Side Notes by Zerodha Varsity

Zerodha Varsity
  • 4.2 (10)
  • INVESTING
  • UPDATED TWICE WEEKLY

Byte-sized lessons on investment strategy, financial metrics, business decisions, and/or market phenomena.

  1. 1 HR AGO

    Revlon's fall from glory to bankruptcy, and revival

    This episode explores the journey of Revlon — from a brand that sold glamour and aspiration to one that filed for bankruptcy nearly a century later. It traces Revlon’s early success, its marketing genius, the landmark hostile takeover that reshaped corporate law, and the debt-fuelled decisions that weakened the company over decades. The episode also examines how Revlon used Chapter 11 to survive and what its turnaround tells us about branding, leverage, and resilience in modern business. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    12 min

  2. 3 FEB

    The curious case of Narayana Health's profits

    Narayana Health's 40% profit comes from just a small business in the Cayman Islands. Is it the pricing power or a different brand identity that Narayana enjoys in Cayman? Cayman might be a star of a business, but there is also some risk. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    10 min

  3. 27 JAN

    Trent and Asian Paints - A tale of two popular stocks

    Trent's ROE growth perhaps explains the rally in its stock, and Asian Paints' ROE slowdown perhaps explains the dull performance of its stock. Maybe it is the time frame you look at. Trent has outperformed Asian Paints over the last five years but underperformed over the last year. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    9 min

  4. 20 JAN

    Nestle's brilliant razor and blade pricing model - and its pitfalls

    Nestlé's Nespresso was a failed product when it was launched in the 1980s. A switch in product and pricing model helped make it a success. It was Nestlé's moat for a very long time, but then competitors broke it. Nestle came out strong nonetheless. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    10 min

  5. 13 JAN

    Dmart's pseudo debt - a common accounting peculiarity

    Most of Dmart's stores are owned, while a few are leased. Those leased stores are recorded as lease liabilities on Dmart's balance sheet. Lease liabilities are considered as good as debt or borrowing. It is an accounting peculiarity. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    9 min

  6. 6 JAN

    Diet Coke Vs Coke Zero - What's the difference? Why the difference?

    How can one drink be for women and the other for men? It is a day-to-day consumable, not even medicine. So, why target a drink to a specific gender? The lessons are in marketing and consumer psychology. Not just Coca-Cola, but also Pepsi had drinks targeted at different genders. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    11 min

  7. 30/12/2025

    Wipro's multiple hats - from groceries to IT

    Wipro started as a vegetable oil maker. Samsung started as a trader of dried fish, groceries, and noodles. Today, neither Wipro nor Samsung is known for what it started out to do. Wipro's IT services are far removed from its initial oil business. Samsung is a tech giant with a global reputation for smartphones and semiconductors. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    8 min

  8. 23/12/2025

    Microsoft's bold pricing shift and the business rationale behind it

    Microsoft Office used to be a one-time purchase. Now you probably pay for it every year. Why did Microsoft change its pricing so drastically? It was a risky move, but there was solid motivation behind it. Not just Microsoft, many software companies have transitioned from a one-time pricing model to an annual or monthly subscription model. Zerodha Varsity on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerodhavarsity/ X: https://x.com/ZerodhaVarsity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@varsitybyzerodha Disclaimer: The stocks or financial instruments discussed in this podcast are meant for educational purposes only. Please do not consider them recommendations or financial advice of any form.

    10 min
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4.2
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Byte-sized lessons on investment strategy, financial metrics, business decisions, and/or market phenomena.

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