In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Advait Thakur, founder and CEO of Apex Infosys India. Advait shares a formative childhood story about curiosity, early exposure to computers, and a parental decision that taught him gratitude. He emphasizes LinkedIn as the premier platform for sales intelligence, networking, and business growth. His core business advice centers on choosing friends wisely—quoting the "average of five" principle—and recognizing that one's network equates to net worth. Reflecting on his younger self, he advises greater social engagement to overcome introversion. Advait discusses happiness, arguing that happiness drives success rather than the reverse, citing Marty Shimoff's ideas. He highlights "Rich Dad Poor Dad" as his favorite book, extracting the lesson to work to learn, not just to earn, and also praises Tyler Wagner's "Better Business Book". His favorite quote stresses persistence, not taking things personally, and staying open to learning. Finally, he provides contact details, directing listeners to his active LinkedIn profile and email.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with the support you need to finish your book. Best part is, after you finish your book, they take care of the entire publishing and marketing process 100% for you. So if you want to become a successful author, make sure to check out authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Advait Thacker with us. He is the founder and CEO of Apex Infosys India. He is the youngest Google, Microsoft Bing, and HubSpot certified professional, and he is also amongst India's hottest young entrepreneurs of 2018. So welcome to the show, man.
Yeah, it's been an honor to be on the show, Tyler Wagner.
Of course, man. Thank you for coming on. So the first one I got for you, um, on this show is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Okay, so since my childhood, I was a very curious kid. Whenever I saw any new gadget, a lot of questions used to arise in my mind, like how it's made, how does it perform certain function, etc., and also technical and some weird questions. I spent my childhood exploring new things. I started using computers when I was 6 and launched my first website at age 9. But at the same time, I used to play a lot of video games those days. And at that time, kids were introduced to gaming consoles, so-called PlayStation, and I used to play a lot on it at my cousin's house during my vacations. So after coming home, I remember I asked my parents to buy one for me. Now this is where the story begins. Of course, they refused to buy me a PlayStation as they felt that it would have a bad impact on my mind. As well as my brain. So at that time, my anger knew no bounds, but still my parents did not change their decision. And I think that one decision changed my life. What I am today is because of them, and for that, I'm so grateful to them.
And then what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Yeah, in my opinion, it is LinkedIn. It has really given me plenty of opportunities using the platform to talk about milestones, challenges, and learning from entrepreneurial stories stories will go a long way in building deeper connections, I think, and in fact grow business. From entrepreneurs to marketers, right from day one, LinkedIn always has been the powerful source of quality sales intelligence. I mean, you can raise your firm's visibility, build business relationships, and secure clients and convert them into loyal customers. So LinkedIn always has been go-to source for building professional network online and is the most valuable piece of information in my industry as well.
And then what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
I would say that choose friends wisely. You are the average of 5 people you associate with most. I have heard this from more than one person, including best-selling authors. And the second thing I believe, that your network is your net worth, because networking is really crucial in any industry.
So I think this And then if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Tyler, I'm still 15, but still, if I had to give an advice, it had been that I wish I had been more social because until 7th grade I was like an introvert. I was very different from the rest of my friends and always stood out from the crowd. But still I never wanted to share about what I have done or what I have achieved. So this would be the piece of advice I would have given to my younger self.
And then in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
This age-old question can never really be answered because we each define happiness in a different way. But still, if you are an entrepreneur, it's like you measure happiness by your success. So related to this, Tyler, I have read an article previous this year where Marty Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason, says that In our society, we think success brings happiness, but that's backward. It's happiness that brings success. And I absolutely agree to her statement because the truth is that when you become happier, you will reach those business success benchmarks, not the other way around.
And then what is the best book that you've read and what's the number one thing you learned from that?
My favorite book is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. And the number one thing I learned from it is that work to learn, not to earn. And this is what some aspiring entrepreneurs, or the suitable word would be entrepreneurs, don't understand because they only focus on how to earn money, fame, etc. So that's where they may make mistake and never become successful. I believe that the focus should always be on providing something of immense value to the world. When you add value, you always get rewarded. And the second book I like is the Better Business Book, and it supports of course, authored by you, Tyler Wagner, and I really like the concept of 100 Business Lessons to Live By. Each time I read it, I learned something new.
So this is one of my favorite books. Yeah, awesome, man. Thank you. And then what is your favorite quote and why?
I would say that don't give up, don't take anything personally, and don't take no for an answer because you never know what you are going to learn along the way.
I love it, man. Dude, thank you so much for coming on. The last one I have for you before we let you go is where can our audience best find you online?
LinkedIn would be the best platform to reach out to me. I'm very active on LinkedIn, or you can drop me an email at advait@apexinfosys.in. That is advait@apexinfosys.in. And if you want to search about me, you can always Google me. I would only be the result.
Awesome, brother. Thank you again for coming on.
Yeah, thank you, Tyler. Thank you for inviting me here. I have been listening to your podcast and You have interviewed so many wonderful people with so many inspiring success stories. So I'm really humbled to be here today.
Awesome, man. Thank you again. I really appreciate that.
Thank you. Thank you. Have a great day.
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