The New Way of Building a Startup

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

For the longest time, I believed my path was to work in an MNC. My father did it, his life seemed comfortable, and so I followed. After my bachelor's, I worked briefly at an edtech startup, then joined an MNC in core engineering. I even completed my master’s while working. Life could have continued like that.

But years in an MNC taught me why I didn’t want to stay:

• Playing it safe is rewarded over taking risks. Promotions aren’t about growing the business but about avoiding mistakes. This fosters an environment where people delay decisions under the pretense of “further analysis.”
• There’s no real job security. As Warren Buffet said, “Unless you make money while you sleep, you will never be rich.” If your only income source is your salary, the illusion of safety is just that—an illusion.
• Would I read a book about my life? If my story was just an MNC job, the answer was no.

So, I decided to build something of my own. I started coding, explored different projects, and eventually co-founded an edtech startup for math. In a month, two co-founders left, and the app didn’t take off.

Still, I had one personal goal: release an app before I turned 30.

I grew up as an expat, never mastering my native language in reading and writing. This, combined with my deadline, pushed my co-founder and me to launch HornbillTalks in just two weeks.

It gained traction, but I quickly learned my first startup lesson:

• ✅ Building the product is just 20% of success.
• ✅ Marketing, community, and consistent updates matter just as much.

So, we adopted a build-in-public approach—releasing updates every two weeks and iterating based on real user feedback.

Fast forward a year: On the surface, nothing has changed. I still work my 9-7 MNC job, then build 7-9. But this is the new reality of startups—you don’t quit your job until the market demands it. Right now, I’m like a village market seller with homemade jam. Limited reach, low revenue—but improving my craft every day.

Deep down, everything has changed. I may still be a cog in a giant ship, but I’m also assembling my own cycle on the side. I don’t know where it’ll take me, but the journey has begun. 🚀