Making Sense of Scale Through Learning at PGP MFAB

I joined the family business three years ago with a clear mandate: build something new and scale it fast. Based out of Delhi, our company, MMSpares Global Private Limited, operates in the distribution of earth-moving equipment and machine spare parts, spanning back-loaders, excavators, screens and material handling equipment. My role has been focused on building and scaling the export vertical from scratch, a journey that has been both exciting and operationally intense.

As the business began expanding at an exponential pace, it became clear that growth alone was not enough. We needed structure, sharper thinking and external perspective. That realisation led me to the ISB PGP MFAB programme, which offered exactly the kind of environment I was looking for.

Learning That Moves Straight Into Business

Three terms in, what has stood out most is how closely the learning connects with real business challenges. Subjects like marketing, data analytics and family business management do not remain theoretical. Because I am simultaneously running the business, every concept feels immediately applicable.

Whether it is market segmentation, complementary offerings or customer targeting, I find myself constantly taking notes with the intention of testing these ideas back at work. A simple example is how we engage with mechanics. They may not be our direct customers, but they strongly influence purchasing decisions. Thinking through incentives and product strategies for them helped me connect marketing fundamentals with our on-ground reality.

Applying Structure to a Fast-Growing Business

Our business is still young, which means it has been heavily operations-driven and largely unstructured. With multiple new verticals launched in a short span, the risk of chaos is real. One of my biggest takeaways from ISB has been the importance of putting systems in place early.

Family governance, SOPs, middle management structures and automation are no longer abstract ideas. We are actively working on them. Courses on family business and governance have helped me understand how to institutionalise decision-making and reduce dependence on individuals, something that becomes critical as scale increases.

Technology, AI and the Next Phase of Growth

Another area that resonates strongly is how ISB approaches data analytics and AI. The programme does not discourage the use of AI; it actively encourages it. As service providers increasingly embed AI into their offerings, we are exploring how to integrate these tools into our own systems.

Automation and structure are essential because they free up time. Time to experiment, to introduce new product lines, and to explore new verticals. In an industry where information gaps are significant, bridging that gap can unlock massive opportunity. If we get this right, there is real potential to become a dominant player across multiple product categories.

ISB has helped me step back from day-to-day firefighting and think more deliberately about scale, structure and long-term direction. As the programme progresses, my focus remains clear: build systems that allow the business to grow sustainably, while creating the space to innovate and expand with confidence.

Synopsis

Raghav Bansal, who leads the export vertical at MMSpares Global Private Limited, reflects on how the ISB programme is helping him bring structure, strategy and scalability to a fast-growing family business. By applying classroom learning directly to real-world challenges, he is working towards automation, governance and sustainable expansion across product lines.