Surabhi Shenoy

CEO Coach

Surabhi Shenoy is up.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Surabhi Shenoy and I am 2X entrepreneur turned CEO Coach I am on a mission to help founders bootstrap, grow rapidly, create value, and even exit (if they wish to).

What did it take/how did you get started?

In early 2001, I landed in America as a software engineer at a startup. Almost immediately, I was drawn to building a company that solved a real problem.

I loved the fast pace, learning new things, and all aspects of building a startup. It was a crazy, adrenalin-filled ride. After working at multiple small and mid-sized companies, I landed at JPMorgan, India.

Through these different experiences, I learned a lot about how businesses operate at various stages.

In 2005, I joined my husband, Nitin, in our tech startup, Tejora Technologies. We were the co-founders who coded.

The business grew fast.

We worked with Fortune 100 companies in the US and top private sector banks in India and UAE.

In 2007, we co-founded another business, Elixir Fitness, alongside Tejora.

The competitive nature of the retail market pushed me to adapt quickly. I learned to productize services, create new products, make sales, ensure customer satisfaction, manage cash flow – and most importantly, trust myself.

Elixir’s membership base grew rapidly, and within a year, we broke even. In 2012, I sold Elixir to a celebrity fitness trainer to focus more on Tejora.

Selling Elixir was an interesting experience. It taught me how a business is valued and what factors contribute to increasing business value. I carried this knowledge to Tejora.

Then, in 2017, my world shattered. I lost my husband, my partner in life and business.

The grief was overwhelming.

Yet, Tejora needed me. The company’s responsibility fell solely on my shoulders.

The next two years were a blur of stabilizing the business while navigating my personal loss.

The COVID pandemic made it even harder, but with a strong team and loyal customers, we kept growing.

The fear that “I will fall short” accelerated my learning. My sole mission was to take over the reins of the company and make it as stable and valuable as possible.

I surrounded myself with experienced mentors and coaches and learned everything about the parts of the business with which I was not previously involved.

By 2021, Tejora had 200+ engineers, stronger cash reserves, 2 distinct revenue lines, and an impressive customer list across India, UAE, and USA.

This is the time when I realized the true value of our creation:

A great team,
Amazing culture, and
Huge goodwill with clients.

Priceless!

My team and processes were set to run the business without my day-to-day involvement.

18 years had passed, and a desire to create a larger impact with smaller operations was taking root in me. So, I decided to sell and exit Tejora.

Was the decision easy?

Not at all.

I oscillated for over 4 months on whether this was the right decision. But in the end, it felt right for Tejora and its employees’ future growth.

Preparing to divest my stake, presenting to potential buyers, and undergoing due diligence was an experience in itself.

Our robust systems, impeccable finances, founder-free company operations, impressive customer list, and resilience demonstrated over the years attracted buyers and resulted in a full buyout offer.

In early 2022, I sold Tejora, taking time for self-care and reflection.

Now, I had two choices:

Start another company, or
Help other CEOs build theirs.

Starting another company would have been easier, but I chose the latter because this time, I wanted to work for a massive impact.

I trained to become a formal coach with ICF and took courses in related fields such as Applied Neuroscience.

Now, I am onto my third venture. If you want to read more into my experience/journey, check out my post, here.

What does the future look like for you and your business?

The future for my coaching business is deeply intertwined with the evolving landscape of tech entrepreneurship. As technology continues to advance rapidly and markets become increasingly dynamic, the need for experienced guidance in building, scaling, and exiting tech companies will only grow.

I see my role expanding in several key areas like

Empowering founders bootstrap and remain self-funded as long as possible.
Navigating Complex Scaling Challenges
Facilitating Value-Driven Exit
Building a Community and robust network of founders for peer learning and collaboration opportunities.

Unlike my previous 2 ventures, this one is not just about growing my business, but about amplifying my impact - helping more founders realize their visions, create jobs, drive innovation, and build wealth in a sustainable manner. It's about contributing to a thriving, dynamic tech ecosystem that drives progress and creates opportunities on a global scale.

What drives / motivates you on a daily basis?

Helping CEOs reach their peak performance while learning the ropes of building their businesses. Seeing them succeed motivates me.

What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?

To grow a business efficiently, founders must work on themselves first.

What has been the hardest part of your business journey?

My journey from engineer to entrepreneur was hard. During the early years, I felt like an idiot—lost, confused, and stressed out.

Time and again, I’ve seen brilliant ideas and talented people fail in their businesses. The challenges of entrepreneurship in this unpredictable world are real.

How have you managed burnout thus far?

Burnout is a result of 2 things.

Slogging through work you do not enjoy
Not knowing when to stop and rest

For me, CEO coaching has been a game-changer. It lets me blend two things I absolutely love - building businesses and teaching. This combo keeps me energized and excited about what I do every day.

Over the years, I've also gotten pretty good at tuning into my own needs. I can tell when I'm getting too wrapped up in work, and I've learned it's okay to step back. Actually, I've realized my best ideas come when I'm taking it easy, so I don't feel guilty about downtime anymore.

I've found that being mindful and being easy on yourself goes a long way. It's about finding that sweet spot between pushing forward and knowing when to recharge.

What are a few resources that you'd recommend?

Working on yourself is equally (or even more) important than working on the business.

Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

The STATS
List the founders

Surabhi Shenoy

How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?

Not provided.

# of Employees?

1

When did you start?

June 2022

How much did it cost to launch?

Not provided.

What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?

Self-funded.

Annual revenue?

Not provided.

Projected revenue?

Not provided.

What's the #1 thing you need right now?

Not provided.