I’m Ankur Singla, founder of Stir. I reinvented myself 3 times: lawyer, tech founder (Tapzo, sold to Amazon), filmmaker. AMA about pivots, risk, or life.

I think I have been mostly intuitive about what I want to do. I am generally a very optimisitc person and believe that iteration helps you get there. During my first startup (2009 time) - I spent 2.5 years trying to find a PMF. Then it turned out to be not too big and then we pivoted. A pivot sounds more hardcore from outside - but a business is constantly evolving. Toh the next opportunity is gradual and presents itself.

The current interest in cinema happened a lot due to Covid and I was a little jaded with startups. :)

Why - ka koi answer nahin hai.

Whats your advise for young average engineers. Wanting to do something to escape current layoffs anxiety

Yes I was always into films - ran a film club at NLS, Bangalore - watched a lot of world cinema - made IMDB 250 list and crossed each one out etc. etc. I was/am a hardcore movie buff and a voracious reader as well.

However, I always thought creative people are different - they have something that I don't have. Then, in 2019, Amazon we were given a Growth Mindset test. My cofounder Vishal scoresd more than me and I was not happy. I don't like losing even in a psychological test! :/

That made me feel that a left brain person can also learn creativity etc.

During Tapzo days etc. I was 2000% focused on business - such a thought wouldn't occur to me. Covid + Amazon sinecure was the reason.

Corporate law firms have the biggest repository of smart sad people on earth. Bankers at least make some real money.

I just hated the work, and I had envy of the other side of the table. Why can't I do what this business guy (my client) is doing? Once at Linklaters, I went to conduct due diligence at a Russian mining oligarch's house. And I was like, something like this is never going to be possible without taking risks.

So, leaving corporate law was a no-brainer.

Actually - I have always had high conviction. The pivots just meant that I was wrong. So the problem is not conviction, the problem is how to be right (or more right than wrong). I'm still figuring that out.

Amazon has a great leadership value - Good leaders "Are Right, A Lot". That's what one should strive to be.

During my startup life, my wife was earning very well and running the house. I would take a salary and then every few months, things would be bad and I would be taking salary cuts. Till the exit I had very little money.

After the exit, it was a lot easier to swtich careers and take my time. Financial stability is extremely important - without that, starting at the bottom in a new career at 36-37 yrs is NOT recommended at all.

I left law within 1.8 years of my first job as a corporate lawyer in London.

When I was younger - it was like what will VCs fund? What is working in other countries? What are YC companies up to?

Now - follow your intuition. No targets. Do good work. Try very hard and be customer backwards. But I do understand these are rare perks. (Zerodha guys built something like this without the perks too - and hence this is also a legitimate, if slower, way).

Jumping in - this is always random. Lot of exited founder suffer from analysis-paralysis. I did too for 2-3 years (which is a really long time). Finally, it was like - scratch your own itch and that's how Stir got started.

Thanks a lot Jinyang! Hope you like the film! :)

1. Yes. For B2B - look at Total Addressable Spend - leave the TAM BS to the VCs - TAM has ruined many founder's lives. In B2C, there's too much randomness but customer needs are quite universal. Do look at what is working abroad.

2. Grit. Do not give up. It won't be easier the next time either.

1. Shobhit in my team insisted on it. After Tapzo I've kept a low profile. But with Ghich Pich coming out, one doesn't have a choice in the matter - one must do whatever it takes. But it is also fun to an AMA. This is my first.
2. A History of Christianity by Maculloch
3. Shaving counts?
4. Naming stuff is always tough. When I wrote it in Covid, my mental state was like that. Much later, my wife pointed out that the title is similar to Ghachar Ghochar (one of our favourite novels). I did try for other names but couldn't find anything better. 2-3 friends even said it's a good name. So just went with it...

Haha, I do like the name too! Wishing you all the best. 🥳

This is a very good question. I do ask myself - how can one person do so many different things to a mediocre level? :)

But tbh, one can't analyse these things too much.

What I think I've realised is that despite a lot of effort, intensity, and some good luck, some aspects of outcomes (like things turning out well) are not in your control fully. So what do you do? Just soldier on in life, without caring about what others think and do what intuitively you feel is the next, right thing to do.

I hope I understood your question correctly!