ET spoke to over half-a-dozen founders of early-stage startups to unicorns, who said that if one is looking to build something big and impactful, they need to stretch that extra mile.
It’s not a diktat they enforce on everyone working in their companies – and some, especially GenZ, value work-life balance much more than others – but overall, the startup ecosystem tends to attract people who are looking for something more adventurous than a regular 9 to 5 job and willing to put in those extra hours, they say. The other upside: more wealth creation opportunities.
“The 70-80-100 hours don’t even figure in the thought process because the problems consume you, especially in the early years. The problem-solving, the fun, the excitement is what keeps you going,” says Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, co-founder of D2C mattress and furniture startup Wakefit.co.
In the early days of building Wakefit, life was nothing but work, 17-18 hours a day, for the founders as well as early-stage employees. Things are a little better now, but even then, weekends etc are not sacrosanct. “It’s easily 70-80 hours even in a normal week,” he says.
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For Mayank Kumar, managing director at edtech unicorn Upgrad, being an entrepreneur means “you’re switched on all the time.” Kumar says he works an average 14-15 hours a day but if you are trying to create something new, you must give it all you’ve got.
“Nothing meaningful comes without hard work,” says Kumar. He says that his organisation has both kinds of people – those who want a regular job, and the others who stretch themselves to the maximum. “Hustle is why people join, and because they think they can build something big and get remunerated for it.”
Not only the founder but the entire team of a startup has to build with an all-in attitude, says Saumya Singh Rathore, cofounder of social gaming platform Winzo Games.
“Startups and entrepreneurs are an important part of nation-building. More importantly, they also become a source of job creation. Companies with limited runway and resources have only one thing in their control, to achieve product market fit as soon as they can. No disruption is delivered working eight hours a day,” says Rathore.
Work hard, work fast is a mindset most founders swear by, despite immense pressure, mental stress, sometimes even burnout.
“We have to be competitive and fast in the startup world. Each passing hour, every single day, is an opportunity to build for the future. And that’s why we put in the effort – because we can’t imagine doing anything else,” says Anirudh Sharma, CEO of spacetech startup Digantara.
Saurabh Arora, CEO of student accommodation platform University Living, readily agrees. He says he works 18-20 hours six or six-and-a-half days a week. “If you are building something impactful …balancing work and life is a flawed concept. Sachin and Kohli, or for that matter any established leader, became that due to their relentless efforts and passion,” he adds.
Having said that, he says their organisation is respectful of individual choices and aspirations. “We have 5.5 days with a hybrid way of working. Again, we have all kinds of team members, so we balance out and set the right expectations for each other,” says Arora.