or even sales.

💡Ask for More Responsibility

Instead of waiting for a promotion, take on new challenges. Volunteer for projects, solve a problem your team ignores, or suggest a new idea.

💡Consider a Role Switch

Your problem might not be your company; it might be your role. If your current job has no growth path, explore other roles within the company that match your strengths.

💡Look for Side Gigs or Freelance Work

Trying something outside your job, such as consulting, freelancing, or even a passion project, can give you fresh skills, exposure, and maybe even a new career direction.

Send this to someone who needs to read this today! 🚀

20 hours ago | [YT] | 25

Ishaan Arora

Is the CFA charter losing its value because everyone's doing it now?


I hear this a lot. And I think people are confusing two very different things.

Everyone is attempting the CFA.
Not everyone has it.

There are only 2 lakh CFA charterholders in the entire world. Across 160 countries.

That is it.

For context, India alone produces over 1.5 million engineers every single year.

2 lakh charterholders globally is not "everyone doing it". That is still a very small and exclusive group.

Now here is where the confusion comes from.

A lot of people register for the CFA. A lot of people talk about doing it. LinkedIn is full of "CFA Level 1 candidates".

But the pass rates tell a very different story.

Level 1 hovers around 40-45 per cent. Level 2 drops further. Level 3 is no different.

Most people who start it never finish it. The ones who do are a genuinely small group, and that number is not changing anytime soon.

And the demand for that small group is only going up.

Investment banking, equity research, portfolio management, wealth management, risk advisory, and investment consulting.

Every single one of these functions values the CFA deeply, and the industry is growing faster than the number of charterholders.

More capital is being managed globally than ever before.

Markets are getting more complex. The need for people with serious financial expertise is rising every year.

On top of that, the CFA Institute keeps updating its curriculum to stay relevant.
The syllabus today looks very different from what it was even 5 years ago.

It evolves with where the industry is going.

The charter is not losing its value.

If anything, the world is going to need a lot more people who have it.

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3 days ago | [YT] | 94

Ishaan Arora

With 1500 rupees, at the age of 19 I started my company FinLadder ✨

Completely bootstrapped, without dropping out and raising it to a profitable business with an 8-figure revenue. ⭐

Here are my top 3 lessons for young entrepreneurs:

1. Idea is overrated:

I do get a bit of heat for saying it at times, but this is the truth. Execution is the key. No great idea can work without it, but the most common ones can also make a fortune just by working on execution. 💯

2. Easier than you think:

We are raised in a manner where cracking exams like CA/CFA, scoring 99 percentile in CAT, cracking a 20LPA, etc., is considered to be easy/possible and the common road, but building a startup is considered to be very difficult and impossible. Just trust yourself. ❤️

3. Dropping Out/Funding is not necessary:

Pls don't drop out of your graduation. Some might have and made a fortune, but trust me, no one is showing their failures. Complete your basic education and manage things alongside because it's very much possible. ☀️

Plus, funding may or may not be needed depending upon the business model, but in many cases, you can do without it if you're still in college and starting up. 👌

Thoughts? 💡

6 days ago | [YT] | 76

Ishaan Arora

It's so unfair how companies stop employees from growing! You can't freelance even after your working hours, but the company can underpay and lay you off whenever they want!

One of my friends recently got fired for freelancing on weekends.

Not during office hours. Not using company data. Not working for a competitor.
Just helping a small business with their social media posts on a Sunday afternoon.

And the HRs called it a "breach of trust".

But just a month later, the same company laid off 200 people via a mass email.
Nobody used the word "breach" then.

And this is what actually surprises me.

Companies can bench you for months with zero real work. Skip your appraisal because "the market is tough".

Freeze salaries while the leadership takes home bonuses. Let you go without any warning after 4 years of your life.

All of that is called "business decisions".

But you spend 2 hours on a Sunday doing something you are genuinely good at, and suddenly you are disloyal.

I have seen this happen so many times.

These are not people stealing secrets.

These are people trying to grow beyond one salary, one boss, one identity.

And the companies banning this know exactly what they are doing.

Because the moment you have a second income, you stop being afraid.

You stop tolerating the toxic manager.
You stop accepting the below-market salary.
You stop showing up just because you have an EMI to protect.

A side hustle does not make you a bad employee. It makes you less controllable. And that is the actual problem.

Look, some limits are fair. Do not work for a direct competitor. Do not use confidential information. Do not let it affect your output.

Nobody is arguing with that.

But banning someone from building anything outside of work, while offering zero job security in return, is not a professional policy.

If companies want loyalty, they need to offer something worth being loyal to.
What are your thoughts on this?

1 week ago | [YT] | 75

Ishaan Arora

The night before my TEDx talk, I couldn't sleep due to nervousness, but today I've delivered over 50 speeches at IIT Delhi and SRCC, confidently speaking to over 500 people using these 5 strategies!

📌𝗕.𝗟.𝗧. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮 (𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁)

Start with the most important point first, then explain.

Example: “AI is already deciding who gets hired. If you don’t adapt, you’ll be left behind.”

📌𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲

Group ideas into three points for easy retention.
Example: “Success in public speaking comes down to three things: clarity, confidence, and connection.”

📌𝗗.𝗔.𝗥.𝗘. 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 (𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸 → 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 → 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 → 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴)

Start with a question, shocking fact, or story.
Example: “Did you know 77% of people fear public speaking more than death?”

📌𝗩.𝗢.𝗜.𝗖.𝗘. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲

Vary your tone.
Own your pauses.
Include emotions.
Change pace.
Engage with eye contact.

📌𝗖.𝗧.𝗔. 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 (𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂)

End your speech with a clear action step.

Example: “Before you leave, try this: Next time you speak, pause for two seconds before your first word. It’ll change everything.”

Which one are you trying first? 👇

1 week ago | [YT] | 41

Ishaan Arora

My friend turned down Goldman Sachs for a D2C startup with 12 people. Everyone called him crazy, but today, he owns 2% equity in a ₹200 crore company.

The decision wasn’t easy, and it’s something almost every student or fresher struggles with today: choosing between a big company and a startup. This post will give you clarity on making this decision.

The choice depends on your career goals, mindset, and multiple other factors.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬:👇

𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙨:

→ 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝
→ 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒
→ 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑗𝑜𝑏 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦
→ 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒-𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
→ 𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑦

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨:

→ 𝑃𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘-𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
→ 𝑅𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
→ 𝐿𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠
→ 𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗣:👇

𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙨:

→ 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ
→ 𝐹𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠
→ 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ
→ 𝐹𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘
→ 𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨:

→ 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑗𝑜𝑏 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦
→ 𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑦
→ 𝑈𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛
→ 𝐹𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑡𝑠

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻? 🤔

→ Join a big company if you have less risk appetite, need a strong brand on your resume, want stability and structured learning, and prefer clear processes over uncertainty.

→ Join a startup if you have some risk appetite but are hungry to build something, want to learn from direct impact, want to learn multiple skills quickly, and are hungry for faster growth.

Hope this helps!💛

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 46

Ishaan Arora

We could scale our D2C startup to 8 figures only because we had a “privilege"!

Yes, “Privilege”! You read it right!

No, our dads didn’t fund our startup, and neither did we get lakhs of dollars in funding from investors based on “sources” or “connections” to do unlimited paid marketing!

Our privilege was that we belonged to the same age group as our targeted audience!

This privilege helped us build an on-point product and strategy. How?

💡𝗔𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Being part of the same demographic as our target audience, we could intuitively identify key pain points, ensuring our startup addressed real and relevant issues from the outset.

💡𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Our intimate understanding of the target demographic enabled us to leverage viral growth strategies and employ marketing tactics effectively.

By utilising data-driven insights and social proof, we were able to optimise our user acquisition cost (CAC) and maximise our lifetime value (LTV), driving sustainable growth.

💡𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Being part of the same age group allowed us to champion user-centric design and lean development principles, creating products that were both highly usable and resource-efficient.

💡𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: We leveraged our intrinsic knowledge of our audience's values and communication styles to craft an authentic brand voice and align our offerings with emerging trends, ensuring strong market relevance.

💡𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵: Our familiarity with popular social media platforms and trends among our age group helped us create engaging marketing campaigns and build a loyal community through interactive and shareable content.

💡𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽: Being in the same age group as our target audience allowed us to establish a rapid feedback loop, utilising A/B testing and user analytics to iterate quickly on product features.

This close connection helped us implement continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) practices, ensuring our product evolved in line with user needs and preferences.

💡𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝘁: Our firsthand experience with the problems and desires of our target audience facilitated a faster journey to achieving product-market fit.

We utilised lean startup methodologies, such as validated learning and build-measure-learn loops, to ensure that our MVP resonated well with early adopters, leading to quicker market penetration and traction.

What do you think? Was this a privilege for us, or did we just hit the right execution?

I believe that’s both! ⭐

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 56

Ishaan Arora

Last night, an angry parent called me and yelled, saying I was destroying their child's career!

Apparently, career counselling is only valid when it agrees with what the family has already decided.

Here is what actually happened.

Their son came to me a few weeks ago.

Smart kid. Just graduated. The family had already decided he would do an MBA immediately. 20 lakhs in fees. A decent but not great college. Zero work experience.

I asked him one question.

What problem is this MBA solving for you right now?

He went quiet. We spoke for a while, and slowly he opened up.

He said he always felt the pressure to follow the set path. Graduate, MBA, job. No questions asked. But deep down, he wanted to work first. Build real experience. Figure out what he actually wanted from an MBA before spending 20 lakhs on one.

He already knew the answer. He just needed someone to tell him it was okay to say it out loud.

So I told him what I genuinely believed.

An MBA without work experience is often just an expensive way to delay figuring your life out.

Two years of real work would make him a sharper candidate for a far better programme later.

He went home and told his family.

That is when his mother called me.

And I get it, honestly. Parents come from a different time. A degree right after graduation felt like the safest move for their generation. That logic made sense then.

But the market has changed.

Companies today would rather hire someone with real experience and genuine clarity than a fresher with a degree and no context.

I tried explaining to the parent.
She did not agree. She hung up.

But her son texted me an hour later and said thank you.

Career decisions are deeply personal.

At some point, we have to trust that our kids know what they want.

They are not confused. They are not lost. They are just trying to find their own way in a world that looks nothing like the one we grew up in.

The least we can do is let them.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 50

Ishaan Arora

"When do you think is the right time to start CFA?" Someone asked me this on a counselling call recently, and it hit me how ignoring this question leads many people to fail CFA.

Most students just register because everyone else is doing it.

Or because they think it'll automatically get them a job.

Or because someone told them, "CFA kar lo, career set ho jayega."

And then they struggle.

They fail Level 1. They take 5-6 years to complete all three levels. Or worse, they give up after spending lakhs and years on something that didn't fit their situation.

The right time to start CFA isn't when everyone else is starting.
It's when you're actually ready for it.

And readiness isn't just about age or year of study. It's about having the right foundation, clarity, and circumstances.

So, when is the right time? Let me break it down for you: 👇

📌 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

CFA Level 1 isn't an introductory course. It assumes you already understand financial statements, basic accounting, and core finance concepts.

If you're still struggling, you're not ready for CFA yet. Build your basics first. Do a few NISM/NCFM courses, and learn financial modelling first.

📌 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞

CFA concepts make way more sense when you've seen how they're applied in the real world. If you start CFA right after 12th or in your first year of college with zero exposure to finance jobs or projects, a lot of it will feel abstract and hard to retain.

Ideally, you should have at least some internship experience or a finance project where you've worked with financial data.

📌 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐭𝐡

CFA requires serious commitment. Level 1 needs around 300 hours of focused study. If you're in your final year with placements, projects, and exams all happening at once, you won't be able to give CFA the attention it needs.

You'll either mess up your college work or fail the CFA or both. Pick a time when you can actually dedicate 2-3 hours daily for consistent preparation.

📌 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭

CFA isn't cheap. Registration, exam fees, study materials, classes, it all adds up. And it's a multi-year commitment. So plan it accordingly; choosing self-study to save money will make you lose lakhs of rupees paid in exam fees.

The worst time to start CFA?

When you're doing it just because everyone else is, or because you think it's a shortcut to a job, or because you have no idea what you want to do and think CFA will figure it out for you.

So before you register, ask yourself: Am I starting this because it makes sense for my career, or am I starting it because I feel like I should?

That one question will save you years of wasted time, money and effort.

Thoughts? 💡

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 56

Ishaan Arora

"Can I break into Private Equity without an IIT/IIM?"
One of the most asked questions I get. Honest answer?


Yes. But let me be real with you.

PE is harder to crack than investment banking if you are not from a top school. Most firms hire directly from IIMs or poach analysts from top banks.

They do not do campus drives at tier 2 or 3 colleges. They do not post jobs publicly either.

But impossible? No.

I know people from tier 2 and 3 colleges who made it. It just took them a very different path. Here's the actual roadmap you should follow:

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭

Almost nobody goes directly into PE from college unless they are from IIT or IIM. The standard route is 2 to 3 years in IB and then PE.

So target IB first. Boutique banks, mid-market M&A advisory, Big 4 deal advisory, all of these work.

If IB feels out of reach right now, strategy consulting with M&A exposure is a valid path too.

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

PE interviews are 8 to 9 rounds and technically brutal. LBO models, deal case studies, and investment recommendations. You cannot wing this. Build the skill properly.

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞

PE firms want to see that you think like an investor. If you are in IB you are getting this automatically.

If not, build it yourself. Analyse public M&A deals.
Write detailed case studies on valuation and deal structure. Build mock LBO models on real companies. Show your work.

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭

KKR, Blackstone, Warburg Pincus, forget these for now. They almost exclusively hire from IIMs and top banks. Instead, go after smaller PE funds, family offices and growth equity firms.

They are more open to non traditional backgrounds and honestly give you better deal exposure too.

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐄 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

Most PE roles are never posted online. They are filled through referrals. Find analysts and associates at PE firms on LinkedIn.

Start conversations. When a role opens up you want to already be on someone's radar.

📌𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟔: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧

IIMs, ISB or a strong international programme can reset your trajectory if PE is still the goal after a few years of work experience.

One last thing.

This is not a 1-year plan. It is a 3-5-year plan for most people from non-target backgrounds. That is just the reality.

But if you are patient, strategic and genuinely good at what you do, the path exists.
You just have to commit to the long game.

All the best 💛

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 45