From dropout to CEO to creator: Hyderabad entrepreneur walks away from his ₹15-crore firm to begin again at 39

Hyderabad-based entrepreneur Rajive Dhavn — a Class 10 dropout who built a thriving communications firm valued at ₹15 crore — has announced that he has walked away from the company he created to start a new life as a full-time content creator.

The move, he insists, was not driven by failure but by a desire to begin again with purpose, freedom and authenticity.

Dhavn shared his decision in a candid Instagram post that has since resonated widely online. “Built a ₹15 crore company. Then I chose to start over. This isn’t your typical success story. It’s messier than that,” he wrote.

His journey, as he describes it, is marked by struggle, resilience and reinvention. Dhavn recalled selling sauces to bakeries as a child and later working in a retail store where he folded shirts and cleaned racks. His first corporate job at GE felt like a turning point — until the very next day, he lost his mother. He was just 18.

After years in multinational companies, Dhavn walked away from a stable career to pursue writing. With a loan of ₹40,000, he launched his agency What’s In a Name in Hyderabad — eventually serving over 100 brands and earning multiple awards and recognition in the communications industry.

Now, at 39, he has sold his companies and stepped away completely.

“Not because I failed. But because I needed to start over. This time, as a content creator. From scratch. At 39,” he wrote, adding that he once failed Class 8 and dropped out after Class 10 — a detail he says matters only because it proves that beginnings and restarts never come too late.

His post has sparked a wave of reactions online — from friends who’ve witnessed his journey firsthand to strangers who say his courage is inspiring.

“Seen a lot of your ups and downs… Proud of where we are heading,” one user wrote. Another commented: “Sharing so much needs courage. More power to you.”

As Dhavn summed it up for those watching his next chapter unfold: “If you’re starting over, rebuilding, or just trying to figure things out, you’re not alone.”