It was the end of 2019. I had just wrapped up an amazing stint at Bain & Company and was excited and nervous about joining Warburg Pincus LLC, a private equity fund for a two-year stint. After that, I was hell-bent on getting into one of the top business schools in the US.
While at Bain, we did some pro-bono work for Goonj, an NGO. I thought spending a few months at Goonj before starting at Warburg would be a great way to bridge the gap between jobs. Plus, I'll be honest—I figured it would look good on my future B-school application. Little did I know those 2.5 months would change everything.
Goonj was a stark contrast to the posh consulting life I had grown accustomed to. However, I had never felt as satisfied with my work. Maybe it was the culture, the tangible impact, or just being in the thick of things. Whatever it was, by the time I left, my life plans had done a complete 180. I knew I wanted to start something of my own, and soon.
For once, I decided to ditch the well-trodden path and chase after what I really wanted. The 2-2.5 years at Warburg flew by, and despite the major FOMO watching peers get into top B-schools, I stuck to my guns. No applications for me.
When my time at Warburg ended, I was eager to start something, but still hesitant to dive in headfirst. Maybe it was my lack of startup experience, my limited tech background, or perhaps I just wasn't ready. So, I asked myself, "What's the next best thing to start up?" The answer seemed clear: joining an early-stage startup. And that's how Appsmith happened.
Appsmith taught me a great deal about startups, tech, team building, culture, and more. Finally, after 2 years at Appsmith, I felt ready and confident to take the plunge. For once, I was relieved that I could take this leap, that I could try to chase my dreams. Being fully aware that the probability of succeeding is less than 1%, I was ready to back myself to be in that 1%, to take a shot at building something that could outlive me.
P.S. I've never been good at writing or sharing personal things, but here's to the first of many firsts!
This post was originally shared by Pranay Agarwal on Linkedin.