Entrepreneur India 35 Under 35 2025: The Empire Builder "For 2nd generation entrepreneurs, it is a ready platform to showcase their professional abilities. I believe in filling in the gaps and expanding the 1st generation business to the next level," Mahesh N R, TSL Group

The 20s are for figuring things out. It is largely about experiencing different career options, new passions, different strengths, or deciding to stick to the old ones. For Mahesh N R, it was about taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship in 2010, when it was unheard of. Having an academic background in architecture, he ventured into the hospitality business with TSL Hospitality India in 2011 with support from his father.

To him, leadership is all about taking everyone and everything that comes progressively. "In today's world, everyone has ideas. I allow everyone to showcase their ideas and opinions. This makes my leadership simple and approachable," he said.

Being a second-generation entrepreneur, getting into the family business was a predilection, "For 2nd generation entrepreneurs, it is a ready platform to showcase their professional abilities. I believe in filling in the gaps and expanding the 1st generation business to the next level." That's precisely what he did by bringing the family business under an organized structure and expanding it threefold in a brief period of time.

Mahesh has shown his business prowess, spearheading four ventures with an entrepreneurship experience of 10+ years. TSL caters to 12,000-15,000 guests monthly, focuses on MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), and counts PSU, Airlines, Manufacturing, and Travel Management companies as its major clients.

On being asked about a bold move he's made at the company, Mahesh shared, "One of my bold moves was to build two hotels with two different international brands in close proximity within 500m..."

"...Many friends in the industry suggested I undo this as it would create competition. One will do good while the other will face losses. But my bet was fruitful as the two hotels complemented each other rather than competing," he added proudly.

The brand achieved break even in the 1st year in 2012. A decade later, he co-founded Calistta Jewellery and ventured into the fine jewellery segment. "This business venture was started with a vision to deliver A+ quality jewellery at an affordable price point with reasonable profit margins focusing on volumetric business with millennials in focus," Mahesh added.

Primarily focusing on B2B and D2C, the brand's customer acquisition boasts of 15 per cent growth YoY. Calling 2025 a "fantastic year" for the hospitality business, Mahesh and his team opened the world's first Park Inn & Suites by Radisson in Bengaluru. Under Mahesh's aegis, TSL signed a 150-key luxury urban resort deal and is slated to open to the public by 2029, further strengthening the partnership with Radisson.

The revenue has grown 16 per cent from last year. He also serves as the CEO for Ramada by Wyndham Resort Bengaluru Yelahanka and Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Bengaluru Yelahanka. Parallelly, Calistta aims to venture into fine gold and IGI certified Lab Grown Diamond jewellery on its e-commerce platform by Q2 FY25.

"We are planning to expand our e-commerce offerings to India, the Middle East & APAC," he said. While Calistta is yet to achieve break-even, they expect to attain it by 2026. "We will soon start to aggregate quality jewellery manufacturers to sell their Jewels on our page on a D2C model." On the TSL front, expansion will be a priority with international brands.

"By 2030, we are expected to add 300 rooms in the Luxury Segment and around 500 in the mid-market segment. We are keen on adding more hotels in Tier 2 and 3 markets," Mahesh said. He has his eyes set on one goal- to set his entrepreneurial legacy as a benchmark for future generations. "India needs more entrepreneurs than ever before and this will set the tone for the country's economy for the next 100 years," he concluded.