Hi, I am Harsha S Duggani (He/Him/His)

About me:

I’m a human both by chance and choice. I firmly believe that humans will continue to dominate earth and its surroundings, bowing down only to the forces of nature. As human species holds key to the fate of the earth and the interstellar space till it encounters extraterrestrial intelligence or achieves singularity on earth, it becomes imperative to nurture and grow the spirit of humanness.

I believe that the best way to achieve this goal is to tap into and channelize the well-rounded personality every human is born with. As example is better than precept, I have embarked on this journey to present my own individuality to drive home the point that your journey can be at least as good as mine.

Join me on this journey as we unravel mysteries, explore common interests, and crack business puzzles. Let’s ditch borders and inspire minds worldwide!

My Offerings

Management consulting

I have worked as an internal consultant in top global MNCs under the aegis of CXOs and General Managers, carrying out strategic and transformational projects in collaboration with the ground-zero colleagues . This experience has empowered me to see both the forests and the trees.

I have also solved ~1200 business case challenges and have successfully applied to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). However, I had to decline the offer as I had joined another firm before BCG came back with their decision. The entire journey of solving over a thousand cases and going through multiple nerve-cracking rounds of case interviews has equipped me with a seamless approach to identify business challenges, diagnose and recommend solutions.

I have conducted multiple academic sessions in business case solving. The underlying logic and approach can be used even by business leaders to address their problem statements. Additionally, the recordings of my sessions are available to help the larger student and professional community at a nominal fee.

Pre-requisite:

Must watch the free video below [do not skip even a second]:

Rewiring the brain for ‘Business cases with HSD’ program

Profit Maximization Framework

[Outlines and structures the various considerations and approaches to improve profits]

INR 499 or USD 20

Payment links for video access:

India: Coming soon...

International: Coming soon...

Frameworks for i) Entering a new market,
ii) Acquisition, and iii) Pricing

[Addresses questions such as: i) how do I enter this market? ii) should I acquire this company?, and iii) how do I price my product?]

INR 499 or USD 20

Payment links for video access:

India: Coming soon...

International: Coming soon...

Sample case study 1: Pricing

Case Title: CATCH UP IF YOU CAN!

[Case study on how to price a product while entering a new market]

INR 499 or USD 20

Payment links for video access:

India: Pay Here

International: Pay Here

Literary consulting

I have written three fiction novels (self-published The White Sky using crowd-sourcing while the others were through regular publishing). I have faced ~122 rejections from publishers and literary agents worldwide for my first novel 'The Blue Bell Villa'. The novel was accepted by a fledging publisher after one year of persistent search. I learnt several lessons along the journey and published my latest novel 'From the Diary of a Wedding Photographer' with relative ease. I understand the uncertainties and the fears of new authors who dream of publishing their work but need guidance. To book my paid literary consulting sessions, write to contact@hsduggani.com

Genre: Comedy

From the Diary of a Wedding Photographer is a hilarious account of a wedding photographer who is tasked by his photography agency to carry out services at a special wedding. The bride is the daughter of a don while the groom is a poor soul kidnapped by the don’s gang. The photographer makes regular entries in the diary whom he calls ‘Lensy’ and writes about his personal struggles as well as his covert attempts to rescue the groom. He often seeks help from his dear friend Kallu who is unpredictable for interesting reasons. The don is a former IT Project Head who is ably supported by his right-hand men who were formerly his colleagues in the IT industry- Ebitda the Finance Manager, Timeout the Team Lead and of course, Hurray the HR Manager. The roller-coaster ride of the risky operation ends with incredible consequences and lessons.

Genre: Romance

The White Sky is about a reserved and quiet Kanishka who overcomes the hurdles at his workplace and lands at a top business school in India. The rigor of academics, placements and the competitive environment completely turns his everyday life upside down and challenges his quiet personality. When it seems that all hopes are lost, an inspiring presence of a girl brings about an unbelievable turnaround even without her participation. Kanishka graduates and moves ahead in life but the memory of the girl keeps haunting him. Will he be able to move on? Find out for yourself.

Genre: Crime fiction

The Blue Bell Villa is about Ayodhya, a software professional in his late twenties. He has a doting grandfather who has raised him after his parents have been killed by his own relatives for the sake of The Blue Bell Villa. Elsewhere, the island of Dweepa has surfaced near the Kerala coast. A mysterious man has been operating in the island and is the mastermind behind strange killings. ACP Sagar, India's top cop has been so far unable to nab him. The edge-of-the-seat thriller, with its dark and deathly plot, is narrated by a strange being that seems to know everything about the reader too...

My journey

I hail from a typical Indian middle-class family. Growing up in suburban Bengaluru (Bangalore), I was extremely ambitious and believed that I would either represent my country in cricket or serve as a doctor in the Indian Army or both. As I trained professionally in cricket as batsman-wicket keeper, I also consciously began to take baby steps into the medical field. Being from a family of doctors, access was not an issue. I took special interest in Geriatric Psychiatry and was amazed by the behavioral impact of time on human body and mind. I also ventured into professional Taekwon-Do but had to soon give up in favour of cricket.

After my pre-university exams (which included both Biology and Math), I secured a seat in the Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. But owing to financial constraints, I had to let go and settle for an electrical engineering seat in a private college. As I had represented Karnataka in the National Taekwon-Do Championships, I used sports quota to upgrade my admission to Bangalore University in Mechanical Engineering.

My biggest learning in the University was that the forces of nature operate analogously between machines and humans. I was thrilled to find a strange correlation between material science and neuro science, between engineering mechanics and mental metabolism. I found that my strength was in innovation, and by my third year, realized that the progress of the society relied on three things: 1. Innovation, 2. Capital and 3. Goodwill. My final year project (2009-10) combined innovation and goodwill to invent an unmanned watercraft that would venture into stagnant water bodies, collect floating garbage, cut down water hyacinth and bring the debris to the banks. Lack of capital led to the project being abandoned as well as unpatented (Years later, in 2024, I felt a bittersweet feeling that the exact idea was patented and commercialized by a Hong Kong-based company).

During graduation, in a moment of introspection, I realized that the migration from medical to engineering field and the failure of the project was due to my inability to gather funds when necessary. Upon research, I found that long-term financial stability rested on creating and managing businesses well. I decided to pursue MBA. I was cognizant that I was going to face a Catch22 situation: MBA degree helps earn better but needs exorbitant funds. I decided to take the first step- securing the finances of the family which was going through dire straits.

I worked for six years in the Indian corporate sector (both private and government). I was the principal inventor in 5 patents and 2 copyrights for my employer before securing an MBA admission in the Oxford University (Said Business School). But as luck would have it, my scholarship application could not go through and I was staring down an educational loan of INR ~6M. But this time, I had my plan-B ready. I had applied to the Indian School of Business (ISB) which was known to provide world-class management education at a much affordable fee (INR ~3.5M).I took the plunge against the opinion of my well-wishers that a secure central government job was for life.

Post the MBA stint, I was working in a German conglomerate and developed keen interest in Deutsche (German). I learnt basic Deutsche (I know ~11 languages including script with varying proficiency) and was planning to move to Germany before Covid struck the world and I had to leave the company after my effort to obtain WFH permit went in vain. I spent 15 months looking for a job during which I applied to ~250 companies, attended ~40 rounds of interviews in about 15 companies. As a part of my preparation, I solved ~1200 business cases, and curated an unbeatable approach. I finally managed to bag a job in which my role and remuneration were curtailed. I eventually switched over to another company. Amidst the chaos of pre and post-MBA period, I managed to write three fiction novels in comedy, romance and crime fiction genres.

Long or short, this has been my journey so far. I decided to create my personal website to share some of the business case lessons. I would also like to periodically share snippets of some of my other interests such as cricket, yoga, flute, languages, stand-up comedy, writing and inventions.

Write to: contact@hsduggani.com

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