Articles
I Did Not Choose Kolkata. I Chose to Keep Building.
People often ask why I chose Kolkata to build Indus Net Technologies (INT.) Why not Bengaluru for talent, Mumbai for customers and capital, Gurgaon for proximity to decision-makers, or even Silicon Valley? The honest answer is simple: I did
I chose to keep INT independent of outside investors
We built INT in 1997 and stayed founder-led ever since, choosing our own way of operating instead of optimising for an investor-driven one. Over time, independence became an operating principle. → We invest for the long term, on our own ter
Mountaineering and startups break you at the same point; I learned it after working with 500+ clients
I started Indus Net Technologies (INT.) in 1997 after an accident. I taught myself HTML after getting bedridden from an accident and convinced a modem seller to share a booth space at a Kolkata expo. I started there and got my first client
Why INT's "Sweet Middle" is the Best Place to Be — For Us, and For You 🚀
We've all seen the extremes in the world. On one end, the giants — too big to bend, too slow to move, too risk-averse to try anything bold. Layers of hierarchy, project managers managing project managers, and decision cycles running in mont
No Two Entrepreneurial Journeys Are the Same. Stop comparing. Start celebrating.
As an entrepreneur, you’ll often find yourself standing in a room full of stories—each one inspiring, challenging, and wildly different from the next. Yet, we see leaderboards and rankings for entrepreneurs, as if success in thi
When I started Indus Net Technologies (INT.) 29 years ago, I didn't know what venture capital was
People often assume bootstrapping teaches financial discipline. It certainly does. But I think the bigger lesson is capital allocation. When every investment comes from your own cash flow, every decision becomes deliberate. Every hire, new
I have eliminated working, revenue-generating parts of INT. and not just once.
Mid-market companies usually have one product or business line that built them. The oldest, most reliable, and the one everyone in the company has worked on at some point. That is usually the thing holding them back. It pays the bills, so n
Performance = Outcome × Effort. Ignore Either, and You're Guessing.
Performance is often judged by numbers—targets hit, revenue closed, deadlines met. But numbers alone can mislead. Here is one of my framework - I look at performance through two inseparable lenses: 1. Outcome (the numbers): Clear, measurab
The Right Way to Start: Problem First, Idea Second.
Never start with an idea. I regularly get pitched with new and unique ideas from aspiring entrepreneurs and my team mates. In the majority of the cases, the idea is the wrong place to start with. Thinking why? Idea = Solution. Where is the
Your team generated 200 reports this quarter
A few months back, I sat through a review where a team proudly showed me twenty AI-generated reports, decks, and campaign drafts. All produced in a week. I asked one question - What did you learn while making these? The answer made me reali
For years, I thought better leadership training would create more ownership
I have run leadership training at Indus Net Technologies (INT.) for years. We sent people to programs, brought in trainers, and ran workshops on decision-making and ownership. The sessions were useful. They changed how people thought. But t
3 decades in business taught me something uncomfortable: knowing what to build is easier than…
Every year, there was something in the business that still looked good on paper but was quietly taking attention away from what could come next. It took me years to understand that trade-off. One framework that gave me a way to act on it is
Skill is the first thing that's mentioned on a resume, but it's the last thing I pay attention to now
This took me twenty years, and a few painful hires, to learn. I have hired the wrong person more than once. They cleared every round. Strong CV. Sharp answers. The right degrees. And then they were gone in eighteen months. The ones who stay
India's AI talent pool is among the world's largest
Vinod Kumar, from PwC's manufacturing practice, was on a podcast recently. One point he made deserves its own conversation. India's manufacturing is at 16% of GDP. The target is 25%. The national ambition is 25%. Vinod Kumar is clear that t
The tech job market looks contradictory right now
1) Companies are laying off thousands of employees. 2) Those very companies are aggressively hiring fresh graduates. 3) And many freshers are still struggling to find jobs. How can all three be true at the same time? Because something dee
Most leaders say they want their people to grow
Very few are willing to do what actually causes growth. Because real growth is disruptive. - It creates tension. - It introduces discomfort. - It can temporarily reduce stability. And yes — it is not always popular internally. If leader
Personal branding is critical in today's everyone-is-media world
This enables clarity in how others perceive your value, capability, and relevance. And I did it all wrong. Let me dissect it for you — and share what I learnt. I asked many people what they think I do. Most think I do digital marketing an
When industries shift, companies have to reinvent themselves
Any company that does not reinvent itself (whether small or large) is going to die. It is not about the size, but rather about the intent and the choices they have made. Smaller companies can make choices much more easily because their down
Kill Your Own Business. Before Someone Else Does.
Let's talk about something most founders avoid: - You need to be willing to kill your own business. - Not emotionally. Strategically. In today's environment, especially with AI moving at breakneck speed, standing still is the fastest way
Most businesses don't struggle because of competition
They struggle because of a few quiet, repeated decisions. Here are some counter-intuitive decisions one need to take to kickstart stalled growth. Last week I spoke to a room full of entrepreneurs (BNI Global members). I shared some life-lea
Over the years, INT. has evolved dramatically in its people and practice.
It is extremely satisfying to me, not because it has won us several awards, but because it has evolved me and many more in INT. as serious leaders. The evolution of looking at people as: resource -> talent -> asset -> partners -> owners
You cannot fix a problem with a software
You fix it with culture, strategy, change management, and process. Software can help with process streamlining, automation, tracking, etc. So if a Software company comes and says, including my company Indus Net Technologies (INT.), that the
Strategy is About Making Hard Choices, Not Fancy Plans
🎯 Strategy is About Making Hard Choices, Not Fancy Plans Here are three choices (out of many) that really played out in my journey, and are decent examples. 1️⃣ "Where to play and how to win" is not theory. It's a commitment. Around 2012,
This Dhanteras feels different
Today, as I judged the finale of INT's AI Hackathon, I felt something deep — a mix of pride, joy, and confidence about where we're heading as a company. Over the past few weeks, ~70 internal teams and ~250 INTians — competed fiercely to bui
How well do you delegate?
Level 1 - Do it Yourself Level 2 - Delegate Tasks Level 3 - Delegate Decisions Level 4 - Delegate Objectives Level 5 - Delegate Vision You may be in transition between levels. Growth comes when you build a team, build trust, and move fr
Today INT completes 28 years
But, let me make an attempt to share with you - what I am proud of. 1) Bootstrapped for 28 years and counting 🥾 2) Growth every single year 🤞 3) Profitable every single year 💰 4) Litigation free, compliant, and proactive governance 5
Managing Performance in the Age of AI
The way we measure performance has always been tied to the nature of work — and that nature has changed dramatically over time. First era → Operational work Tasks were repetitive, well-defined, and measurable. Quantity mattered more than an
Why Most Review Meetings Fail (and How to Fix Them)
I've sat through (and even run) enough review meetings to realize one thing: they often achieve nothing except draining time and energy, if not done right. Here's when review meetings become a complete waste of time: 1) When there's no sing
Synergy vs. Possibility: The Two Lenses Every Leader Must Learn to Switch Between
Most businesses — especially well-run ones — are obsessed with synergy. That's not a bad thing. In fact, synergy thinking is the default mode of any operator: What do we already have — clients, teams, tech, channels — that we can reuse? Whe
All In. Brick by Brick.
Manish Vij started with offline trading in Indore. Girish Mathrubootham began with a Java training centre in Trichy. Neither chased the "next big thing" from day one—they simply followed what life threw at them. They were open. Curious. Wil
Building a company is hard
Building a scalable and sustainable company is very hard. Building a scalable, and genuinely good company that does not suck, is super super hard. (the last one is the kind that becomes an institution, an inspiration, goes beyond profits, a
Internal vs External: A mental framework I use to spot org decline well before it shows up in numbers
There are three clear signals. 1. Internal Pace of Change < External Pace of Change The market is evolving—technologically, culturally, competitively. If your team is still using the same tools, approaches, and thinking while your customers
As businesses grow, people tend to loose control
It is easy to become inefficient as business scale. Effort - Outcome correlation changes, but we hardly notice. Initially one keep getting same or more outcome even when the effort on the ground reduces - because outcome is a lagging metric
Employees forget 70% of corporate training within 24 hours
Traditional training methods don't work with today's shorter attention spans. Enter microlearning: 3-7 minute, single-objective modules designed for how our brains actually process information. This approach has fascinating origins in cogni
Curiousity is the ultimate leverage
When I first entered the Insurance sector, I found it dry, boring, and utterly confusing. I honestly couldn't understand why such a "dull" industry was such a big deal in the economy. But instead of turning away, I leaned in. Not because
My 1000+ person tech company started as an accidental solution to a problem no one was solving.
The year was 1997 in Kolkata, India. Internet penetration was less than 1%. Most businesses had never heard of websites. I rented booth space at a computer expo without having an actual business to sell website design. That day, I landed my
Have you ever been accused of being a micromanager?
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky doesn't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Chesky isn't your typical Silicon Valley CEO. He's a designer with an art school background. When investors panicked at his management style, he shattered Silicon Valley'
What does a Founder / CEO do when the operating plan of the business is owned by a capable team?
– Strategy (making key choices/bets) – Identify what’s changing, and what’s not going to change, and how will company respond to it – Human capital development, and succession planning, specially for leadershi
A simple 4 step framework to elevate yourself:
✅ Surround yourself – With people, books, podcasts, work that inspires and helps you grow as a person. ✅ Think – Your surroundings will influence your thinking for the positive or negative. ✅ Do – What and how you think wi
Three forms of intervention to complete a business cycle.
Every business needs all three forms of intervention – Bhramha (Creator), Vishnu (Protector), and Mahesh (Destroyer) to complete a cycle. But there are few problems: 1) Every Founder loves playing the role of creator, but lacks the ex
Mountaineering and Entrepreneurship are two sides of the same coin.
In 2023, a mountaineer and loved member of Indian entrepreneur community, Anurag Maloo met an horrible accident on top of Annapurna (one of the deadliest 8000+ mts peak). Firstly, Why would someone attempt to climb a mountain where 1 in 3 m
The next big frontier.
I am truly amazed at how society at large has embraced entrepreneurship over the last couple of decades. However, I find that many aspiring entrepreneurs are still choosing the old, matured, and ‘less risky’ domains. For example
Harsh leadership truths I know at 47 I wish I knew at 27
1) As a leader, you must role-model the behaviors you want to see. Don’t expect reliability if you’re unreliable yourself. 2) Great leaders practice extreme ownership. The team owns the victories. The leader owns the failures. 3
New Experiment: Applying OKR for Personal Goal Management
In 2025, I plan to apply my version of OKR on myself. Keeping ONE key objectives for the year, a few leading indicators, and three key result areas (micro projects) every month to drive me towards that ONE objective. This shall enable me t
Discovering My First Product-Market Fit: A Journey of Serendipity
When people talk about product-market fit, it often feels like a planned expedition—market research, strategy brainstorming, meticulous iterations. But my first encounter with it was anything but planned. It was an accident, a lucky b
Degrees Fade, Skills Get Obsolete, Job Titles Change—Here’s What Truly Stays with You 🌍
A decade ago, no one imagined AI tools like ChatGPT would write code, create designs, or draft business strategies. Today, entire industries are being disrupted overnight—customer support, software development, digital marketing, and
Process is a Means to an End – Not the End Itself
Last week, I was with a client who shared an experience that left me utterly shocked. We’re building a large e-commerce marketplace project for them. As part of this, they needed a payment integration partner – someone who&rsquo
The Mirage of Market Size: Lessons from 1997 to Today
In 1997, when I started INT., I was a wide-eyed entrepreneur trying to figure out how big my web design business could grow in a city like Kolkata. To be honest, it wasn’t for some grand business plan—I just wanted to know where
The Costliest Mistake You Can Make in Business: A Wrong Hire
Hiring the wrong person isn’t just an expense—it’s a domino effect of challenges: lost money, derailed processes, cultural misalignments, and missed opportunities. And yet, most of us still approach hiring reactively, trea
The Premium of the Unknown: Why Stories Trump Numbers in Startup Valuation
I’ve always been fascinated by how markets value startups and mature businesses so differently. One phenomenon that stands out is what I like to call the “premium of the unknown.” Here’s what I mean: When something i
Every job, however small, teaches you something valuable.
Today, I and Vivek Bajaj, a dear friend, recorded a podcast episode for his Face2Face MSME series. One of his question triggered some memories, and I felt it will be great to share my learnings from my four jobs! My first job was a part-tim
Kaise hoga, Jaise hoga, Aise hoga – The key to getting things done.
I have another simple way of classifying team members based on their ability to get things done. This is a theory by my good friend Alkesh Agarwal (and all credit to him), which I have tried to extend a little. There are three kinds of tea
My 1-3-9 System of Talent Rating & Management
Talent rating for the knowledge industry cannot be done on the linear scale of 1-2-3-4-5. The difference a good talent can make compared to an average one is exponential – be it quality, quantity or impact. Therefore, such talent must
Are we promoting our teams to their level of incompetence?
In corporate world promotion = progress. Progress can happen with increase in responsibility, and growth in quality (skill) or quantity (efficiency) of work. Most promotions lead to improvement in responsibility and pay. However, blindly
The Art of Leadership: Balancing Strategy and Execution
“If I get into this granular level, how will I scale? Let me hire the best people and let them do their job.” “I understand this problem the best, hence I am the best one to do or guide it.” These are two extreme pos
Why do the best laid plans fail?
I am not the most organised person. But there are some fundamental ideas about planning that I learned through reflection. 1) Short-Term vs. Long-Term Expectations: We often expect too much from ourselves in the short term and too little in
Strategy vs. Planning :: The Compass vs. The Map
In business, the terms “strategy” and “planning” are often thrown around interchangeably. But they are not the same. Think of your business plan as the road map. It lays out the steps, milestones, and resources you&r
The Secret Sauce to Growth: Hiring Right Sales Talent
When it comes to driving growth, hiring exceptional sales and growth talent is non-negotiable. We all know the usual skills that we should look at. Yet, there are a few critical skills that one often overlooks during the hiring process. The
Capital vs. Talent: What Really Drives Growth in Scaling Businesses?
When scaling a growth-stage company, it’s easy to assume that capital is the kingpin. I always used to think this in the early days of Indus Net Technologies (INT.) But let’s rethink this for a moment. Yes, capital is crucial,
The Art of Decision-Making: Mental Models vs. First Principles
In today’s fast-paced world, making timely and effective decisions is crucial. Indecision can lead to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and stagnation. Two powerful approaches to problem-solving are Mental Models and First Princ
Biology – Chemistry – Physics – Maths of Startup Investing
Everyone has their own investment philosophy. And someone as versatile and active as Rohit Chanana had to have a very interesting one. I met him at DLF Golf Resort Ltd in Gurgaon recently, and this is what I learned from him. Angel investin
Taking & Giving Advice – Knowledge, Experience, or Ideas
Knowledge gets multiplied when shared. And this is the reason, humble professionals and leaders are open to ask and share advice. Here are a few ground rules that can make it effective, based on my “experience”. 1) When seeking
War & Peace in Business – What should be your leadership talent strategy?
Business (can be a function within the business) goes through different times. One of the lenses to look at it is “war” and “peace” times. “War time” is when the business is facing a major challenge or op
Leading Change in a Dynamic World
Newton’s first law of motion and your business. – Why is it so difficult to start? – Why is it so difficult to drive a change in an organisation? – Why do some of the biggest companies fail? Because: “An object
My L+2 model of growing leaders.
In my simplest definition, a leader is one who can: – step up, take ownership, and get things done – create more leaders Getting things done ✅ is easier to achieve amongst the two. The more difficult task is to create more leade
Hackathons – How it has worked wonders for us at Indus Net Technologies (INT.).
Firstly, in my context, hackathons are not necessarily technical / coding challenge. It is much beyond. I consider hackathon as – “a small team coming together to solve a problem in a creative or innovative way, in a time constr
What’s keeping you awake at night? Are you managing the right risks?
Entrepreneurial life is full of sleepless nights that go into worrying about a score of problems and risks lurking round the corner. Here is my mental model around risks: 1) 90% of the problems/risks that come up on the horizon, and occupy
How do you show up at work? With hands, brain, and heart?
One can go to work with a combination of hands, brain and heart at work. And, that determines what he delivers and creates value for the organisation. Hands: refers to “doers”. They will do what they have been asked to do. They
Explore vs. Exploit
It is critical to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation for a team member. Everyone wants growth, which comes with exploration – i.e. doing the new, learning, taking chances, and building new capabilities. This is the
What should a scale-up company CEO essentially do?
– Sense the world to create a compelling future vision – Create and fine tune strategy to achieve the vision – Get the best people s(he) can get onboard, and align them to the strategy The above are non-negotiable. Other i
How to be fearless?
Many businesses start to flatten out or even start declining after an upcycle. There can be several reasons for that, but one reason that stands out is ‘fear’. The entrepreneur stops experimenting and taking decisions due to the
Do not write another report till you read this
It is often seen that managers write a report based on the set protocols by the company, or based on what their supervisor has demanded. Let’s ask — Why do they ask for this report? to understand your performance to understand p
Exploration vs. Exploitation
People want to explore new things, experiment with themselves, and learn new things. Companies want to exploit, as they have a commercial obligation to fulfill, and they have the accountability of ROI. True happiness lies somewhere in the m
Exposure vs. Experience
I see many CVs with a lot of experience, but they seem to be out of sync, primarily because they do not have enough exposure. When we speak to our clients who build dedicated teams to build/maintain their products with us, we emphasize on c
Indus Net Technologies (INT) Will Continue To Serve You As-Usual During The COVID-19 Outbreak
We are living in unprecedented and uncertain times. Within two weeks, a novel virus has split the world apart. It has changed things like never before. The challenge we face today globally with the pandemic will transcend all boundaries &nd
Companies are spending heavily on better AI models
Most AI discussions are still about models. I think the real challenge lies elsewhere. MIT NANDA found that 95% of AI pilots showed no measurable to P&L impact. The bigger gap was not model capability alone, but getting AI to integrate with
I spoke at a college seminar recently
Here's what I told them. 👉 Education is important. It gives you social acceptance, a stamp of credibility, and confidence. It sets the baseline, provided it is delivered right. Education alone will not carry you very far. 👉 What really coun