Chennai entrepreneur Vivek Thiruvengadam recently shared a deeply personal LinkedIn post that’s inspiring anyone who dreams of starting something bold. In it, he recalled a daring decision: leaving New York, where he’d lived for 14 years, and returning to India with only ₹90,000 in his Indian bank account, no job waiting, no investors lined up, not even an office. Just a laptop, an internet connection, and audacity.
The One-Way Ticket That Changed Everything
This life-changing journey began on December 23, 2020, when he bought a one-way ticket from New York to Chennai. His wife’s reaction? “She looked at me like I’d lost my mind.” But he pressed on no safety net, just belief that it could succeed.
Turning Risk into Opportunity
At the time, Thiruvengadam also had an 11-month-old baby in his arms. He clarified later that while the ₹90,000 referred specifically to his Indian bank account, he had planned emergency funds beforehand. It was a careful balance of risk and realism.
Today: Real Impact, Real Lives Changed
Fast-forward to today, and his venture, a sustainable fitness company for busy professionals, has grown to a team of six and claims to have transformed over 750 lives. That’s real, measurable impact from a humbly begun journey.
Lessons in Courage and Vision
- Trust in yourself: Even without resources or guarantees, conviction can drive momentum.
- Be lean, be smart: Starting with just a laptop and belief, not offices or funding.
- Own your narrative: By sharing his journey openly, he’s inspiring others to consider that security often starts inside, not in bank statements.
Why This Story Resonates Today
Stories like this matter because they cut through the noise. So much startup coverage centers on funding rounds or fancy offices. Here’s one that reminds us success often begins quietly, with courage, grit, and a little uncertainty.
