Hindsight is always 20/20

As I reminisce about the decade gone by, I still get mixed feelings about how it began in the first place. Circa 2009, the business community was still reeling from the after-effects of fallen financial edifices and the blood bath in Wall Street. The general sense of doom and gloom emanating from the financial districts had delivered a pungent blow to business olfactories. The trepidation in world markets with respect to growth, scale, investments and business strategy was hence, timid, to put it mildly. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect scene-setting for the most exciting decade of my life.

This phase is called the Preparation Phase

Even the hallowed halls of one of India's premier technology institutes were not immune to the pessimism and lack of clarity regarding our futures. I firmly believe that necessity is the mother of invention. Just as I accept that practicality is sometimes hazardous to ambition. The early part of the decade was my time to absorb new ideas, process new emotions and learn and unlearn at the same frenetic pace. I hail from what is oversimplified in our country, as 'a humble background'. What that really meant was that my family did not have any illustrious history or legacy of entrepreneurship ingrained into its DNA. 

But that also meant that we hadn't faced the ignominy of failed business endeavor as well. Glass half full, I guess. While at IIT Kharagpur, I always wondered why the big consulting firms of the world preferred our counterparts from Delhi and Mumbai in their college recruitment drives. Spurred b the thought of changing this status quo, I started a business club while still pursuing my graduation degree. If you want to change something, start embodying that change. 

The lessons, experiences, and learning we shared there will always stay with me for the rest of my life. I was teaching as part of my club duties, but ended up learning better as part of the experience. Every experience you assimilate in life moulds your character, outlook, and approach to life. There is a fantastic line which really encapsulates this spirit of learning – in a changing world, the learners will inherit the Earth and the learned will find themselves fantastically prepared to face a world that doesn't exist anymore. 

Keep learning!

The Pivot before the launch 

I was betrothed to joining ITC after completing my honors degree. The lure of climbing steep career ladders in a legendary business house was definitely appealing to me at that time. So was the urgency to pay back the college loan I had availed of. Al Pacino's character - Tony D'Amato in Any Given Sunday – makes a beautiful speech about life giving us the inches we need to win. I will borrow those words as I say that one second too early or too late, and you miss the play. 

Entrepreneurship happened like that. Sometimes you need to go beyond the playbook and create a plan while the team is in on the field. Sometimes you need to follow your gut rather than what logic dictates. As my college seniors joined me on the journey to begin my payments company, each passing day brought more excitement and valuable experience. Not only did we fortify our business foundations but also forged steely bonds of friendship. 

It is sagely advice for entrepreneurs to raise money when it is available, and not when you need it. I learnt this the hard way in 2012-2013. Understand the chronology. In quick succession, our payments company was offered amounts ranging from 3 crores, 75 Lakh and finally an acquisition offer of about a million dollars. We stuck to our guns because we felt we didn't need the money at the time. As I said, hindsight is always 20/20.

Perspiration, Meet Inspiration

This lesson that I learnt, came to my aid a few years later. Although it didn't come without its fair share of jitters. But when you get an opportunity to do what you have always envisioned; the struggle feels worth it. 

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to raise funds from some of the most recognized start-up 'heroes' that I personally looked up and followed keenly. Rajan Anandan, Girish Mathrubootham, Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Kunal Shah are some of my role models and raising money from them was the biggest boost of confidence for our company. With the help of their guidance, direction, and money; we built a team of 70+ awesome people, expanded across India, and built a recognizable business we could all be proud of. We made money, we lost money. However, learning was constant. By 2018, I had seen a full circle of startups – multiple times in fact. Now is the stage where I yearn to create something synonymous with legacy and endurance. My current organization is already growing faster than my previous companies and all I have is gratitude for the people and experiences that got me here. 

It is aptly stated that people can take away everything away from you but not your treasure of knowledge and the will to survive. Even today, relatives who I meet during Diwali and Dussehra festivities will take a good-natured jibe at the rollercoaster experiences I have had in my career thus by asking if I'm still doing the same work I was doing the previous year or wonder if I have found a new mountain to climb. Take it all in your stride and count your blessings. Here are some of mine from this decade. 

1. People – People are the key to everything. As a founder, you are in the business of bringing together an assortment of individuals and rousing them with a vision that supersedes your personal vision. Otherwise, ask yourself, why would anyone better than you, join you? 

2. Leave the myopia behind – Short term aberrations will come and go. This happened with us when we were operating in the payments space in 2012. While the market seemed bleak, we knew if we survived our time would come. When it eventually did, it changed my perspective on every aspect of business. 

3. Fads Die – Having a fundamentals mindset is more powerful in the long term. If you go by the fad of the current hype, you will remain that - just hype. Only when you have strong fundamentals will you find the right people to work with, the right customers who will support you, and investors who will join you in your journey. 

4. Enjoy – It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Your mindset is the most significant cog to impact the magnitude of torque your startup can muster. 50% of the time, founders sell early or fold their startup because they feel burnt out. As a leader, keeping yourself rejuvenated is a large part of living, and surviving, the start-up journey.

5. Build Bonds – Friends and family are all you have. They will be with you through your thick and thin. They will be with you when no one will be by your side. Ignore these relationships at your own peril. It is always better to have 4 friends for 100 years than to have 100 friends for 4 years.

6. Know Your Values – You build your culture in line with your value system. Ensure your organization has a moral compass you can live with and always follow the true north. A good culture can help you build a strong company, one a bad culture will never allow.

It would be fun to return to this post in 10 years and see what I have been able to assimilate in the upcoming decade. As we step into 2020, I cannot help but feel optimistic with a renewed sense of purpose. Buckle in for the ride, because where we are going, we don't need roads.