14 times life worked out for me, luckily.
A thread...
I didn't make it to IIT after my Class 12th.
Because of which I went to Delhi University.
Which is where I met my future wife.
If I made it to IIT, I may have never met her!
I didn't make it to IIT for an MS.
Because of which I did just 1 more year of MS from Delhi Uni and left for the US for a PhD.
Which is where I realized, this wasn't my calling.
If I made it to IIT, I may have taken longer to realize what I didn't want to do.
I dropped out of my PhD and was completely confused what to do.
Because of which I decided to go for an MBA from @ISBedu
Which is when I realized what I was good at.
If I had continued with my PhD, I would have continued to live a life believing that was my only life.
I randomly meet my batchmate from ISB.
He starts to share about a new venture he has started.
I ask him if I can help, along with my day job.
He graciously agrees.
If I hadn't met him that evening, I would have continued to wait for the "right moment", to become an entrepreneur!
After the 1st venture, I am looking for my next gig.
An email on ISB's alumni group: German Internet company wishes to enter India; looking for founders.
I apply, with no prior research.
If I'd done my homework, the reputation of that company would have stopped me from applying.
The venture starts, but doesn't work out.
The German company is also responsible for Groupon's international expansion.
So the founder asks if I would be interested in Groupon India.
I say yes!
If I hadn't applied to that original job, Groupon would not have happened to me.
After 2 years, I get an expanded role for Groupon APAC.
One of the countries is Indonesia. The COO becomes a good friend.
After a year he leaves; I invest in his new startup.
If I didn't get the expanded role, I would have waited for the "right time" to start angel investing.
To learn and share with my peers, I start a group called "Delhi Internet Mafia"
And call all the Delhi based founders for a fun catchup.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma shows up for one of them (this is 2014)
If it wasn't for that group, I wouldn't have got to know VSS personally.
4 years running India and APAC, the growth of India is steady but not great.
At a mgmt meet, my peer jokingly remarks, "You should buy the business haha"
To me, that wasn't a joke!
If it wasn't for that random remark, the idea of buying Groupon India might have never struck me!
Finding talent was super hard.
The only ways were either to pay a lot to the candidates, or to the media.
The team proposed we start creating content and speak directly.
And I be the spokesperson.
If it wasn't for talent crunch, I might have never started creating content.
Due to hard times at nearbuy, founders take a 50% paycut.
My expenses >>> my income. I plunge into massive debt.
One day, I get an email from the Indonesian COO I had invested in, "Keen to sell some of your equity?"
If it wasn't for that investment, I would have gone bankrupt.
Paytm invests in a startup that quickly becomes No2 in the market.
We are trying to raise funds for nearbuy.
I see an opportunity and call VSS, "I think we should merge"
He replies, "Let's talk"
If it wasn't for "Delhi Internet Mafia" group, we may have never raised from Paytm.
I step down as the CEO of nearbuy.
And decide to take a 3 month break to figure what to do.
While focusing on the content game that I had started 5 years back.
Then COVID struck.
If it wasn't for COVID, I would not have gone full-time into my content play.
The lockdown was announced.
And my only income stream (of corporate talks) went to zero.
I had 5 months of money left in my bank.
My friend suggested I moves these talks online.
If it wasn't for that chat, I might never have realized the power of online teaching.
As you might realize, this is luck at play.
What starts as blind luck (finding my wife) changed character and ultimately moved to "luck from my unique character".
@Naval summarized this well, in his definition of luck
nav.al/money-luck
We mostly think of luck as something beyond our control.
Which is a position of helplessness.
And no control.
I think of luck as something we set ourselves up for.
We still don't know what will work.
But we know that of all the things we have done, we just need one to work!
I see so many people scared of losing what they have, not because they value it immensely, instead because they do not know how to get it again.
Shitty jobs; shitty relationships; shitty investments.
To me, that is submitting to luck as if it is a greater power.
I would encourage you all to sit down today with yourself, reflect on your life and make a list of times where your "lucked out".
Go back further, to see if there was anything you did to sow the seeds for that luck.
Once found, that's what you could do now, more as a habit.
Luck always seems to be against the one who depends on it.
Every Friday, I write a thread on life, failures, personal growth. Follow me on @warikoo to get these threads on your feed.
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