His passion for the
Internet has made him CEO of a web solutions and networking company at the
age of 17. Suhas Gopinath today runs offices across 11 countries!
At a seminar on
'Education System in India' at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,
last year, a boy dressed in casuals stepped out of his car and entered the
gate. He is stopped by the security personnel: "This event is only for
CEOs, you are a college boy. ‘The boy smiled, picked up his cell phone and
soon a whole swarm of organizers arrived at the entrance to usher him in.
But then we really
can't blame the security. Even the wisest of men probably wont guess that
the 17-year-old Suhas Gopinath can be the CEO and President of a
Bangalore-based IT solutions company, Globals Inc. Suhas had actually been
invited as one of the speakers at the seminar... "Because of my age and
looks, I often land in embarrassing situations and do not know how to
handle the confusion, ‘says a candid Suhas, who is currently juggling is
corporate life with a BE in Information Science at the M.S. Ramaiah
Institute of I n fo r m a t i o n Technology. He owns a car, bought out of
his earnings, but doesn't have a license to drive it around the city as he
is too young to get a license! As a CEO, he wraps up mega deals, but
cannot sign on the dotted line as legally he is not yet an adult.
His is a story of
a pastime turning into obsession. As a student at Air Force School in
Mathikere, he frequented a cyber cafe near his home. "I was overwhelmed by
the world of Internet. It became a passion. Though my parents were
completely against it, I would spend hours before the computer. My elder
brother Shreyas encouraged a lot. I learnt HTML, ASP and every possible
software at the cyber cafe,'' recalls Gopinath. On May 14, 2000, along
with friends Clifford Leslie and Vinay M.N, he floated his own website-www.coolhindustani.com.
"I did not have the money to start. My parents refused to give my a penny,
saying it was not worth it. So I wrote to Network Solutions Inc in the US
and they readily agreed,'' he says.
Suhas, really had
'IT' in him. In August, the same year, he set up Globals Inc, a web
solutions and n e t wor k i n g company, with a team of four. Now, he has
350 employers, offices in 11 countries, and a turnover of $1 million this
year.
"Initially we
offered the services for free. As most of us were studying and were very
young to actually run the company, many clients were not keen on us. But
after seeing the work we delivered, they were impressed. Lot of them in
fact still are very encouraging, ‘he smiles.
At the Bangalore
office, there are more than 15 full-time software engineers today. How
does he deal with employees elder to him by many years? "Most of the
people who work with me are between the age group of 17-19 yrs. I treat
them as friends first, than act like a boss. So the job becomes much more
easier,'' adds Gopinath.
But it's a
stressful life, he admits. “As I got more interested in the company, my
studies went for a toss. In my Class X exams I scored 80 per cent, but in
I PUC could barely get 65 per cent. Even here I try and not bunk too many
classes, but clients cannot be given lame excuses. When I have exams, I
tell them I am unwell...'' he is candid.
Success comes with
a price and Suhas has understood the importance of it. "At times, I repent
that I am not a normal boy, enjoying a teenager's carefree life. Most of
the time I am forced to wear blazers and I am always nervous-about work or
studies,'' he says. While most others of his age are rolling balls down a
bowling alley, he is charting the road map for his company. "We are
planning to start management consultancy in the industry sector as well.
There are plans to expand our services to non-IT areas by next year,''
explains Suhas. But ask him what's his message for to-be entrepreneurs and
he's cautious. “I don't think I am mature enough advise others, but if you
have it in you, go for it. One should also make time to enjoy other things
in life. With work, you get too busy to even repent,'' he adds.
