Create an SaaS Startup Without Risking It All with Anand Karasi

Anand Karasi is from a small town called Koraput in Orissa, India.  He came to the US for college and had hopes of pursuing a career in the aerospace industry.  A small delay in his plans due to an issue with his green card, turned 18 months into 10 years.  Over this time, while Anand worked at several large corporations to learn as much as he could, he developed a “bug” in his brain that completely consumed him.  He could not sleep at nights because of this “bug” and eventually he knew he had to pursue his startup dreams.

In this episode, Anand gives us a peek into his mind as he built his start up.  Beyond that, Anand has some great advice for others that may be afflicted with a brain “bug”, and he shares some tips on how to deal with it.  In this episode, you will also learn:

How some of the old engineering techniques influenced Huna Makia
Why Anand made the change from Aero-space engineering 
How turning down a job with Microsoft may have been the best thing that ever happened
Why it made sense to take the risk of building a start up 
How his hospital SaaS company fared in the beginning
Where the idea for his start up originated
The regrets Anand has about his exit strategy
How his start up weakness, became his next venture
You are selling everyday.  All day, everyday.
The most important sale you can make when you are married is selling your spouse on your business.
How the green card changed the course of Anand’s career
Where the name Huna Makia originated
Why Anand wasn’t afraid to re-work his product when it wasn’t working
How collaborating with other entrepreneurs can help your business
The lengths he went to in order to refine his product and get it right

Anand shared with us 4 guiding principles to consider when you are afflicted with the “brain bug” of a new business idea:

You should not do a start up, just for the sake of doing a start up.
The only reason to create a start up is if you can’t get an idea out of your head.  This idea will be a bug in your head that you can’t get away from.
When the bug in your brain drives you to feel deeply about this idea, then it is time to start.
Try pusruing your idea without making it a start up.  Do it as part of an existing company. 

  Mentions: Huna Makia

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Anand Karasi on LinkedIn 

Anand Karasi on Facebook