In 2011, seasoned professional Ruchit Garg - who had worked at Microsoft for six years - made a dramatic career change. The 44-year-old abandoned his job as a technical programme manager at the company's Redmond headquarters, where he was making a sizable income of approximately Rs 1 crore annually, in order to return to India and follow his entrepreneurial goals.
Garg told Moneycontrol, "I got bored." "There, I felt like an outsider. I've always desired to own my own company."
In 2004, Garg had already dabbled with entrepreneurship before the startup scene took off. But it was seeing how many companies there were in the US that rekindled his enthusiasm for entrepreneurial endeavors.
In order to fulfill his dreams, Garg started Harvesting, a business that aims to transform India's agriculture industry. Taking use of his grandfather's mango estate in Uttar Pradesh, Garg aimed to make a significant contribution to a field that was dear to his heart.
Known as the next generation of Amul, Harvesting aims to empower small-holder farmers by giving them access to necessary resources including seeds, pesticides, and advice services, as well as by creating online and offline direct sales channels. The business asserts that it has helped more than 37 lakh farmers in India.
Garg's transformation from a poor beginnings to a prosperous businessman is evidence of his tenacity and willpower. Growing up with a single mother who was employed as an Indian railroads clerk, Garg was first introduced to the world of entrepreneurship through trips to the Lucknow railroads library. He read a ton of books there, including the Harvard Business Review, which he found to be inspirational with its case studies.
As he thought back on his experiences, Garg remembered his recent trip to Harvard University in 2018 and his invitation to give a speech on financial inclusion for smallholder farmers. He highlighted the great importance of his development on both a personal and professional level when he shouted, "And I bought a copy of Harvard Business Review at the Harvard University campus, mine own copy!".
