Bhubaneswar, Oct 7 (UDN): An Odisha man has taken an unconventional route to prepare for his entrepreneurial dream—quitting his IT job, moving to Bengaluru and working as a Rapido rider to understand what potential customers want from a dairy brand he plans to build back home.
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The unusual approach came to light after a Bengaluru resident shared his interaction with the rider on LinkedIn, describing how a routine Rapido journey turned into a conversation about consumer preferences and business plans.
From IT Job to Bike Rides
The man, identified as Dinesh, comes from a family involved in dairy farming in Odisha. According to the LinkedIn post by Varun Raj, Dinesh wants to expand his family’s dairy operations and eventually develop a dairy-products brand.
Rather than conducting conventional market research, he decided to interact directly with consumers.
After leaving his IT job, Dinesh moved to Bengaluru and started working as a Rapido rider. The job, besides providing him with an income, gives him an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and learn about their buying habits.
Turning Passenger Conversations Into Market Research
During one of his rides, Dinesh reportedly asked Raj what dairy products he purchased apart from milk.
The simple question was part of a broader effort to understand consumer preferences, particularly among Bengaluru’s large population of IT professionals.
According to Raj, Dinesh regularly uses conversations with passengers to find out what dairy products they consume, what they look for when buying such products and what offerings might appeal to them.
Plans to Return to Odisha
Dinesh has reportedly given himself about one year to study the market and gather insights from his interactions with passengers.
Once he completes this period, he plans to return to Odisha and apply what he has learned to expand his family’s dairy business.
His approach has attracted attention on LinkedIn, with many users appreciating the practical nature of his strategy.
Instead of relying solely on surveys or market reports, Dinesh is using his everyday interactions with passengers to understand consumer behaviour firsthand—turning his work as a Rapido rider into an unconventional form of market research for the business he hopes to build in Odisha.