Glad you are here.
Now, hear my story…:-)
I was born in 1980 at Ahmedabad.
That’s exactly 1 year later when the great hockey legend Dhyan Chand died.
My birthday falls on the World Disability Day. It’s the same date on which World’s first heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard. I am a history buff, you see.
I am from a middle class family in Vadodara, India. My Dad worked in Panasonic Batteries for 38 years. Yes, that’s 38 years in a single company. So, naturally the quality of loyalty is in me. Being from a service class family, I am the first generation entrepreneur.
During my School days, I have been a sincere student. I loved books. And my Dad always used to encourage me to read as much as I could. No wonder, by the time I grew up, I had a cupboard full of books.
In my early years, till Grade 10, I NEVER wanted to be in business. I felt it was boring. Till then my interest was in Science and I did a lot of experiments at home. I even made small rockets from the gunpowder of firecrackers. If I hadn’t entered in business, I would have been a Scientist.
Then a turning point came in my life in Grade 10. It was a chapter about Andrew Carnegie, the Steel king. Before starting the chapter, my English teacher (Mrs. Kochar) gave a small homework to everyone: find out who the richest man in the world is…
It’s then that I came to know about Bill Gates and the world of computers. The next day, I answered that question and felt good about it. The next question Mrs. Kochar asked: “Who in this class watches Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?”
And there was just one finger raised: mine.
Seeing that, Mrs. Kochar smiled and said: “See here is someone who wants to be a millionaire”. And that sentence changed my life, forever. I was determined to prove her right.
That is the impact teachers have on the minds of the students.
After completing school, I went to Nirma University for my Bachelor of Engineering. During my entire college time, I read more books from the management library then the Engineering library.
I was preparing myself to be in business.
And here’s my professional journey till now:
My Professional Journey:
- 2002
Started as a Software Engineer at Patni Computers Ltd
- 2006
Moved to the US to work at NYSE as ERP Consultant.
I was part of the team that did Oracle ERP integration when five stock exchanges merged with NYSE. I was there when NYSE got listed at NYSE. I still have the NYSE Bell & the Medal they gave to commemorate the listing.
- 2008
After moving back to India, started TaxWala.com – India’s Online Tax Filing Site.
- 2010
Pivoted the business to Mobile App Development. We decided to shutdown TaxWala.com
- 2016
Served as the (unofficial) CTO of Affordplan – from the time they got seed funding till they raised $10 Million in Series B.
My Business Interests:
- HostingPill
- HalfPantHippo
- SplitScreenApp
- ReviewRoller
- Upnexo
The Other Me:
- Options Trader
I am an avid Options Seller. Interested in Positional trades only. My average annual return for the last 3 years has been 29%.
- Website Conversion Expert
I was part of the Expert group in the erstwhile site Conceptfeedback.com. The day I saw that site, I loved the concept. I soon started spending a lot of time commenting on website design posted there and suggesting improvements. I soon rose to the ranks and got my “Elite” badge. I still love looking at sites and finding ways to improve them.
- Domino Artist
If you ever want to get a lesson in patience, focus and disaster management, then you should play with dominos. Hevesh5 is my favorite artist.