Karthik Sridharan @KarthikS2206 Twitter profile | Pikagi

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Karthik Sridharan

@KarthikS2206

59,846

Followers

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Following

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17,688

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Founder of , helping companies build their dream tech teams | $3M+ bootstrapped startup | BITS Pilani & IIM-A alum

https://t.co/DkMJDvIX6P

Joined January 2019

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Flexiple continues to grow strongly! We’ve reached $3 million revenue, fully bootstrapped & $0 in paid marketing 🚀 Our startup journey so far (annualized revenue): - $1 million in 4 years - 25% m-o-m growth after that - $3 million in next 6 months Questions? Ask Me Anything👇🏽

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

13 days

Intern in my company: “No no, this is my treat - don’t worry!” My engineer friend making ₹1 Cr: “You owe me 378.2 for this lunch.”

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Dear Startups, SEO is NOT tough. It is just poorly taught. In 9 tweets, I will explain SEO using the analogy of a LIBRARY. Even a 5-year old would understand! Promise :) Thread 🧵 (Bonus video included!)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

1 year

After 6 years of building a startup, we finally have a company office 😅

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

A startup truly becomes a business and more than a project, when it gets money from customers, not investors.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Met with the CEO, CTO and COO of a 3-person startup today 😂

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

After 4 years of building my startup, I now draw a salary at 50% of my earlier job. Please don't start-up for the money.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

"Our startup's $2 million revenue runs on a $80/month NoCode stack." When I shared this, I got many questions around the tools used. So, today I share 7 types of NoCode tools along with: 1. Specific use case each solves 2. Real examples 3. Alternatives Thread 🧵

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

We've hit $2 million in annual revenue - $0 in VC funding 🚀 - It took us 4 years to reach $1 million - But, less than 4 months to get the NEXT $1 million Super proud of our entire team at Flexiple! Questions? Ask Me Anything👇🏼

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

When I left my 100,000-pound job at JPMorgan to startup, my friends thought I had gone crazy. One even said I'd regret it when they would be "way ahead" in their careers. Here's the thing: I had NO interest in "beating" them. I just wanted to do something that made me happy :)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 months

Just got this message. Me excited.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Our $2 million startup is built on a $80/month NoCode stack: 1. Marketing website: Unicorn Platform ($10) 2. Product: Airtable ($0 - on credits) & Bubble ($25) 3. Scale & side projects: Webflow ($45) 4. ZERO dev costs Building tech isn't astronomically costly anymore!

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

My productivity hack for 2023 :)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

My startup, Flexiple, grew from $1mn to $2mn revenue in 4 months - the major driver was SEO. I absolutely love it, yet, it intimidates so many! So, in 9 tweets, I'll explain SEO using the analogy of a LIBRARY - guarantee you'll understand it like never before :) Thread🧵

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Karthik Sridharan

4 months

Each April, I remember that building a profitable startup in India that pays crores in taxes is useless.

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Karthik Sridharan

5 months

Swiggy in 2018: "Sir, sorry for giving you an extra burger. We'll initiate the refund right away - so, sorry" Swiggy in 2024: "You got a lizard in your order. Please remove it with the tissue given and enjoy your meal. We are closing this thread"

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Your startup's customer doesn't care if: - Your tech is built on Golang or PHP - You use AI/ML, Blockchain or execute manually - You analyse 150 data points with Big data or run on Excel It simply boils down to whether you are solving their problem.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Startups might fail. Their entrepreneurs do not.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Zerodha's FY 22 performance: 1. Revenue: INR 4,300 crore 2. Profit: INR 1,800 crore 3. Profit margin: ~42% 4. Growth (y-o-y): 60% As a founder of a bootstrapped startup, Zerodha & Zoho are super inspiring :)

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Indians choose a restaurant on highways NOT based on how tasty the food is, but by how clean the toilets are.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

I quit my job at JP Morgan and placements at IIM-A to avoid the "rat race". Chose to build my startup instead. But, the rat race didn't end: 1. Got funding? 2. Unicorn? When? ...& more Changing career paths is NOT enough. Avoiding the rat race needs a mindset change from YOU.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

So, we are shutting down our startup, Remote Clan. We worked on it for a good 2 years, got 2000+ members & made many friends! While the startup failed, I learnt a LOT about: - Marketing - Community building - Newsletters and more! Will bounce back soon with another startup :)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Our $3 million startup is built on a $60/month NoCode stack: 1. Marketing website: Unicorn ($10) 2. Product: Airtable ($0 - credits), Bubble ($25) 3. Misc.: Webflow ($25) Building tech has become affordable! I've shared everything I know about 7 types of NoCode tools 👇🏼

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

If you think that a startup idea should be "protected" from being stolen, you still haven't understood how difficult building a startup really is.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

I started my startup journey 4 years back with ZERO experience in product, marketing, sales, etc. But there was an almost irrational sense of belief that we will figure it out. We hit $2 million in revenue this year. I guess entrepreneurs need that irrational self-belief.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

4 years

$1 million in annual revenue🚀 We've finally hit that number, entirely self-funded, might I add! Taken us ~4 years to get here - wasn’t easy but nothing worth it is :) Sure, VC-funded startups reach this milestone much sooner, I am told. Nonetheless, I'm super proud! AMA👇🏽

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

We have created the ultimate SEO guide! The lessons in this guide have helped our startup go from: 500 visits/mth → 600,000 visits/mth $25,000/mth → $300,000/mth Want me to DM it to you? 1. Comment "SEO" 2. Like this tweet 3. Would be grateful if you follow me :)

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

PhysicsWallah's revenue = 300 - 400 crores Unacademy's revenue = 380 crore PhysicsWallah's marketing = close to ZERO Unacademy's marketing = 414 crore => Use the lack of money as your edge over heavily-funded startups.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Working 3 years at J.P. Morgan IB was crucial in my decision to startup. It taught me: 1. No amount of money was worth living unhappily for 2. I could live quite happily with very little money These two reasons gave me an almost irrational resolve to buildd my startup.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

DON'T worry if your startup has a large competitor. Use it to your advantage: 1. SimilarWeb: Review traffic sources 2. Ahrefs: Steal SEO strategy 3. SpyFu: Get Google Ads keywords 4. Forums: Plan your next features 5. Brand: Position yourself as a smarter alternative

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

7 years since I quit my job at JPMorgan IB to build my startup. The salary then was 100,000 pounds. Now, I would likely be a "Senior VP" making ~400,000 pounds Making just a fraction now, still, a great decision! No point working in an unhappy job for any amount of money :)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

4 months

"Money doesn't matter", said the rich. "Looks don't matter", said the beautiful. “Degrees don’t matter”, says an IIT & IIM-grad raising $100 million, pre-revenue.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

1 year

A guide with all the startup lessons I have learnt in building a $3 million company! After 24 hours, I plan to sell this for $29. If you want me to DM you this guide for FREE: 1. Comment “buildd” 2. Like this tweet 3. Would be grateful if you follow me :)

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Karthik Sridharan

2 months

Oh my god. Another Indian CEO.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

I began my startup journey ~5 years ago with ZERO experience in product, marketing, sales, etc. We were bootstrapped & didn't have money to hire experts. So, I learnt each function. We hit $3 million revenues this year. "I don't know" can be the start of something beautiful :)

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

After spending thousands of dollars on building a marketing website, my startup with $1 million in revenue runs on a NoCode builder that costs $10/month. In this thread, I share the 11 hard lessons I've learnt about building a quality marketing website. Thread🧵

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Once you taste the spirit of entrepreneurship, it is tough to go back to working for someone else 😅

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

What SEO did to my startup: Before After

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Your startup's customer doesn't care if: - Your tech is built on Golang or PHP or NoCode - You use AI/ML, Web3 or execute manually - You analyze 150 data points with Big data or run on Excel It simply boils down to whether you are solving their problem.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 months

My landlord in Bangalore just increased my rent by 50%. My mother asks me where I get the motivation to work so hard. I connected her with my landlord.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

You need a mix of bravery, shamelessness and belief to share the first version of your startup with the world.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

4 months

Sridhar Vembu bootstrapped Zoho to a billion dollars and does this from a small village…. Now, that's the energy I'm chasing.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

SEO is the most reliable marketing channel for startups. DON'T ignore it. Here are 21 SEO lessons from growing Flexiple’s traffic from 4,000 to 300,000 in 15 months👇🏼

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

We bootstrapped our startup from 0 to $3 million over 4 years. I'm proud of it. But, people tell me there are "bigger successes". Society makes you play a "relative game". If someone wins, you lose. Don't get sucked in. Keep absolute goals. I "win" each minute, hour & day.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

In the first year of your startup, you are NOT fighting competitors, but your own will to quit.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

When I left my job at JPMorgan and also quit my MBA campus placements to buildd my startup, my friends told me those were the worst "career moves". BUT, here's the deal: DON'T just make moves that are the "best" for your career, but also those that are the best for your life :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

SEO is a super reliable marketing channel. It has helped our startup hit $3 million revenues by driving 300k monthly traffic. Today, I'll share a mini-course in SEO: 1. Understand SEO using the analogy of a library 2. 21 lessons we learnt 3. Our secret playbook Thread 🧵

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

After losing thousands of dollars on building a marketing website, my startup with $3 million in revenue runs on a $10/month NoCode builder. In this thread, I share the 11 hard lessons I've learnt about building a quality marketing website. Thread 🧵

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Working in an early-stage startup be like: - 12 hours of working in front of a laptop - 6 hours of thinking about work while doing other things - 6 hours of dreaming of work to wake up & realise you haven't done any of it in reality

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Karthik Sridharan

2 months

Startup founders renaming “failure” to “pivot” was one of the best rebrands ever.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

9 frameworks to validate startup ideas learnt over 4 years of bootstrapping my startup to $2 million in revenues 👇🏼

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Poor marketing talks about features. Good marketing talks about what the features solve. Great marketing talks about the impact of the features' solution.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

The first revenue goal of your startup is not a million dollars - but to earn enough to NOT quit.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Everyone with a startup idea is Steve Jobs till they start executing.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Don't protect your startup idea. Share it publicly. Give it the room to grow and evolve.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Startups taught me that “I don’t know” is usually the start of something beautiful.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 months

A kid in my society made ₹1000 selling lemonade this summer. His mom told him to talk to me and learn about startup growth. He now burns ₹1000 from his mom each day, but also has a strategy team, a PR person, and has a podcast with 10 listens. His mom has learned a lesson.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Building a startup is tough! We struggled for 2.5 years & then grew from $700k to $2 million in 1.5 years. Marketing, sales, product & even managing my own mindset - we had to do well in all. Here are 7 lessons along with links to detailed threads on my personal experiences👇🏼

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

My co-founders & I quit MBA job placements at IIM-A to startup. Our biggest threat then was not competitors, but us quitting and taking a full-time job. So, the first revenue milestone of our startup was NOT a million dollars. It was to earn enough, so we DON'T quit.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Our second startup has now reached a monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of $12,000! Love SEO ❤️

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Your ability to buildd a successful startup depends on your courage to fail publicly.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

"An MBA is the costliest Europe vacation I've taken." - Friend currently at a top European college

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Beautiful design illustrations make your startup's website, app & marketing collaterals sparkle. Here are useful websites that offer you illustrations for FREE. Thread 🧵

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Got featured in @ETtech as the tweet of the day! Small wins in the startup journey :)

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

5 years back, I began my startup journey as an amazing entrepreneur! I had NO clue how I was going to make my first $100, but had a detailed pitch deck on how I will scale my startup to $1 billion 😂

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Myntra is an SEO marketing monster! 1. Organic traffic: 43.8 million each month 2. Total keywords: 2.6 million 3. #1 in searches for 150,000 keywords Your startup really NEEDS to learn from it! BUT, how exactly? 👇🏼

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

As a startup founder "Shamelessness" is a super important skill. In fact, early on, it can be a BIG superpower.

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Karthik Sridharan

5 months

Shark Tank India Contestant: "I have 20 crore in sales. I'm profitable. Need 1 crore for 1% equity." Sharks: "1 crore for 25% equity. 5% royalty until we get our 3x money back." Also Sharks: “We sUpPoRt pRoFiTabLe InDiAn bUsIneSsEs.”

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Use tech to build your startup. Don't use your startup to build fancy tech.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

In the early stages of a startup, you aren't fighting competitors but your own will to give up.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

At J.P.Morgan, I re-did a 120-slide presentation, 29 times. Then, it was NOT used in the meeting. At my startup, we made a website on a $10/month NoCode builder. It made millions of dollars for us. That's why a 10-person startup can beat a 1000-person company :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Guys, the startup journey is super TOUGH. So, please don't talk shit or belittle the work of someone else's startup - especially, if you've never been part of one.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Don't be loyal to your startup idea. Just be true to your startup journey.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

The joy of finding someone smarter than you interested in joining your startup is IMMENSE.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

An MBA degree is for Jobs not Skills.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Everyone is Elon Musk with billion-dollar startup ideas, till they actually start executing 😂

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

In the first two years of our startup, we: 1. Did not have an office - it was our house. 2. Did not have a team - just one other person, besides founders. 3. Earned 10% of what our peers did. Startups are tough - don't get fooled by popular media :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 months

During my time at JPMorgan, whenever I had NO clue about what was happening in a meeting, I’d say, “Let’s all take a step back and think about this differently” “So, in summary, what was discussed is…..” Needless to say, I was top-rated for 3 years.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

"To a person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail" That's why: 1. A developer thinks all growth happens through features 2. A marketer thinks all growth happens through marketing ..and so on. As a startup founder, rising above such biases is a key part of your journey :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Discovering competitors for your startup idea is a validation of the market, NOT a source of sadness.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Last year, CRED lost Rs 6 to earn ONE rupee. Sure, you remember Dravid's: "Indira Nagar ka Gunda hoon main" and then many other IPL Ads. These ads are a "marketing success". But are they also a "business success" for the startup? So, I did some digging👇🏼

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

All startups don't have to become billion dollar companies. Build something that can give you the lifestyle you desire and the happiness you seek.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Before my startup, I worked at JPMorgan IB. Using ALL my expertise, the first thing I did for my startup was to make revenue projections on a spreadsheet. They looked so BEAUTIFUL! Goes without saying, we didn't achieve any of them 😂

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Before I built my startup, I thought it was about BIG offices, HUGE funding rounds and FANCY lifestyles. Now I know, it is about having a BIG heart, LOTS of patience and a GREAT founding team.

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

2 years

7 years back at IIM Ahmedabad, I quit placements to work on my startup. Honestly, my 2 years in college were a joke - I did comically stupid things at my startup. BUT that "joke" got my startup & me to where we're today. Need to start as a joke to GROW into something worthy :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Build B2C startups for fame, B2B startups for profitability.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Startups are built by entrepreneurs, but the startup journey is taken by their entire family.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

4 years ago, I began my startup journey. Coming from Investment Banking, this world was very new to me. 1. Didn't know sales => Learnt it 2. Knew zero marketing => Learnt it 3. Build a product? => Learnt it ..tons more Early on, DON'T outsource. Upskill. It gives superpowers :)

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

My friends: "I have left my cushy job and joined a startup". I google the startup and the "startup" is a company with a $6 billion valuation.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Never outsource anything that should be a core competency of your startup.

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

To find a startup idea, stop thinking of potential ideas and start observing problems around you.

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Karthik Sridharan

20 days

B2C founder with 26 podcast appearances & 0 profits vs. B2B founder with 27 followers & 3 crore monthly profits

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@KarthikS2206

Karthik Sridharan

3 years

In 2015, I quit my high paying job at J.P. Morgan IB. The same year, I joined IIM Ahmedabad & soon opted out of the placement process. That's when I chose to begin my startup journey. Not everyone needs to build a startup. But everyone needs to chase happiness.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Tech startups can be built and scaled without VC funding. Don't use the lack of funding as an excuse to not be able to build your startup.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Startup battles are regularly won by people who can run longer than those who can run faster.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Your startup doesn't need to fail fast. It can succeed slow.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Jeff Bezos said: "One day, Amazon will fail...We have to try and delay that day for as long as possible". Profound! And...We've TATA, a 153-year old company! In 2021, it suddenly seems interested in startups: 1. Acquired majority in BigBasket & CureFit 2. Invested in 1mg Why?

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

DON'T build startups based on popular trends. Build one that solves real customer problems.

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Karthik Sridharan

3 years

Unfortunate truth of the startup world: Poor product with great distribution BEATS Great product with poor distribution

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Karthik Sridharan

2 years

Startup founders: Your leadership doesn’t have to be "perfect", just "genuine".

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