Let's Build a Company: A Start-up Story Minus the Bullshit

by Harpreet S Grover

I had met an acquaintance who had sold his company to LinkedIn for a few hundred crores. I asked him what really changed after selling the company. He replied that he didn’t need to worry about spending small bits of money. That he

‘Seek wealth, not money.’

Early-stage entrepreneurship is about waiting at the reception of your client’s office, going to conferences and trying to make contacts, then following up with them to get meetings, hoping they remember you, trying to convince people to join your start-up and then figuring out, each month, how to pay salaries.

start-up is like a seed. When an angel investor or a VC is looking at investing in the start-up, the belief is that this seed will lead to a big forest that will bear fruits, which they will pluck. But when it is clear that a particular seed will only lead to a single tree, no one would be interested in investing.’

We were profitable because we had no other choice. Being profitable is a different feeling. It has the power to make you feel free.

‘Trust is the emotional glue that holds every team together. In times of trial, it transforms a group of committed individuals into a team of individuals committed to each other.’

Moving fast for a start-up is essential and good. But when it comes to hiring, moving slow is better.

Many entrepreneurs will tell you that one of the hardest things to do is to ask someone to leave.