financial market: Mind Over Money: How football inspired this CEO to make a wealth-creation product

In an interview with ETMarkets, Kalra said, “Just like a football team must work together seamlessly to achieve victory, successful investing requires a balanced approach that leverages various assets to achieve long-term wealth.” Edited excerpts:

Having worked in many leadership roles throughout your career, how do you keep yourself mentally fit?
I’ve come to realize that my mental well-being is closely tied to my sense of purpose, both at work and in my personal life.

At ET Money, our mission is to help millions of Indians achieve long-term financial independence, which gives me a sense of fulfilment and drive, even during the most stressful times.

At home, we prioritize joy and togetherness through non-negotiable family rituals such as Saturday night games, Sunday brunches, football, and travel.

For me, work and home are not separate compartments but rather a continuum, and my team and family understand this, resulting in minimal expectation mismatches.

Having this clarity and joy in both work and personal life has transformed my mental well-being, empowering me to remain calm and focused even during the most volatile times.

You said you like travelling. What is so unique about driving that makes it exciting for you?
Driving daily for 30 mins is ‘my kind of detox’ and I find it therapeutic. My love for driving is such that I can drive 12 hours straight without feeling tired.

It’s not just about the mechanics of a car for me, it is the whole thing — being in the driving seat, mapping out the destination, navigating challenging roads, calibrating oneself on acceleration vs braking, speeding up vs slowing down. It is a reminder that the fun is in the journey.

Any trip which might have stuck with you? The longest or the shortest or the adventurous one?
The one that jumps out for me is when we travelled to Banff in Canada. This expansive drive had all elements we were looking for – adventure, trekking, mountains, family, and a deep sense of exploration.

Second one, was an impromptu drive to Kumaon Himalayas (14-hour drive) over a weekend. The real kick of this drive was it being totally unplanned – deciding on this excursion at 10 pm and hitting the road within a few hours. It was a blast in the mountains which is forever etched in our memory.

You are an avid football fan. Does watching your son crushing it on the football field help you beat your stress?
Football fever runs high in our household! My son, Sidhaan and I breathe the beautiful game. From analyzing ongoing tournaments to discussing player transfers, football is always on our minds.

And after experiencing the electric atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, our love for the sport has only intensified.

I never miss a chance to cheer Sidhaan during his weekend matches, soaking up knowledge from his coach and applying the teamwork mantra at ET Money. Football truly brings us together and fuels our passion for life.

Investing and football seem to have a strong correlation for you. Please enlighten us on how these two are so closely related.
Football and investing may seem like two completely different worlds, but they actually share a common thread – the power of teamwork.

Just like a football team must work together seamlessly to achieve victory, successful investing requires a balanced approach that leverages various assets to achieve long-term wealth.

In football, each player brings a unique set of skills and talents to the team, just like it is in investing. Each asset class whether it is equities, fixed income or gold has its own strengths and benefits.

By combining these assets intelligently, you can create a diversified portfolio that can weather market ups and downs, and ultimately help you achieve your financial goals. This insight has helped us build ET Money Genius, our signature offering.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs?
Building a business is a long-term game, no real business has been built in less than a decade.

Therefore, building deeper conviction and long-lasting passion around the problem you want to solve is one of the most important ‘must haves’ for an entrepreneur.

Without this core trait, you will end up jumping ship on the first signs of a choppy wave.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)