- Sharran Srivatsaa was told his thick Indian accent made him unemployable in the US
- He moved from India over 20 years ago and initially worked as a janitor
- Srivatsaa taught himself English using Tony Robbins tapes from the public library
Sharran Srivatsaa, CEO of Acquisition.com, was once told that he would be completely unemployable because of his thick Indian accent. Fast forward to the present, and he is a powerhouse leader in venture capital, real estate, and business coaching. Alex Hormozi, the co-founder at Acquisition.com, recently shared Srivatsaa's inspiring rise to success during an interview on Tony Robbins' podcast
In the now-viral clip, Hormozi recalled how Srivatsaa moved to the US from India more than two decades ago and struggled because of his strong Indian accent.
"There was an Indian guy who came here to the US 20-something years ago and he was working as a janitor. And he had such a thick accent that they said, 'you will never get employed anywhere, you have to learn how to speak,'" Hormozi told Robbins.
“And he tried to get ‘How to Get Rid of An Indian Accent' tapes and those didn't really exist,” said Hormozi. Instead, Srivatsaa was told he could check out Tony Robbins tapes.
“And so, he's mopping the floors and he's doing it. And that man then started a software company, scaled that, sold it, started another company, sold that for 3.4 billion. And I met him right around that time and he's my partner at Acquisition.com," said Hormozi.
Check The Viral Clip Here:
'Not Giving Up Is Heroic'
As the clip went viral, Srivatsaa confirmed the story, highlighting that he did not have the means to tutor his English at the time as he was barely making ends meet.
"I'm the Indian guy Alex Hormozi and Tony Robbins are talking about. I came to the US with a thick Indian accent and was told I'd never get employed anywhere if I couldn't learn how to speak. But here's the thing: I couldn't afford a speaking coach. I was a janitor, barely making ends meet," wrote Srivatsaa in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
"So, I taught myself how to speak properly, but it wasn't from a speaking course; I checked out Tony Robbins tapes from the public library and listened to them every night as I mopped floors," he added.
Encouraging others to keep trying, Srivatsaa said 'not giving up' is perhaps the 'most heroic thing' that anyone can do for themselves.
"This is why I live by the saying that not giving up is the most heroic thing you can do. I could've listened to the employers and stayed as a janitor. But your starting point is not your story, it's just the first chapter of it."
