Sam Balsara of Madison World talks about finding a balance

Sulekha Nair

“Are you on your way?” asks Sam Balsara, calling up to enquire if we were anywhere close to his office. He calls only to say he would be ten minutes late for an 11.30 am appointment. Balsara, Chairman and Managing Director, Madison World, the largest independent media company in the country, puts one at ease with an old-world charm and demeanor. Madison World celebrated its silver jubilee recently. Starting small and going on to becoming a name to reckon with in the industry, Balsara has trudged an eventful path. He smiles and reveals his entrepreneurial journey wasn’t an ambition he was nursing any time in his life. “The decision to start Madison was not because I wanted to be my own boss or wanted to start the entrepreneurial phase of my career. Mudra, the agency I worked with earlier, had developed an ambition to become the largest agency. I felt I was incapable of leading Mudra to that position,” he says. And that gave birth to a new agency, Madison, in 1988, with Balsara helming it. Turning back
Balsara does not hesitate to say that though it was a huge arc he traversed from being in a large agency to starting one of his own, size wasn’t an issue for him. “It is the few large clients that one should focus on,” says he. Dressed in a striped shirt and dark trousers, Balsara paces the floor as he talks in measured tones in his Andheri office. He underwent a bypass surgery some time ago and that’s when he realized that being slim and energetic did not necessarily translate into a good health report. “I used to be under the mistaken notion that since I am slim and also overactive, that was enough for my body. The surgery proved to me that there is no alternative to some form of vigorous exercise. That was missing in my earlier lifestyle.” Hailing health The surgery forced Balsara to prioritize. For the first time in his life, he was forced to consider going to a gym. “At first, the thought of going to the gym was daunting and when I began, it was painful too because the targets would increase by the week. Now I think I am beginning to enjoy it, thanks to my doctor who has assured me there would be no fallout because of overexertion or strain.” Though Balsara would take walks earlier, it has now become a routine, albeit one that he looks forward to. Busy as he is, Balsara’s day ends with a walk. “I walk for 45 minutes between 9 pm and 10 pm. It is the relaxed leisure time I have for myself. I used to do yoga earlier but of late, I have reduced it and increased my walks. I need vigorous exercise which is better for the mind, body and soul. I am now hooked to brisk walking.” So much so that later, when our photographer wants to conduct the photo shoot, he does not interrupt his walking schedule for the pictures. “Shoot me as I am walking,” he says. Chasing miles A solitary walker, Balsara prefers his own company. “It is also because I walk at a reasonably brisk speed. Sometimes, my daughters accompany me and at times neighbors too.” Does work occupy Balsara’s mind as he walks alone hearing his footsteps in the lamp-lit pathways of the housing colony where his bungalow is located? “I try not to think about work at that time. Sometimes it is inevitable. I used to suffer from insomnia and in the last few months wondered whether insomnia drove me to work at night or was it working at night that causes it! The physical stress of walking is possibly good for my body. Perhaps, it counterbalances the mental stress. I am also able to spend time in my garden due to my daily walks.” Work occupies all of Balsara’s time. What drives him to work? He stops walking abruptly and pauses before answering. “I haven’t thought of it like that at all. Work drives me to work. I don’t think I am working to achieve something-either material comfort or nirvana. I have never questioned my work and Madison is my lifestyle.” What then provide the triggers for happiness in a life that equals work? “What gives me immense satisfaction is a job well done. To know that our work has produced the desired result for the client who has spent the money is a different high.” In a world where competition rules and compromises are grist to the mill, what does Balsara strive for to maintain Madison’s identity, given the success? “At Madison I did not set a defined goal in terms of size, market share or profits. Neither did I set a time period to achieve them. Our focus has always been to do the current job well and do it based on some principles and a sound value system. Given the fact we operate in a growing economy, I think growth is bound to happen. Growth is a byproduct and growth for the sake of growth is not what we are chasing. I also think for an agency like ours this is a sound business philosophy.” Client first Balsara says the problems start when ambition overrides reality or when unrealistic targets are set leading to compromises. “The agency’s raison d’etre is to help its clients grow. But that does not mean it should be done at any cost,” says Balsara. “The endeavor is to instill this philosophy in our people. Maybe some time in the future, the focus might be expansion, more offices, etc. We may not be India’s fastest growing agency, so be it. That’s fine. I feel at a broader level most of the macro issues that the advertising industry is facing is because of each agency’s desire to grow at a fast space.” Competition is intense, more so in the advertising industry. How does Balsara keep pace with it? “We have formidable competition. We respect it and try in our own way to learn from it. We are only a David compared to other Goliaths. One of the tenets of our value system is that we are modern and progressive in our outlook but old-fashioned in our value system. We will be fiercely competitive but not compromise on values.” The agency has turned 25 and so clearly, this value system has worked for Balsara and Madison. “When I look back on the 25 years with Madison, it appears that there is something meaningful about the adage ‘slow and steady wins the race’. There is some virtue in being consistent and having a set of beliefs and values in a constantly changing and evolving world where you modify and change your strategies.” Given that work is Balsara’s calling, yet family time is fiercely protected and non-negotiable, he reiterates. “Saturdays and Sundays are with the family. I don’t accept any business or social engagements on Sundays.” When he relaxes, Balsara tends to pick up non-fiction and that too for a reason. “I gain something out of it,” he explains. His favourite genre is self-help books. “I am a sucker for picking up How To books. I somehow feel since I am not a voracious reader, from whatever little I read, there should be something to learn-useful tips or gaining a useful dimension.” Be it work or relaxation, Balsara lives life with a purpose and unwinds for a reason, in his constant quest for knowledge.