After graduating from Texas State University with an MFA in creative writing followed by a two-year stint at the university as a faculty member, Ajay Gupta launched Stirista in 2010. His vision for Stirista was to give companies marketing resources they need to drive online traffic to their websites. Within five years Stirista grew from one employee in a basement to having a presence on three continents. Today, the company offers services ranging from data enhancement and data verification to email deployment and licensing to help boost modeling, acquisition and loyalty campaigns. Serving as the company's CEO, Gupta has achieved double-digit revenue growth every year for the past decade and facilitated the company’s expansion to its current Texas headquarters. Stirista has been an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company five years in a row.
What are the top three qualities of a great leader?
Great leaders lead by example. When they ask their team to come back to work, they are the first ones through the door. Above all, leaders show empathy but also challenge their team to be the best. Leaders share vision with the world but also ensure the goals are shared by the team and that everyone is rowing toward the same destination.
What makes you a great leader?
I have strived to build a company where I would have enjoyed working myself when I was starting my career. Ultimately, at a company our size, where there are many personalities and people now, the common theme I focus on is respect for each other. Whether speaking with an intern or the CEO, we must all speak with compassion and empathy. At Stirista, we have built an environment that's high-performing and hard-working without compromising our core value of respect for each other.
How did you display leadership when the Covid-19 pandemic hit?
Stirista's top two clients, Great Clips and 24 Hr Fitness, were badly affected by Covid. As a result they stopped all marketing spend. We rallied together as a team and instead of letting anyone go, we asked them to do other tasks, such as sales research and additional product development. We didn't cut any salaries or let anyone go during the pandemic.
What are some diversity, equity and inclusion programs you have implemented at your company?
Stirista is one of the most diverse companies in San Antonio, supporting equal opportunities across race, sexual orientation, and gender. Our leadership team is 50% minorities -- either female or people of color.
The Essentials
Career: CEO, Stirista, 2010 - present; faculty, Texas State University, 2007 - 2009
Education: MFA, creative writing, Texas State University; bachelor's degree, economics and English, St. Lawrence University
