Summary

When businesses expand to new geographies, the founders get caught up in the hustle to make things work. While Indian founders in the US may benefit from the presence of a larger community, they all recognise the importance of making the move easier for their loved ones. Finding a social circle is just as important as finding a good professional support group. Valuing their personal life, finding little routines to connect with the family, and keeping fit are some things founders swear by.

Moving countries and time zones is difficult. It’s a big step for anyone, whether they’re doing it for personal or professional reasons. But when you’re a founder building a new business across geographies, things can get baffling. 

You have to manage time simultaneously in understanding the culture and nuances of a new land, dealing with the vast changes in customers and an unknown market, and making sure the move is not isolating or difficult for your family. 

It’s something all founders have faced. Finding the right balance between business and home. And it goes way beyond the logistics of finding a good place to stay, having a supportive network of similar people, finding the right schools for your children, and so on. These things are important, no doubt, but they’re usually a one-time occurrence. Once you’ve found the right fit for these is when the actual — for lack of a better word — adjustments begin. 

Founders often talk about how difficult the move was for their spouses, especially if there were work visa issues. Or how the lack of an Indian social support system became a pain point. The lack of an active social life can also be an intensely isolating experience for family members. Unlike business growth, customers, finding product-market fit, or networks, there are few universal hacks that work for everyone’s personal life. 

We spoke to Shaily Garg, founder and CEO of GlobalFair, Raghu Ravinutala, co-founder and CEO of Yellow.ai, and Shreesha Ramdas, former CEO of Strikedeck, investor and advisor to a host of startups and founders, to talk about how the move from India to the US impacted their personal lives. 

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First thoughts

Collective founder wisdom says it is a good practice to visit the US before making the move lock, stock, and barrel with family. It helps to invest time in understanding how systems work in a new country, what locations work when deciding to move with family, and identifying socialising opportunities. Of course, it all has to make sense and align with your business. 

“Our business has been in the cross-border space since day one. Earlier I used to travel to the US frequently, but with time zone gaps and long travel schedules, this very quickly started to become a liability for our family. Sooner or later, it would have started to impact business. But it was also clear that being in the US would bring exponential insight into the customer's market and was essential for GlobalFair's growth. So we decided and fixed one axis of this problem, and took the call to move to the US. We started aligning my spouse's opportunities, ‌which helped us with visa processes and made the shift easier for us,” says Shaily.

But how do founders decide where they want to be based in the US?

Raghu moved from India in 2022 with his wife and two children, aged nine and one. He had three primary considerations while deciding where to be based: making the move easier for his wife, the presence of an Indian community, and good schools in the region. 

“We chose California for business reasons. It's probably best to be in this ecosystem. But we also found that the area is the most inviting for people moving from India. Along with the presence of a strong community, my wife's company also had an office here. Moreover, a lot of our friends were in and around Fremont and the Bay Area. This aside, our shortlist included locations with the best schools,” he says. 

It helped that Raghu was travelling frequently to and from the US throughout 2021. By the time they made the move, they had all the basics in place, including a family car and friends who made the move a welcome one.

New routines

Managing family and business across different geographies need founders to fire on all cylinders, and many face the risk of burnout. Their life is such. Crazy time zone differences and widely different ways of working are just part of the deal. The constant eye on numbers and pressure to achieve milestones can also be draining. Therefore, having a constant factor in life that doesn’t change is important. That factor is family. 

"We keep aside 15 minutes every day for each other. No phones. We talk over tea because at this time, across all time zones we deal with, the business has either closed or not yet started." - Shaily

But in the growth stages, making the time every day may be difficult. It will mean aligning expectations with the family or keeping some exclusive time for them. In addition to keeping her weekends work-free, Shaily and her husband have a few rituals that help them be connected to each other. 

“We keep aside 15 minutes every day for each other. No phones. We talk over tea, usually between 4:00 PM PT - 6:00 PM PT, because at this time, across all time zones we deal with, the business has either closed or not yet started. We keep aside half an hour to one hour for brainstorming on GlobalFair weekly. It helps me get a fresh perspective and growth ideas from someone outside the domain. My husband is an ex-founder, and is equally invested in the success of GlobalFair,” she says.

"With a 12.5-hour time difference, you are going to be stretched. I don't think I've solved the problem fully, but I am getting 7-8 hours of sleep every day, and time to work out, which is pretty decent." - Raghu

She also budgets time for boxing and being physically active. She keeps 1-1.5 hours in a day just for herself. This “me time” has helped her de-couple, read, and develop new theories for the business. She takes the time to zoom out, understand the macroenvironment and assess the current goings on to make better decisions in the future. 

For Raghu, having co-founders look after other geographies while he takes care of the US is a formula that has almost worked. “My co-founder Rashid looks after most of the Asia Pacific International business. I had cut down on my need and involvement in as many things as possible so I could focus 100% on the US as a market. But with a 12.5-hour time difference, you are going to be stretched. I don't think I've solved the problem fully, but I am getting 7-8 hours of sleep every day, and time to work out, which is pretty decent,” he laughs.

He’s also quick to admit that he hasn’t completely solved for keeping his weekends fully work-free. “It’s a work-in-progress, but spending time with family and outings definitely help cut down on stress,” he says. Raghu also highly recommends year-end breaks to recharge and energise.

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Finding new friends

The journey for the spouses is often lonely, so Shreesha recommends founders find social circles for their better halves before landing in the US. 

“If you are married, and if you're coming with family, then I have seen the wives miss having an active social circle. And if they're not working, then it becomes really boring. Reach out to your support system so that you're welcomed initially, and you have some social circle to get started with,” he says.

The ever-increasing Indian founder community in the US has been helping the newbies find their footing faster and have sage advice for them to make things easier for the family. 

The adjustment can be especially hard for children. A lot depends on how old they are too, but the vast difference in schooling, education systems and peer groups can be daunting for the young ones. 

"If you are married, and if you're coming with family, then I have seen [spouses] miss having an active social circle. Reach out to your support system so that you're welcomed and you have some social circle to get started with." - Shreesha

“In India, children are accustomed to having a lot of kids around the community. They have other kids to play with at any time. That needs a little bit of proactive effort here. You need to find people with children the same age as yours, and set up some play dates,” says Raghu. It was also important to ensure the timing of their move to the US aligned with their daughter’s school year. “Staying near the school was also nice because she makes friends in school and has them to play around with. Even after school hours, it's a much easier combination. My wife and I were also proactively seeking playdates and making friends,” he adds. 

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Valuing the personal

The pandemic, lockdowns, and the rigorous back-to-work have also been quite an adjustment for many founders and their families. 

Unfortunate as it was, the pandemic forced everyone to take a pause and evaluate the things that are necessary for their life. So while founders plough on and build new businesses, they also have a deeper appreciation of having a strong support system they can count on. 

“GlobalFair was started during the pandemic, which proved to be a blessing in disguise. My partner's expertise proved invaluable in the early stages of the company, and we were able to work together while also spending quality time with each other. It was a challenging time, but it brought us closer together and made us even more resilient as a team,” Shaily recounts.

At the end of the day, most founders manage to find the right balance between the personal and professional. But taking care of the little things for the family goes a long way in making the move less stressful for everyone. 

Shaily signs off with sage advice: “While hustle is a must, burnout is the worst. So, invest in a sustainable lifestyle both professionally and personally, instead of chugging energy drinks and hoping for a quick buzz.” 

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#worklifebalance #adjustment #cultureshock #adapting