Building a brand that is used by 20% of India's D2C Market | Chirag Taneja, CEO - GoKwik | Unstarted

Chirag Taneja built GoKwik into 1 in 5 D2C checkouts in India. But the path there was a series of bets that didn't work, jobs that didn't last, and one moment in 2020 where the suitcases for Canada were packed and waiting in his living room.
In Episode 12 of Unstarted, Chirag sits down with Avnish Bajaj to talk about what it actually means to keep tinkering, and when tinkering becomes the thing that holds you back.
They get into: 

1. What's really important to start a business: idea, capital, or knowledge? 
2. Why choosing the right problem matters more than solving any problem 
3. The Canada PR that almost happened (and the suitcases that are still in his house) 
4. Probabilistic thinking, and why "generate choices" beats "make decisions" 
5. Should you have a co-founder you don't already know? 
6. How he thinks about ESOPs, the size of the pie

Unstarted is a Z47 series. For founders, by founders. New episode every Thursday.

Chapters 

00:18 From the shop floor to a 1-in-5 D2C company
01:35 A banker father, a single parent, and "play with intent"
03:15 Why he chose Delhi College over IIT Delhi Civil
05:30 The first Asian team to build a Formula race car
06:25 The Maruti bet that landed him on the shop floor
07:10 Q: Idea, capital, or knowledge — what matters most?
08:50 How Bombay Shaving Company became the foundation of GoKwik
09:35 The right problem matters more than the right solution
10:55 Payments were broken in 2005. They were still broken in 2017.
11:50 Pick your game: badminton or golf?
13:20 The Canada PR, the suitcases, and the trip that never happened
15:25 Generate choices before you make decisions
17:50 When the tinkerer turns on himself
19:15 Why "what worked then" stops working at 1-to-10
22:45 Q: When should you have a co-founder?
24:45 Why arranged co-founders are too risky
28:30 Closing