Surendran Jayasekar Interview: How SuccessGyan Brought Brian Tracy and Robert Kiyosaki to India

Surendran Jayasekar, known as Suren, is the founder and CEO of SuccessGyan, a Chennai-based company that brings international personal development speakers to India. In this Surendran Jayasekar interview, recorded in 2016 after the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Chennai, he shares how one Brian Tracy seminar led him to build the company.

I met Suren at the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Chennai and was blown away by the trainings and workshops he was bringing to India, so I asked him to sit down with me on camera.

Watch the Full Surendran Jayasekar Interview

Key Takeaways from the Surendran Jayasekar Interview

• One seminar changed his direction. A one-day Brian Tracy training in Chennai on March 5, 2006 came after a broken relationship and three failed businesses.
• SuccessGyan began with a promise. He vowed to bring Brian Tracy back to Chennai if he made it big, and the first event drew about 400 people.
• The first two years were a struggle. Many people did not yet see the value of paid training and asked to attend for free.
• Partnerships unlocked scale. Becoming Success Resources’ strategic partner in India led to bigger events such as the National Achievers Congress and Millionaire Mind Intensive.
• A lean team. In 2016, SuccessGyan ran with 18 employees plus specialist partners, with 68 events lined up that year.
• A book with his mentor. He co-wrote Success Recipe with Brian Tracy, which he said had sold more than 40,000 copies in English.

Who Is Surendran Jayasekar?

According to SuccessGyan, Suren started working at 18 after the passing of his father, and entered business out of necessity rather than choice. After several setbacks, a friend pushed him to attend Brian Tracy’s one-day event in Chennai in 2006, and he promised to bring Tracy back if he became successful. He kept that promise in February 2012.

He holds an MBA in international business and co-authored Success Recipe with Brian Tracy, which has been translated into several Indian languages. You can learn more on the SuccessGyan official website.

Surendran Jayasekar Interview Highlights

How did one seminar start SuccessGyan?

Before that 2006 seminar, Suren said he had a broken relationship and three failed businesses behind him. Something clicked that day, he went back and made changes, and things started falling into place. He also made a decision:

If I make it big, when I make it big, I’ll bring Dr. Brian back to Chennai so that my friends and family can listen to his trainings and grow.

Surendran Jayasekar

That first event drew about 400 people. Attendees asked for more speakers, and the company grew from there.

Which speakers did SuccessGyan bring to India?

After Brian Tracy, Suren said SuccessGyan brought Blair Singer, Jack Canfield, digital marketer Peng Joon (four times), Les Brown and John Gray. He said Robert Kiyosaki’s first visit to India, in Delhi and Bengaluru in September 2014, came through his company. Kiyosaki was the hardest to book, as he is very costly and his dates fill up years in advance.

What challenges did he face in the early years?

He said four or five people had tried this business in India before him and failed, because people did not yet value these trainings. The first two years were a big struggle, and many people asked to attend for free. What kept him going was a long-term vision, and his three traditional businesses, which ran on systems he had learned from these trainers, so he could focus fully on SuccessGyan.

How did the Success Resources partnership change things?

After about two years, SuccessGyan found a formula, sponsors started helping, and the company partnered with Singapore-based Success Resources as its strategic partner in India. That led to the National Achievers Congress in Delhi in September 2014 and the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Chennai and Bengaluru in November 2014, which he called his all-time favorite program.

How did he write a book with Brian Tracy?

While dropping Brian Tracy at the airport, Suren mentioned a book he was writing on becoming a first-generation millionaire. Tracy suggested they write a book together. The result was Success Recipe, which Suren said had sold more than 40,000 copies in English and had been translated into Marathi and Tamil, with more translations underway.

How does he change the ‘I want it free’ mindset?

He does not blame Indian audiences for bargaining:

You can’t blame our people also, because our conditioning is like that.

Surendran Jayasekar

His experience was that once people attend and see the transformation, they understand the value and come back. Over four years, word of mouth meant event rooms started filling by themselves.

How big was SuccessGyan in 2016, and what was next?

He had only 18 employees, with top specialist partners for functions like digital marketing. SuccessGyan had grown from three markets to six, with 68 trainings lined up that year. His stated ambition at the time was to build it into a billion-dollar company within four to five years. He also said 100 to 150 international speakers wanted to come to India through SuccessGyan.

About the Millionaire Mind Intensive Bengaluru 2016

This interview was first published to promote the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Bengaluru on May 13 to 15, 2016, a three-day program about rewiring your money blueprint. That event has passed, so the old promo codes are no longer valid. You can read my Millionaire Mind Intensive Bangalore 2016 post for the full background. Here is the original event banner:

My Take: What Founders Can Learn from Suren

I attended the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Chennai myself, and it changed how I think about money. What stands out in Suren’s story is patience. He spent two hard years building a market that did not exist yet in India, kept his team small, and grew through partnerships. That is a lesson for any Indian founder building something new.

For more on building a company in India, read Anurag Batra on entrepreneurship in India and Pradeep Chopra of Digital Vidya. If motivational speaking interests you, my interview with Sean Si is a good next read.

More Interviews on jitendra.co

• Millionaire Mind Intensive Bangalore 2016
• Anurag Batra Talks on Entrepreneurship in India
• Pradeep Chopra, CEO of Digital Vidya
• Sean Si, Motivational Speaker in the Philippines
• Ritesh Malik: From Doctor to Founder of Innov8

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Surendran Jayasekar?

Surendran Jayasekar, known as Suren, is the founder and CEO of SuccessGyan, a Chennai-based company that organizes personal development seminars in India with international speakers. He co-authored Success Recipe with Brian Tracy.

What is SuccessGyan?

SuccessGyan is an Indian company that organizes seminars and workshops with international personal development, motivational and financial trainers. It was started to bring Brian Tracy to Chennai, and the first event took place in February 2012.

How did Surendran Jayasekar start SuccessGyan?

After attending a Brian Tracy seminar in Chennai on March 5, 2006, he promised to bring Tracy back to Chennai if he became successful. Fulfilling that promise became SuccessGyan’s first event.

Which speakers has SuccessGyan brought to India?

In this interview, Suren named Brian Tracy, Blair Singer, Jack Canfield, Peng Joon, Robert Kiyosaki, Les Brown and John Gray.

What book did Surendran Jayasekar write with Brian Tracy?

He co-wrote Success Recipe with Brian Tracy. In 2016, he said it had sold more than 40,000 copies in English and had been translated into Marathi and Tamil.

Is the Millionaire Mind Intensive Bengaluru 2016 offer still valid?

No. The event took place on May 13 to 15, 2016, and the promo codes from the original post have expired.

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