Dilip Girglani, the 86th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, had a wonderful routine he would follow when he was helping to run his family business.

Every day, he would visit clients – but never to discuss business. 

If a client tried to place an order with Dilip, he would tell them to contact somebody in sales. If a client tried to pay overdue money, he would tell them to contact somebody in accounts.

“That’s not my department,” Dilip would say. “I’m here just to meet you and see if you’re doing well.”

That allowed Dilip to build strong relationships with many clients … which made them more likely to keep placing orders and keep paying their bills.

Dilip grew up in India, moved to Dublin to study and then stayed on to build his career and start an accounting practice. In 2010, he returned to India to help his father run the family’s automotive supplies business. In 2015, he left the business and moved to Sydney. He now has a senior financial position with the NSW Police Force, where he helps manage insurance matters. 

Despite his background in numbers and spreadsheets, Dilip believes the ultimate currency is relationships.