'I wanted to follow my dream of creating an institution'

With almost 2 decades of experience as an HR professional, Koustuv Mitra had the perfect blend of experience and expertise to set up an HRO business. But running a business requires much more than domain expertise. Mitra got a chance to step into a business role when one of his employers was facing a severe crisis. "I got dragged into a situation where I had to help pull my com- pany out of a crisis situation. That gave me that confidence that I could also run a business." His entrepreneurial decision might have been triggered by cir- cumstances, but his journey seems meticulously planned. "There is no magic in life. Success requires a lot hard work," he says. "The journey of an entrepreneur is a very lonely journey. You have to have a long term vision and plan out each stage clearly. Do things step by step."

Mitra worked across different verticals with some leading companies like Coke, Electrolux, Convergys, and airtel before he finally set up his own. His experience in the retail sector helped him understand the nuances of customer orientation and productivity, while IT and telecom gave him insight into technology-led value creation. "I realised that any HR activity that needs no discretion or low discretion should be automated. I decided to create an HRMS that could be used to effectively manage HR processes," he explains.

Having worked for several MNCs, Mitra had exposure to some world class systems and process that he wanted to leverage. "I wanted to follow my dream of creating an institution," he says. "Creating something of your own gives you a joy that no job in any large corporation can provide."