Game of Consultants
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Guesstimate Cheat Sheet
Useful numbers for guesstimates and market sizing.
The Agile Fallacy: Is ‘Doing Agile’ Different From ‘Being Agile’?
Many organisations claim to be “Agile” yet day-to-day reality often looks like long status meetings, rigid hierarchies, and box-ticking rituals. This gap between intention and execution is what experts call Agile Theatre: the performance of Agile practices without internalising Agile principles.
This article explores the critical distinction between doing Agile and being Agile. While the former focuses on surface-level rituals and frameworks, the latter demands a deeper cultural and psychological shift, one that embraces uncertainty, empowers self-organising teams, and prioritises outcomes over outputs.
By examining behavioural barriers, leadership mindsets, and consulting applications, the piece argues that true agility is less about perfect execution of frameworks and more about adaptability, learning, and continuous improvement.
Read Aradhya Madan’s article, to understand why mindset not methodology is the real differentiator.
Find out how Pinterest pivoted from E-Commerce to Social Media.
Toyota
Find out how Toyota transformed from a Loom Maker to an Automobile Giant.
The Cost of Tomorrow
Time feels abstract until finance assigns it a price. Through a single metric, the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC), markets decide which ideas are worth waiting for and which futures are written off before they begin.
WACC is more than a technical calculation; it is the rate at which patience is taxed. It shapes valuations, determines which infrastructure gets built, which startups survive funding winters, and which innovations are shelved as “too slow.” A marginal shift in this number can create or erase billions in value, quietly steering global capital flows.
From low-interest-rate booms to private equity’s leveraged bets, the cost of capital reveals how economies reward speed over endurance and growth over resilience.
Explore this deeper reflection on finance, time, and ambition in Angad’s article.
Surge in Festive Sales in India: Sustainable Growth or Seasonal Distortion
India’s festive season has evolved from a cultural celebration into one of the country’s most powerful economic events. Diwali sales today are driven not just by tradition, but by flash discounts, influencer marketing, and easy credit, turning celebration into consumption at scale.
In just four years, online festive sales have jumped from ₹72,000 crore to nearly ₹1.2 lakh crore. While the numbers look impressive, they raise an important question: is this surge a sign of sustainable economic growth, or a seasonal distortion powered by emotion, FOMO, and deferred payments?
As social media shapes buying behaviour and Buy Now, Pay Later normalises debt-led consumption, festive spending increasingly reflects psychological and financial fragility beneath its glittering surface.
Discover the full story in Vyom’s article.
When Growth Takes Off but Profits Don’t: The Indian Airline Story
India’s aviation sector is soaring in passenger numbers, aircraft orders, and demand, but profits remain stubbornly grounded. Despite growth in air travel, most Indian airlines continue to struggle financially, revealing a paradox at the industry’s heart.
At the core lie structural challenges: aviation turbine fuel accounting for nearly half of operating costs, a tax regime that keeps ATF outside GST, dollar-denominated lease and maintenance expenses, and some of Asia’s highest airport charges. Add to this a fiercely price-sensitive market, fare wars, and limited ancillary revenues, and growth alone no longer guarantees profitability.
IndiGo stands out as the rare exception, proving disciplined cost control, scale, and financing can still deliver profits.
Explore the full analysis in Ananya Khosla’s article.