← Latest news 
Billionaire told entrepreneur hire for sleep not salary and one mistake cost her Rs 2 lakh monthly
Business
Published on 15 May 2026
Her worst hire didn’t fail loudly it broke trust
Entrepreneur Mahima Jalan says a billionaire client rewired her hiring philosophy: don’t hire “for salary,” hire for “sleep.” The advice reflects how a bad employee creates invisible stress for founders, especially in relationship-driven businesses where trust is slow to earn and easy to erode. Years later, Jalan learned the same lesson when an inexperienced, low-paid hire indirectly cost her a client worth nearly Rs 2 lakh per month. The damage was gradual, showing up as judgment gaps, inconsistent communication, and tone issues.
- A billionaire client urged Jalan to hire for “sleep,” not pay
- Wrong hires can create ongoing founder stress, not just costs
- Jalan’s most expensive mistake cost a client nearly Rs 2 lakh monthly
- Client harm often builds gradually through small repeated issues
- Inexperienced employees can damage relationships via judgment and communication
- Recruitment is now treated as a high-stakes trust decision
Read the full story at The Economic Times
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
The Economic Times