Vedanta's Anil Agarwal says this 25% formula helped him, daughter Priya find footing in UK

Anil Agarwal is the founder and chairman of Vedanta. His daughter Priya Agarwal Hebbar is currently the director of Vedanta Resources. (Image credit: LinkedIn)

Anil Agarwal, the founder and chairman of Vedanta, recently shared a 25 per cent formula that helped him and his daughter Priya find a footing in the UK after moving from India.

The industrialist said that the idea occurred to him when he saw his daughter struggling in school. "Like any newcomer, Priya had to make friends all over again and blend into a new culture. As a father, it pained me to see my daughter struggle because of my decisions, but I had faith that with just a little support from us, she would be able to adapt and overcome anything that came her way," Agarwal shared on LinkedIn.

"I told her, ‘Beta, you are so strong, just believe in your strengths. You don’t have to change yourself, just focus on pushing yourself a little harder every day, even if just by 25%, and the world will start admiring you."

Since then, the industrialist said, Priya Agarwal would take up one activity at a time--be it swimming, horse riding, or volunteering-- and try to be better at it. "And before we knew it, she made her first friend in the UK, which soon turned into many," Anil Agarwal said.

"Unknowingly, my little girl taught me a lesson, which was to keep pushing and keep trying harder every day, even if it’s just by 25 per cent."

Read more: 'My heart swells with pride': Anil Agarwal on daughter Priya leading Vedanta

The Vedanta chairman also shared how the 25 per cent formula helped him overcome a difficult situation and make the best of a business opportunity.

On a train to Manchester, Agarwal overheard that Duratube, a cable company, had gone bankrupt and he was considering buying it. So, he called up a banker from HSBC and asked him questions about the company to find out that Duratube was the sole supplier of British telecom.

Soon, however, Agarwal faced a roadblock.

"In the middle of our conversation, the banker said, 'I beg your pardon.' I froze because I did not know what he meant. I later understood that he wanted me to repeat my question because of my thick Indian accent. But at that moment, we were both awkwardly silent and equally confused!" Agarwal shared.

He then put the 25 per cent formula into use and began putting in extra effort to improve his English and learn their ways of doing business.

"With this routine, what earlier seemed like tasks, became habits. And as a result, I was slowly able to build business relations in a foreign land, which helped me secure £3 million from the bank to acquire Duratube!" Agarwal said.

Read more: When Vedanta's Anil Agarwal was excited to meet 'favourite Shark' boAt's Aman Gupta