About Arjun Ranga: Globally, incense is the silent bridge that connects humans to the divine. And naturally, no Indian wants to compromise when it comes to their hopes and prayers. This episode of The One Percent Project is an intriguing exploration of the incense business and its essence in Indian culture with a remarkable guest, Arjun Ranga, the CEO of Cycle Pure Agarbathis, a part of the NR Group.  In this insightful conversation, Arjun delves into the fascinating journey of Cycle Agarbathis, the world's largest incense manufacturer, and its transformation into the world's first certified zero-carbon manufacturer of incense, prayer, and air care products. Arjun also shares his journey as the CEO, drawing inspiration from his grandfather and NR Group's founder, Shri N. Ranga Rao. He sheds light on the deep-rooted significance of prayer in Indian culture and the sentiments attached to it, his marketing strategies through the years, his vision for the company and much more.  Joining him in this conversation is Sarthak Ahuja, a seasoned Chartered Accountant with expertise in startup advisory and investment banking and a LinkedIn top voice who brings a wealth of intriguing insights to the discussion. Join us in this fascinating episode to explore the dynamic intersection of business, culture, and sustainability. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to it and sign up for The One Percent Project's "Think" newsletter at onepercent.live for curated content that adds value to your professional and personal development. Key Take Aways & Transcript: https://bit.ly/TOP_ArjunRanga Follow & Subscribe: WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/TOP_WA2 YouTube: https://bit.ly/TOP_Youtube LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/TOP_LinkedIn Twitter: https://bit.ly/TOP_Twitter1 Instagram: https://bit.ly/TOP_Insta In this conversation, he talks about: 00:00⁠⁠⁠ Intro 02:28 History of the incense industry 03:44 Journey of building Cycle Pure Agarbathi 09:54 How can you innovate and stay relevant in a highly commoditised industry? 12:20 Product Positioning 14:42 Key customer retention metrics in the incense industry 17:02 Customer segmentation for a diverse Indian market 20:32 Premium positioning of incense: Who is the target audience for premium incense products? 23:50 Why is vanilla the most used fragrance in premium stores and bakeries worldwide? 24:36 Why are the Gulf, Europe and Africa the largest markets for incense? 25:42 Value chain & Unit economics of making an Agarbathi. 27:09 Actual product differentiation Vs product marketing and branding 27:55 His journey of becoming the CEO. 31:43 The growth and impact of D2C. 34:50 Cyle's association with cricket 37:45 Cycle's next decade 39:42 The disruption AI would bring to the industry