People today don’t want to listen to superheroes: Ankur Warikoo

You may have seen him on Instagram offering three tips on everything, from how to increase your productivity to how to improve your relationships.

You may have seen his Friday threads on Twitter that inflect personal reflections with career advice.

You must have seen him pop up on YouTube midway through the latest Taylor Swift song or in between highlights of Premier League matches.

He is Ankoor Warikoo, and he is everywhere.

Out with his first book, Do Epic Shit (published by Juggernaut in end-2021), Warikoo wears many hats; he was the founder and CEO of Nearbuy, India’s first hyperlocal online platform, from 2015 to 2019.

My Kolkata caught up with Warikoo about his book, his life, and the traits that have made him one of the most recognisable entities in India’s digital space.

My Kolkata: First things first, who exactly is Ankur Warikoo and what does he do?

Ankur Warikoo: If I had a gun to my head, I’d say I’m an entrepreneur, because that’s who I’ve been and that’s the way I think. But the longer answer is that besides being an entrepreneur, I’m a content creator, a teacher, and now an author. I have multiple versions, which is something I talk about in my book.

Speaking of your book, how did you come up with the name “Do Epic Shit”?

In 2012, on my birthday, two of my very dear entrepreneur friends gifted me a poster which said, “Do Epic Shit”. It sounded really cool, something to vibe with, something that’s fun and quirky. I placed the poster on my desk and used to stare at it every day.

Over a period of time, I came to realise that this is how I have lived my life. Gradually, “Do Epic Shit” became my life motto as well as my ideology. So when it came to choosing the title of my first book, it was an easy decision.

Let me break down what each word means. “Do” here means that action is greater than thought. “Epic” means going beyond your immediate circle of influence to create something that’s larger than yourself. And “Shit” in the sense that you’re having fun while you’re doing it!

People want to learn from someone they can relate to

There are a plethora of self-help books out there that provide advice on many of the topics – success, money, relationships – you address in Do Epic Shit. What makes your book different?

It’s the same thing that makes my content different. When I started creating content (on LinkedIn in 2016 through “Warikoo Wednesdays”), I didn’t have anything new to share per se. But what I did differently was that I brought in a lot of relatability, so it wasn’t about “here are 10 things you should do”, or “I know better than you”. It was more about speaking to my audience, not as an expert, but as someone who’s made a lot of mistakes. I don’t know of too many books whose first line is, “This book may very well turn out to be the most useless book you will ever buy.”

That’s how people connect today. They don’t want to listen to superheroes. When it comes to self-help, they want to learn from someone they can relate to and identify with, which, I think, has been my forte.

Finding a niche audience is a better currency to chase than simply chasing volume

In your book, you talk about “Consistency + Authenticity” as the magic formula for content creators. While consistency is demanding, more creators seem to struggle with authenticity. In a world where imposter syndrome hits so many of us everyday, how can we find and retain our authentic selves?

Authenticity, by definition, is that you don’t give two hoots about anyone else. It’s not about becoming someone else but finding out how many people can resonate with who you truly are. That’s the journey and the struggle.

A lot of people want to create content and become big overnight. But I think a better approach is to understand who, and at what quantum, is willing to connect if you’re being yourself. If you’re able to find a massive audience in doing so, then you’re lucky and blessed. But even if you find a niche audience that loves you for what you do, that’s still a better currency to chase than simply chasing volume.

In the section on relationships in Do Epic Shit, you mention the importance of kindness in everyday life and its role in facilitating empathy. How do you see the role of kindness today, given how polarised the world seems to be, especially in the digital space?

The big fallacy of today’s world is that if I have a certain point of view, people tend to believe that I’m rejecting every other point of view. I believe what kindness does is that it makes me appreciate the other side, but still gives me the control over whether I want to accept the other side or not. For me to understand you, I don’t need to agree with you.

When people troll me or say something that’s hurtful or disrespectful, I always respond by saying, “I understand you, but I still politely disagree.” That’s the power of kindness. We often think of kindness as weakness, as being submissive. But I think of kindness as the ability to listen to someone without feeling the need to respond to them.

A way of life that doesn’t involve chasing goals or targets

Coming to your personal journey, you seemed to have your goals figured out in your early 20s – go to the United States, get a PhD, join NASA, and become the first man to set foot on Mars! What made you reconsider and leave your PhD midway? How did you feel when you saw your carefully constructed plan fall apart?

It was devastating. It felt like my entire world had come crashing down. Everything I was taught was built around the fact that to be successful in life, you’ve got to have a plan. I had a plan, as good as a plan can get, but it didn’t work out because I realised I was doing something I was good at but it wasn’t something that made me happy.

When I made the decision to return to India at 24, I felt quite confused, even shattered. We’re always told that we’ve got to have a plan, but what is the basis of coming up with a plan in the first place? When you think of it, most plans in life are just desires.

After coming back from the United States, my one year in business school (the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad) changed me in meaningful ways. I realised that not living without a plan is a way of thinking, a way of life.

I’m where I am today not because I’m the smartest person I know or the most hard-working. It’s because I committed myself to a way of life that doesn’t involve chasing goals or targets.

During your tenure as CEO and your time in the corporate world in general, what are the most important lessons you learnt and do they remain relevant in today’s world?

Everything I learnt is still extremely relevant today. In essence, there are three lessons I want to share.

First, systems and processes matter. It matters that someone somewhere isn’t saying “it’s not my job”. If everyone were to say that at a large organisaiton, things would begin to crumble.

Second, it’s magical how what you’re doing in corporate life in your own cocoon, as just another brick in a very large wall, somehow comes together. This taught me the power of individual contributions as part of teamwork.

Third, a corporate life can give you stability that is both comforting yet liberating, especially for those who don’t do well with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Naval Ravikant… Gary Vaynerchuk… Jay Shetty… Ryan Holiday

Today you are an influencer for many; who have you been influenced by in your journey?

I love Naval Ravikant for his views on work, the mind, and how to live life. I love Gary Vaynerchuk for his persistence, audacity, and consistency. I love Jay Shetty for the simplicity with which he approaches things. I’m quite inspired by the thoughts of the Buddha, even though I’m an atheist. I also look up to Ryan Holiday for his ideas on stoicism.

'Mare of Easttown'

You recently recommended some books of the year to your followers on social media. How about some of your top films and/or television shows from 2021 for our readers?

I actually don’t watch any television. So it’s really hard to pick for me, but I did watch Mare of Easttown with Kate Winslet and it was absolutely brilliant!

Will you be watching Human starring Shefali Shah, since you retweeted its trailer?

I want to. It looks gripping! But I’m also a sucker for trailers and I watch a lot of them. I remember watching the trailer of Spider-Man: No Way Home and I was like, “Oh my god, that looks so awesome!” Same for The Matrix Resurrections. But somehow I never end up watching the movies!

I could die for… Lord Chomchom!

Your followers in Kolkata must be wondering if you have a Kolkata connection….

My Kolkata connection is that my maternal aunt and my sister are both married to Bengalis, which means that I’ve had my fair share of Bengali sweets. I love Bengali sweets. My favourite is the Lord Chomchom, I could die for that! I could eat 10 of those in one go!

Whenever I’ve been to Kolkata, usually for work, I’ve enjoyed my time there. It’s a city that is comfortable with its existence and its identity and I find that quite endearing.

Finally, what is the most “Epic Shit” that you’ve done in life? Or is it yet to come?

It’s always yet to come. I’d be a fool to say that something’s happened already. I don’t know what it’ll be, but I hope it’ll be something like me settling down on Mars one day!