Becoming an Entrepreneur
From my early teens, I’d always been the handyman for the neighborhood. Coming from a small town in India, many people didn’t own a television set or other electronics back then. People that did, were much more interested in having their radio, VCR, or TV repaired over throwing it out and getting a new one, and assembling low-cost electronics yourself was a great business prospect for a young entrepreneur.
Not long after I finished college in 1999, I moved to New Zealand and started learning automotive electronics while looking for a job at the same time. I ran into trouble finding a job in my field in New Zealand, and eventually accepted a job in Australia at Echo Electronics, who outsourced service center functions for major commercial brands like NEC and Grundig.
I’ve always been very passionate about tech hardware and electronics in general, however, I’d always felt the need to accomplish higher aspirations, and I eventually left that field entirely. I decided to pursue a career related to software development, and I wanted to build a business of my own.
Since, I believe I’ve accomplished more that I could have hoped for. In 2009 I co-founded CodeClouds with Prosenjit Saha and Dipanwita Biswas.
In the early days of CodeClouds Dipanwita and I worked tirelessly to achieve our goals, which made us perfect friends as we got along so well at work. We share a deeper connection, that I believe is one of the reasons for the success trail of CodeClouds and our other ventures.
I’m very thankful for the help I had along the way. One person who played a key role was Brian Hill. We met on Elance (now Upwork) on business prospects, and soon discovered our shared passion for technology. We became great friends, and eventually business partners in 2012 with the goal of developing technological solutions worldwide. In exploring new possibilities, we laid the foundation of what CodeClouds is today. As both a business partner and a friend, Brian has meant the world to me.
My newest ventures include a co-working space facility in Kolkata called “Zioks”, as well as a few new software products for the eCommerce industry.
Aside from the initiative I took with CodeClouds and Zioks, I wanted to do something that helps the community. I’ve helped start a non-profit organization called “Promise Unbound” which seeks to better the living conditions of the less privileged in the West Bengal area.
Through these many business and non-profit ventures I’ve been a part of, I’ve learned that I simply live to grow and achieve.
Personal Life and Self Improvement
I’m very serious about my work. A typical day for me is 16 hours, and I don’t take vacations. Weekends, in my opinion, are vacations.
These long days with no days off is not something that is really necessary, and I wouldn’t want to force this lifestyle on someone else, it’s just who I am. Even though I have little time to myself, my work has provided me plenty of opportunities to meet great people and travel the world for things like business conferences, which while I work remotely I still take advantage of my short opportunities to be a tourist.
I love being in nature, and I love animals. In fact, I think it’s probably the reason I initially chose to move to New Zealand. It’s a wonderful place with absolutely stunning views and wildlife, all a short drive from where I live.
Following a love for animals, We adopted a pug named “Dazzle“, who helped me improve myself in ways I didn’t expect that owning a pet could. I’ve learned how to care for others better, and she even helped me quit smoking! Dazzle hated cigarettes. I used to smoke around a pack a day, and every time I’d step out onto the balcony she’d just start barking at me until I came back inside.
I also have my wife, Dipanwita, to thank for a lot of what I’ve achieved, both in business and personal improvement. She’d been with me for over 10 years, working by my side both at home and in the office. These aren’t the kind of things you can succeed at alone, and she’s been someone I could count on, no matter what.
Though my life has improved in a lot of ways over the past 10 or 15 years, I regret not doing a lot of things when I was younger. For example, in my 40s I am finally learning to swim. A lot of these things that I regret seem small, but were simply things I didn’t realize I was missing out on until I was older.
I’ve also taken the pursuit of furthering my education. This year, I earned a Bachelor’s in Applied Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Otago Polytechnic. Yes, at the age of 41, I decided to further my education- it’s never too late to learn! My prior education doesn’t match up with the professional life I’ve led, and I think it’s important for me to connect my progress with formal education.
I look forward to continuing to improve myself, my ventures, and my community. This last decade has been rewarding in many ways, and I look forward to the next adventure.