I’ve Resigned from Google – Why I quit my day job
Posted by yhk on Jul 1, 2010
Its been ages since I last updated this blog, and I do so now because of a huge change in my life. Yes – I’ve quit my Google day job. August 6, 2010 will be my last day in the organization. The reason: I am starting my own company.
I am starting a pay per click management company, with my elder brother Obair Khan, which will be based in Hyderabad, India (where Google’s headquarters in India is). The new company is called PepperClick as a pun for ‘pay per click.’
The decision to quit was inarguably one of the most difficult decisions in my life. I thought about it for more than a year and a half until I finally took the plunge. Outlined below are the reasons why I quit my job:
1) No new learnings:
I’ve spent 4 years at Google now and for the past one year, I have hardly learned anything new. I’ve been repeating the same stuff over and over again and the monotony got to me.
2) Shift in focus
The team I have worked with for the past 2 years started off as an optimization team where we worked aggressively on improving AdWords account performance for hundreds of advertisers every quarter. This is when I joined the team and really loved the work we did. However, the shift slowly moved towards sales where we were supposed to get on the phone and pitch several features related to AdWords which our advertisers were not using. I like being good at Adwords and knowing what to do but sales is not my cup of tea. Personal opinion this.
3) The motivators:
The people that motivated me to do this are the biggest influence in making this move. I list them below:
(i) My dad: he’s been into business for more than a decade now, previously being a service person. Looking at him I always feel that I can manage a business successfully too, inshallah.
(ii) Steve Pavlina: Obair once recommended one of Steve’s articles to me titled ‘10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job.’ The writeup gave me the strength necessary to make this decision. I always read it when I get second thoughts and it acts like an excellent motivator. Thanks, Steve!
(iii) Rocket Singh: during the months of contemplation, I saw this movie called Rocket Singh about a salesman who starts his own company and how he does it. I really loved the movie and so did Obair. Is it because we related to it in some way? I’d like to think so… 
(iv) Michael J. Katz: I read one of his articles a few months before quitting. I believe it is definitely worth a read for anyone who is planning to quit and start a business but don’t have the courage to do so. The article is titled ‘10 really good reasons to quit your job and start your own business.’
(v) Michael Fox: a Xoogler (ex-Google employee) from Sydney Australia quit his Google job and started ShoesOfPrey. I really loved his business idea and admired his courage. He puts across his thoughts at each stage of the idea on his blog 22Michaels which I find highly motivating.
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Since this business revolves around search engine marketing and AdWords in particular, it is not possible for me to start off while still being with Google. According to the employment contract with Google, I am not supposed to help any agency outside of work or create my own account management service. It comes under the section called ‘Conflict of Interest.’ Therefore, I’ll be starting from scratch when I leave Google and will start creating a client base then.
Wish me luck!
Younus Khan
Review: Tata Indicom Broadband – Flash 384
Posted by yhk on Sep 10, 2009
I just got this connection about three weeks ago. Here are the reasons why you should and reasons why you probably should not go in for this provider.
The Good Stuff:
- Super fast speeds with amazing consistency
- 1.5 mbps (proper) after 10pm till 8 am everyday, and the whole of Sundays (download 700 MB in an hour) – more than enough for YouTube
- No disconnects yet
- Free WiFi Router on 6 month advance payment
The Bad Stuff:
- Slow response to your application (the sales guy promised to deliver in 24 hours but took a week)
- Its been three weeks, but no sign of a WiFi router being delivered to me (they said it would happen after my payment clears — which happened 2 weeks ago)
- Broken LAN cable that wont fix into its slot (pops out of its socket every time you move your laptop — noticed that after those guys left. It popped out even while drafting this post…sigh! 
- Used Modem (they say they don’t give these out anymore, so no chance of getting a new one)
My advice: pester them to have the connection installed asap if you really need it, and also for the WiFi router. I called the sales guy and threatened to complain to his manager. Its probably the only thing that works here.
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Update: I called customer service and the agent said that it usually takes a month for it get delivered and asked me to be patient. She then asks me for my account details only to find out that its been way over a month! Then she places me on hold, and guess what the hold message is — “Now with Tata Indicom Braodband get a WiFi router absolutely free…”
She said she raised the issue with her TL. Lets see where it goes from here…
8 Reasons to buy an Apple iPhone
Posted by yhk on Sep 9, 2009
Apples’s iPhone is definitely one of the best phones out there today. Even though it was realeased more than 2 years ago ( June 29, 2007), the technology it uses is still way ahead of what the others use. I got a 2G iPhone (used) about a month ago, and am mighty pleased with how it works and performs. It is amazingly user friendly and made for humans
with common sense. A few strong and good reasons to buy this device:
1. It is priced very competitively. I got a used one for INR 11,000 = 225 USD). You can get a new one for a lot more but I guarantee you its worth it!
2. It’s amazing touch technology is something that has dazzled people and it still does. Competitors have tried mocking or coming up with their own touch technology, but to put it plainly, they have done a miserable job. Its either unresponsive or not smooth as the iPhone’s interface.
3. The user-friendliness of this device is what I like the most. The navigation is not something you need to learn but something that you discover naturally. It has got touch physics which means the phone responds to the speed at which you flick and touch the screen.
4. Instantly connects your phone and the internet (WiFi, 3G, GPRS), and does not treat them separately. You can make calls to any number listed on a website by just clicking on it. Using Google Maps on the iPhone is an absolute pleasure. I remember while using my old phone (motoming) I used to note down numbers from the internet and then dial them manually. Such a waste of time!
5. SMS inbox is in a conversational format like gMail. You dont need to struggle looking for that message you received from a friend 3 months ago. All messages are clubbed based on who sent them and what you sent them…again, thats what I call ‘user-friendly.’
6. A host of amazing applications to download from the Apple App Store. This includes paid and free applications that range from games to business software.
7. Its long batterly life is what makes it an amazing device. It lasts for days in standby and you can speak for hours together without worrying about your battery running out.
8. It is a video iPod plus a phone…need I say more?
If you are planning to purchase a phone any time soon, look nowhere else. As always, Apple is way ahead of its competition.
8 Tips to Speed Up Your Personal Computer (PC)
Posted by yhk on Jan 9, 2009
I’ve been using computers for more than 15 years now. I started off with those systems where MS-DOS was the most common way to access 
games and programs. I now have an AMD (dual-core 4800), 3 GB RAM with Windows XP installed. Over the years I have used systems with various different specifications. I have always faced the problem of the PC slowing down or hanging up. No matter how powerful your system is, the program requirements grow with it. And so, the PC is doomed to be slow for all eternity…
But fret not, the tips I give below will help you considerably speed up your machine. Full article »
10 Reasons Why You Should Use Gmail
Posted by yhk on Jan 5, 2009
If you already use Gmail, you can stop reading now. The reasons I am going to list here are for those who use some other email service, and 
think they have everything a free email service can provide. I’ve been using Gmail for four years now, and have been mighty pleased with it from day one. Below, are a few reasons why I think everyone should move to Gmail. Full article »