Don’t Take Things On Face Value
Everyone has their special formula that works for them and the only way to find that is to experiment a lot and fail many times
Success mantra That would be the ability to give my best while being disconnected from outcomes. Obsession with outcomes puts fear in people and they can’t focus on solving the problem at hand. The other extreme is not to worry about future at all and not work towards making your dream a reality. It is tough to work hard and still take failure as the most common outcome.
The driving force behind your journey Being a scientist by education, I have always viewed life as a set of experiments, and curiosity as the driving force that fuels it. We are taught not to be inquisitive and take things on face value. As an entrepreneur, you have to question these basic assumptions and test every assumption by experiments. If you make it a habit to test every assumption that is being taught to you, you will be a successful entrepreneur.
Business advice I met a very smart analyst during one of my fund raising events and he told me that everyone wants to solve the most romantic problem. These are great problems, but you have to be really lucky to build the next Google or Facebook. If you rather go for boring mundane things and execute well consistently, you can build a very big business for sure. I value this advice a lot and try to focus on execution rather than the limelight our business is getting.
Tips for budding entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs because they don’t follow most advices but chart their own way. Everyone has their special formula that works for them and the only way to find that is to experiment a lot and fail many times.
Government support I think our government doesn’t get enough credit. We have one of the biggest markets in the world, immense freedom to do whatever we want and problems all around us to solve. What else can an entrepreneur ask for. We should be thankful for the opportunities and work to change India for better.
The team If you want to create a big impact, you have to learn how to be aware of your weaknesses and find people who complement you. Selling your vision to your team is the first step to creating a successful company. Second thing is to be very very transparent with your team.
Inspiration I always looked up to my mother and my wife — independent, immensely hard working and honest. All the strength I have today is a result of emulating what came so naturally to them.
The next step Our vision is to build the first true hyperlocal marketplace in India that can deliver anything to anyone within an hour of ordering. It’s a long road to reach there, but we will achieve it in the next 10 years.