Anupam Mittal shares his lay-off story — and how it changed everything
What seems like a career-ending moment for many turned out to be the turning point in Anupam Mittal’s life — and the birth of one of India’s most iconic startups.
The Shaadi.com founder took to LinkedIn to share how being laid off in 2001 during the infamous dot-com crash forced him to hit rock bottom — and eventually rebuild from scratch.
“I had no backup plan,” Mittal wrote in the post that’s resonated deeply with young professionals and entrepreneurs. “I still remember that walk back from the office. It wasn’t long, but it felt like a free fall.”
Mittal , who at the time was working in the US, said the crash wiped out not just his job but most of his savings. But what truly shook him was the sense of losing his identity.“For the first time in many years, I had no idea what came next,” he wrote.
What followed was a period of blame, frustration, and frantic job board scrolling. But that too, passed. Then came the question that changed everything: “What would I build if I had nothing left to lose?”
That moment of introspection marked a quiet but crucial turning point. “It wasn’t some motivational quote or a Steve Jobs video — those came later,” Mittal quipped.
Instead of sending out more applications, he began building. Armed with a dial-up connection, a rough idea, and the help of a few committed cousins, Mittal took his first steps towards what would eventually become Shaadi.com — a platform that redefined online matchmaking in India and for the Indian diaspora worldwide.
But he’s quick to clarify that the journey wasn’t glamorous. “No savings. No fancy network. Just me, my cousins and a blurry little project,” he recalled.
It was grit, not grand vision, that kept him going. And it was action — not strategy — that lit the spark. “People overestimate strategy and underestimate momentum,” Mittal wrote. “Clarity doesn’t come before action. It comes from action.”
Today, Shaadi.com is a household name and Mittal a familiar figure on shows like Shark Tank India. But his story is a reminder that even celebrated entrepreneurs started with fear, doubt, and zero certainty.
His advice for anyone facing a similar situation? Take one step. Any step. Even if you’re scared.
“Action is the lead domino,” he said. “You move in a direction that excites you — and life starts moving again.”
For a generation of professionals navigating layoffs, career pivots, and the instability of today’s job market, Mittal’s post strikes a chord. It reframes failure not as an end — but as a potential beginning.
Because sometimes, all it takes to build something big is one rough website and nothing left to lose.
