When Pradeep Kannan walked away from his high-paying corporate role in Bengaluru six years ago, most people around him thought he had lost his mind. At the time, Kannan was Operations Head at Oracle India — a role many would consider the peak of a stable and successful tech career. But the Tamil Nadu native had a different plan: to return to his hometown of Karur and start something of his own.
That decision, once mocked as reckless, is now a case study in entrepreneurial conviction. Today, Kannan’s venture, The Falooda Shop, has grown from a small neighbourhood kiosk into a rapidly expanding dessert brand with more than 18 outlets across India and Dubai.
Kannan’s pivot to entrepreneurship began in 2019, when he left his corporate job to pursue what he says was his “real passion”. Against every conventional warning, he started with a simple falooda cart. Friends, colleagues, and even family questioned the decision. Social chatter dismissed his move as impulsive and impractical. But Kannan stayed focused, documenting his early challenges and small wins on social media.
His perseverance paid off. The brand scaled steadily through franchising, menu innovation and a sharp focus on quality. Recently sharing his journey on X, Kannan said everyone initially believed he was making a huge mistake — but added that the current success “is just the beginning”.
Before launching The Falooda Shop, Kannan built a strong foundation across India and the UAE. He began his career as Assistant Manager – Operations at Celebrity Fashions in Chennai, later moving to Dubai to work in supply chain management with Al Seer. Returning to India, he joined Genpact as a Business Analyst and then spent six years at Oracle in supplier management and operations leadership roles.
Kannan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Technology from NIFT (2003–2007) and a postgraduate management qualification from Mumbai Business School.
Leaving the comfort of air-conditioned boardrooms for the pressure of running a franchise kitchen wasn’t easy. But for Kannan, it marked the start of a new chapter driven by passion rather than paychecks. His next vision is ambitious: to take The Falooda Shop beyond physical outlets and scale it globally through retail partnerships and packaged products.
For many aspiring entrepreneurs, his journey underscores a powerful truth — real success lies not in titles or salaries, but in the courage to back one’s ideas. Pradeep Kannan’s story is a reminder that sometimes, taking the unconventional path is the only way to build something truly remarkable.
