10 Things You Didn’t Know about Dileep Thazhmon
Are you familiar with Dileep Thazhmon? You may already know that he is the CEO of global business expense management company Jeeves, but what does that really tell you? When you dive deeper into things, you discover that there is much more to this individual than meets the eye. Below are just 10 of the things that you may find most interesting.
1. He possesses an innate understanding of international currency
Thazhmon has an understanding of international currency that most business professionals only wish they had. That is precisely what has allowed him to become the CEO of a company like Jeeves. If it weren’t for his understanding of the way that businesses work on a global basis, it would be virtually impossible for him to effectively head up a company like this, as all of their work is based on helping businesses develop credit quickly that can be used in one country and then another, all without having to have multiple credit cards in order to operate. In short, he has helped create a system where a business can secure funding in 30 days or less, spend money in Mexico and then pay that money back in pesos, then turn around and spend money in the United Kingdom and pay money back in pounds, all with the same card. It’s as if he and his company have truly created a universal form of currency that can be used interchangeably across all borders, something that most people have considered almost impossible up until now.
2. He’s someone who can think on his feet
In order to accomplish everything that he has achieved at Jeeves, he has to be able to think on his feet every minute of the day. He somehow managed to complete the company’s first round of financing and then subsequently start raising money for the second round within just a couple of months of each other. It’s something that most companies would never even consider doing. Thazhmon, on the other hand, was bold enough to do exactly that. Seeing how the market was changing and believing that it was their best option, he took the opportunity while it presented itself.
3. When he sees an opportunity, he takes it
As you can see, he tends to take opportunities whenever he sees them. He has been an entrepreneur for a long time and he is always quick to point out that entrepreneurs who don’t take the opportunities that are in front of them end up losing out, every time. He doesn’t wait for a better opportunity or something that is more solid to come his way. Instead, he finds a way to work within the parameters of whatever does present itself and then dives in head-first. Some people might consider this type of behavior reckless. Others considered it genius. According to Thazhmon himself, there has to be just a little bit of recklessness involved because otherwise, you will never take the risks you need to take to succeed in such a competitive world.
4. He knows how to marry technology and finance together
Remember how he heads up a company that has essentially created a global currency when everyone else thought it was too difficult to do this? He also found a way to create an app that allows businesses to use this type of service. Unless they have the app at their disposal, it is impossible for them to access the global currency. In short, you must have the app and subscribe to its services before you have access to the proverbial global credit card. This proves that he understands technology as well as finance. It also proves that he understands how to bring the two together in order to create an entirely new type of service for businesses, one that he is capitalizing on in a big way.
5. He doesn’t like dealing with overhead
He has said before that he doesn’t particularly enjoy dealing with overhead. That’s precisely what makes his current endeavor, Jeeves, a near- perfect fit for him. The company is able to launch in various countries around the world without ever needing to pay rent on a single building or worry about spending money to keep the lights on. Being able to control everything digitally from a central hub also means that they don’t have to pay as many employees, thus bringing down overhead.
6. He used to work in a different world
They say that nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses couldn’t be more different and that is something that Thazhmon can attest to himself. In fact, he used to live and thrive in the world of nonprofit organizations, using his business skills to help them streamline and accomplish their goals in the most efficient manner possible. He says that it was rewarding work in the sense that he was helping nonprofit organizations achieve things that they otherwise might not have been capable of doing on their own, yet it was also frustrating. After all, he has the heart of an entrepreneur, and working in the nonprofit world was never going to make him the money that he wanted to make throughout his lifetime.
7. He is putting his solid education to good use
As such, he decided to put his Stanford education to good use and shift from the world of nonprofit organizations to the world of entrepreneurship. It was something that he had always dreamed about doing and eventually, decided to take the plunge and see what would happen. He says that the biggest difference between the two is that entrepreneurs have an opportunity to make a great deal of money, even when the chances are slim. Nonprofit organizations, on the other hand, are always operating on a shoestring budget, meaning that even their top people don’t get paid as much as they would in the private sector.
8. He’s relatively new to the world of startups
Since he has previously spent his time working with nonprofit organizations, he is still relatively new to the idea of being an entrepreneur. In fact, this is only the second company that he has co-founded and headed up, with the first being PowerInBox.
9. He also worked for a major corporation for a while
Thazhmon didn’t just jump from the world of nonprofit organizations to being an entrepreneur overnight. In fact, he did what he often refers to as a stint at a major corporation, PayPal, in order to learn the ropes of working at a for-profit organization. According to him, he was able to learn the major differences there and then apply those differences to his own business ideas that he subsequently used for both of his startups.
10. He’s an avid lover of sports
He loves sports of all kinds, but his favorite sport is arguably American football. He says that he gets excited every time football season rolls around and will watch any game he can get access to, regardless of whether it is college or professional.