The Hidden Value of 'Zero-Revenue' Employees: A Startup Founder's Wake-Up Call
Pratham Jindal, the founder of Praper, recently dropped a bombshell on LinkedIn: he spends Rs 8 lakh monthly on employees who don’t directly generate revenue. At first glance, it sounds like a reckless move. But dig deeper, and you’ll find a lesson that every entrepreneur—and frankly, every leader—should heed.
What makes this particularly fascinating is how Jindal reframes the narrative around non-revenue roles. In a world obsessed with immediate ROI, his stance is a refreshing reminder that not all value is measurable in rupees. Personally, I think this is where many founders go wrong—they equate visibility with value. Editors, designers, and salespeople are easy to justify because their contributions are tangible. But what about the HR team resolving payroll issues at midnight? Or the IT guy ensuring your systems don’t crash during a critical launch? Their work might not show up in quarterly reports, but it’s the glue holding your business together.
One thing that immediately stands out is Jindal’s realization about his own time. He was spending hours on operational tasks—coordinating interviews, approving invoices, chasing vendors—that had nothing to do with growing his business. If you take a step back and think about it, this is a classic founder trap. You start a company to innovate, to disrupt, to build something great, but soon you’re drowning in paperwork. What this really suggests is that the cost of not hiring support staff is far greater than their salary. Your time, as Jindal points out, is your most valuable resource. Wasting it on administrative chores is like burning cash.
From my perspective, Jindal’s approach isn’t just about delegation—it’s about scalability. A detail that I find especially interesting is his simple rule: if operational tasks eat up 8–10 hours of your week, it’s time to hire support. This isn’t just a productivity hack; it’s a mindset shift. It forces you to ask: Am I spending my time on what truly matters? What many people don’t realize is that scaling a business isn’t just about hiring more salespeople; it’s about building systems that run smoothly without you. As one commenter aptly noted, the best businesses are those where systems work even when the founder is absent.
This raises a deeper question: Why do we undervalue support roles? Is it because their impact is harder to quantify? Or is it a cultural bias toward “glamorous” roles that directly drive revenue? In my opinion, it’s a bit of both. We’re conditioned to celebrate the rainmakers—the salespeople closing deals, the marketers driving traffic—while overlooking the unsung heroes in the background. But here’s the irony: without those heroes, the rainmakers would be drowning in chaos.
What this really suggests is that we need to redefine how we measure success. Revenue is important, but it’s not the only metric that matters. A healthy business is one where every role, visible or not, contributes to its long-term sustainability. Personally, I think Jindal’s Rs 8 lakh isn’t an expense—it’s an investment in his own sanity and his company’s future.
If you take a step back and think about it, Jindal’s post isn’t just about hiring; it’s about ego. One commenter admitted that their ego was tied to handling everything themselves, which only led to wasted time. This hits home because, let’s be honest, many founders wear their busyness as a badge of honor. But as Jindal’s story shows, that’s a recipe for burnout, not success.
In my opinion, the real takeaway here is this: building a business isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter. It’s about recognizing that your role as a founder isn’t to do everything, but to focus on what only you can do. And sometimes, that means paying Rs 8 lakh a month for roles that don’t bring in a single rupee—because what they do bring is far more valuable.
What makes this particularly fascinating is how Jindal’s post sparked a broader conversation about the psychology of leadership. From the admin worker who’s seen founders waste mental energy on delegable tasks to the entrepreneur who realized their ego was costing them time, the responses highlight a universal truth: we all struggle with letting go. But as one commenter wisely noted, leverage and necessity aren’t always rewarded equally. Maybe it’s time we change that.
Personally, I think Jindal’s story is a wake-up call for anyone building something. It’s a reminder that the most important hires aren’t always the ones who bring in revenue—they’re the ones who free you up to focus on what truly matters. So, the next time you’re tempted to delay hiring that HR manager or IT specialist, ask yourself: What’s my time worth? Because if Jindal’s Rs 8 lakh teaches us anything, it’s that the answer is priceless.
