"One Tiny Step": How Anupam Mittal Turned His Free Fall Into Stepping Stone

Entrepreneur Anupam Mittal has opened up about the time he lost his job in the United States and how he turned it into a stepping stone for Shaadi.com.

The Shark Tank India judge explained that he was "laid off" from his job in 2001 in the United States when the dot-com crashed, taking down with it several tech dreams.

In a LinkedIn post, titled "When I got laid off", he said there was no safety net, and it was sudden and confusing. "I had no backup plan," he wrote.

Mr Mittal wrote it all "felt like a free fall" because financially, he "had lost most of it anyway in the crash."

The tech entrepreneur said he didn't know what to do next for the first time in years - the most devastating aspect of the situation.

"But because for the first time in many years, I had no idea what came next," he said. He confessed to losing his temper and checking job sites all the time as though they had the solution to his future.

Like several others in his position, Mr Mittal began "blaming the economy, cursing my luck, refreshing job boards like they were going to fix my life."

No outside "motivational quote or Steve Jobs video" saved the day. A straightforward note in his diary, "What would I build if I had nothing left to lose? changed everything."

It was no sudden confidence or great awakening, just a question.

With no obvious way forward, Mr Mittal took the risk, quit looking for jobs and "started building" his own. "One rough website. One tiny step at a time," he wrote.

Mr Mittal said he had "no savings" and "no fancy network." He did have a "dial-up connection" and the backing of his family.

He eventually created his initial crude version of what would later become Shaadi.com - "a brand that changed how India and the world thought about marriage," Mr Mittal wrote.

He clarified he didn't intend to romanticise failure by sharing his tale but the lesson he learnt at the time- "Action is the lead domino" - remains relevant today.

The initial step is what starts it all, even if it is taken in fear or without clarity. Mr Mittal believes that most "people overestimate strategy and underestimate momentum."

"But what I've learned over the years is that clarity doesn't come before action. It comes from action," he concluded the post.

The post elicited a series of positive reactions from the people on the platform.

One user commented in part, "Anupam, your journey resonates deeply with many who face setbacks. The shift from feeling lost to embracing the unknown is a powerful reminder of the resilience within us."

A second user wrote, "This hit deep. The honesty, vulnerability, and raw truth in your journey is something so many of us can relate to-but few are willing to share so openly."

"Absolutely true many overvalue strategies while overlooking the power of momentum. Consistent action often outpaces perfect planning," a third wrote.

Last month, Mr Mittal, in another social media post, said that success, these days, depends on speed, progress and ownership. The old model of years-based promotions was obsolete, he said, highlighting the need for speed and agility in a fast-paced market.