Chirag Thakker was a 36-year-old man who had a passion for HR and entrepreneurship. He started his journey in 2006 working for a recruitment firm for two years. After gaining enough experience, he decided to pursue his Master's degree and eventually landed a job in the corporate world working with banks.
But his life changed when he joined a startup and realized that this was where he truly belonged. Over the years, Chirag worked with high-growth startups like Emirates and Upgrad. He always dreamed of starting his own business, but the timing never seemed right. However, the tough times in 2020, with a lot of layoffs happening, made Chirag reconsider his options.
That's when his wife gave him the push he needed to start his entrepreneurship journey. She motivated him to start his own recruitment firm named Lateral HR, which would eventually lead to the birth of Lateral Bridge. Chirag had been in HR for a few years, and he knew that there were problems in the field that needed to be solved. The biggest problem was technology hiring.
In 2021, Chirag started Lateral HR as a traditional recruitment firm. But he saw an opportunity to solve a bigger problem and started working on an idea. He figured out that staff augmentation was the future, and in December 2022, he launched Lateral Bridge, a marketplace for staff augmentation tech partners. The goal of Lateral Bridge was to streamline the big industries of staff augmentation services.
However, the journey of starting a business was not easy. Chirag had to risk his personal finances and face the uncertainty of not having a fixed income. He faced many challenges, including financial difficulties and personal sacrifices. His personal life was in jeopardy, and he often felt anxious and stressed about what would happen next.
Despite the challenges, Chirag was determined to make Lateral Bridge a success. He found comfort in the fact that he was working for himself and not answerable to anyone. The freedom and independence of entrepreneurship were sweet, but the biggest pain was financial loss.
Chirag's family played a crucial role in his journey. They were supportive and understanding, and his wife was there to bear the brunt of his frustration, irritation, and anger. She had more faith in him than he had in himself and kept pushing him forward.
Looking back, Chirag wished that someone had told him to take care of his personal finances for 12 months before jumping into entrepreneurship. He also wished he had known not to get desperate for sales, as they would eventually come.
The journey of Lateral Bridge changed Chirag as an individual. He became more confident and resilient, and he learned to take risks and face challenges head-on. He also learned the importance of personal finances and the role of the family in his life.
In conclusion, Chirag's journey with Lateral Bridge was a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs. But he never gave up, and his passion and determination helped him overcome the challenges and achieve his goals. He learned valuable lessons about entrepreneurship and personal growth that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
Chirag Thakker,
Founder, Lateral Bridge
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