We have come a long way. But we have a long way to go.” Hemant Jalan, chairman and managing director, Indigo Paints
Image: Varun Kulkarni for Forbes India
You want to start a venture. Right? And your heart says that you are not cut out for a job. Okay, so before you take the plunge, why don’t you ask a question and see if you are fit for entrepreneurship? “Step back for 5 minutes,” urges Hemant Jalan, 63, founder of Indigo Paints, to all aspirants whatever age they may be. “Now think, if this venture goes horribly wrong, how far does it set you back?” he asks. Remember, he stresses, the venture doesn’t only go wrong. “It goes horribly wrong.”
Back in 1985, a young Jalan—in his late 20s—didn’t ask this question. In fact, it never crossed his mind. “I had brash confidence, and had succeeded in everything till then,” he recalls. After completing his BTech in chemical engineering from IIT-Kanpur, Jalan went on finish his master’s from Stanford University and an MBA from Chicago Booth School of Business. Armed with degrees and knowledge, he set up a couple of small-and-medium-sized chemical manufacturing companies in Patna. Twenties, he reckons, is more likely an expected age to turn founder.
(This story appears in the 17 December, 2021 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)