I earn, he spends- says Anuradha Pasupathy, wife of Shark Tank fame Ganesh Balakrishnan
Anuradha Pasupathy is the wife of Ganesh Balakrishnan, FlatHeads Shoes co-founder. When Ganesh decided to leave his well-established corporate job and start his own company, Anuradha, like any other wife had her own apprehensions. Here is the post she shared on LinkedIn that has since then gone viral:
“Main kamati hun, wo udata hai” –
I am Ganesh Balakrishnan‘s wife, and this is my side of his story. When Ganesh decided to leave his corporate job and start up on his own, I had my own apprehensions about how this will work. “It is very difficult to do a startup in India, it needs a very strong, resilient mind.
Coming from a very conventional family, will he be able to deal with the rigors of entrepreneurship? There are plenty of wolves out there, will being an honest lamb really work?” But even with all these doubts, I still had belief in him. He is a fighter, who is determined to make a dent in the universe. The belief slowly started becoming stronger when Momoe exited to ShopClues, and later when he started up Flatheads. I was really kicked by the USP of Flatheads – ultra-lightweight and breathable shoes with natural materials.
The lockdown was a big existential jolt to all of us, I feared that my company may start layoffs and we will be left with no income. Thankfully it did not happen. It really hurt when I used to listen to Ganesh and Utkarsh pitching to investors and hearing one rejection after another. I tried my level best to bring some positivity into the little time we spent together as a family.
The last phase of Flatheads when we decided to wind down operations was very painful. We brought shoes home from the warehouse, and I used to stare at the cartons in our bedroom blocking our pathway. “How much more do we need to endure?”
Throughout this journey, as a techie in Bangalore, I could have chosen a better-paying job or even explored international career options. But I chose stability over ambition. It was a choice I made to take care of the family as Ganesh pursued his dream.
When we watched the Shark Tank episode, I didn’t cry. Because all these hardships have only made me stronger and more determined, and I know this is just another storm that we can sail through despite the odds. Bring it on!
Kudos to the never-dying spirit of women.
Staff Reporter
