I bet you already have a typical image of me and my character in your mind:)
But trust me this gets interesting.
I am now an entrepreneur, marketer, film maker, musician, actor and founder of Ahsomeness, a content agency. I have crafted hundreds of content pieces for some top brands. I have also been a CFO of a billion dollar company before I turned 32 and was instrumental in raising USD 65 million for one of India's first E-commerce startup at the age of 29.
I believe that the biggest limitation that we put on our own selves is when we stereotype ourselves into one type - be it one type of profession or one type of person. It is absolutely possible to be a finance guy comfortable with numbers, an entrepreneur who loves stories and marketing, a film maker who studies direction passionately, a musician and a guitar player who composes jingles professionally and an ever enthusiastic student, teacher and speaker who adores inspiring people to be creative - all at the same time. Creativity and thinking both are skills that can be learnt and blossomed if one understands the nature of the human mind and the logic of thinking.
Let me give you prominent highlights of my journey from a 'curios kid' to the work in progress 'independent mind'...
The curious kid
I think I asked way too many questions growing up. The most precious gift that I ever received was the guitar. I composed my first song at the age of 9 and developed love for theater in school.
The disciplined follower
I followed the rulebook. Topped school, graduated from Hindu College, qualified as a chartered accountant, worked in great companies like KPMG and GE. The first 10 years of work taught me the power of processes and systems.
The risk taker
Entrepreneurship fascinated me and that led me to being a part of the core team of an E-commerce startup. We grew the company from 15 to 500, raised USD 65mn from top investors. I exited and became the CFO of Goibibo. These 5 years taught me decision making and leadership.
The passion pursuer
My love for music and stories never left me. I decided to sincerely work towards developing the skill and cofounded a content agency, Ahsomeness, in 2014. Since then have worked for top brands. Generating campaign ideas, writing scripts, composing jingles, directing films and even acting in commercials is work for me now. These years have made me a keen observer of people, emotions and the logic of creativity.
The independent mind (work in progress)
I love to research and study the human mind, its nature, its patterns. Over the years I have just become even more curious about how we can use the mind creatively to make a life worth cherishing. My discipline for guitar has gotten even stronger... I wish to continue on this path of self-discovery and creativity. If I can inspire someone along the way, I think the journey will get even sweeter.
