As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from the startup ecosystem, this week we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur – Amit Kumar for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. He is the Founder and CEO of TheUnpadh.com – an ed-tech company founded by IIT, IISC and FMS Alumni to connect young minds with new ideas and creative teaching methods. It offers various online and technology-based courses and programs in the field of management and technology programs from the esteemed universities and institutes both nationally and internationally. Let’s read more about Amit’s inspiring journey so far and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with him:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I define myself as someone with a visionary mind who broke all the boundaries of conventionalism.
Born and raised in a small district of Bihar, Darbhanga, I always had a vision in my mind to do something extraordinary for our society. Though the plan was to become an entrepreneur (now I’m), I just kept moving on.
As the saying goes, there are two options for Bihar natives- either prepare for USPC and become a civil servant or get a good salary package & settle abroad. But God had other plans for me!”
Speaking of my studies, I’ve completed my high-school education from a least-known government school in Bihar. And then, I attended the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore and did pursue my computer science graduate.
My goals, even at that time, weren’t clear. But I never stopped learning in my life.”
After my graduation, I completed my executive MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi.
And my studies were done with me!
Then I started my professional career as a Product Manager at IBM. Furthermore, I did work with some of the top corporate giants like Google, Intel, Adobe, and Microsoft.
Life was going smooth but suddenly, one day at my office, I started wondering what I am really contributing to our society! That thing strikes the doors of my mind. On that very day, I decided that I would become an entrepreneur and create employment opportunities for talented professionals.
In 2020, my dreams came true, I started theunpadh.com!
Why Did You Choose Entrepreneurship Over a Corporate Career?
In a nutshell, I just wanted something really extraordinary for our society and I did follow my passion for doing so.
And the best part is that when you design something from scratch and things get better as expected, you’ll start liking it and put your best efforts in. Entrepreneurship, in my opinion, is about constant learning and one must have to be tech-savvy to significantly grow their business.”
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
Life was full of struggles right from the start. I initially told my father about my aspiration of becoming an entrepreneur but he wasn’t happy and told me to prepare for the UPSC examination.
There’s nothing wrong with his opinions (at that time)! If you are from Bihar and educated, you should try for UPSC (IAS) once.
But things got unfortunate when my father was sued in a false FIR and we faced significant financial crises.
He spent six months in Jail and simultaneously, I was managing all the things right from arranging daily bread to saving money to get my father out of jail.
But those days really made me strong and the reason, why I am where I am.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I firmly believe that Money is the by-product of emotions while emotions motivate us to keep moving.
My business mantra is simple; earn until your savings start taking care of your luxuries!
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
As an entrepreneur, stress is inevitable. It’s an integral part of an entrepreneur’s journey!
But when you do what you love, the pressure and stress won’t significantly bother you. Also, when I find myself in a similar situation, I keep myself engaged in extracurricular activities sp my mind stays fresh and active.
What has worked well for you so far?
Becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t easy, whatsoever. But the thing that really worked for me is I valued relationships.
Especially when you’re in a country like India, you have to build a professional relationship based on trust, honesty, and mutual respect.
Be it with my own team members, clients, or vendors, I’ve been maintaining a robust relationship and it helped me to become what I am.
Relationships are something that should be strong and therefore, people would likely connect with you.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Success is something that you’re really excited about. My nearly 8 years of experience working with different brands, I feel excited because I know I’ve contributed something (if not much).
Having that sense of ownership ensures that I always put my best foot forward and that contributes to my success.
But simultaneously, we shouldn’t forget how important teamwork is!
I wouldn’t have been an entrepreneur if there was no teamwork. From top to bottom, every individual contributes their best to the organization’s success.
Most people have a misconception that entrepreneurship is a lonely journey; I believe just the opposite to be true. Without a strong team, you cannot taste success no matter how good you are.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting as an aspiring entrepreneur?
In my opinion, all aspiring entrepreneurs should focus on three pillars of success- passion, commitment, and self-belief.
No matter what business horizon you choose, you’ll always find people who doubt you, sometimes you may doubt yourself. But never let these moments let you distract from the chosen path.
When you firmly believe in your dream, people around you would start to believe in you, and that’s where your journey to success begins.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
