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Never trade self-respect for money
During my investing days, one of my portfolio companies was owned by a well-known politician. He was a very articulate guy, often seen on national TV debates. And his wife was the CEO of the company. This guy had a very progressive image but during...
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If not now, when?
Years ago, I was talking to a contemporary from an IIT, who was well-settled, working in a good, stable tech company, with a good salary. He didn’t...
Prioritizing customer happiness
A private equity fund I know, once invested in a startup led by a rockstar CEO -- or so we were told. The startup raised seed capital of $100...
To lie or not to lie
When I was recruiting during my MBA at Wharton, people said that if an interviewer asks whether you have other job offers, always say ‘yes.’ The...
Best work comes from not burning out
Twice in my life, I have worked 6 months or more, without a single day's break. Here is what happened. The first time, I was serving as the...
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How to stop being frustrated
A few years ago, at the Gold’s gym in Bandra, Mumbai, a few of us were waiting for the lift -- and yes, I do see the irony of using an elevator to go to a gym 🙂 As time passed, one guy got restless and kept pressing the ‘up’ button again and...
What would you give up for job security?
Last year, when I was talking to a youngster after one of our bootcamp sessions, he asked me, “I have taken up a government job, which I really hate but my family is asking me to stick to it for job security. What should I do?” I don’t give career...
A Dramatic Journey
In Jan 2006, while most of my MBA classmates had secured their summer internships, I was waiting, empty-handed. Many firms didn’t even interview me -- who wants to hire an ex-cop, with no prior business experience? In the midst of a festive mood in...
Self-Respect in Entrepreneurship
In the past, I have often gotten this question: “Why don’t you use your civil service connections to get business from government?” As an entrepreneur, this is the thing I would hate doing the most. So much so that whenever I have had discussions...