A journey to remember
Today, Xmas 2022, marks the completion of 25 years (1997–2022) of my professional journey from Customer Executive (CE) at PepsiCo to Chief Everything/Executive Officer (CEO) at Next360; which has been very meaningful, experience-gaining, and full of learning that not only made me accomplish my goals but also allowed me to build my relationship equity with an asset called FriendsforLife. I still remember Xmas Day in the year 1997—the day I kicked off the inning with Pepsico in Jamnagar, India.
My family - my backbone
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No words could
adequately express how important my mother and brother Vishal Dave have been in
my life; they have been the two main pillars of the structure known as my life.
To my wife
Sonal Dave, sons Dhyey & Deep, and sister Kruti Dave - who think I am the
superhero in real life - this journey would not have been possible without your
love, sacrifice, tolerance, and support.
The
corporate life
When it comes
to business, I've had the good fortune to gain a wealth of experience from all
over the world, having worked for large multinational corporations and enjoying
great career success with exposure on three continents: Asia, Europe, and
Africa.
After working
in corporate for years, I saved enough to secure the basic needs of my family
& have watched as my pay + bonuses increase each year, making it harder to
walk away & quit my job without even having a business idea; which resulted
in immediately going from saving, to spending THOUSANDS each month just to
exist. Ultimate accountability. Financial free fall.
Journey of
an entrepreneur
I spent almost
my entire life savings over the first 3 years - basic living expenses. By year
4 of the startup, I had reached the same annual income I was on when I got my
first job (25 years ago).
That lasted a
few months... Then COVID hit, and my pay got slashed again.
Some other
mundane truths... I watched as friends bought houses, made investments, went on
lavish holidays, & had all the physical pleasures that could only go on my
bucket list.
Life lesson
from entrepreneurship
There hasn’t
been a lot of discussion about what it really feels like as a startup founder
making the leap.
When you first
choose entrepreneurship, you choose to remove all sense of safety, regardless
of where your pay checks eventually come from.
To begin with,
there is ZERO, & your income will continue to be zero until you bend the
universe to make it more than zero.
There’s no
zookeeper to feed you, no cage between you and everything else. It's just naked
you versus the big, cruel, kill-you jungle.
Personally, I
wouldn't change any of my experiences; it was all part of the 'leap of faith'.
It might read like a sob story, but it was actually really bloody fun, and a
privilege. I loved it.
All the forgone
income bought me knowledge. Every day, that knowledge grows and pays a HUGE
ROI.
I’m certain
this isn’t meant to glamorise the financial struggles of being a founder.
It’s supposed to light a fire in anyone who reads this and thinks, "Yeah, I’m up for that."
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