From Side Hustle to ₹10 Cr Exit: A Founder's Story

Rahul Mehta started his last-mile delivery company in 2022 with a single vehicle and a contract with a D2C brand in Pune. Four years later, he exited at ₹10.4 Cr, an 8x multiple on his trailing EBITDA.

What made Rahul's business attractive wasn't just growth, it was the systems he built. Every route was optimised, every driver had an SOP, and the entire operation could run without him for weeks. That's what buyers pay a premium for.

"I didn't start thinking about an exit until year three," Rahul says. "But when I realised I could step away and nothing broke, I knew the business had real value beyond just me."

The sale took 11 weeks from listing to closure. The buyer was a mid-size logistics company looking to expand into Pune without building from scratch. For them, acquiring Rahul's operation saved 18 months of market entry time.

The lesson? Build for transferability from day one. Document your processes. Reduce owner-dependency. These aren't just good practices, they're value multipliers when it's time to exit.

Rahul is now advising two other founders preparing for their own exits. His message is simple: "The best time to prepare for a sale is two years before you want to sell."