Aditya Patkar - Learn to Focus On the Targets and Goals Which Are Usually the Small Picture, but Also Dream of What Can Be the Big Picture (CEO - Plus91)


Awareness of your surrounding is the most important attribute I think for success. Awareness allows you to understand better and hence make better decisions. Context is king when it comes to making decisions and awareness leads to better context.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I come from a family of Doctors. Growing up me and my sister spent most of our time with our grandparents as my parents were constantly at the nursing home. Seeing them spend so much time away turned us off from wanting to be doctors. 

Usually, that is the norm in doctor families, that the next generation follows the last one but with us, it was the opposite. Funnily enough, I did end up working with the healthcare space and a lot of doctors.

My parents are a weird mix of old-fashioned and liberal. On any topic which side their mindset is a coin toss. I think that was a good experience as we got to see and hear different takes on different topics which gave us an overall sense of what is right and wrong.

We were always encouraged at home to study hard, think things through and try new things. Along with my studies, I probably tried my hand at many activities. At one point in time, I was playing football for the school and then going for karate after for 3 days a week. On 2 other days, it was playing tennis and swimming. And on the weekend it was computer class or something such. 

There was never any pressure to win but was always encouraged to try. Few things I excelled in, some were just an excuse to be out of the house. Most people around me had an opinion that I was very calm and level-headed, but I always ended up doing what I wanted. Did get told off a few times for it but I always came out happy.

The 90’s when I grew up were a time of transition especially in Mumbai with the internet, riots and blasts, mobile phones, and economic expansion. I think all those things went into defining how I saw the world. A good mix of everything good and a little bit of bad.


When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

Well, the truth is things become clearer each day even today. During my first real job at ICICI right after Engineering, I was clear about wanting to make or build my own thing. Something which could help change the status quo somewhere and make me a lot of money.

During my time at NMIMS doing my MBA, I and few friends who were working got together and took the jump by forming a partnership. We were not sure what we wanted to work on. It was still early days for start-ups in India. We experimented a lot with various models and sectors. 

We picked up a few projects in Healthcare at public hospitals in Mumbai which we got due to my parents. During this time we spent a lot of time at Nair and KEM hospital, understanding how healthcare works and saw the various possibilities and gaps that exist in the system. 

Over the next 2-3 years while my MBA was on we were sure Healthcare was where we could change the status quo the most and with maximum benefit. Just then recession had hit, and we thought healthcare was one sector that was recession-proof so we decided it was also a safe bet.

We converted our partnership into a private limited, shifted our offices to Pune, and jumped headlong into building Plus91 Technologies a Healthcare Technology company. Since then we have won a few battles, lost many skirmishes but always
survived. 

Most of what we build is being used by clinics, labs, hospitals, doctors, government institutions, and more, and that gives me satisfaction like no other.
All in all, I would say gaining clarity is a process and takes time. To invest
your time in things you like, enjoy, or want to change and clarity will come to you in those moments you spend time doing.


Studies today show that an organization can lose INR 10 lakh (~ $17,000) on average on a wrong hire or for hiring someone with a false degree. The only tried and tested way to prevent frauds is via a thorough background verification process. Download SpringVerify's e-book for a comprehensive guide to Employee Background Verification in India.


What does your typical workday look like?

The day begins with feeding my cats, and coffee with the wife. Followed by a quick workout or walk. Most days calls start by 10. Usually, I would get to the office around this time and jump into calls or reviews with the team. Then I have early lunch around 1. 

During this time I would switch off from work for about 20 mins. I usually leave writing, brainstorming, and thinking activities from 2 to 4 and then continue with calls or meetings through the early evening.

Once back home around 6, I would spend time with my daughter and have dinner with the family. Once she is in bed, I would either watch TV or work depending on how much work is there or if there are any late-night calls. Of course, in COVID times there is a bit more flexibility built into the whole schedule but overall it stays the same.


Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

Honestly, I am a little on the fence about this but leaning towards formal education being something you should not miss out on if you have the chance.

The global companies and icons who appear cool by saying a formal education is passe will use it as a fallback measure to judge between people, so would not trust their word too much.

For many job profiles and specific tasks in those job profiles, formal education is not needed and that is the truth. Work co-relation with knowledge from a formal education becomes lower as you move away from academic or technical jobs.

Formal education however provides you opportunities to learn how to succeed, it gives a heads up in developing social skills. It also helps you learn the hard truths about hard work, thinking critically, and toughens you up with being graded and judged which is what happens in a real-life work environment.

However, not having a formal education cannot be a roadblock to a good solid career path or performance at one’s job. Does it help and give you a leg up in 90% of the cases I would say it does.

In fact, it’s a reverse outlook of that famous book by Robert Fulghum, “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten”.


How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

I generally like to trust people and give them the benefit of doubt. First, an explanation would be sought, and if for a valid reason or a grey area they would have my empathy. But beyond that, it would definitely be a solid negative in the decision to hire them. The likely outcome would be their resume being rejected for the lie.


What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

Running a business in India is not easy from a compliance perspective. Especially if you are not from a business family or have a built network of supporting players like accountants, lawyers, etc. 

There are so many competing rules and regulations that they take up time and you also get a few occasional surprises. Then you spend time firefighting them.
Things have improved, but too slowly in this regard and there is a long way
to go.

Another challenge is that hospitals and healthcare providers (Doctors and Hospital / Lab Owners) are busy, strong-headed, and not sure about what they want from their digital investment. This makes them a difficult combination to sell to which causes long drawn out sales cycles. 

As the industry gains more awareness, there is a better understanding of what is
needed and why, so we get more incoming leads than what we did 5-6 years
back.

Another problem we face especially in India is that most customers do not pay on time. This is not only in India but it is more blatant here. This can cause a lot of strain on cash flows from time to time. 

With COVID this has become worse, while for many it is a struggle for some it is just a new excuse to delay. And since we do run critical health IT systems, it’s not
something we can simply turn off.

                                

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

Awareness of your surrounding is the most important attribute I think for success. Awareness allows you to understand better and hence make better decisions. Context is king when it comes to making decisions and awareness leads to better context.

Speaking of decisions, another cause of failure which I have learned from is being indecisive. Situations can be various shades of grey but you need to make a black and white decision. Based on feedback stick to it or be the bigger person and accept and change. But when the moment is there to decide do not keep pushing it away.

Decisions and awareness are helped by balance. Balance in work and life for one thing. Another is a balance between the big and small picture. Learn to focus on the targets and goals which are usually the small picture. But also dream of what can be (the big picture) and find the right mix for your personality and your industry to succeed.


Which is your favorite book and why?

My favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction. If you want to escape why escape to the mundane, right? But surprisingly, for as out of the world these stories are, they hold up a mirror to our world which is very telling.

I do not have a favorite book per se but can highlight an author or two I love to read in these genres. One being Terry Pratchett, his writing style, and his explanations for our very odd human tendencies in a fantasy setting really make for some thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud moments.

Another Sci-fi author who fascinates me is Asimov. He made some groundbreaking observations and rules used by so many others in real life and in writing. And the breadth of his stories is astounding. His short stories “Nightfall” and “The last question” are simple yet haunting and amongst my favorite.

How people tend to be people good or bad even in extraordinary situations has always fascinated me. In normal fiction “To kill a mocking bird”, Golding’s “Lord of the flies” and Conrads’s “Heart of Darkness” are favorites.


Bio - 

A strong believer that technology will step up and play a big role in improving healthcare systems. He has seen first-hand issues plaguing healthcare and the suffering that it causes. His mission is to improve access to healthcare using IT and also by spreading awareness amongst providers about the value technology can bring to themselves, their practice, and their patients. 

Over the past 5 years, he has worked with numerous hospitals and health initiatives to streamline their processes using IT, improving experiences for over 300,000 patients a year.

He works closely with healthcare industry experts, doctors, and hospital management personnel to help market and design Plus91 products that improve healthcare distribution and delivery using technology.