Ayush Lakhotia

I almost rejected our company's best hire because of one ridiculous bias. Early in my career when I was a Chief of Staff, I had rejected an IIT alum who had spent 4 years in IAS preparation. My Logic? "Not enough corporate experience." As I was explaining the same to my founder, he interrupted me: "Look at his resume again. It has pure grit written all over it." ✓ Cracked JEE with a good rank, ✓ Maintained high GPA at IIT, ✓ Spent 4 years chasing his IAS dream. He further shared, "For a generalist role, I'd rather have someone who doesn't quit than someone who job-hopped. You can teach skills but you can't teach commitment." Founder hired him once he was convinced about his coachability and interpersonal skills. Years later? Most of the team including me - moved on. But he's still there, now leading a 7-person team! This experience taught me the most valuable recruiting lesson: Resumes don't just show what you've done - they reveal who you are. And, sometimes the 'failures' speak louder than the achievements.

Kota's student population has plummeted from 220,000 to just 80,000 in a couple of years. While many point to the tragic student suicides or coaching centers opening in smaller cities, I believe there's a more fundamental issue at play. Growing up in Kota, I had the privilege of living with my family. My only job was to study and attend coaching. But whenever I speak with friends who came to Kota as students, I hear a different story: They struggled with nosy landlords, terrible mess food, and a pervasive feeling that the entire city viewed them as walking ATMs. Even students who got selected in IITs left with negative memories. And, when news of rising suicides began spreading, it didn't create the crisis—it simply exposed what many parents /relatives already knew: Kota wasn't taking care of their kids. What you sow is what you reap! The lesson from Kota extends beyond education. Even for startups, negative news like layoffs or compliance issues can become fatal, but businesses with strong customer loyalty weather these storms. Customers who've been treated well become your strongest advocates during difficult times. Large institutions aren't built on growth metrics alone, they're built on the solid foundation of exceptional customer service.

Three friends. Three Paths. Same disappointment. Last week, I was on a video call with three of my college batchmates. 9 years ago, they picked 3 different career paths: → One moved to the US for his PhD. → Another joined his family business. → The third started a company right after graduation. While we were catching up, I casually asked, "Why did you choose this path?" Their answers were surprisingly similar. Everyone wanted to build their own boat, and, Not ride someone else’s ship. One thought academia would give him freedom from corporate politics. Second believed family business meant autonomy. The third assumed entrepreneurship guaranteed independence. But here is today's reality: → The PhD guy is anxious if his US visa will get renewed. → The family biz guy is stuck in family drama, where his cousin is the real boss. → Founder guy is facing existential crisis after struggling to raise his next round. Turns out that we're all chasing the same illusion - that somewhere, somehow, we'll find that setup where we finally become, "OUR OWN BOSS!" But life never forgets to remind us that we can never be in "FULL CONTROL". Maybe real freedom doesn’t come from owning the boat, But in accepting that NO ONE truly sails alone.