ALSphere Foundation
Amit quit his high paying corporate job to plunge into the world of start-ups. His meticulous calculations proved he would break even in about two years time. It was a calculated risk he took because he had funds to stay afloat for just about that much time. Unfortunately, things did not go as per plan.
The world of entrepreneurs was completely different from what he thought it would be. Things did not go as he had expected. Those who had promised him support, were nowhere to be seen. Things went south and soon he realised this was a big mistake. But he was hopeful and optimistic and so stayed at it. Money, though, was going like water from an open tap.
A year into his start-up and those close to him realised he wasn’t the same guy anymore. He always looked stressed and never smiled. When asked, he would always give the excuse that it was the stress of his new venture. So, his family and friends gave him space. For Amit, admitting he had gone wrong, was too much to do. His big ego would not allow him to do that.
Soon he was borrowing money from banks and other private sources just to stay afloat. That was followed by taking new loans just to service the old ones. Soon the financial market realised this and institutes stopped lending him money. The pressure to repay the old loans started mounting. Amongst his friends he had financial experts and millionaires but he was too egoistic to ask for help.
One weekend morning, he woke up happier that usual. His family was pleasantly surprised to find this positive change. He spent the day with his family and left home late in the evening saying he was going out for dinner with friends. It was 2 am and he had not returned. He wasn’t answering his phone, so his wife called his friends. To her astonishment, all his friends were home and said they hadn’t met him for dinner.
After an hour she got a call from the police station asking her to come to the station immediately. Upon arrival she was informed her husband’s car was found abandoned on the bridge over the river. He had jumped off the bridge and committed suicide. In a suicide note found in the car he blamed himself, his mistake of leaving a well-paying job and apologized to his family, for leaving behind a huge financial mess for them to sort.
But, was leaving the job to start a business his mistake? Or not admitting that he had made a miscalculation his real mistake?
