boAt co-founder Aman Gupta reveals he once took a job to save money and restart his failed business

In Short

• One of the Sharks in Shark Tank India Season 2 is boAt co-founder Aman Gupta.
• Shark Tank India is streaming on Sony Liv platform.
• Gupta shared bits of his personal entrepreneurial journey.

By Aaditya Sharma: One of the Sharks in Shark Tank India Season 2 is the wearable brand boAt co-founder Aman Gupta. During the latest episode, Gupta shared bits of his entrepreneurial journey in an effort to encourage IIT and IIM alumni Ganesh Balkrishnan, who pitched his shoe brand made of breathable fibers called Flatheads. When Balkrishnan shared that his business was at a loss and that the company might shut down soon, the boAt co-founder encouraged him to take up a job instead and learn the basics of running a business. Gupta also said that he would invest in Flatheads once Balkrishnan learns the basics of business.

In an effort to encourage Balkrishnan, Gupta shared bits of his personal entrepreneurial journey. He recollected and said when his business was at a loss and there were no investors, he took up a job to save money and restarted again. Gupta also shared that there’s nothing wrong with taking up a job if someone’s business is not working as expected. In fact, he said, it is a sign of strength and not giving up attitude. "There’s no shame in looking for a job. When my businesses didn’t work, I took up a job, saved money, and came up with a new business," the boAt CEO said during Shark Tank India Season 2, Episode 5.

The Flatheads co-founder was encouraged by the idea and declined the Shark Tank offer that he got from Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, People Group, Makaan.com, and Mauj. Vineeta Singh, Founder of Sugar Cosmetics, and Peyush Bansal, Founder of Lenskart, also offered Balkrishnan but the entrepreneur rejected it. Instead, the Flatheads co-founder said that he would take a job, save money and come back stronger with his shoe business. He was encouraged by all the Sharks and, in fact, Mittal also offered the IIM and IIT alumni a job at his firm.

"Thank you very much. I thought a lot. I think I need to reevaluate my priorities in my life. I think I will work with the D2C brand, learn for a couple of years and come back. That perspective needs to be built. The reevaluation wasn’t clear until today, but after speaking to you all I realized I am far away from what I had been thinking," Balkrishnan said. Interestingly, after the episode was telecast, consumers came out in support of Balkrishnan, and Flathead's inventory was sold out. In a LinkedIn post, Balkrishnan wrote, "We've almost sold out our inventory in India, so pardon us if you aren't able to find your size on www.flatheads.in. Would be amazing if you can tell your friends in the US and UAE to try our shoes."

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