About Beyond Grad

Recently, I reached a milestone following on LinkedIn. To reintroduce myself on the platform, I share the story behind Beyond Grad.

Here's that story and my background in 5 steps.

☝🏽 From Mumbai to Michigan

My name is Varun Negandhi. Born and raised in Mumbai, India ❤️

Fun fact: I've collected quite a few nicknames over the years -- Benzy, Varuno, Chacha (I was balding early but decent at football, and Kaká was my hero), and Vroom (I raced for my university's Formula SAE team).

🤘🏽 Timing the impossible

I came to Michigan on the heels of the 2008 recession (in 2010). A GM professional told me: "Do NOT come. The industry is in trouble."

He wasn't wrong, but I was determined. After two tough semesters, I was fortunate to land an F500 internship. That changed everything. 

🤟🏽 From engineer to partner

I spent 7 years at that F500 company (6 on contract). But I was curious about different career paths, so I took dozens of professionals to lunch to understand:

a. C-Suite leadership
b. Middle management
c. Technical specialization
d. Entrepreneurship

Each had trade-offs. I chose door no. 4.

I joined the consulting company I'd been contracted through, wearing multiple hats -- engineering, marketing, sales. I landed projects with major brands, earned increasing responsibility, and eventually became a partner.

🖖🏽 Sales changed everything

Selling is everywhere -- job searches, career growth, business development.

I invested over $30,000 in training from world-class experts (basically a second master's degree) and applied everything at work.

The breakthrough? You can have excellent technical skills, but you must also:

a. Build strategic relationships
b. Understand your customer deeply
c. Align the right incentives
d. Position technical work in business impact

🖐🏽 Filling the gap

That's when I saw it. 

My sales gaps were familiar with all technical professionals.

So I launched Beyond Grad three years ago to bridge that gap.

Since then, I've shared frameworks, strategies, and stories to help top performers communicate like great leaders. My mentees have interviewed for opportunities at Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google, McKinsey, and more.

The impact convinced me to leave automotive and go all-in on Beyond Grad.

My current mission: Help professionals excel in job searches.
Coming soon, mission: Above, and build income beyond their 9-5.

A leveraged professional is a resilient professional. ❤️


PS. I don't have very many selfies, and my story is incomplete without the woman in the above picture ☺️