The Many Mistakes of Bhavish Aggarwal

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Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:12 #1
01:00 #2
01:47 #3
03:00 #4
04:16 Mem
05:37 #5
06:45 #6
07:28 #7
08:17 #8
09:28 #9
10:50 #10

In this video, we explore 10 times Bhavish Aggarwal failed, but learned important lessons that shaped his journey as a successful entrepreneur. Each of these failures contributed to the rise of Ola Electric and Bhavish’s continued determination. Let’s take a look at some of his notable missteps:

1. Ola S1 Scooter Failure: Pre-bookings for the S1 were canceled, and Bhavish upgraded customers to the S1 Pro without fulfilling the original orders.
2. International Expansion Failure: Despite ambitious plans, Ola failed to enter markets like Nepal and Europe, missing projected sales.
3. Electric Cabs in Nagpur: Ola’s pilot project in Nagpur with electric cabs failed, as India wasn’t ready for electric vehicles at the time.
4. International Ride-Hailing Failure: Ola exited global markets like Australia, New Zealand, and the UK after failing to compete with Uber and other local competitors.
5. Ola Shuttle and Ola Pedal: Both mobility experiments—Ola Shuttle for commuters and Ola Pedal for dockless bikes—were shut down after brief runs.
6. Ola Drive Failure: Ola’s attempt to compete in the car rental space against ZoomCar with **Ola Drive** didn’t succeed, and the service was discontinued in 2022.
7. Ola Cars: A short-lived used car marketplace launched in 2021, Ola Cars was shut down within eight months.
8. Ola Cafe: A food delivery service, **Ola Cafe** was launched in 2015 but couldn’t compete with Swiggy and Zomato and was soon shut down.
9. Ola Store: A hyperlocal grocery delivery service started around the same time as Ola Cafe, it too was discontinued after failing to turn a profit.
10. OlaTrip: Bhavish Aggarwal’s first startup idea, selling rafting trips, didn’t take off, but it led him to create Ola Cabs in 2011.

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38 thoughts on “The Many Mistakes of Bhavish Aggarwal”

  3. The cmnt section: A bunch of dum dumz calling a billionaire a failure sitting in their one bedroom homes…
    What dum dumz don't understand, someone who doesn't take risks will never succeed and considering Bhavesh is a self-made billionaire who gives jobs to 10s of thousands of people and that is not an easy thing to achieve, whether any of the dum dumz in this cmnt thread wants to admit it or not.

    Reply

  5. Just a typical successful entrepreneur's story… many failures, but he never gave up. IDC what people say about him, but this guy definitely has the potential to rule the industry. He might be going through tough times, but his vision for the company and passion for his work outweigh all of that.AND FACT of the matter Bhavesh is feeding lives of 3,733 + people with his "STARTUP" GREAT!!

    Reply

  15. So as per my observation, Bhavish Aggarwal simply wants a piece of business which is trending currently.
    There's nothing wrong with that. But the important question to ask is 'what is he doing to maintain all these at profitable levels?'

    Usually, what majority of the successful companies do is:
    1) start a company,
    2) build it to lower losses and maximize profits,
    3) make sure the pattern of profits is always greater than losses,
    4) maintain this pattern for a few decades,
    5) launch IPO,
    6) maintain the company operations to make it run smoothly.

    Bhavish's entrepreneurial journey for all the companies so far has only reached step 2. They never reach step 3, except Ola Electric. Some people may argue about company's diversification being good for future. Yes, you are correct but what strategy you are following also matters a lot !

    Random diversification just because it's trendy is not healthy for any company. Tata, Mahindra, TVS also started small but they diversified after they maintained their very first company at maximum profitable levels and efficient operability. Basically they played the long term strategy instead of Bhavish's companies' several short term strategies.

    Reply

  28. The video is not to degrade Bhavish Aggarwal, criticism is okay, he's still a learner too at the end of the day, a human.
    I don't know why there's soo much hate for Bhavish even tho if you ever could become Bhavish, you'd 100% rather live his life than your own,
    Please stop spreading hate on a person that is actually working hard and is better than you, and get better 😄

    Reply

  30. It's interesting to see how Ola's journey has evolved. The 'third time's a charm' adage certainly applies to Ola.
    It's a reminder that even the most successful startups face setbacks. Ola's journey is a testament to the importance of perseverance and the ability to pivot when necessary.

    Reply

  31. It's challenging to find a perfect market fit, and founders need to experiment until they identify the right segment. Bhavish is a strong entrepreneur who has explored different segments, gained consumer insights, and is now focusing on what he believes is the ideal market fit. With a clear understanding of this space, he's poised to lead and drive profitability. Similarly, Zomato's founder, Deepinder, refined his approach through experimentation and has now found his market fit, enabling him to quickly generate profits while leading his segment. I could be wrong, and they might get distracted by new opportunities, but Bhavish has shown he’s quick to pivot when needed. Solid entrepreneurs, in my opinion.

    Reply

  32. I couldn’t conclude it as standard business practice…

    Just replicate the business which is already shining in different place or in ind India and then shut it down..

    I couldn’t just cross these behaviour like he didn’t give up and keep attempting…

    Because non of his attempt was come from him, he haven’t build any single sustainable model so far..

    Reply

  35. Every startup including Tesla had insane recalls when it produced its first cars. Tesla has also not yet got a cheaper car which it has been promising for a long time. I think Ola two wheelers has great chance of success. All they have to do is improve their service. Their scooters are technologically far better than their competitors.

    Reply

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