The scariest thought that crossed my mind when starting StudioBackdrops.com was not whether I would succeed or fail. I was more worried about how I would handle the people that would eventually work for me.

I used to rehearse phone calls in my head, just because I had once called Domino’s too order a pizza and ended up saying “Hello Pizza Hut!” I was so deeply embarrassed and apologized profusely. Even the Domino’s employee on the other end said “Its ok. It happens.”

I was faced with the daunting challenge of interviewing people, hiring them, training them, possibly firing them. Now to combine that with my inherent need for people to like me, it was a disaster waiting to happen. I picked up as many books as I could about managing people, about handling employees, about human resources. Confident about what I learnt, I posted a job post on LinkedIn, got many responses. I shortlisted a potential candidate and scheduled an interview.

“So,” I asked, “Why would you like to work at StudioBackdrops.com?” 5 seconds later, the candidate on the other side replied, “For the Salary sir.” Immediately, every single book I had read went out the window. Nothing prepared me for this answer. Millions of things were running through my head. I was stunned.