Ganesh Balakrishnan, the co-founder of Flatheads Shoes, appeared on the fifth episode of “Shark Tank India” Season 2 to raise funds for his startup.
Investors in the reality TV show noticed that Balakrishnan’s startup was struggling. The company’s funds had dried up, the co-founder had decided to leave Balakrishnan, and the show’s venture capitalists pointed out that the 4Ps of start-up marketing (product, price, location and promotion) were misplaced.
The seasoned entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience’s fundraising pitch took an unexpected turn when one of the Sharks reminded him of his responsibilities to his family and his 10-year-old daughter.
The IIT-IIM graduate broke down on national television.
Despite what happened on the show, Balakrishnan took to LinkedIn to reveal that his 10-year-old daughter wants to be an entrepreneur.
At 10 years old, Balakrishnan Jr had already started his entrepreneurial journey. She was busy creating the 2023 calendar with her paintings and had taken pre-orders for the same. Her message read: “She is an artist and is taking pre-orders for her 2023 calendar created with her paintings.”
The proud dad went on to share that his daughter is a fan of Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal’s “no frills mindset”. He also said she admires the cheerfulness and positivity of SUGAR Cosmetics founder Vineeta Singh. “She’s super proud that I managed to get an offer from both of them,” he wrote in his post.
Balakrishnan said that while he dreaded the episode airing, he was overwhelmed with messages from people praising his entrepreneurial spirit.
“Breaking down on national TV isn’t exactly good for self-confidence. What I certainly didn’t expect was for the episode to be received the way it was, and it’s very, very encouraging to see people applauding the entrepreneurial spirit – of all startup founders, with me as proxy,” Balakrishnan wrote.
He also thanked the Sharks for helping him step back. “A heartfelt thank you to Sharks Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal and Namita Thapar for helping me gain perspective. And to Sony and Shark Tank India for giving founders like me a chance to talk about this what entrepreneurship really is like,” he added.
“Above all, a million thanks to everyone for all the support and love. It takes effort to process all of this, so please give me some time. I’ll respond to everyone as soon as possible,” he said. share.
Balakrishnan also said that the inventory of Flatheads sneakers in India almost ran out after the show. “We’ve nearly sold out our inventory in India, so apologies if you can’t find your size on www.flatheads.in. It would be great if you could tell your friends in the US and UAE to try our shoes. In the meantime, if you’re in the US, you can check out Flatheads sneakers on Zappos and if you’re in the UAE, we’re on Infinite Kart.”
People Group founder Anupam Mittal took to the professional networking platform to wish Balakrishnan good luck and that the whole country stands with him.
AgenciesBalakrishnan’s response to Mittal.
In his heartwarming message, the founder of Shaadi.com said Balakrishnan teaches everyone the power of openness, honesty and acceptance. “I often say ‘entrepreneurship is not a straight line’ and when you look back it’s the biggest failures that are the most rewarding because ‘success builds ego and failure builds character’ .I know because I’ve been there…not once but twice…I did it big and lost it all…Onwards & Upwards,” he said.
Balakrishnan thanked Mittal for making him an offer on the show. “It was genuine and from the heart, and I was very moved by your gesture. When things don’t go your way, you tend to lose your self-confidence, and I was in a vulnerable state to that moment. Your unsolicited offer gave me the confidence that I can bounce back strong, even if things weren’t going well right now. I will always be grateful to you for that moment.”
Despite his difficulties, Balakrishnan’s entrepreneurial spirit lives on. His story is the story of every small entrepreneur who fights against all odds to keep his dream alive.
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