The journey of Flipkart right from the inception is inspiring. Started off at Zero, this e-commerce firm has introduced a whole new trend of shopping to Indians. Now, all of the surprises, the popular Walmart is buying a 77% stake in Flipkart for a massive $16 billion.
Flipkart started its journey in India back in 2007, it was humble and small. It was run then out of a modest two-bedroom apartment in Koramangala, Bengaluru. The idea was simple. Consumers could shop online and get books delivered to their doorstep. Flipkart got some 20 orders in its first year.
Coming to the company’s work environment and place, it all started with the first employee — Ambur Iyappa — was hired two years after the company started up. Despite those little beginnings, Flipkart now became a gigantic firm with multiple offices across the country. Its Bengaluru headquarters alone houses some 7000 employees.
To everybody’s surprise, Ambur’s first salary was a lowly Rs 8,000. Today, thanks to ESOPs — Employee Stock Ownership Plans — Ambur is a multi-millionaire. Ambur had before joining Flipkart been a delivery manager with First Flight Couriers.
From the past four years, he was with them, he rose to handling all incoming emails for south Bengaluru. He then decided he needed to do a three-month course to further his prospects. But when he came back to First Flight, they told him they no longer had a job for him.
First Flight, however, happened to be one of Flipkart’s courier partners. Post this incident, Ambur heard from the delivery boy who managed the Flipkart account that they were looking for an in-house logistics person.
Now after all this, Ambur went to Flipkart’s office and met Sachin and Binny Bansal. Ambur got his job again, a better one. He got his offer letter after almost a year as Flipkart at the time had no human resources team.