Building a Startup: Insights from Rohit Bansal

Building a startup can appear daunting, especially for a 21-year-old seeking guidance. Rohit Bansal, co-founder and COO of Snapdeal, provides a different perspective than the typical Silicon Valley advice to simply dive in.

The Importance of Founder’s Proximity

Bansal encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to get to know a founder before venturing out on their own. In a recent LinkedIn post, he shared that he has frequently encountered the question, “I’ve just completed my degree. I want to build my own startup. What should I do?” Although he and Kunal Bahl founded Snapdeal in their early twenties, he recognises that many of their mistakes were indeed avoidable.

Joining a Startup for Hands-On Learning

His key piece of advice for those who do not yet feel ready to launch their own venture is to join a young startup. The aim here is not to be swayed by a brand name but to be in close proximity to the founder. Bansal notes the value of observing how decisions are made in scenarios where data is incomplete, and how priorities shift in the face of numerous urgent tasks.

Learning from Real-World Experience

According to Bansal, aspiring founders should sit as close to a startup’s founder as possible. This gives new entrants the chance to observe hiring practices, crisis management, company culture, and aspects of the business that often remain unshared.

Challenging the Myths of Entrepreneurship

In a space often filled with aspirational stories and narratives of sudden success, Bansal’s views present a refreshing dose of realism. His insights are not anti-entrepreneurial but instead serve to dismantle misconceptions about the startup environment. He believes that once startups become tangible rather than mythical, the transition into entrepreneurship can feel much more achievable.

From Hype to Apprenticeship

This sentiment illustrates a changing dialogue within India’s startup ecosystem. Following a decade marked by rapid growth and soaring funding, both founders and investors are now shifting their focus towards operational discipline and wise decision-making, rather than mere ambition.

Accelerating Learning in Early-Stage Startups

Working at an early-stage company can significantly accelerate the learning curve. New hires are often involved in various aspects of the business, including product development, recruiting, fundraising, and customer engagement—experiences that could take years to gather in larger firms. For potential founders, this exposure serves as an invaluable, informal apprenticeship.

Transforming Fear into Feasibility

Bansal’s recommendations also touch on the psychological challenges related to startups. From an outsider’s perspective, startups can seem overwhelmingly grand, propelled by founder myths and idealised online portrayals. However, within the startup, decisions involve strategic trade-offs, imperfect choices, and continual prioritisation.

Making Entrepreneurship Manageable

As Bansal states, when the startup environment feels more human than legendary, taking the leap into entrepreneurship becomes less daunting.