Partnership mein 90% trust to hona hi chahiye. 10% dhoka chalega.

—Owner, Guru Da Dhaba

In a partnership, you need 90% trust. Then, we can make do with 10% of cheating. This wise and practical thought on business partnership came from a soft-spoken Punjabi man who runs a small hotel called ‘Guru Da Dhaba’ in Lokhandwala, Andheri (W), Mumbai. While we were waiting for getting the money back after paying the bill, we shared how we really liked the lip-smacking, tastes-like-home-cooked-food Punjabi fare and asked him why he didn’t he open branches in other parts of the city. The man replied that he and his wife manage this place; children work at big companies and don’t want to sit and run a hotel; and he can start branches if only he could find someone trustworthy to run a place like this. During this piece of conversation, he dropped this gem of a thought. I later realised I never asked his name. There’s always a next time, I guess. Thank you, Sardarji owner of Guru Da Dhaba for the food and sharing your wisdom.