The informal sector is never included while evaluating economic parameters of India - such as GDP growth - perhaps because not many of these street vendors pay taxes, though they end up bribing the cops to obtain their ‘licence to sell’ on the streets. What I found especially interesting was the customer base of these street vendors. Though their customers include people from all sections of the society – from the very rich to the urban poor – a vast majority are from the lower middle class and poorer sections. I personally feel that there is a lot to be learnt from these vendors - the businessmen in Mumbai’s informal sector. Agreed that many of them sell counterfeit and smuggled goods but they do understand the base of the pyramid market much better than any multinational company’s sales and marketing departments; they know what sells and what doesn’t among the poor. More importantly, they understand the needs of the poor. Entrepreneurs or corporations targeting the BoP markets will do well to tap into the knowledge base of Mumbai’s (and India’s) informal sector. The knowledge that these guys have, can be valuable in conducting market research, developing products and carrying out marketing campaigns at the BoP. It would be even better if they are engaged as critical links in the value chain, such as franchisees. This could be a win-win situation for both sides and to the country as a whole since such an arrangement would help in formalizing the informal sector.