10 inspiring quotes by Bigbasket's Hari Menon on what it takes to run a startup

Hari Menon is the CEO and Co-founder of Bigbasket, one of India’s leading online grocery stores. Born and raised in Mumbai, Hari graduated from BITS Pilani and chose to start working right away.

Before establishing Bigbasket, Hari has worked with ORG Systems, TVS Electronics, Wipro Infotech, Planetasia.com, and Integrated Data Systems. At Wipro, he was the Business Head for the Infotech business. He had also served as the Country Head at Planetasia, which was one of the first Internet service businesses in India. Hari was the CEO of ‘Indiaskills’, which provides a platform to seek new skill-based talent in India. 

Hari’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1999 when he co-founded Fabmart, one of the pioneers in ecommerce in India and its physical extension, Fabmall, which was acquired by Aditya Birla Group in 2006 and was renamed ‘More’.

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A music enthusiast, Hari wishes to play in a band someday. He is also a cricket fan as well as a member of the ‘Karnataka Cricket Association’.

Here are 10 inspiring quotes by the CEO and Co-founder of Bigbasket 

“You can raise capital, but if you don’t have the ecosystem to support you, the business essentially doesn’t thrive.”

“You need an idea and the idea needs to be executable. The idea must be so realistic to execute in the present. Futuristic ideas are always not so executable because one has to invest time in that.”

“Don’t get too attached to your business. If the business goes down, at times, a good entrepreneur must use existing resources carefully to leverage it, instead of sticking to the idea just for the sake of emotions.”

“Build a good team. Always have a team of people you trust instead of having a team with skilled people. Because skills can be hired, but trust cannot be.”

"From time to time you need to look inside, remember who you are; always stay grounded, and then decide where you want to go and how to get there!"

“It's important to believe in your model in spite of giants and large investors coming in and pumping money.”

“Knowing when to pivot and when not to pivot is something every entrepreneur must learn, instead of being emotional about the original idea which, at times, goes against the company's interests.”

“Attrition in itself is neither bad nor good. It depends upon the situation and the impact it has on the business.”

“Online is just another channel in the whole scheme of things. Every retail company is trying to find its feet to incorporate this new channel into its overall channel strategy.”

“The role of government should always be about fostering innovation by making it easy for entrepreneurs to flourish – by removing obstacles.”

(Edited by Kanishk Singh)