'I'm 43 And Broke': Mumbai Founder Regrets Paying Himself Just ₹12 LPA While Building His Startup

A brutally honest post by Mumbai-based entrepreneur Saurabh Garg has gone viral after he revealed that years of underpaying himself while building startups have left him “broke” at 43, sparking a fresh debate over how much founders should pay themselves.

The discussion began when Aroleap founder Aman Rai shared his own experience on X, revealing that he paid himself only ₹10 lakh per annum during the first three years of building his home-gym startup.

Looking back, Rai said he now regrets the decision, arguing that founders often underestimate the importance of their own financial well-being. According to him, drawing a slightly higher salary would have had little impact on the startup’s finances while making a significant difference in a founder’s

personal life.

Echoing those sentiments, Saurabh Garg, co-founder of The Podium and Meru Life, responded with a deeply personal reflection on his entrepreneurial journey. Garg admitted that despite spending years building businesses, he rarely increased his own salary and now regrets prioritising everything except his own financial stability.

In his post, Garg wrote, “Hard relate. Never raised apart from a tiny fnf at Meru. Never paid myself well (max I’ve taken home is 12 LPA and that too when I ran a services business). Now am 43. And broke. Most folks that worked for me got paid market rates. And some more. So they’re ok. I poured from an empty cup. I wish I hadn’t. Hindisight is sexy.”

According to Garg’s LinkedIn profile, he exited Meru Lifestyle in March 2026. Apart from a small full-and-final settlement from the company, he said he never meaningfully increased his earnings throughout his entrepreneurial career. He added that the highest salary he ever received was ₹12 lakh per annum while operating a services business.

Reflecting on his current situation, Garg said that despite years of building companies, he now considers himself financially “broke.” At the same time, he pointed out that many people who worked alongside him were paid competitive market salaries, and in some cases even more, leaving them in a stronger financial position than himself.

His remarks quickly struck a chord with many entrepreneurs and professionals on social media, triggering a wider discussion about whether startup founders should sacrifice their own financial security in pursuit of building successful businesses.

Several users weighed in with their perspectives.

“Am curious why did the investor never questioned such low-ball take home? Or were they the one driving it?” said one user.

Another commented, “If you are in India your number is 36lpa rising to 48lpa where it should stay until you are able to raise a Series B. I promise you those numbers are very specifically calculated.”

Hard relate. Never raised apart from a tiny fnf at Meru. Never paid myself well (max I’ve taken home is 12 LPA and that too when I ran a services business). Now am 43. And broke. Most folks that worked for me got paid market rates. And some more. So they’re ok.

I poured from an… https://t.co/H99N0ekroe

— Saurabh (@saurabh) June 30, 2026

Offering words of encouragement, a third user wrote, “You live and learn, you still have a lot of time to bounce back and get what you want from life. Not just words, reality. Not how deep you fall but how high you bounce back – true measure of success! Stay strong and hopeful!”

Another questioned the practice of founders accepting extremely low pay, asking, “Shouldn’t founders at least pay themselves the local minimum wage?”

Meanwhile, one comment criticised what many described as an unhealthy startup culture around self-sacrifice. “The glorification of the starving founder is so tired. if you burn out the product dies anyway. Paying yourself rent is an operating expense 😂” the user wrote.