Despite his struggles and inability to raise funds for the commercial reality show, Balakrishnan’s entrepreneurial spirit garnered widespread praise across the country.
Read also : After ‘Shark Tank India 2’ Pitch Drop, Flatheads Founder Reveals His 10-Year-Old Wants To Be An Entrepreneur
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SUGAR Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh, who is one of the TV show’s popular sharks, took to Instagram to praise Balakrishnan’s courage, clarity and honesty.
In her moving post, she shared that not being able to help the shoe entrepreneur achieve her dream was a “difficult” decision that continues to make her emotional.
“I have no words to describe the courage, clarity and honesty of the entrepreneur who, under the gaze of 14 cameras, is able to choose to be a better provider for his family rather than continuing to chasing his dream! Watching Ganesh make that choice and not being able to help him build his dream was so difficult that every time I talk about him it makes me emotional,” she wrote in her caption alongside. a photo of her hugging Balakrishnan on the show.
Along with her post, Singh shared another photo from 2013 that showed the cosmetic queen lying in bed with a pillow over her face. She shared that the image showed Singh breaking down after failing a decisive step. “(That’s) why it hit so hard and why I felt like I had been in Ganesh’s shoes a million times. I’m proud of you, Ganesh, for doing the right thing. You have a lot more courage than me. And I hope to see you one day rebuild your dream,” she added.
Sharing her story, Singh said she worked hard to get into the Indian Institute of Technology. After that, she was considered a hero for taking the road less traveled, but struggling to scale multiple businesses, struggling to gain momentum and then facing big setbacks. She was also afraid of being seen as a “failed entrepreneur”. She also recalled the “terror of the first week of every month” when she had to collect salaries for teams.
“Nervousness at every pitch where you have to pretend you don’t look desperate but you know the payroll depends on the outcome. Borrowing money from friends and family knowing that whatever it is happens, you can’t lose their money – this sounds like Ganesh’s story but it’s also mine. And it’s also that of many entrepreneurs. And that’s why I felt his pain in my guts “, she shared.
The story of the boat
boAt co-founder Aman Gupta and another shark from the popular show took to social media to write a heartwarming note.
In his note, he said he could see himself in Balakrishnan during the Flatheads pitch. On the show, Gupta had advised the entrepreneur to take a break, build some apprenticeships and then come back stronger.
“Since I could relate to him so much, I didn’t hesitate to speak my mind and told him to do what I would have done if I were him – start over,” Gupta explained in his message.
Although the comments are hard to process, Gupta said only someone with “real character” can accept it. “It really takes guts to say ‘no’ to a great funding offer on national television to reboot and recalibrate. Hope he’s on to something big soon. Massive respect and he’ll be back with a bang “, he added.
Sharing his entrepreneurial journey, the consumer electronics brand boss said he had to restart his business five times. After being part of the corporate world, he had to return to entrepreneurship. While it can be an inspiring story now, dealing with setbacks can be confusing, he said. “I also faced those days. I also failed before I succeeded. I was also down before I was here. I am also a human before I was a shark,” he said. he concluded.
Thanking Gupta for the open letter, Balakrishnan praised the boAt leader for showing “100 times the courage” to admit failures. “While everyone says it took courage for me to say it on Shark Tank India, it takes you 100 times the courage to admit your failures when you are already one of the most recognizable faces of the Indian startup ecosystem,” he wrote in another LinkedIn. Publish.
AgenciesBalakrishnan’s response to Gupta
Additionally, he said it’s time for entrepreneurs to normalize talking about the “true side” of starting a business. “Vineeta Singh already shared her journey yesterday. I hope all the sharks pave the way for all of us,” he added.
Balakrishnan also dedicated the limited edition #DownButNotOut t-shirt on the Flatheads website to Gupta.
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Recently, Singh’s business partner and husband Kaushik Mukherjee took to social media to share that he ordered his Flatheads shoes on Thursday, January 5, which he received on Tuesday, January 10.
“I feel light on my feet. And happy in my heart. Flatheads – naam toh suna hoga“, he wrote next to a photo of him wearing his new shoes.
While some praised him for encouraging an upcoming brand, some found Mukherjee “opportunistic” for wearing the shoes for free publicity. Balakrishnan addressed the controversy and decided to “clear the air”.
In his LinkedIn post, the Flatheads founder said he interacted with Mukherjee long before ‘Shark Tank India’ Season 1 aired.
When Balakrishnan was seeking strategic advice for his business, he called the SUGAR COO, who was “super humble” on the first call with him and patiently listened to the background and offered “relevant” advice and suggestions.
“The call that was supposed to be 10 minutes lasted an hour or more, and he was super helpful and kind in giving us the time and attention of a weekend, the few hours an entrepreneur has to relax and rejuvenate,” Balakrishnan wrote.
AgenciesBalakrishnan’s LinkedIn post
Praising Mukherjee’s patience and kindness, Balakrishnan said he would have gladly given the cosmetics brand owner a pair of sneakers for the “kind of guy he is”.
“We need more founders like this who pay it off without any expectation. Speaking of which, here’s a shout out to D2C Insider, a community of D2C founders that was formed with this in mind – no agenda, just founders who help each other with honest advice, suggestions and connections. If you are a D2C founder, you should definitely consider joining the gang!” he added.