Striking the Right Tune

He is a man of several talents. A serial entrepreneur, ex-corporate professional, former journalist, profound singer, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) aficionado, and futurist. He realised his passion quite later in his life, and once he embraced it, there was no looking back. Meet Rajiv Khati, Founder and MD, TashTam Group of Companies. In a conversation with Corporate Citizen, Rajiv talks about his corporate and entrepreneurial journey so far, the perks of following a passion, his latest album ‘About Time’, and more

Corporate Citizen: Can you give our readers a brief background on your corporate and business journey so far?

Rajiv Khati: I was born in Darjeeling and moved to Delhi within a few years, where I completed my schooling and college. Having done my education in journalism, I saw my career bloom in this field. Working with the top-notch companies of this industry put me in the driver’s seat of experience. My stint as a journalist, saw me cover some highend stories. With that, I tried my hands on advertising and sales as well. However, a sweet revelation in 2011 saw me hang my corporate shoes, which gave me the will to set foot in the entrepreneurial world.

Starting a string of businesses gives a purpose to my life. I like to keep my mind up and running. In 2012, I started my first venture with my partner-VoiceWhat Consulting, which gave creative solutions and created intellectual properties for top news channels. The year 2019 saw the birth of the TashTam Group of companies. TashTam Studio caters to the interior design and architecture space. While TashTam Events specialises in live-streaming musical shows, talk shows, events and sound recording.

I believe in moving forward regardless of the situation or else your life becomes stagnant. And once your life becomes stagnant, it means that you are moving backwards in life. My other ventures are an ode to life that gives endless opportunities to keeping moving forward. I am inclined towards fitness and music. My premium MMA venture and the Big Bang Studio, a one-of-a-kind recording and live gig studio is established to promote local bands and stand-up comedians are a result of that.

CC: Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?

My affection towards starting my ventures blossomed in 2011. I learnt a lot and realised the worth of advertising and creating intellectual content. I saw the publication I work for reach new heights of success. That’s when it struck me. I knew I had the grit in me to start something new. And instead of working hard for someone else, I might as well work harder for myself to grow beyond the horizon. For me, it was treading in unknown waters. Although I haven’t done something like this before, I was up for the game. With that, the urge to be independent grew stronger. That’s when I started my entrepreneurial journey.

"Unfulfilled dreams are daunting. Focus on your speciality, on what you love. At the end of the day, what matters is your happiness"

CC: Can you walk us through your corporate learnings so far?

The corporate culture has taught me to find something that I enjoy and transform it into a business. In that sense, it would make me feel that my work is a place where I can enjoy it the most. You can work hard, have fun and make a difference all at once. Also, my corporate stint has taught me to be savvy and ahead of the time. I always intend to find things before they become a trend. Being slightly ahead of time is always a perk. I have learnt this-to be a successful entrepreneur, one must find the gaps in the business and plug them with their creativity and technology.

Overall, I am pushing myself to be proactive about the products that I wish to launch. Through my experience, I have come to a point where I no more overplan things. We need to understand that one good decision comes after making 99 mistakes. It is a process, the sooner we realise it, the better. Over the years, I have realised that an organisation will do wonders if the organisation embraces the employee first approach. I feel it is the employees that make the company and lead them to the goal. And when employee love coming to work, it will surely reflect in their work, further leading to customer satisfaction. Keeping the team satisfied is giving them a reason to show up to work every morning. And the way we treat our team is the way they treat the customers.

CC: You have been practicing the art of MMA for quite some time now. Can you tell us how this art has helped you excel in your professional life?

Your genuine spirit is your shield and this art has taught me to believe in myself and that there are no limits. MMA sounds all fancy, but it comes with a set of rules. It requires immense dedication and discipline. Practicing this art has given a thrust to my career. I have got the hang of working under pressure. It has pushed me to achieve my deadlines with ease. Most importantly, it has taught me to keep emotions in check. Especially, the corporate and business world needs a certain kind of maturity to handle situations. And MMA has shown me to deal with tough situations at work and in life as well. I wouldn’t say I am immune to downfalls but I learn to cope up with the repercussions quickly. I try not to make decisions under the influence of my emotions.

CC: Tell us about your inclination towards being an artist.

Be it singing or perfecting the skills of MMA, I wanted to pursue an art that helps me find solace. My love affair with singing started when I was barely five years old. I wouldn’t shy away from saying that I was in tune, had a pleasant voice as well, and all I needed was the right guidance. This pushed me to take part in school programmes and college fests. The love grew manifolds, so much so that we even started a band called Vishnu, which was quite a sensation in the mid-2000s. Growing up, I even picked up a fondness for opera as well. And by 17, I had already penned a few songs. I worked on my notes until I was comfortable with them. Now that I am well settled with this love of mine, I came up with an album. I pursued singing as it gave me a channel to express myself.

CC: A corporate professional making it big in the world of music. How does it feel to release your first album?

I think it was about time that I released my maiden album. I know it took time but precision doesn’t come easily. The album titled ‘About Time’ is quite close to my heart as it exudes my journey. I have kept the tracks super real and I feel the audience can relate to it as well. Talking about a corporate professional making it big in the world of music-I feel I am one of the few who believes in being a person of all the trades and the master of them as well. Be it work or my passion, I try to ace what I do and certainly ensure the fact that I do what I love.

CC: Why is it important to follow a passion outside your professional life?

I read this somewhere-follow your passion, it will lead you to your purpose. I envision living my life to the fullest and I had this revelation whilst following my passion. To balance out life, it is mandatory to have a purpose in your life. If not then, life becomes bland. To be frank, I started following my passion barely a few years back and that had made my life quite colourful. If you don’t love what you do, then you are just working for money. Many people feel that their life has no meaning, and for that, one needs to think beyond the worldly matter. Unfulfilled dreams are daunting. Focus on your speciality, on what you love. At the end of the day, what matters is your happiness.