Roti, Kapda, Makaan: The Oldest Business Idea in India Is Still the Hardest to Win

Every year, many youngsters ask me the same question: “I want to start a business, but I don’t know where to begin.”

My answer is simple. Begin with what a human being cannot live without: food, clothing and a home. In India we say it as roti, kapda aur makaan. Fashions change. Technology changes. But no one stops eating, no one stops wearing clothes, and no one stops looking for a roof. Demand in these three niches does not die.

But I must be honest with you. Because these niches are easy to enter, they are also crowded. Everyone has a cousin who wants to open a cafe. Everyone wants to launch a clothing brand. Everyone knows someone who is a real estate consultant. Easy entry means heavy competition.

The truth about business failure

The reality of doing business in India is challenging: on average, nearly 30–35% of new businesses may shut down within the first two years, around 40–45% within three years, and close to 50% within five years. This means only about half make it beyond five years. While these are broad indicative estimates rather than official survival statistics, they highlight one hard truth: starting a business is easy; building one that survives and succeeds is the real challenge.

Why businesses fail

The reasons repeat again and again:

1. No real demand. The owner loved the idea, but the customer did not.
2. Running out of cash. Profit comes late, but rent and salaries come on time.
3. No testing. The owner trusted instinct instead of the market.
4. Poor pricing. Too low and there is no profit. Too high and there are no buyers.
5. Weak trust. One bad customer experience can undo a year of work.

Food: start small, then grow

You do not need a restaurant to enter the food business. Start with a food truck. It costs far less than a cafe, and it lets you meet real customers every day. Get your FSSAI registration and local permissions first.

Watch what people buy, what they ask for, and what they complain about. If the queue grows, then think about a cloud kitchen, then a small outlet, then a restaurant. Let customers tell you when to expand. Do not decide it from your own excitement.

Raghavendra Rao started his food journey with a humble roadside idli-dosa business in Bengaluru, initially working with business partners before parting ways and joining hands with his wife, Divya, to launch The Rameshwaram Cafe in 2021. What began as a modest 700 sq. ft. outlet has grown into a recognised restaurant chain across India. The company reported ₹17.8 crore in revenue and approximately ₹2 crore in net profit in FY2025. Its official brand valuation has not been publicly disclosed, but its success demonstrates how a focused food concept can grow into a powerful national brand.

Clothing: test online before you build a brand

Everyone dreams of becoming the next Zara, Westside, Max or Zudio. Those brands took decades and huge money. You do not need that on day one.

List your products on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra or Nykaa. The cost is low, and the market gives you honest feedback through sales and reviews. If people keep buying and keep returning for more, then build your own website. Also easily we can now sell through Instagram and WhatsApp too. A brand should be earned from customers, not announced to them.

Snitch: Siddharth Dungarwal started Snitch in 2019 as a small B2B clothing business. During COVID, he pivoted to online direct-to-consumer sales with just 35 products and a four-member team. Today, Snitch has grown into a major Indian menswear brand, reporting nearly ₹498 crore revenue in FY25 and expanding across 50+ retail stores.

The Souled Store: Four friends – Vedang Patel, Aditya Sharma, Rohin Samtaney and Harsh Lal – started The Souled Store in 2013 with an initial investment of just ₹1.75 lakh, selling pop-culture-inspired merchandise. Today, it has grown into a national fashion and lifestyle brand with 40+ stores, over 200 licensing collaborations and ₹492 crore revenue in FY25, proving that a small idea can become a massive business.

Real estate: high reward, high responsibility

Take a luxury apartment of 3 crore rupees. At 2 to 3 percent commission, one sale earns 6 to 9 lakh rupees. A villa of 7 crore can earn 14 to 21 lakh rupees. This is why so many people enter this field.

But there are three things to remember. First, sales take time, and one sale every month is not guaranteed. Second, register under RERA in your state before you sell. Third, your name is your only asset. Selling an overpriced project, or working with a builder who has a shady record, can end your career with a single sale. Sell only what you would advise your own family to buy.

– Irfan Razack (Prestige Group): Started in real estate trading and brokerage before founding Prestige Group in 1986 with his brothers. Today, it is one of India’s largest listed real estate developers, with a multi-city presence and thousands of crores in annual revenue.

– Syed Mohamed Beary (Bearys Group): Started as a small real estate agent in 1981 and gradually built Bearys Group into a major property development and construction company, known for IT parks and sustainable buildings.

– Pradeep Jain (Parsvnath Developers): Started as a real estate broker in 1982, moved into contracting and eventually established Parsvnath Developers, which grew into a listed national real estate company.

The rule that protects you

In all three niches, follow one rule. Find a real gap, a problem people truly face. Study it. Test it in the market with a small budget. Go ahead only when people accept your idea without a second thought.

Do not trust instinct alone. Instinct tells you what you want to build. The market tells you what people will pay for.

Starting is easy. Surviving is a skill. The people who last are not the luckiest or the loudest. They are the ones who tested, listened and stayed honest.

To every future entrepreneur reading this: begin small, learn fast, protect your name, and be patient with your growth. The market does not reward dreams. It rewards solutions.

Good luck. India needs you to succeed.

Comments

comments