By Chirag Sehgal,News18,Sahas Mahapatra

Copyright news18

Anupam Mittal, the founder of People Group and Shaadi.com, has built an empire that inspires millions of budding entrepreneurs. But did you know his journey was full of failures before he made it big?
In a recent chat, Anupam, known for his straight talk and witty comebacks, opened up about how he hustled through multiple ventures and eventually made a jaw-dropping Rs 50 crore in just one year.
When asked about the first time he became a millionaire during a chat with The Wealthy Circle, Anupam revealed he achieved it at the young age of 25. But it wasn’t as smooth as it seemed. “I was 25, though I lost all the money later on,” he admitted candidly. And when asked about his biggest yearly income, Anupam casually dropped the bomb, “Oh god! I would say the most in one year would be 50 crores.”
Hustles That Didn’t Work
Mittal, further in the conversation, revealed that he first started with a book library. He added, “When I was a teenager I started a book library at home, wo chali nahi. I was very restless. Phir maine sports club shuru kiya wo thoda thoda chala. Then I started some export business when I was 18 or 19. Usme bhi loss khaa gaye. So I tried many different hustles, but nothing worked.”
How A Priest Inspired Shaadi.Com
Each failure gave Mittal lessons that later fueled his biggest idea: Shaadi.com, born out of a casual conversation with a priest. Anupam shared, “Mujhe ek pandit ji mile, mujhse bole tumhari shaadi karani hai. Maine poocha aap kitne logon ko jaante ho, unhone kaha 100-150 logon ko. I said mujhe karodon me ek chahiye. To usse mujhe idea aaya ki agar isko internet pe dalenge to koi kisi ko kahin bhi dhoond sakta hai (I met a priest who told me he wanted to perform my wedding. I asked him how many people he knew, and he said 100-150. I said I needed one in a million. That gave me the idea that if I put it online, anyone could find someone anywhere).”
The Turning Point For Anupam Mittal
Mittal said he knew his idea had turned into a real business by 2005. He explained, “People started buying subscriptions. We were making more money than we were putting in. Paisa profit ban raha tha, Karodon rupaya saal ka! Wo time samajh aa gaya tha ki ye to real hai.”
His smartest move, though? Buying the domain Shaadi.com. During the chat, he recalled starting with Sagai.com, which didn’t work. But when he switched to Shaadi.com, the brand clicked instantly.