About Me – Rochan Kakar
I am an Entrepreneur in pursuit of building my legacy and on a mission to help people create theirs. My goal here is to share my personal and entrepreneurial journey with people and to inspire them via my perspective and actions – to give life to their own dreams.
My Bio
Welcome to my profile page! My name is Rochan (pronounced ROW-CHUN, or RAW-CHUN). My name means “Bright” in the Hindi language.
I was born in a small town, Chandigarh, in Northern India, and I was raised by my grandmother and parents. In 2016, at the age of 23, I moved to New York to pursue a Master’s degree in Finance. Now I spend my days working as a Strategy Consultant and my nights building my conglomerate.
My Story
I was born in an ordinary middle-class family, but my parents and grandmother worked very hard to put food on the table and ensure that my elder brother and I received the best education. We always had just enough of everything — a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies.
As far as my memory takes me, my parents began mentoring my brother and me to think big. As working-class people, they made it their life’s mission to provide us with the platform they never had. They found innovative ways to introduce us to the principles of entrepreneurship, perseverance, and giving back to the community. In addition to my parent’s teachings, my struggles with extreme ADHD, bullying, insecurities, sports injuries, multiple surgeries, and a failed career as a professional soccer player taught me the lesson of mental toughness, resilience, and the need to keep going and reinventing myself with whatever life threw my way.
In 2013 my parents mortgaged the apartment we lived in to send my brother to the US to pursue a master’s degree. In 2015 I got the opportunity to visit the US for his graduation ceremony, and the land of opportunity worked its magic over me. While meandering across Manhattan, we reached The Plaza Hotel, and I froze at the sight of it. I couldn’t believe I was standing in front of the hotel I saw in Home Alone 2 as a child. It was at this very moment; I decided to drop out of my bachelor’s in law degree in India, quit soccer, and chase my dreams in New York City!
My parents managed to re-mortgage the apartment to send me to the US, and in 2016, I moved to New York to pursue a Master’s degree from the University at Buffalo. In 2018 I graduated with a job at one of the largest consulting firms. But, it wasn’t enough.
I wanted to be unique. A star. The hero of my movie. And being just another consultant in the world wasn’t doing it for me. I wanted to feel what the 9-year-old me had felt.
When 9-year-old Rochan witnessed Ronaldo Nazario dancing through his opponents, scoring breathtaking goals, leading Brazil to the 2002 World Cup Victory, he had tears in his eyes. He experienced something unexplainable. He wanted to feel what Ronaldo felt. Glory!
For over a decade — I remained obsessed with soccer. I got to work the very next day of the 2002 World Cup Final. I trained and made it into the school team, followed by the state team, and eventually landing in the Panjab University Varsity Soccer Team and then in a professional contract with Minerva FC. But this journey wasn’t straightforward. Between 16 and 23, I tore my ACL in the left knee once and the right knee twice. Whenever I thought I was reaching the peak of my playing ability, I ended up injuring myself. Surviving three major surgeries by the age of 22, I became scared, felt hurt, and blamed fate for my failure to become a mainstream player.
But soccer and the idea of being an entrepreneur were the only two things I knew. Along the way, at the age of 19, I started my own Soccer Academy — Vikings Football Club, to make extra pocket money. This is where my entrepreneurial journey kicked off. The club organized soccer matches at an interstate level, and I had a turnover of 400 players from three states. What started as an idea to make more money led to selecting a few underprivileged students for a training camp.
Standing in the scorching heat, witnessing the matches take place, the thumping of the ball, the happiness, and the excitement of my students and other participants, I finally felt like a hero — the hero of my movie. But, I still had a lot to learn.
That note brings me to this moment. I am embarking on a journey to launch various businesses in the upcoming years, and I want this portal to help showcase the upcoming process, struggles, and hard work. I hope that my articles and actions inspire people of all walks of life to pursue their dreams and push them to make the most of their lives.
My life’s ambition is succeeding in the pursuit of helping people become the Heroes of Their Movies.
My Life Philosophy
Our time on this planet is short and uncertain. When my head hits the pillow at night, I want to feel like I squeezed every ounce out of my day.
My Commitment
The world we live in was left for us in a better state by the people before us. Humans do what they do to make life simpler, more comfortable, and better for future generations. The generations that come after us will see, experience, and use what we leave for them. As a species, we are obliged to leave this place in better conditions than we found it.
There is a lot of power in legacy. Your actions, good or bad, can impact a person who furthers the chain by impacting yet another. I want my actions to fuel many such positive chain reactions. I am driven to push myself to the limits of physical and intellectual self-exploration. I am driven to show people that anything is possible with the right mindset, regardless of their circumstances. I want to leave a positive impact on the world and be remembered for my commitment to delivering value and excellence to people. But that will be just half of it. I want the other half of my legacy to be driven by you, the people, and the community we build together. I am driven by the thought of how glorious it will be if one of you, from this community, or a peer, employee, or even a colleague finds inspiration in my journey and pursues their dream because I want my legacy to grow and live through each one of you.
In the end, when death comes to take me, I want to leave behind a legacy of compassion, hard work, and empathy that serves as a beacon of light for people who find themselves lost in the dark.
How to Contact me.
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Send me an Email: contact@rochankakar.com
