Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO, Paytm “This was in 2004, when I used to aim at earning at least Rs 6,000 a month. That’s because Rs 5,000 would go towards house rent, Rs 500 for electricity and Rs 500 for personal use. I remember avoiding the landlord as I was not able to give rent on time. So I used to do these one day jobs, like giving lectures about internet, setting up internet network. I was available for Rs 5,000 a day (laughs) at that time. Living on a budget simply means you have to be extremely careful with money. I didn’t have any institutional money then and the company was breaking even in the balance sheet but not in cash flow.” Pranay Chulet, CEO, Quikr “This whole being-on-abudget thing is a matter of perspective. Some of the best things in life are done in a pair of blue jeans and on a budget. I don’t know what defines being on a budget but I guess in my journey, my college days should qualify for that. When all of us were fukras and used to fuss over splitting our nearzero canteen bills to the last penny. I guess that’s when I learnt some pretty cool life lessons. Like jeans are better than suits, simple wood is less slippery than marble, and dreams go farther than money.” Akshay Dhoot, Head of Technology and Innovation, Videocon “Boarding school made me learn how to manage expenses. I was on fixed pocket money and took buses instead of taxis to save money and buy gadgets. I bought my first touchscreen smartphone with my own savings.” Kunal Bahl, CEO, Snapdeal “I was doing three eclectic jobs — helping out in research, working with an NGO and running my own detergent company (my first company) when I was in college in the US. I love food and one of the reasons I worked hard was so I could afford to eat at a decent restaurant. When we (he and Rohit Bansal) started the company (Snapdeal), we had no money. Whenever investors would ask us to come for a meeting, we would just say, “Skype kar lete hai.” Of course, there were learnings. One, don’t waste money. Second, don’t buy things you have to worry about. I never owned a watch in my life, don’t have a fancy car, big house, nothing. Third, make sure if someone else is in need, you are there to support them. The helplessness when you don’t have money for basic needs is quite acute.” Radha Kapoor, Executive Director, ISDI “I am always on a budget. Though today I am fortunate to be able to afford most luxuries and comforts, as a person I am value conscious. The foundation of this was laid when I was a student in the US. I would take part time on-campus jobs to generate some income. It is important to live within your means. As an entrepreneur this ethos of a rupee saved is a rupee earned comes handy. My various ventures are at different lifecycle stages, yet culturally, my team and I believe in inculcating a bootstrapping mind-set without compromising on quality. While we have instituted delegation in our teams, with respect to costs-spends or investments, I insist on a weekly MIS which I review to the last rupee.”