 Hello again, Krishna and Aisha. Hi, Puneetha. Hi. Thank you for joining us today at Entrepreneurial and speaking to us about MFN. Thanks for having us. We're super excited about this. Absolutely. Same here because this time it's a different story altogether which we'll be sharing with our viewers about a mother-daughter duo becoming entrepreneurs and running a different kind of entrepreneurial journey altogether. So if we go back in time, I mean, Aisha, I remember reading in one of the stories that you were pretty excited the way your kids shaped up while learning martial arts. Was this the main idea behind starting MFN in India? No, I can't say this was the main idea. But yes, I do give martial arts so much credit for the way my children have turned out. They've both been practicing martial arts since they were very, very tiny. I think the age of four, both of them. And Tiger has made a niche for himself in the movie business, which is very unique and coming out of a shadow that is so large like his father's and being able to carve his own identity in such a competitive field. I think it's full kudos to him and the discipline that has been instilled in him since he was a child due to martial arts. The same thing for my daughter. Both of them have got a very competitive streak thanks to this. But it's all about fair play. It's all about honor and integrity. And these are qualities that any parent would want their children to imbibe. So I think martial arts has been greatly instrumental in shaping my children. And so first I would like to give thanks to this amazing sport. Whereas when it comes to MFN actually, it's a rather different journey. A few years ago, my son was part of an MMA league, actually. He was a co-owner of one of the teams. And part of his obligations, he was supposed to attend certain events. And it so happened that one weekend he was shooting and he couldn't free himself up to attend. So he requested my daughter and myself to go in his place. And I was a little hesitant initially. And I was like, Oh God, I've got to go all the way to Delhi for this tiger. And I really don't have the time. But chalo let me just, you know, I'll go for it since, you know, it's an obligation. And I ended up watching the event. And I was hooked for life. I cannot even explain the kind of euphoria that took over and the kind of excitement to watch an MMA fight live. It's something that you cannot describe in words. And I just turned to my daughter at that point. And I said, you know, this is something that we should be doing Krishna. And she was like, Mom, are you serious? And I was like, Yeah, let's do it. And we came back to Bombay. And the two of us got working on this project immediately, literally immediately. And shortly after we decided that we wanted to get into this, we launched MFN. And this was March 2019 to March 2019. And here we are, you know, almost on the verge of MFN 14. And it's been a fantastic journey, a fantastic journey. And I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have, you know, not hesitated about doing this all over again. Okay, wonderful. But do you think the entrepreneurial streak is more because in this case, you gave the idea and asked Krishna if she wants to join as a co founder in this journey? I think I've always been somebody who doesn't like to do the expected. And I like doing things differently, sometimes to my detriment. But so be it, you know, I think all of us in this family, we are not the tried and tested kind of people. And we all do things tend to do things differently in our own way, you know, so I don't think I think my my husband in his own way are breaking my son is always path breaking my daughter in her own ways path breaking. And yes, I am to be at my the kind of movies I chose to make. And now MFN, which is literally my third baby, you know, and yeah, I got the first jhatka to do this and involve my daughter, but she's been there with me every step of the way. And I don't think she ever expected her mother to get involved in something like this. But when she realized I was serious, you know, she was like, Yeah, let's do it. And she's been like my my backbone on this project from day one. Okay, wonderful. Krishna would like to hear your side of the story. What got you hooked to it? Yeah, for me, you know, I've I've been following the sport for as far back as I can remember. I have immense respect for the athletes of the sport, especially that's really what kind of told me towards this direction, you know, because I mean, I've grown up playing sports all my life, and I have, you know, mad respect for athletes across the board. But what these guys and girls do is is very special, you know, it takes a very unique individual to do what they do or what they can do. And, you know, that's really what drew me in. It's, it's really a blessing and very motivating to be so close to these guys and girls, you know, because I mean, honestly, I can speak for myself. But when I kind of took up the sport, not professionally, of course, but you know, just for fitness purposes, training at the gym, it really instilled a sense of discipline and sort of, you know, focus that I didn't necessarily have growing up throughout my teenage years. So I'll, you know, forever be grateful for finding it and being exposed to it and being exposed in such close proximities. I look at it as a blessing and it's, you know, definitely the best decision of my life. So I mean, once you thought about the idea that both of you together want to build it, I mean, what all it involved, I mean, working as a team and then developing the business all together in Indian market. Well, absolutely. And to be honest, it's been quite a challenge because when we, when we got into this, the MMA community in India was very tiny actually. And there was no structure to, to, you know, an MMA promotion. There was training, coaches, all of that stuff. Yes, there were some excellent coaches, but they were relatively unknown, so to speak. And when we got into the business, the first challenge we had was, you know, educating people, what MMA was, a lot of people, you know, who especially sponsors that we approached to come on board with our shows and everything. Well, they didn't know the difference between MMA and WWE and stuff like that, you know. So the first challenge was to educate them about MMA, the sport per se. And then a lot of people, you know, were a little skeptical and they were like, it's, you know, it's combat sport, people won't enjoy it. And India is such a peace loving nation. And will they like something that's so, you know, hands on and so, you know, one man against the other in a cage, one woman against the other in a cage, will that appeal, you know. And so that was the initial challenge, of course. But we stuck through it and we believed in it. And we said, let's do it the way we have dreamt it should be. And let's see how it goes from there. And touch wood from the very first show. We did our first event at the dome here in Mumbai. It's a beautiful stadium in Mumbai. And we had about 2,000 people who attended the show. And mostly all invites, you know. And mostly there were people from the film industry who came out to support us and, you know, see what these crazy shots are up to in all of that stuff. And trust me, by the end of the night, each one of those people left hardcore fans of MMA. It was something that never witnessed before. And, you know, also us coming from a Bollywood background, a production background, we put up the show in a very beautiful grand manner, you know. And every show after that, we have just raised the bar higher. We have done things. We have, you know, fine tuned the shows as we go along. And trust me, we've built a reputation for ourselves, not only in the country, but globally as well, so that we now have other promoters looking at us, other coaches from around the world saying, you know, your promotion looks amazing. We've heard such amazing things about the way you look after the fighters, all of this. So we want our fighters to come there to India or wherever it is that you have the shows and fight on the MFN platform. So that's a great, great positive that has come out of this. And apart from that, I think we can very, in all humility say that MFN has been responsible for resurrecting the sport of MMA in our country. And, you know, whereas earlier fighters were paid $200 a fight, and even less, now fighters are very well paid at MFN. And in fact, the fighters who go up all the way to the main event are paid $10,000 and above, which is great, a great fee, so much so that now it is actually being able to be called a profession, you know. So we have fighters who have now happily given up their regular day jobs and who are now training full time to be able to compete at MFN on that level, that skill level. We have coaches who are very, very talented, who are now coming out in social media, who have built these amazing camps, who have built these amazing teams as well. And there are MMA gyms flourishing all over the country now. And, you know, every nook and corner literally has an MMA gym growing. So yeah, it's been amazing to see this transformation of the sport in the country and of the athletes, most importantly. And I think now they all sort of have a direction, you know. MFN is sort of their pathway. It's a huge achievement for MFN, you know. The fact that two of our fighters are now signed to the UFC, which is of course, you know, the largest organization in the world currently in the sport. So yeah, I mean, you know, the trajectory that MFN specifically has shown is, you know, unheard of, it's unmatched, I believe. So what kind of investment it was? I mean, it has taken both of you to get started with MFN. And now after, say, 13 additions, what kind of total investment which has gone into it? And now is it profitable for both of you? Well, currently, it's a no loss, no profit venture. I would say we are very blessed that we haven't faced losses per se, because, you know, I guess the advantage of having, you know, our family so front and center in the entertainment business has facilitated, you know, obtaining sponsorships for the events. So we don't have any investment. We don't have any investors on board. We purely operate on sponsorships from event to event. And it's a break even each time. Of course, there are a couple of times when there's a little bit of shortfall, in which case, you know, my son very kindly pitches in and helps us to cover up the shortfall. But, you know, it was, we did not want to sell out at a very early stage before we were established, before we had made a name for ourselves, before people really realized the beauty of the sport, the excitement of the sport. So now, after 13 shows, we are finally at a stage where we are live on Disney Hot Star, which is something that happened very, very lucrative for us. We are also now in the process of talking to potential investors, funds, etc., who are interested now in buying a stake of the company. But the difference is this time it'll be on our terms and, you know, not the other way around. So which is very, very gratifying in such a short time to come to this situation is extremely gratifying. And going forward, I mean, is there anything planned in terms of the way you think about growing the business or you think any further collaborations or extending the brand further in India? Are there any plans set? I think the next step would probably be broadcast beyond television broadcast. Of course, you know, we're live on Disney Hot Star. But I think what we've been discussing is television broadcast to be the next step to then level up. And then I think that's sort of our pathway to, you know, having people look at the sport in a more serious sense. Investors really, you know, considering the sport in a more serious sense and making just, you know, raising sponsorship money that much easier. Sure. And besides that, you use the word collaboration. And I do believe that that's the mantra, you know, going forward. It's all about collaborations. The day is of, you know, the mom and pop shop are done, you know, unless you tie up with with like-minded people, the potential for growth is very limited. So now I think the awareness around MFN has built to such a level that we're able to now consider potential collaborations, which will then help us, you know, increase the frequency of our shows. Once you increase the frequency of the shows, then it becomes much more attractive for a broadcaster to come on board, as Krishna rightly said, because that's definitely the next level. And then we would look at broadcasts, not only in India, but international broadcasts as well. So that means, you know, doing deals with individual broadcasters in all the in all the countries in all the territories globally, where, you know, we have fighters that that come on board MFN, where there is a big fan base for these fighters, and where there's a very big fan base for MMA as a sport per se. Sure. And you know, we're not far off. We've already, we're kind of already there halfway with some of our guys having, you know, a name for themselves through the promotion have built, you know, their profiles. So specific places are already on board as broadcast partners, depending on if their fighter from their country is on that card. So I mean, we're, we're well on our way over there. To understand it better in terms of working as a team, how's the role divided between the two of you? Well, both of us are great list makers to begin with. So, and we always say, you know, women, I feel like women are better at just nitpicking, right? Like the finer details of things. So I mean, having two women in charge, what's better than that? That's true. But I also, I mean, it's joke, you know, mom and I were, we're the perfect team, I believe, because, you know, we're, it's basically good cop, bad cop. And I'm, I'm very much okay playing bad cop. You know, mom, mom as a person is a little more emotional and attached, whereas I'm able to sort of detach and see it as the profession that it is. That's true. So as co founders, are the duties assigned that this would be mom's role and this would be your role? I think we pretty much share all responsibilities. And when, when there's a lot to follow through on, then at that point of time, yeah, we do split, split our lists, so to speak. And you know, I handle my share, Krishna handles her share. But at the end of the day, we report back to each other about any progress about any lacunae about anything, any and every detail, because like she rightly said, we're very detail oriented people. I think that's that's our nature, for sure. So we get into the tiniest of details on each aspect of MFN. So, and both of us are, you know, we joke about it. What is that thing? Fear of missing out. So, yeah, we're literally over seeing every single thing, you know, so I mean, I think that's what's helped us grow in such a short amount of time is because we're so heavily involved, you know, we do have a great team. But at the end of the day, you know, we're, we're hands on with every single thing along the way. And it's, it's our baby, you know, so I, I mean, I definitely believe no one can do the job better than the two of us for it. And how big is your team right now? We're a show, a little tight team, but great team. No one, no one is on the clock. No one is checking that time. Oh, we've come into the office at nine and we're leaving at five. Nothing of that. Each of them are passionate about MFN, and they all work with their heart. So currently we're in the office itself. We have it, including Krishna and myself, we're a team of seven. And, well, outside we, we do have people who are on a work for hire basis. And we call upon them as and when required for each show. But it's just, you know, a handful of people that honestly share the same vision and the same end goal. So but would you also like to share the kind of investment you have made so far in this? Well, as I said, we personally have not invested our funds as such, barring a little bit here and there, obviously. The majority of funds has been raised from sponsorships. But just to give you an idea, an average show, including production fighters fees, etc, would be in the region of 3.5 to four crores. And any learnings both of you had while working with each other? Well, I think we got to me as a mother. I always, I mean, I used to, my children are grown up, they're both in their 30s now. But for me, they're still babies, you know what I mean? I think every mother thinks that. So sometimes when I'm in the office and we have a meeting, and I hear Krishna, the way she conducts herself in a meeting, like I do a double take and I say, damn, is that my daughter? You know, she sounds so sophisticated and so, so boss lady. And that makes me so proud. And then I realized, okay, you know, she's grown up and you know, I need to, I need to let go of the strings a little bit more than I have. But I'm incredibly proud of her. I'm incredibly proud of my son. They're both wonderful children, wonderful human beings, extremely hardworking. Nobody takes advantage of who their dad is or anything of that sort. And, you know, that makes me extremely proud for sure. I also realized that I need to give her much more credit than I have for her knowledge about the sport. I think that comes from her passion, which is longstanding. And I've learned a lot from her actually, about the sport. You know, I've always been pretty clear and I never, I never get involved in anything. I'm even just, you know, let's say 80% sure of that 20% will always, you know, hold me back and and make me believe that this isn't for me. So anything that I kind of dwell into, you know, I have to be 100% with and all in. I'm a very competitive person. So whatever it is that I choose to take up, I need to be the best at, you know, and, and that comes from knowledge primarily. So yeah, I mean, both mom and I, you know, definitely have our own strengths. But together, I believe we've definitely been the best team for it. So but anything you learned about your mom, which you hadn't known earlier, I mean, in business. Actually, a tough question. My, you know, my mom's always been, she runs the show, whether it's, you know, for the four of us at home, or now at MFN, you know, my brother, my father and I, we, I don't think the three of us could function without her. She's really that binding force in the family, you know, so she's just on top of everything for all of us. And I think she's, I'm so happy to, you know, let her be captain of the ship. And I'm very happy being co-pilot, let's say, you know, and just supporting whenever, whenever I can and wherever I need to. But yeah, I mean, she's, she's a great leader. She's definitely one of my role models and an inspiration. You know, I was telling her earlier a couple of months ago, I don't know if you remember, but if I could be half the lady she is by the time I'm her age, I mean, that's a huge win. Wow. She does all she's told. She's very strong and, you know, firm when it comes to her business, yet gracious and very kind to everybody. And that's one thing I really learned from her. I think, you know, just, you never know what anyone's, what someone's going through. So kindness never hurts. That's true. Yeah, I heard that in the podcast, both of you did. And in future, do you think there would be any more businesses you would, both of you would like to get into? MSN is growing. It needs all our attention right now. But apart from MSN, we also own a chain of MMA gyms, Pan India. MMA and fitness. Yes, MMA and fitness. And we are in the process of also constructing an MMA fight camp, which will be of, you know, on an international level with fighters and coaches from India and across the globe coming into train to teach to learn. So we've got a handful with these three aspects of the business. We've also now just started what we call the MFN contenders, which is a three day tournament that happens once a year. There's a conversation we're having that we might increase this two times a year because of the incredible response we've been getting. So this is a tournament that is open to amateur fighters from across the country. They come and compete for three days. And at the end of the three days, the guys and girls, because we've had a great turn out of girls as well, who actually win their fights across these three days, we give them MFN contracts to turn professional on the MFN big stage. So it's become quite an interesting business now because it's literally we've created a complete ecosystem. So you start from the amateur fighters who fight at contenders. Then from there, they come on to the MFN stage where they fight at the big show. Then once a fighter retires from from a professional fighting, he has the option to be a trainer at any of the MMA Matrix gyms, Pan India, with a very comfortable salary, a share in the PT. So he's not just out of business once he gives up fighting. And now what was missing was having this incredible fight camp angle added, so that our professional fighters have a place where they can train comfortably and prepare for their fights, whether they're fighting at MFN or whether they're fighting at the UFC or wherever. And also, we're within the camp, we're also opening it to foreign coaches, foreign fighters to come in sort of like an exchange program. So it exposes our Indian athletes to a whole new level. And when they move on from MFN or the Indian circuit and go to that international level, they're prepared. They're not just thrown in blindly. They're fully prepared, they know the level that's out there. They know that they can stand up to that level. And once they're 100% ready, being exposed to all of that over here, in the comfort of the camp that we're creating, they'll be ready for the next level. And what's the number of gyms which you own in India right now? Well, currently, we have 13 gyms. These are franchise gyms and monitor them extremely closely. And we have them, yeah, except for the south, where we're currently talks to open two gyms. They're mostly in the north, and you're like Punjab, and a lot of three of them in Maharashtra, in fact. And we have our mothership which is in Mumbai, and we're on the verge of opening a larger gym now in Mumbai because, I mean, that would nothing to complain about. The current gym is doing very well, but we're finding it a little short on space. So we're moving to a bigger spot now, yeah. You've heard the franchise, the gym brand, or it's an international master franchise which you own in India? We own the franchise, the master franchise. And it's our brand, technically, okay. It's entirely our brand. It's owned by my son, my daughter, and myself, with the blessings of my husband, of course. And we own the brand and we franchise it out to various parties. And then we have a team that oversees the quality control of the space itself, and of course, most importantly, the training aspect in each of these branches. And this is honestly something that is specifically very exciting for me because my whole game is fitness. So I personally visit whenever I can, kind of just do a check, make sure quality is kept up, everyone's happy, members are happy, our partners are happy, things are running smoothly. So I try to do that whenever I can, when it's convenient, and kind of do a bunch at the same time. And then of course, whenever we launch a new one, I will make it a point to always be there. Before we close it, when you were looking for women fighters to join the MFN, did they find it hard to reach out to you? Or was it better to reach out? Because both of you as women founders were there, I mean, any concerns which were there, they could come to you anytime. What was your experience like? You want to answer? I mean, we both are. Personally, I feel that Krishna and I are extremely approachable. So any MFN fighter knows that we're just like a phone call away, a message away. And in the initial days, we had a lot of fighters reaching out to the office. Because obviously, I mean, they were not so close to us at that point of time. And they were wary about whether they could actually approach us, etc. But I think maybe in the beginning, they might have found it a little bit difficult to reach out. But I think once they met us, and we've had interactions with all these fighters, they realized that, you know, and I like to say this actually, I want all Indian fighters to realize that MFN is a home for them. So they can come to us with any issues they have, good, bad, whatever, you know, and we're there to try and guide them. At the end of the day, these all adults, they have their own families to support them and advise them. But Krishna and I are always here for all our fighters. And I think they've all realized that now. So that's a good thing. What is the range of women versus men fighters currently in MFN? That's the ratio is a little unbalanced at the moment, you know. There are many talented girls out there. But I think the experience in the women fighters still lacks a little as compared to the men. They haven't been doing it long. But you know, slowly, yet surely that's building as well. You know, through MFN contenders, our amateur circuit, we've been introduced to multiple talented female fighters. And I believe, you know, the more shows we're able to put out, the more we're going to see them. And the more, you know, experience that they have, the more that they're exposed to fighting, the more opportunity that they get now with all our facilities, plus, of course, the platform, I only think it's going to grow. And when both of you started in the Indian market as women founders, and that too in a different segment altogether, which is MMA, was there any, I mean, incidents wherein you felt okay, people were not very forthcoming at that time? You know, it's I personally, I never felt any such thing. I believe, you know, it's, it's a very male dominant industry already. And then on top of that, number one, for me specifically, you know, being a female number two, being either the same age or younger than a lot of these guys in the industry. It was initially a little, you know, hard to be taken seriously. I did. I mean, no one was forthcoming with that. But I, you know, you sense it, you sense it, you feel an energy, you kind of get it. But I think, you know, as time has gone by and all these years have passed and they've seen my knowledge, not just my passion, but my knowledge, you know, offered as well of the sport and the way we've been able to build matrix. I think that's, that's definitely changed now, you know, and, and I mean, the, the product speaks for itself. So I think the less I say about it, the better. Okay, yeah, as and my son very rightly says, he says, you know, let's, we keep quiet and let our work speak for ourselves, you know, yeah, that's definitely something I've taken from him as well. You know, just work hard and let your work speak for you at the end of the day. That's what you got to show. Sure. Great on that note. We conclude this conversation. Thank you so much for talking to us today and sharing your entrepreneurial journey with us. Thank you. You came up with some very interesting questions. Thank you. Thank you. Pleasure having both of you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Have a good day.