NoSmalltalk
Real People.
Real Conversations.
May
Alba’s
with
Albert Schiller
5/25
Alba’s NoSmalltalk
Real People. Real Conversations.
www.planetalba.biz
Editorial Note
ALBERT SCHILLER
In an age when social skills are mone�zed, and the inability to exchange
polite nothings seems pathological, I want to o�er a counterpoint: not being
good at small talk is not a �aw, nor is it something that needs �xing. I read the
books, took the classes, and watched the videos. The outcome was predictable.
More conversa�ons I wasn’t interested in. For some of us, mastering the weath-
er report or following sports and entertainment programs that other people �nd
intriguing, isn’t the point. If you aren’t interested in the answer, don’t ask.
Meaningful connec�ons are rare. They occur through curiosity, shared ideas,
and fric�on. They are built when we stop performing social �uency and start
listening.
If you’re drawn to people and uninterested in prac�cing small talk, don’t waste
�me forcing it. You are not defec�ve. You are oriented di�erently. That’s ok.
Lean into that orienta�on. Priori�ze you —and the people—that make you forget
to check the �me. Focus on what brings you alive intellectually, emo�onally, and
crea�vely. That’s where your energy will �ow, and where it should.
– Albert Schiller, CEO & Founder, Planet Alba BiZ
A Time for
New Beginnings
FROM THE TEAM AT PLANET ALBA BIZ
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Alba’s NoSmalltalk (NoS)
We operate in an era saturated with content, increasingly generated by
sophis�cated tools, o�en rendering informa�on replaceable, transient. Genuine
human connec�on feels scarcer, yet the resonance we experience when we
truly connect remains potent, undiluted. Atv Planet Alba BIZ, we believe the
quality of these connec�ons fundamentally determines the quality of our lives
and work. This belief anchors NoS.
This magazine is one part of a deliberate ecosystem. You will also �nd
focused blog posts online, exploring speci�c angles from our conversa�ons.
Why both?
Because people are complex. They are the sum of their thoughts and ac�ons,
naviga�ng challenges with logic, yet inevitably possessing blind spots that are
striking when viewed from another perspec�ve. No single ar�cle can capture
every facet; a single interview o�en contains mul�ple dis�nct lines of inquiry
worth pursuing. The magazine o�ers the integrated narra�ve; the blogs pro-
vide the deep dives into speci�c analy�cal threads.
What you read here are things people said, thoughts they ar�culated. Our
aim is the un�ltered substance that emerges when individuals are given the
space to think aloud, grapple with contradic�ons, and share their opera�onal
reali�es.
Our proposi�on to you, the reader, the curious mind, is access to this unvar-
nished substance. We invite you to engage with these complex individuals, to
�nd resonance in their logic, perhaps recognize your own blind spots re�ected
in theirs, and ul�mately, to value the increasingly rare act of genuine human
connec�on and intellectual e�ort.
Welcome to NoSmalltalk.
– The Team at Planet Alba BiZ
Table of Content
Authenticity as a Business Model
p.6
p.20
p.28
p.38
p.42
p.50
The Founder Who Runs
on Self-Awareness
Designing with Purpose
The Case for Value-Driven
AI Leadership
The Portfolio Future
Why Rural Markets Need
Structured Disruption
Gauri Malik
Sirohi
Midhun Noble
Insighte Childcare
Dhisti Desai
Pineapple
Mahendra Singh
Benovymed
Shreyas Katta
Stealth
Sachin Jagtap
Geo Roots Agritech
Authenticity
as a Business Model
MY ENCOUNTER WITH GAURI MALIK
By Albert Schiller
The trajectory from interna�onal �nance to grassroots social entrepreneurship
focused on rural Indian ar�sans is not a conven�onal one. It suggests a profound
internal shi�, a rejec�on of established paths. Yet, in conversa�on with Gauri
Malik, founder of Sirohi, the journey appears less a single Damascene conver-
sion and more a complex convergence – a synthesis of seemingly disparate,
even contradictory, life experiences. Her background in economics and invest-
ment banking, the stark contrasts observed between her privileged boarding
school educa�on and the constrained lives of women in her hometown, a deep-
ly personal aversion to social conformity iden�fying herself as a “mis�t”, and a
single, harrowing incident witnessed in a village coalesced into a unique form
of pragma�c ac�vism. Sirohi, the brand empowering women ar�sans, emerged
not just from idealism but from experienced frustra�on, analy�cal thinking, and
a lived understanding of both independence and limita�on, ul�mately driven by
an “accidental ac�vist” naviga�ng her path.
Forma�ve Dichotomies: Independence and Constraint
Understanding Gauri’s drive requires acknowledging the powerful, o�en con-
�ic�ng, forces of her upbringing. Hailing from Muzafarnagar, U�ar Pradesh – a
town marked by both wealth and signi�cant poverty – she was sent to boarding
school at the unusually young age of six. This environment fostered intense
independence. “You have to make decisions for yourself,” she recalled, “You
don’t have your parents suppor�ng you... you take li�le decisions, and they start
becoming bigger decisions”. This enforced self-reliance, further honed through
athle�cs (sprin�ng and state-level basketball), stands in sharp contrast to her
observa�ons back home. She witnessed her own highly educated mother, pos-
sessing a Master’s degree, unable to pursue a career within the prevailing social
norms.
Financial Independence needs no Excuses
This “dichotomy... existed from a very young age”, seeding a persistent
ques�oning of societal constraints placed upon women, even within a�uent
se�ngs. This wasn’t theore�cal feminism; it was a lived observa�on of wasted
poten�al and dependence that le� an indelible mark, likely fueling her later in-
sistence on �nancial independence as a core tenet of empowerment. The feel-
ing of being a “mis�t” perhaps stemmed partly from inhabi�ng these contras�ng
worlds – the independence she experienced versus the restric�ve norms she
observed.
10
Following the expected path of academic achievement led Gauri through
pres�gious schools, economics degrees, and ul�mately, into the world of
investment banking. Yet, this conven�onal success felt hollow. “I was numb
by my job,” she admi�ed, hin�ng at a profound disconnect between her
external achievements and internal ful�llment. The desire for impact work
persisted. A pivotal transi�on occurred when she began working in the develop-
ment sector in the village of Sirohi. Here, the abstract dichotomy she observed
growing up became brutally concrete. She encountered a community mirroring
her hometown’s constraints – girls uneducated, con�ned to their homes, denied
economic par�cipa�on.
The Catalyst. From Financial Numbness to Focused Ac�on
"That's the time, I decided. I will do it."
This incident wasn’t just mo�va�on; it was the speci�c, intolerable problem
demanding a solu�on, moving her from a general desire for impact to focused,
necessary ac�on driven by a frustra�on she could no longer ignore.