At age 23, Mahesh Singhi left his engineering job, moved to Mumbai, and launched his own business. Today, Singhi Advisors ranks among India’s top five M&A advisory firms, having closed more than $11 billion in transactions.
What sets Mahesh apart? In our conversation on Masters of the Deal, he shared four powerful principles that have guided his career.
On the podcast, I speak with M&A leaders, sharing insights into the habits and philosophies behind billion-dollar deals.
1. Be prepared to start from scratch
We all like to think we embrace new challenges, but as our careers progress, it’s natural to stick with what we know. True, transformative growth comes when we step into entirely new territory.
Mahesh’s entry into finance was far from conventional. In his words, “I had to start from scratch. I didn’t know what an asset was or what a liability was. I was an engineer, not a finance graduate or an MBA student. But I had no inhibitions about learning from the ground up.”
He turned to books to master the basics: preparing project reports, reading balance sheets, understanding debit balances, and grasping depreciation. Step by step, he built the foundation required to navigate the financial world.
“I had to start from scratch. But I had no inhibitions about learning from the ground up.”
Mahesh Singhi, Founder & MD, Singhi Advisors
Despite his engineering expertise, Mahesh recognized how much he needed to learn about M&A. Being willing to start at the ground level has been key to his success.
2. Embrace challenges to build resilience
Resilience has been a cornerstone of Mahesh’s career. From the beginning, he saw setbacks as opportunities to grow stronger.
In his words, “Life doesn’t give you a chance. Life is tough, and you have to make it easy. Either you get protected all the time, or you throw yourself into developing inner strength.”
For Mahesh, life’s challenges are training grounds for the pressures of business. By tackling problems head-on, he has learned to manage uncertainty. Today, this mindset allows him to execute complex deals while handling the daily demands of running a top firm.
“Life doesn’t give you a chance. Life is tough, and you have to make it easy.”
Mahesh Singhi, Founder & MD, Singhi Advisors
Calculated risk-taking is central to his approach, and Mahesh views it as an essential trait for any M&A professional: “When it comes to our clients and business partners, I always remind them that business is a risk. The key to measuring risk is understanding how much you can survive.”
3. Prioritize win-win outcomes
A hallmark of Mahesh’s approach to M&A is a commitment to creating value for all parties involved. His firm carefully balances the needs of buyers and sellers, recognizing that strong deals are built on mutual benefit.
“At Singhi, we are known as hunters — or buying advisors — because we balance buying and selling,” he explains.
Focusing on fairness does not mean compromising results, and Mahesh believes the right valuation should benefit everyone: “A good valuation is one where the buyer makes more money than the seller, gains more production, or strengthens their competitive edge at the right price.”
In practice, this means the buyer benefits strategically, while the seller receives a market-driven price. By prioritizing win-win outcomes, Mahesh has built a reputation for trust, reliability, and fairness — qualities that have driven both his firm and his career forward.
4. Have the courage to make the call
Mahesh believes decisiveness defines the best dealmakers. He looks for this trait in his hires, seeking people who can make clear, confident decisions, because hesitation can cost his firm deals.
“We are dealmakers, and we seek people who can make decisions. Those who cannot make decisions for themselves will not be able to make decisions for clients either,” he explains.
When evaluating candidates, he has a simple litmus test: “There are only two types of people in this world — those who take calls and those who wait for others to take calls for them. The first is our category.”
“Those who cannot make decisions for themselves will not be able to make decisions for clients either.”
Mahesh Singhi, Founder & MD, Singhi Advisors
For Mahesh, having the courage to make the call isn’t about being impulsive. It means acting with conviction, grounded in careful analysis and a clear understanding of the risks.
Insights from a master dealmaker
Mahesh’s story offers a window into the mindset, discipline, and decision-making behind billion-dollar deals.
Listen to his insights on Masters of the Deal.
