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Gautam Adani shares his secrets of success: 'Trading is a mental battle...each loss teaches a lesson'

The billionaire businessman speaks about two people who influenced him the most

Billionaire businessman Gautam Adani recently shared the mantras that helped him succeed in business.

There are very few life lessons as effective as learning the art of trading, he said, adding, "trading is a mental battle, both with the market and one's own life."

"Each loss teaches a lesson, every gain imparts wisdom. This mantra has always stayed with me."

Speaking about his initial years, Gautam Adani said he worked four years in Mumbai in diamond business. "Mumbai is a unique place. It is a city where every heartbeat echoes. Think big, dream bigger, and what Mumbai really taught me was to aspire."

Adani said life took an unexpected turn when he was about to turn 19 and was settling in Mumbai. " I was called back by my elder brother to assist in running a small-scale PVC film factory we had acquired near Ahmedabad. The business was challenging due to the scarcity of raw materials caused by heavy import restrictions. This challenge set the base for my next big lesson," he added.

Recalling his childhood he said his "upbringing" was spread across two places—the desert of Banaskantha and the poles of Ahmedabad.

"The deserts teach a lot that life in its barren form forces us to adapt in our own ways. The scorching heat and dusty wind of Banaskantha taught me resilience. And then came the days in the pols of Ahmedabad. It was unique in its own way. The essence of bonding, relationships, humanity, and the feelings of helping one in need came naturally from the experience of my life."

Gautam Adani said two people have him influenced him the most, his father, who was in the business of forward trading and his mother who was the pillar of their household.

Speaking about the 'Licence Raj' government before liberalisation, he said the years that he started were the years of heavy government controls where businesses needed licenses to import most raw materials. This led to severe shortages that made small-scale industries struggle, he noted.

Hailing the ruling NDA government, Gautam Adani said, "The foundation for change always begins with government policy. And I can confidently say that no Government in the world has been able to transform a nation like this government has over the past 10 years."

"The strides, powered by several visionary government policies, have positioned us at the forefront of global growth as evident from the fact that we are now contributing an impressive 16 per cent to worldwide economic expansion. This is a record that I expect we will continue to break repeatedly."