India’s Greatest 100x Business Mentor on Why MSMEs Fail and How Strategic Hand-Holding Creates India’s Top Performers

Small and mid-sized enterprises form the backbone of India’s economy, yet many of them struggle to move beyond early success. They begin with energy and ambition, but somewhere along the way, growth slows, and confusion grows. For more than two decades, Mr. Basesh Gala has studied this pattern from close range. His work as a business mentor and SME coach has placed him inside hundreds of companies across the country. This experience has shown him that most failures can be traced to a few predictable gaps in strategy, systems, and culture. 

He has built his reputation on solving these gaps through a style of hand-holding that goes far deeper than ordinary consulting. His approach is often called 100x because it guides entrepreneurs to think from a wider frame and make decisions that can multiply results. He is not someone who gives general advice. His focus is always on delivering valuable, actionable guidance and working closely with founders until new habits and processes become a way of life within their firms.

According to him, the first cause of failure is an unclear strategy. Many business owners enter the market without a written plan. They rely on instinct or past experience, and this works for a short time. As the company grows, instinct becomes less reliable. Teams expand, customers expect consistency, and competitors adapt faster. A clear strategy helps everyone move in the same direction. It shapes choices about pricing, product design, hiring, and daily priorities. Without it, the company loses focus and reacts to problems rather than preparing solutions.

The second cause lies in weak systems. Many MSMEs remain over-reliant on founders. When the founder controls every task, the organisation becomes fragile. No one person can manage sales, finance, marketing, operations, and team culture at the same time. Using simple tools, such as well-designed systems and basic automation, helps the business owner step out of daily operations. Mr. Gala urges business owners to step out of routine work so they can focus on strategy and build stronger networks.

The third cause relates to culture. This area is often ignored because it appears intangible, yet it influences every decision inside the company. Culture decides whether people take initiative, solve problems on their own, or follow minimum standards. When culture is weak, employees come to work only for the salary. When culture is strong, they bring ownership to their roles. Mr. Gala encourages leaders to build a culture where learning is valued and mistakes are corrected patiently. This shapes a growth mindset across the organisation. The team begins to see change as an opportunity rather than a burden.

Beyond these causes, he sees another challenge: entrepreneurs often work in isolation. They lack someone to walk them through tough decisions, question their assumptions, and provide structure. The right mentor can make a big difference, especially as the business reaches a turning point. Mentoring brings clarity to goals, helps identify blind spots, and creates accountability. But Mr. Gala believes true mentorship must be more than just a weekly conversation. It needs to be a pragmatic involvement in planning, review, and implementation. And that is where his 100x methodology differs from others.

He works directly with founders to align vision, refine strategy, build smoother systems, and develop leadership within the team. In the Rise Habit Program, the focus begins with strengthening the business owner’s leadership skills, followed by building a committed and productive team, establishing reliable systems with proper reporting, and outlining a clear path for scaling the business. Entrepreneurs practice each step until it becomes part of their thinking. They learn to delegate, track performance, and shape culture through consistent action. This form of hand-holding reduces trial-and-error.

He often meets entrepreneurs who started their companies with courage but later feel stuck. Some run their businesses in a constant state of urgency. Others have grown but cannot move to the next stage. Many feel pressure because the entire organisation depends on them. Through systematic mentoring, they learn to shift from founder-driven to system-driven operations. This shift gives stability during periods of expansion and helps the company scale without losing quality.

As a business mentor, he teaches founders to identify the stage of their enterprise. Each stage demands a different mindset. In the early stage, the focus is on market fit and consistent delivery. In the mid-stage, the focus shifts to processes and team building. During the scaling stage, the company needs stronger leadership, broader networks, and long-term planning. A single method cannot work for all stages. When founders learn this distinction, their decisions become sharper. He also stresses the importance of personal discipline. Growth depends on the entrepreneur's mindset as much as on the methods within the company.

Companies mentored through his programs have reported improvement in revenue, team coordination, customer experience, and speed of execution across India. The clear thinking, practical tools, and strong support ensure such results. The hand-holding removes the guesswork and builds confidence. It gives business owners a roadmap they can follow even after the formal mentorship ends.

The future of India's SME sector will be determined by the speed with which entrepreneurs begin to adopt a scientific approach towards growth. No longer can they afford to leave business to chance or short-term intuition. They require strategy, strong systems, and a culture of continuous improvement. They need guidance from mentors who understand real challenges and stand with them as partners.