Deepinder Goyal, founder of Zomato, discusses his journey from childhood struggles to building a billion-dollar company. He shares insights on startup culture, investor relations, competition with Swiggy and Blinkit, and the importance of obsession and ownership mindset in business success.
Deepinder Goyal, the self-made billionaire and founder of Zomato, shares his inspiring journey and insights into building one of India's most successful quick commerce companies. From facing bullying in childhood to leading a $25 billion public company, Goyal's story is a testament to resilience, vision, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Deepinder recalls his childhood experiences of being bullied for being small, dark-skinned, and having a stammer. Friends and even parents advised others not to befriend him. The most painful part was that people often did not listen when he spoke. However, today, even if he stammers, people listen to him, highlighting his transformation and growth.
When asked if he ever doubted Zomato's success, Deepinder admits that they did not even have a clear vision initially. They were simply doing things they wanted to do without a defined roadmap. This organic approach led to Zomato growing from zero to a $25 billion-plus public company.
Deepinder emphasizes that they never gave predictions to investors. The organization operates without quarterly or annual goals. Instead, they trust their people to do the best job possible. This trust-based culture is a cornerstone of their success.
He acknowledges that working alongside him is very demanding. He expects obsession with building something meaningful. Founders should not treat their work as just a job but as a lifelong mission.
Deepinder highlights a critical flaw in many organizations: employees thinking with a job mindset rather than an owner mindset. He shares an example where a system issue took two hours to fix, but the employee decided to postpone it to Monday, showing a lack of ownership. He would personally not leave work unfinished on a Friday evening.
Startups, he says, are not built on a 9-to-5 attitude. They require dedication beyond conventional work hours.
Deepinder shares his experience with Blinkit, a company founded by a friend since they were 15 years old. Despite rumors that they bailed out a friend by giving money, Deepinder clarifies that their approach was objective. After acquiring Blinkit, he asked the founder to leave if he could not meet the company's standards.
At one point, Swiggy was far ahead of Zomato. Deepinder acknowledges that Swiggy's customer love was real, evident when even his friends preferred Swiggy over Zomato. This realization highlighted the need to improve and innovate continuously.
Deepinder states that competitors do not affect their focus. They concentrate on their work and do not get distracted by others.
One thing that frustrates Deepinder is when people with 100% potential perform at only 10% and remain indifferent about it. He also criticizes the disposable attitude some companies have towards employees, firing them randomly when performance dips.
Zomato hires around 150,000 to 200,000 people every month, making it one of the largest job creators. Gig workers, who work 6 days a week for 8 to 10 hours a day, earn over 25,000 INR monthly on average.
Deepinder Goyal's journey from a bullied child to a visionary entrepreneur underscores the importance of resilience, trust, obsession, and ownership in building successful businesses. His candid insights into startup culture, competition, and leadership offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.
This story is not just about building a company but about transforming challenges into opportunities and continuously striving for excellence in the dynamic world of quick commerce and technology.
