Harsh Pokharna, the co-founder and CEO of Bengaluru-based OKCredit, recently took to social media to share his experience of establishing his company, which according to him has a "long way to go". In an Instagram post, Mr Pokharna recalled the time when he quit his job at Flipkart to kick off his own company because he wanted to make a lot of money very quickly. "Founders were raising millions of dollars in funding all around me. It seemed easy," he wrote.
However, Mr Pokharna expressed that he initially faced failures before starting his current venture. He revealed that he failed for the first 2 years working on 3 different ideas. The entrepreneur also said that during this time, he exhausted all his savings and had to freelance to survive.
Then, Mr Pokharna co-founded OkCredit and he has been building it for the last eight years. He shared that his experiences taught him a valuable lesson: Startups don't equate to instant success.
"It's a long-term game, not a get rich quick scheme. Play it only if you truly want to solve a problem, or you'll end up disappointed," he said.
Mr Pokharna's post struck a chord with many social media users. While some shared similar experiences, others acknowledged his perseverance as a source of inspiration.
"I completely resonate with this! While my journey was in a training startup, I've faced similar challenges pursuing my passion. It's never about quick wins-whether it's building a startup or following a calling like teaching. It takes persistence, resilience, and a genuine love for what you're doing. Your story is a great reminder that meaningful work is a marathon, not a sprint. Kudos to you for sticking with it and building OkCredit over 8 years-truly inspiring!" wrote one user.
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"Harsh reality indeed, Harsh. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted or the get-me-rich-quickly. Do it only to solve a problem and figure out a way to monetise the solution alongside. The business won't be sustainable if either of the two things is missing," commented another.
"This is the side of startups that no one talks about. Failure, uncertainty, and years of grinding before seeing real progress. Too many people chase funding instead of chasing real problems to solve. The truth? VC money doesn't build businesses-relentless execution does. Respect for sharing this journey!" said a third user.
"This is so real! The startup journey is anything but a shortcut to success-it's a test of patience, persistence, and problem-solving. Building TravBudee has taught me that it's the long game that truly matters. Loved this perspective!" expressed another.
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