Highlights of my Journey till now!

It's not JUST about a Cover!

Did you know? Airbnb was started by selling cereal boxes to raise funds. I'm doing the same by selling accessories, from a fan, for the fans. I will use funds from this to restart my company, which shut down during COVID. If you want to help, buy one! If you're interested in my story, you can read it below.

👋 Hi, I'm Manish. I was like every one of you, waking up every day doing the same thing, living in the "Matrix", but I have decided to change and here's my story.

My father was a constable in the Army, so I spent most of my childhood living with him, my sister, and my mother in various Army camps across India. Like many others, I dreamed of finishing school, attending college, getting a job, finding a girl, getting married, and living happily ever after. However, everything changed when I was 18 and in the 12th grade. I had always been a bright student, but I failed my final year of school due to certain circumstances. My father was unsupportive, calling me a failure and telling me I would never achieve anything significant.

My school decided not to re-admit me for the next year. My mother and I took desperate measures, travelling hundreds of kilometres to seek help from various educational authorities. I was in Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kimin, a small town on the border of Assam and Arunachal, with no other school within a 50 km radius. We even requested assistance from the CEO of the Army battalion and travelled hundreds of kilometres to Dibrugarh to appeal to the regional office, but they all denied our requests. Eventually, I enrolled in open schooling and received permission to attend classes at my old school. I passed my 12th grade, and my father was transferred to Delhi.

I started looking for a college but couldn’t find a government one, so I decided to attend Galgotias University, yes, the same one you all know now. It was 94 km from where I lived, requiring a gruelling commute involving 3 buses, 2 metro lines, and 2 auto rides. I left home at 6 in the morning and returned around 10 PM, completely exhausted. My father’s constant complaints about me being a failure and wasting his money added to the stress. After six months, I realized that college wasn’t for me. Failing had taught me that there are other ways to live life, and I wasn’t scared to explore them. Unable to bear my father’s nagging and seeing little value in college, I decided to drop out, which in hindsight, was the best decision I ever made.

For months, I struggled to find a job. My parents’ negativity had left me underconfident, anxious, and scared. I went to interviews but often stammered and failed to answer simple questions. Eventually, I found a job as a waiter, which marked the beginning of my career. Working as a waiter for a few months gave me the confidence to talk to people and feel more open. With newfound confidence, I prepared a resume and applied to the same BPOs that had previously rejected me, and this time, I got selected.

Although the BPO job was my first, I soon realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do long-term. I started learning about startups and switched to a job in customer service. Over the next 2-3 years, I juggled different roles, always striving to understand each deeply and use my knowledge to solve problems.

In 2016, my life changed for the better. I had always loved mobiles and even flipped phones on OLX for pocket money during my college days. I saw a job post on Angellist for a "Product Manager." Although I didn’t know what a product manager was, I applied because it sounded interesting. I missed their reply for six months due to joining another company that eventually shut down. While going through old emails, I found the missed reply from Sahil, whom I now consider my mentor. I reached out to him, expressing my continued interest. He sent me a couple of questions, not about work but about integrity. After answering them, we met, and I shared my story. He found me intriguing and intelligent, so he decided to hire me.

The company was Phonecurry.com (which I'm trying to restart), a phone recommendation platform. I worked there for five years, eventually becoming a co-founder. During my time there, I learned a lot about design, product management, branding, and more importantly, how to see the world differently. Surrounded by smart people, our lunch conversations often revolved around world politics, policies, and making the world a better place, this is the reason we had to shut down the company, we never cared about the money, we all wanted to do good work and when COVID came, we didn't have enough money to sustain. I became more empathetic, and self-aware, and started thinking more critically while working at Phonecurry, I have also learnt from my mistakes after it was shut down and will do better this time.

After five years of earning a constant salary of ₹30,000 per month, I had no money and was in debt. I started a small store in my hometown selling used phones, but it didn’t go well. I then found a well-paying job in Bangalore, which helped me become debt-free. I spent a year there before moving on to my last job.

In my last job, I worked for a 22-year-old rich founder with a grand vision, but the reality was far from ideal. He ran the company like a dictator, treating people with disrespect. Despite my attempts to help him improve, he often got angry and insulted me. Unable to tolerate the toxic environment any longer, I resigned without any backup or job security.

Now, I have no income, but I need to survive. Seeing everything around me has made me hyper-aware. I read about what’s happening in the world and how people in power are destroying it. It’s not about a country, religion, or colour; people are being systematically oppressed. We are made to live routine lives, not to ask questions, and we are being programmed through social media. Growing up, I always hoped the world would be a better place, but it has only gotten worse. The way we have structured our world is broken, with a small number of people controlling it based on their ego, uneducated, and ill-informed people playing with our lives.

I can’t see this anymore, so I have decided to change things.

I’m not selling you products; it’s up to you. If you like and can afford them, buy them happily. This will help me survive and get the funds to restart my company, which shut down during COVID. If you’re an engineer, reach out to me. I’m looking for people to help me build it. I want to use it as a platform to be in a position where I can help and change policies that will help people and create a better world. 

I want to bring significant changes to our education system to make it more inclusive and supportive of all students, regardless of their circumstances. Additionally, I aim to advocate for better work-life balance for people, ensuring they are not treated merely as resources but as individuals with unique needs and potential. If I have to, I will get into politics to speak for the people. I’m exhausted from no one taking initiative. If you want to get involved directly, connect with me. If you want to help, buy a Cover, and you will have a friend in me. You can reach out to me on Instagram or LinkedIn.