RE #41: Sanjay Chandra - Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group

Sanjay Chandra serves as Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Private Equity Group and its affiliated companies in a variety of roles. He also serves as a Board Member for American Leather, which he co-founded in 1990, and where he was formerly president and CFO. Chris and Sanjay discuss Sanjay's life as a founder, his family's immigration to the United States, pivoting into real estate, and his experience in the world of private equity. Enjoy! For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris 02:17 — Sanjay’s Story 05:53 — How did you turn your engineering background into founding American Leather? 09:28 — How does system and process design play into the company? 12:47 — How does process affect the growth of a business? 14:37 — How do you encourage people to take ownership and make processes better? 21:16 — Is there a weekly or monthly meeting where you continuously try to improve your processes? 23:02 — Sanjay’s Entry into Private Equity in 2006 31:20 — How get your start in the real estate community and convince people to do deals with you? 34:12 — Did you always want to focus on residential? 35:25 — How can you be a really good operator in multifamily? 41:19 — If I were a business looking to take on private equity, what things would you tell me to think about? 43:49 — Are your time horizons with private equity the same as your real estate deals? 45:42 — What is the mentality of a founder who takes on private equity? What does the transition to life with a board look like? 48:12 — What is it like to live under the guidance of a board? 49:04 — How does a business go from being founder-run to not? 50:45 — What would happen if you bought a business and realized the founder is the issue? 54:48 — What is a question you ask before investing in a business today that you wouldn’t have when you first started? 57:42 — What was the biggest challenge in your career? 59:37 — Advice to Your 21-Year-Old Self 1:04:54 — What will the world look like in 2030? 1:07:52 — Do you have a favorite interview question?