{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"First Principles","title":"Part 1: Manav Garg started and ran Eka Software for 20 years before selling it. His #1 advise to founders? Budget 6 months to \"manufacture\" your co-founders","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3809,"description":"\n“As I said, I am from a middle-class family. I was earning $10,000/month, which is a large sum in those days. And sitting in Singapore, Bangkok, travelling around the world. So my the larger question in my mind is that how do I take the decision?” says Manav Garg.\n\nManav Garg, founder and former CEO of Eka Software, a SaaS company that operates in the global commodities trading space. \"Former CEO\" because Manav started Eka in 2004 and just sold it earlier this year. \n\nSince Manav was earning $10K a month back in the early 2000s, we talked about golden handcuffs. You know, when people earn so much that they become risk averse? A lot of people are attracted to the lure of startups but not necessarily the grind that comes with them. Including much, much lower pay. \n“So, my competition was TriplePoint, Openlink, SAP. Large companies, at that time. $100 million plus companies. So, I started calling them. Cold calling. And few of them didn't pick up my phone.\n\nOne person luckily picked up my phone saying, ‘Please don't call me again and again. It's not nice. I'm never going to work for Indian company.’\n \nI said, ‘Fine. Since I have you on phone, can I meet you?’\n\nHe said, ‘No.’\n\nHe said, ‘No. What will you do by meeting me?’\n \nI said, ‘Let's have coffee. What I will do is, tell me your travel schedule.’\n \nHe said, ‘I am flying to London tomorrow, so I am going to be very busy.’\n \nI said, ‘Okay, let me do one thing. I will travel to London next day and I will meet you at Heathrow. Just have a coffee. You anyway will take a shower.’\n \nMost of the people from New York travel to London that red-eye flight, take a shower in the arrival launch. I knew that. I said, ‘I will meet in the arrival launch. Half an hour coffee and then you are free to go.’\n\nHe said, ‘Fine.’\n\nLuckily, he said, ‘Fine.’”\n \nIt takes a LOT of courage to fly to London to meet someone who said he doesn’t want to work for an Indian company. And a LOT of vision to convince that person to join you. That’s...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ZPjguY9ABfvbemOPTrjXRW3XKosLSKk1tzX-F51gCWw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82N2E1/MjUwZmE5M2ZlZTZh/NzFjZjcwNjVlMGQ3/ZjkxOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}