Rohit Sobti was ex-Vice President at Yash Raj Films — one of India's most storied production houses. Sandesh Shandilya is a legendary music composer whose work spans decades and has accumulated over a billion streams on Spotify alone. Together, they were building something India had never seen: a world-class music academy for the next generation of serious artists.
The Shakti Collective wasn't just another music class. It was a premium, mentorship-driven institution with an extraordinary faculty pedigree and a genuine philosophy about music education. The challenge was translating that credibility into a launch strategy that could reach the right audience — serious musicians, aspiring professionals, and discerning parents — without diluting the premium positioning.
I was brought in as the growth consultant to build the go-to-market and launch strategy. That meant defining the positioning architecture that clearly differentiated The Shakti Collective from hobby music classes, identifying the channels and communities where serious music students could be found and converted, and designing the launch sequence that built anticipation before the doors opened.
The engagement was a masterclass in premium brand building: how to use founder credibility as the primary marketing asset, how to build a waitlist that signals exclusivity, and how to price a new premium offering in a market that doesn't yet have a reference point. The Shakti Collective launched to strong early enrolment and a clear identity that set it apart in the market.