Data Sutram - Our First Offsite

August 2021 - With over a year of #WFH, we at Data Sutram decided it was time for a break. A lot of our team members had never met in person, and despite the efficiency of our routine- we felt like we were trapped in silos, stagnant. It was time to get our entire team together for a much-needed off-site. The entire team flew to Kolkata and for the next three days we unwound, brainstormed and ideated the future of the company, together.

I realise belatedly, that the timing could not have been more fortuitous in the wake of the #GreatResignation wave that is rocking the corporate world now. But the approach Data Sutram takes has always been a little different. From exactly this day, three years back when in sweltering summer heat Aisik, Ankit and I had filed our company from our college canteen- we have learnt everything from practical experience- starting from hiring, to client management and product building. And we learnt so much in the company offsite- about ourselves, our team and the dream we are building together.

I realised what my real achievement was.

In this journey, Revenue, Clients, Funding have been the KPIs I have chased everyday & talked about as a founder, but today, I have realised my biggest achievement.

20+ people including my team, mentors & investors have put their faith & belief in me & my co-founders.

I want to take time & thank each one of them for this belief that has empowered us & inspired us to build this company. Without them & their belief, the three of us would not have been here.

My Biggest Take-aways from Our Itinerary

• Sessions - ?It did not matter if you slept at 4 am or you did not sleep, by 8am, the entire team would just SHOW UP in the conference rooms to start brainstorming. I realised the team WANTED to discuss the challenges we face in our daily work & to define some of the important metrics that can really help us grow as a company. Everyone was in it together.

• Team Lunch & Dinners - They say you talk when there is food in our stomach. Most of our lunch & dinner breaks were stories about our personal lives, heated discussions & debates on political topics & conspiracy theories. After being names on a screen for a year, sharing lunches and dinners are underrated gifts for getting to know the humans behind the screen.?
• Late Night Jam Sessions - Absolutely unplanned as it was (shout out to Agneesh for carrying his guitar!) The late night music sessions by the pool that often led the entire team to the sunrise was probably one of my personal favourites from the offsite. We danced, played the guitar & sang as a team to melodies across different languages.?

And when the sun came up in the morning, I was awed and grateful, that we had all survived an unprecedented year despite the horrible loss and the odds, and somewhere along the way, found something to work for, together.?