Advice HN

If there's absolutely no way you can avoid being fired from your co then it's better to accept that fact rather than keep looking in rear-view mirror and postulate 'what-if' scenarios. Own it and proudly include it in your resume.

"Grew XYZ from zero to $N until I was kicked out by my board and learned a few imp business lessons" - that's an experience most companies will value.

Since you're still in twenties, unmarried - you still have some time left on your side. Start hanging around on hackerearth kind of spaces where they combine hackernight kind of events with recruitment by actual startups if you want to remain on the tech path.

But looking at fact that you were able to sell airfresheners to SMBs (the toughest mkt) in Mumbai I'm sure you can sell pretty much any similar product to similar or (for that matter even same?) clientele. Enterpreneurship is 10x hard in India and so what you've achieved in oldschool product/mkt is no mean feat.

Is there anything that stops you from tapping in to your existing clients? If not, I'll suggest go back to purchasing managers of these SMB clients, be upfront & tell them you're out of your current co and ask them if there's anything else you can supply to them. If they were impressed by your capabilities/service in previous co, some of them will still like to have you around as vendor for a different product. Or maybe they can refer you to some other co. So take that up. Get some commitments, restart, bootstrap. But this time having learnt lesson from current misfortune, take care not to dilute so much that you lose controlling interest.

All the best.

I'm from Bombay. I'll gladly be your sounding board if you want to discuss any of this in-person. My email is in my profile.

Ask them two questions 1) Do they have any unmet needs for other products or services? 2) Might they be able to refer you to any friends or old colleagues who could use your help with sales/service/operations?

Do this and you will not only expand your network, but likely uncover several 'hidden opportunities'.

I don't think it's fair to say starting your own company doesn't contribute to your resume. You did things outside of your comfort zone, and learned a lot. I would be happy to write that kind of experience on my resume. Own it, be proud of it, and use that when looking for a new job.

If you're currently strapped for cash, kicking back or starting something new is not going to be an option. I would advise you to hit the jobs market again, and try to find a job you would like to do. With your diverse experience, that could be in engineering, web development, or management or team leading. Keep your options open, and apply for a lot. If there is a company that is doing it near you, maybe some form of evangelism would be a good combination of your sales and management skills with your engineering background.

Good luck!

If you need a quick job, talk to your customers, and see if they have any openings.