‘Boring cash machines...’: CA unpacks hidden playbook of how India’s rich builds empires

While many Indians chase stock market highs and crypto booms, Chartered Accountant Nitin Kaushik says the nation’s quietest millionaires are minting steady wealth from the most overlooked assets — parking lots, cold storages, toll roads, and warehouses. 

In a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), Kaushik wrote, “The richest Indians don’t chase hype. They quietly build empires from assets you scroll past: parking lots, cold storage, toll roads. While others gamble on IPOs, they earn boring cash every single day.” 

His thread, titled “The Boring Truth,” dismantles the myth that big wealth is built through glamorous ventures or market speculation. Instead, he spotlights what he calls “boring money” — assets that generate predictable, recurring cash flows and enjoy strong institutional support from banks and the government. 

‘Boring’ but bulletproof 

Kaushik contrasts the habits of the middle class — “running behind stocks, crypto, and F&O” — with the asset strategy of India’s wealthiest families. He lists high-demand sectors that rarely go out of fashion: 

• Parking in metros 
• Cold storage for farmers and FMCG companies 
• Warehouses on highways 

“These are businesses where demand is permanent,” he explains. And the numbers back it up: 

• A medium metro parking lot can earn ₹25-30 lakh per month. 
• A 10,000 sq ft cold storage unit yields ₹8-12 lakh in monthly rentals. 
• A busy highway toll plaza collects ₹10-15 lakh daily. 

“Banks love cash flow they can predict,” Kaushik notes, adding that such ventures are far easier to finance than startups, which face layers of scrutiny and uncertain returns. 

Tax advantage & Cash flow edge 

Another reason India’s affluent love “boring” businesses, Kaushik says, is taxation. Infrastructure-linked assets like cold storages and warehouses enjoy tax breaks, depreciation benefits, and GST credits that significantly lower taxable income. 

“The middle class pays taxes. The rich legally save crores,” he writes. 

This compounding advantage helps the wealthy scale faster. “Debt works for them,” Kaushik adds, because stable income streams make it easier to leverage and expand. 

Quiet wealth 

Kaushik’s post highlights real-world examples: 

• D-Mart, which controls costs and margins by owning warehouses near metro cities. 
• IRB Infrastructure, earning ₹300+ crore a year from just one toll project. 
• Gujarati cold storage families, making crores annually by renting space to farmers and FMCG giants like PepsiCo. 

“These aren’t flashy startups,” he says. “They’re quiet cash machines that run India’s supply chain — and the families behind them often own local monopolies.” 

How to get started 

For those aspiring to enter such businesses, Kaushik suggests a pragmatic roadmap: 

• Parking: Tie up with malls or housing societies. 
• Cold storage: Partner with farmer groups or mandi operators; government subsidies apply. 
• Warehouses: Start with leased land near highways; rent to e-commerce players. 
• Petrol pumps: Franchise with HPCL, BPCL, or IOCL (requires ₹25–30 lakh). 
• REITs/InvITs: Low-capital market instruments linked to infrastructure cash flows. 

“Start small, scale slowly. That’s how the wealthy play,” he advises. 

The alternate syllabus 

Kaushik closes his post with a sharp critique of India’s traditional financial mindset, “Schools teach: Degree → Job → EMI → Retire. Wealthy families teach: Land → Infra → Cash flow → Legacy.” 

His message, now widely shared online, resonates with young professionals frustrated by volatile markets and slow wealth creation. 

“Real wealth in India isn’t built by chasing shiny things,” Kaushik concludes. “It’s built by quietly stacking boring cash machines. You walk past cold storages, toll roads & warehouses every day. The wealthy don’t walk past. They buy them.”