Anand Jain - Formal Education Is Not a Substitute For What You'll Learn on the Job (Co-Founder and CSO - Clever Tap )

Entrepreneurship isn't easy. There are many ups and downs on literally a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. So take it up, not because it's cool, but because you truly believe in the idea and are passionate enough to spend at least a decade solving it.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I grew up in Ahmedabad, and am a Commerce graduate. Somewhere along my schooling years, I had a big itch to understand how electrical things like Iron, Fan, etc. work. I used to tinker a lot. Open up things and try to put them back together. 

I brute-forced my way into learning electrical repair and then fixing electronic things like cordless phones, tape recorders, etc. While still in school, I did plenty of odd jobs on the side. I've been a techie for more than two decades now. Worked across multiple geographies - US, India, China, both as an employee and as an entrepreneur.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

I had my first interaction with computers (a BBC Micro) at the Vikram Sarabhai Labs in Ahmedabad, where a friend and I used to go on Sundays during our summer vacations. I was fascinated and wanted to be near computers all the time. I guess that interaction sowed the seeds for what was to come.

While I couldn't score adequate marks to get selected for the Science stream, I always dabbled on the side working on either software or assembling computers whenever I got a chance.
                                   

Studies today show that an organization can lose INR 10 lakh (~ $17,000) on average on a wrong hire or for hiring someone with a false degree. The only tried and tested way to prevent frauds is via a thorough background verification process. Download SpringVerify's e-book for a comprehensive guide to Employee Background Verification in India.

What does your typical workday look like?

My workday starts by responding to messages sent by our global teams. I currently lead the CleverTap for Startups initiative meant for early-stage B2C startups, so we have a team meeting (aka standup) around noon, and then the day is spent with various leaders of CleverTap or writing the spec for a product, or reviewing new features that we're launching. I usually work pretty late (this email I'm typing at ~1 am).

I do make time for fitness. Either I go for a run or a walk. I trek on the weekends, though it's stopped for the last 18 months due to the COVID pandemic in India.

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

I disagree. Formal education is important, however, it's not a substitute for what you'll learn on the job. When you hire people fresh out of college, it's important to spend time with them to prepare them for the role & the business context. Having said that, any student who runs a business while going through college brings instant value to their work because of their understanding of how a business works.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

Lying on the resume is an unpardonable offense. We don't tolerate it. However, we do give a fair & unbiased hearing opportunity to the person before deciding on the action.

What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

When you're just starting out the challenges are related to the first round of funding, product-market fit, hiring the first team, working on the product. That's what I call the zero to one stage. 

Later on, the challenges evolve to finding customers or making sure that the customers are being served well, defining and dividing up roles & responsibilities amongst teammates, putting metrics in place to measure various aspects of the business.

Later stage challenges would include geographic expansion, finding talented people who are still hungry, ensuring the culture is set for high performance, etc. 

                             

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

Entrepreneurship isn't easy. There are many ups and downs on literally a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. So take it up, not because it's cool, but because you truly believe in the idea and are passionate enough to spend at least a decade solving it.

Which is your favorite book and why?

There are so many. Each book I read enlightens me so much. I recently read The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, the one before that was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, and the one before that was The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. 

My absolute favorites though are biographies. It shows how ordinary individuals can accomplish seemingly impossible things. Some favorite biographies/autobiographies - Made in America, Made in Japan, Let me people go surfing, Pour your heart into it, Delivering Happiness, and so many more