365 Days of Stories – Day 1: The Moment I Knew I Had to Leave IBM

365 Days of Stories – Day 1: The Moment I Knew I Had to Leave IBM

Today marks the start of my 365-day challenge—one personal story every single day.

Why? Because I’m building my personal brand.

I’ve launched my new baby—ElevateIdea around a year back, a company helping growth-stage startups remove technology barriers to scale and grow. But there’s a challenge—I am not a sales guy.

In B2B, no one buys without trust and credibility. Founders don’t just buy services; they buy into the people behind them. I believe the best way to build trust is to be authentic, share my journey, and let people see who I am.

So, here we go. 365 days. 365 stories. Let’s see where this takes us.

Day 1: The Moment I Knew I Had to Leave IBM

I grew up in a middle-class family—my father was a Mechanical Engineer working in the steel industry, while my mother came from a business family. Like many in the 90s, I believed the service-class life was the ultimate goal—clear IIT/REC, land a great job, and life is set!

But this is not another story of an IIT guy—I was a very normal guy and ended up at TKIET, a regular private college in Maharashtra.

For the longest time, I thought I was winning. By 2008, I was at IBM, traveling the world, staying in 5-star hotels, and working on high-impact projects. Life looked great… until I read “Rich Dad Poor Dad.”

That book flipped my perspective. It hit me—my father was the ‘Poor Dad’ character from the book. Like him, I was on a linear path, working hard but paying 50-60% of my income in taxes. Meanwhile, businesses had the advantage—paying only 20% tax on profits and leveraging systems to scale.

This realization changed everything.

From 2008 to 2015, while still at IBM, I brainstormed startup ideas—BigBasket, Delivery from local stores for groceries (BlinkIt of now), and many more. But I never took the leap. I saw ideas I once dismissed turn into billion-dollar companies, and the regret grew.

At IBM, my career moved from leading Business Development for one of IBM’s products at the India level, which gave me direct access to CXOs, to working on a $1B account, where I interacted with senior leaders just 3-4 layers below the CEO.

Yet, I felt zero excitement. The game was about navigating corporate politics, not solving real challenges.

That wasn’t me. I was wired for action, not for maneuvering hierarchies.

One fine day in April 2015, I decided enough was enough. No Plan B. No safety net. I just quit.

I still remember my first day at IBM induction, looking at the roadmap to becoming a Distinguished Engineer or Fellow. I once dreamed of that title, but in the end, I chose my own path—the unpredictable, challenging, and thrilling world of entrepreneurship.

It was a bold move. Was it worth it? Well… that’s a story for tomorrow.

Follow this journey as I share one story every day for 365 days.

Would love to hear your bold move.

#365DaysOfStories #Entrepreneurship #BuildingInPublic #PersonalBrand #GrowthMindset #ElevateIdea