Anupam Mittal, the founder of Shaadi.com and ‘Shark Tank India’ judge has become a household name. Mr Mittal has made a significant impact in the business world with his remarkable achievements. The entrepreneur spoke to Bombay Shaving Company CEO Shantanu Deshpande on his Barbershop podcast and stated that billionaire Elon Musk is a “great and the worst” example for founders.
Discussing the reason, Mr Mittal highlighted Mr Musk’s vast business empire. He said, “A lot of people believe they can do what he’s doing- run 10 companies at the same time. And we know it’s very hard.”
He added, “It’s understandable if a founder says that it has been five years- I want to buy a house and all that. But if you are going to create wealth for yourself while your investors have not, that is a big no. It becomes tough. Then your incentives will not align.”
On the podcast, Mr Mittal also recalled starting as an entrepreneur and going from living in a small Mumbai apartment with 20 people to becoming a multimillionaire in his 20s. Mr Mittal clarified that his father had a successful business in textile but there was a time when they were not well-off.
He told Mr Deshpande, “We wouldn’t realise it as kids, but 20 of us were living in a 1,000-square-foot house at the time. People were sleeping on the dining table, under the dining table. But as kids, you don’t think of that. You enjoy having so many kids around”.
After struggling for a few years, Mr Mittal’s father became successful, and Anupam Mittal moved to the US for studies. However, he couldn’t find a job there and he decided not to share it with his parents as they would insist him return. He revealed he had no money.
He continued, “Now the situation was such that I had no money, and if I asked them for money they say, ‘Where’s your salary?’ I had no money. It was the first time I experienced hunger. This is something everybody should do in life once because experiencing hunger teaches you a lot. There was a time when I didn’t eat for two or three days because I couldn’t eat. How long could friends help? They would’ve helped, but you also feel bad after a while… Credit cards are maxed out, everything is finished. It wasn’t like I was out on the streets, but I did experience some level of lack of resources”.
