In a country that snacks on everything from dosa to chaat, patience was the key for Tarak Bhattacharya at Mad Over Donuts (MOD). Years of experience in the food and beverage industry made him realise that it was possible to build a brand around donuts. But convincing those around him proved to be a greater challenge when he took charge in 2011.
“What people underestimate about the Indian consumer is how curious they are about food. They’ll try something if you give them the chance. And that’s exactly what we did—sampled relentlessly and let the product do the work,” says Mumbai-based Bhattacharya, Executive Director & CEO, MOD.
A student of maths and computer programming, Bhattacharya was aware that he was a people’s person at heart. The day he stepped into a working kitchen, he knew he had found his space.
“I thrived on the heat, the noise, everyone moving at once where someone always needed something. Thirty years later, nothing has changed,” he says.
During the initial decade, MOD went deep in the metros, before turning their attention to tier 2 and 3 markets. After close to 15 years at MOD, Bhattacharya experiences the same excitement when they explore new grounds.
“It still feels like we’re building. The brand has scaled considerably, but the energy inside it hasn’t settled yet. Every new city, product or store we open in a market that’s never had a MOD before still carries the same charge as the early days,” he says.
Bhattacharya talks to Mint about mentorship and why he believes in resting well.
Who do you consider your mentor?
My father was the first, quietly setting the foundation before I even understood what mentorship meant. My first boss taught me the craft of running something and the discipline it required. Over the years, I’ve been shaped by businessmen who didn’t just build strong companies, but also found ways to give back. That combination of commercial sharpness and a sense of responsibility to something larger is what I’ve always looked up to.
One major insight you worked on with your mentor’s guidance?
Discipline and time management—without those, everything else is just noise. Learning to say no clearly and without guilt is something that took time. And failing fast but recovering faster. In our industry, sitting on a bad decision and hoping it turns around is far more dangerous than just calling it and moving on. I’ve made my share of wrong calls. The ones I recovered quickly from were the ones that cost the least.
What does being a mentor mean to you? How do you mentor your colleagues?
It means being someone who people can trust before anything else. At work, I try to give my team three things—clarity on what’s expected, honest feedback even when it’s uncomfortable and the freedom to make decisions without me looking over their shoulder. That last one is genuinely difficult to practice. The instinct is to stay involved. But if you never let someone own something fully, they never really grow and neither does the organisation.
What’s your morning schedule like?
A walk and light exercise, regardless of what the day looks like. Once I’m in office, I keep the first 30-60 minutes free of calls and WhatsApp. No one gets that window except me. It sounds small but it changes the whole perspective of the day. And once every couple of weeks, I’m up early for regional travel, being on the ground and visiting stores. I think of those visits as a sanity check. They keep everything else grounded.
What are some productivity principles that have made your life easier?
Sleep early, take your health seriously and protect your personal time like it actually matters. I’ve noticed that most productivity issues trace back to one of these three being neglected. When you’re well-rested and not running on empty, the quality of your decisions is just different. Everything becomes a little clearer and a lot faster.
What’s the one positive work routine you developed during the pandemic?
The pandemic stripped everything back to basics—walks, light workouts and sleeping properly. They sound unremarkable until you’ve spent years neglecting them in the name of hustle. That period showed me quite clearly what that was doing to me. I came out of it with a much simpler rule—take care of yourself first and everything else follows. I haven’t let go of that since.
Any book or podcast you would recommend on mentorship and growth?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It has nothing to do with business and everything to do with it. Frankl writes about finding purpose in the most unimaginable circumstances and his central argument that the last of human freedoms is the choice of how you respond to any situation is something I’ve carried for years. In our business where you’re dealing with people constantly, things go wrong daily. How you choose to respond in those moments defines you as a leader far more than any strategy does. It’s a short book, though not an easy one. But I don’t think I’ve read anything that’s shaped my thinking about people and purpose more deeply.
How do you unwind? Do you pursue any serious hobbies?
Sleep and I’ll defend that without apology. Beyond that, I’m a big sports person. Cricket, football, tennis—I watch all of it live whenever I can. There’s something about being in a stadium that completely shuts the rest of the world out. No serious hobbies to speak of, but I do think spending real time with family—not distracted time—is something I work towards. In a business that never fully switches off, knowing when to put the phone down is its own kind of skill.
Monday Motivation is a series in which business leaders discuss their mentors and their work ethics.
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