Q & A Session
What triggered the startup
I started off as a venture capitalist but everything got wiped off after the dot com crash. Saw this as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and set up my own business. I was passionate about technology since my teenage years and hence decided to build a software product company.
Challenges in the initial years
Everything was a challenge – lack of market knowledge and insight led to a slow learning curve, poor availability of product oriented software engineers, and access to customers – something that we took a lot of time to build.
What has facilitated stability and growth
The people factor played the most important role. A majority of our senior leadership has been with us for over ten years. The passion and commitment of this cohort is second to none and helps attract high quality talent from the outside. The second factor is perseverance, like any software product or IP business, the risk of failure was high – specially in the first 8 years.
My work habits
- I start my day with a to-do list – but focus on getting the biggest needle movers out of the way first. I am not a slave to emails and messages.
- My phone lies far away from me most of the day – if it’s urgent, my assistant will find me.
- Openness – communication is a two way street and I think I’m a good listener. I value honesty and independent thinking and always thank those who demonstrate these values.
- Micro/Macro – both views of the business are important. I look at the macro at least once every quarter.
What keeps me going
Creating a global brand/company. There is a belief that we can become a global leader and even though we have four offices and most of our revenues are not from India, we still have a long way to go.
The thrill of the deal – it’s hugely exciting to win deals – when we started we won a deal a year now we close deals every day in some part of the world!
What’s keeping me awake at the moment
I don’t worry. As the line in a famous song goes – “worrying is as good as chewing bubblegum to solve an algebra problem”. I don’t stress out easily. There is a strong belief that if we do the right things, results will follow. As we grow, strategy becomes important – i.e. the choices we make – with regard to markets, products, people, technologies and so many other things. We must never get complacent.
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