Khichdi

The year in review.

One of the greatest highs is when you crack your first client. Where you declare, though to nobody in particular, We are in business. At 6 AM in the morning.

Because when you choose this line, you told yourself, whatever it takes. Never mind, if this proved your undoing. When you beat somebody known and established in the line of business, there is a smile on your face. This year brought that smile.

When you kept giving your partner more time because he had to settle his family issues. You kept telling yourself, this will just pass and you will be on a roll. This year brought the disappointment, as it was not to be.

When you want to charge a premium to the market on the promise of better quality. And never once did you realise, what if not. This year brought that wisdom, first close sales, book revenues and then bother about charging a premium. When you are new you have to undercut.

When you realized as early as April, maybe just maybe this won't work out. But by then you had already chosen the path. And once you choose the path, you have to let the path choose everything else for you.

There was an opportunity, because the competition lacked people management skills. Client services suffered, employee morale suffered, client's expectations suffered. This created an opportunity, that we sought to take. But trifles like a nagging wife, a nagging mother-in-law, a nagging father, and financial irresponsibility turned out to be bigger demons that could not be handled.

The first employee was hired. The smile on his face when I gave him the offer letter. The dejection on his face when I told he is out of job, because we are winding down. My own failures at handling him. At times I went pretty far, like a nagging schoolteacher. At others when I should have used technology to rely on , I chose faith and was left disappointed.

My disappointments with having to handle the employee all by myself.

When I finally gathered the courage to face my partner and tell him, it ain't working out. We met perhaps after 3 months. And my partner informed me that he was looking out for jobs. I had guessed that.

Two probable opportunities which did not work out.

But like any other hindi movie, even this has to end on a happy note. Things are moving, I don't know, but they are. And I am happy about it.

Cheers and happy new year.