Three People, Three Clear Lanes
At the center of Straight Edge sits a leadership triangle that Aaryan describes as the reason the agency has not buckled under its own growth. Rishi, the company’s CMO, manages the entire content part of the business, the calendars, the reels, the static posts, the performance reporting that clients actually see. Harsh, the COO, runs operations, lead generation, sales, and acquisitions, the machinery that keeps new business coming in and existing accounts running without friction. Aaryan (Aaryan Pillai) himself stays focused on a different layer entirely: scaling, growth, client closing, acquisitions, and building the CRMs and systems that let the other two do their jobs without things falling through the cracks.
“Most young agencies collapse because everyone is doing everyone else’s job,” Aaryan says. “The moment Rishi owns content, Harsh owns operations and sales, and I own the systems and the scaling, you stop firefighting and start building."
“Most young agencies collapse because everyone is doing everyone else’s job,” Aaryan says. “The moment Rishi owns content, Harsh owns operations and sales, and I own the systems and the scaling, you stop firefighting and start building."
A Portfolio That Outgrew Its City
That structure has translated into a client list most agencies twice their age would want. Straight Edge’s roster now includes EazyDiner, India’s top table reservations platform; Braven, a sports gear and athleisure brand; Mishri Sweets, one of the most popular sweet brands in Vadodara; and an on-demand pickup and delivery service operating across the UAE, including Dubai. Add to that a mix of clients from within and beyond the country, and the picture is of an agency that outgrew its home city almost as fast as it was built
The Six or Seven People Who Make It Run
The Six or Seven People Who Make It Run
Behind the three-person leadership structure is a lean team that Aaryan calls, without exaggeration, killer. Jwal Shah manages tournaments and the operational side of events. Himanshu Kushwaha builds the infographics, static posts, and creative assets that carry each client’s visual identity, work Aaryan says he is exceptionally strong at. Earlier in the company’s life, Udita Das drove rigorous lead generation, handling the cold calls, the DMs, and the booked calls that filled the pipeline, while Pranjul Shukla ran operations and CRMs from the inside. Govind Singh worked as a project manager sitting outside the company, offering direction and consultation, and Shlok Soni briefly took on the agency’s tech needs. Six or seven people, each holding a piece most agencies would need a full department for.
What Comes Next
Aaryan is not shy about the number attached to where Straight Edge goes from here: past a million dollars in revenue by 2027. The plan is not to become a generalist shop chasing every industry at once, it is to go deeper into personal brands and food and beverage brands, the categories where Straight Edge has already proven it can move the needle, until the agency becomes a household name for marketing within the country.
