Connect The Dots

by Rashmi Bansal

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Kapde ka business karo, food ka business karo, Jo bhi karo sabse hat ke hona chahiye aur branding karna chahiye. Barabar costing karke, sahi tareeke se handle karoge to kaafi profit hai… kisi bhi business mein. Food business mein dekhna padta hai ki item kya hai. Main kahaan khol raha hoon? Jaise ki bus stand ke saamne hai to wahan kya bikega. Phir thoda specialise hona chahiye. Clean and hygiene par dhyaan dena chahiye. Branding and visiblity. Wada bhi becha to public ko dikhna chahiye. Presentation accha hai to ek rupya zyada milega. Luck hai lekin ghar pe baitha rahega to luck nahin milega. Koshish karega to hi luck saath dega. Main Bombay aaya woh accident tha. Food line mein aaya accident tha. Usme kya accha karna chahiye woh maine practice kiya. Accha vyavhaar hona chahiye. Accha product hona chahiye. Aur accha service. Mere saath kitna bhi problem ho main sab ko convince karta hoon. Saare team ko motivate karta hoon, takleef door karta hoon. Yehi mera secret hai.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS People take up jobs and remain satisfied with it because they do not know their capabilities. You do something and then gain the confidence. Decisions are never ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, it’s the outcome which may be either positive or negative. But you can’t sit on the fence, you have to weigh the pros and cons and make decisions in life. That is an essential quality for every entrepreneur! Mistakes do happen in life. I have also made mistakes and learnt from it. Some people may be with you and some may not. You should be driven by your passion or your interest. You should not be driven only by the monetary value. It comes and then goes; if you are successful it keeps increasing. This was my passion and I worked towards it. I have not been driven by any other force.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS I have seen people start a business by just copying. They see someone who is successful and start the same thing. No, you need to be innovative. In 1980s, I took the decision of closing down all my other classes and focusing only on English. I never knew that India would one day be a BPO and IT hub where English would be so important. You have to do something different, believe in your idea and stick with it. I never went after something but as things demanded, I kept changing myself and my business model. And I kept trying new things. And one last word: “What is business? It is common sense!” It’s in the mind. If a youngster today has 100% commitment, service motivation and the desire to do his best… the enterprise will be a success!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Sunita Ramnathkar If you want to start a business, I would say find out something which is not available and which people want. A hunger, a need for any service or product. Then go out to satisfy the need, in the best way possible. You need to be educated thoroughly in that line or in general. Then go all out and satisfy, delight the person with fulfillment of that need. Grow that niche, and then when you have the money, the world is at your feet. You can do anything, in that line, or in a different line. I’m quite an average person, if I can do it, I’m sure every person can do it. In my times there were hurdles like family hurdles, in-law hurdles. But this generation is equipped with much more understanding parents and in-laws, an enlightened society where men and women are equal or at least treated equal. Take advantage of that. You can leap into bigger horizons, bigger boundaries. You can leap higher than this. Sunil Pophale The good thing about an entrepreneurial job is that it is constantly changing. I cannot imagine being in a fixed job where the specs never change. That way I must say I am lucky. I must also say that I made sure that I was lucky. So must you!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Income minus expenditure = profit. It’s one simple line which you should never forget! I always say - “Do your homework.” And we have a policy - “Measure twice, cut once. Don’t measure at all, and you keep cutting, cutting.” So if I am developing affordable teppanyaki, I must know how much is the duty to import sake (rice wine). You have to know what you are doing; if not, join hands with someone who does. And you have to have that fire, I don’t accept defeat. If you get into the food business, remember the main thing is hygiene, which you cannot compromise. When I brief my chefs in 116 restaurants and bakeries in 16 countries, I say, “These are not my assets. My assets are my son and daughter, who are sitting there. If they can eat, then Mrs Ambani can come and eat here as well.” Buy by the day and sell by night. Don’t stock up much, don’t give stale food. The customer will always come back to you if he or she feels, “I had my fill, my money was well spent.” You have to build a relationship. And remember, never get complacent. In this line, ten times the customer gets a good meal. The 11th meal, the kebabs are not good. But you will only talk about the 11th meal, you will forget the first ten good meals. That is human nature. So never let down your guard, never compromise!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Basically kya hai ki, one thing is there that hardwork, dedication, quality of work, there is no substitute for this. If you say, “I will work from home, I will wake up at eleven in the morning…” No, it will not work. Kuch karna hai, toh marna padhta hai. But if you do good work, you will get more work - I guarantee you that. There are so many businesses with a lot of potential. Take painting. 40 lakh people stay in Pune, out of that suppose 20 lakh stay in good localities. If on average five people live in one house, that means there are 4 lakh houses. A house needs to be painted once in 5 years. That means every year around 80,000 houses need painting. That is the scope of the painting business and remember the owner gives you an advance plus you have a 40% margin. Dhandha karne ke liye bahut paise ki zaroorat nahin hai. Sachhe dil se, imandari se kaam karo and you will be successful in whatever you do.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Doing your own thing is better than sex. Having said that, I believe there are two kinds of people on this planet - those who want to work for somebody and those who want to do their own work. Among those who want to start their own enterprise, some are deluded and some are actually talented. Do first figure out if you’ve got talent! If you’ve got talent then of course work hard, hang in there, make it happen. If it doesn’t happen in the first two years, maybe it isn’t meant to happen. People say, “Oh! If you start a business you are going to get screwed, you don’t know what’s out there …” I say to them, “There is nothing out here - it’s all plain and simple. Nobody knocks on your door everyday and says - pay up!” I think there are limitless possibilities, whichever business you are doing. You need to explore and be creative in every field, do things in a way that has not been done before. The product should touch you. It should press some button in you which hasn’t been pressed before… Doing your own thing makes you more at peace with yourself. You’re following your own DNA, your own rhythm, your own pace in life. You are connected to your inner self, your soul. Our mission in life is not to reach sales targets. The purpose of life is to be happy. That’s what Dalai Lama says… In fact that’s what our next t-shirt says!

“I believe only ordinary people can do extraordinary things. If people think they are already extraordinary, they will do ordinary things. The attitude, the focus on work comes by thinking we are not great. Because it is all about team work.”

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS I enjoyed every minute of whatever I did in the last 23 years. And even today I have the same energy as when I started. Start businesses in areas which you really believe and like to do. You should do something different, and don’t believe what people say. People say business cannot be run on ethical ways, you have to be dishonest. That is wrong - we can do everything in the the right fashion and still be successful. Have the the motivation to do something for the country, for its people. There are a lot of needy people, lot of things to do. Take up the challenge and do it! You are definitely capable of it. Spread happiness among people. Ultimately, that’s the most valuable thing. Whatever amount of money you have, if you do not have peace, it is of no use.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Today entrepreneurs run after funding at a nascent stage. If you have any small idea you go to google and start searching for VCs who can give you half a million dollars. Ek do saal lag kar kaam karo, you will earn that much, I say! Internet ki duniya mein sabse bada fayda hai free of cost facility. Anyone can use it to get in touch with anyone else. But you need to have a knack - getting people to notice you takes dimaag. People say it’s better to have work experience but that’s not really true. When your idea is new, no one knows any more than you about how to make it happen. You simply have to figure it out along the way. So the earlier you start, the better!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS I have lots of advice but I am not sure they should listen to me necessarily. I think you have to listen to yourself. You should hear what others have to say but finally find what is right for you and do what works for you. The chairman of Starbucks once said, “To succeed you need to care more than others think wise. You need to risk more than the others think safe. You need to dream more than others think practical and you need to expect more than others think possible.” You need to care deeply about whatever you do and very often people might come and say you care too much but I think that is a common factor amongst people who have done anything in life. You need to risk more than others think safe, you need to dream certainly even though often people will say, “Get real!” Finally I would also like to echo the words of Dr Venkataswamy of Aravind Eye hospital. He says, “Intelligence and capability are not enough, there must be a joy of doing something beautiful.” I hope that people have the joy of doing something beautiful because then your life becomes truly blessed. I mean from the inside. So that is really what I am trying to discover. At the end of the day I know that through my work, I have touched a lot of lives. Finally it’s not about money or fame, it is the extent to which you are able to make a difference which makes the journey worth its while. To use the words of Viktor Frankl, “Man’s search for meaning is really what provides pur...

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Saurabh Vyas I think it’s more of a gut feeling that yes, I want to do it now and you have to take the plunge. That’s the basic funda. Why after one year - I don’t know. It could have been 2 years, but it was just the decision.. yes let’s do it! Gaurav Rathore If you are trying to do something new, first of all you have to believe in it. Otherwise, don’t do it. Because you will not be able to stick to it. For any company the first year or two years will be difficult. You might have a brilliant idea, but you will have to stick it out for a year or two years before you can make any real money or do something which has any impact. If you don’t believe in the idea, two years is a long time.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS I have one simple advice: There is no shortcut in life, go for details. For any big achievement you need patience and devotion. If you understand what you are doing and plan it in detail, you will definitely be successful. But these days I see most people don’t want to get into details… they don’t want to work at the micro level. They want shortcuts. If you take the shortcut you cannot achieve major goals or a big vision. When you start something new, initially resistance will be high. Like in our case, middlemen did not want us to go to villages and train farmers. But then we won over the resistors and made them our partners. If you study Bihar society closely you will see that when someone does something new, people first laugh at him. If you persist, they will criticise you. But when they see you are undeterred - and you are succeeding - aapke saath aakar khade ho jayenge aur apke success mein apne yogadan ki charcha karenge. So focus on your project, your mission - not what people will say. Lead the way and others will follow!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS If you get the opportunity to do what you are really meant to do, what is coming from within you - go for it. Start your own legacy! Be one pointed. Don’t waver and don’t look too far ahead - just go step by step and it comes to you. I was not an extra bright student - I realised in the beginning itself that I should not pursue higher goals in academics because I had my limitations. Be aware of your limitations and find what you are really good at! I could not be the top guy in academics but I can be the top guy in cheese. Be the top guy in whatever you are doing you don’t have to follow an already taken path - you can make your own path. Lastly, don’t start counting the bucks too early. Be passionate and dedicated and money will follow.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS You need to have a very strong belief in your idea to make it happen. Any idea that you take up - irrespective of what the world believes is - you have to see it through. The second thing is when I found myself facing a problem, I would sleep over it. When I took a look at it in the morning… I tried to see opportunity. I found that worked very well; it made me positive and I was able to push that within the group and the company. In hindsight, what may seem like a setback was actually just the push you needed - to try something new, to stretch your limits.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS If you have an interesting idea just follow through with it! I have seen a lot of youngsters with an idea who don’t pursue it, because they are scared. There’s no reason to be scared, India is a great market for entrepreneurs. If it’s an interesting idea - just a wee bit different from what’s already in the market - it will work. You must be very adaptable if you want to work in a business at a social or rural level. It often happens that you have a target and you find your supplier has taken off 2 months - for a shaadi. It’s very frustrating so you have to be patient! I was never scared, I never once thought, “This will not work.” Considering I am not at all business-minded. If I could do it - anyone can.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS If you are from the city and want to get into farming, first thing, don’t be in a hurry. You won’t be making a quick buck. The first two years, you’ll be learning, you’ll encounter problems - completely unexpected ones. Find your niche and find what excites you. Growing Alphonso mangoes on a hundred-acre farm may be a good business but there are so many people doing it. It’s not a challenge - and that’s what keeps me going. Challenges, doing new things, different things. And remember, as you sow, so shall you reap. It’s true in farming, and pretty much everything in life… Sow good ‘seeds’ and you will reap rich dividends.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS We have to really be proud of where we come from and I think the genuineness will reflect in what you do. Your work should reflect an Indian design vocabulary. It could be opulent, it could be minimal, but it must celebrate who and what we are. Instead of another vaccum cleaner which looks like a spaceship why not a hi-tech jhaadu suitable for Indian homes. Many designers are very good at their craft, but if you want to make an impact and reach out to many people, you have to learn how to manage the business of design. This could mean partnering with an entrepreneur who can sell your vision and market your products, because designers aren’t very good at that!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Don’t listen to anybody’s message - that is my message. Don’t look for anyone’s advice. Just do things the way you want… This is also an advice but not an advice advice. That’s all I have to say… I did not listen to anybody so how can I tell them to listen to me!

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Only your own hard work will take you ahead, do not depend on anybody else to show you the way. Money is not a hurdle, mehnat karne waale ko, dil se kaam karne waale ko sab kuch milta hai.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Go all out! Unlike what people think there are great opportunities in India to be a wildlife scientist, to be a wildlife photographer. As I said it’s what you make of it. Second, you need to have passion - more than any qualification. Many people come to me and say, “I’ve done a diploma in film, tell me how can I work with BBC or National Geographic? I want to do wildlife films…” So I ask them, “How many forests have you been to?” They say, “None.” Ask them to tell the names of 10 birds in India and they can’t name even one! You won’t believe it, but almost all the people I know who work with BBC or National Geographic - none of them are trained film makers or trained biologists. They come from different walks of life but they are all passionate about films and about wildlife. You have to find what you love - and make it happen. I worked 3 years without pay, to get my foot in the door. Buying a bigger house or car were not my personal milestones. Yes, you need equipment for wildlife photography but you can start with a T 50,000 budget, a basic camera, a cheap zoom lens. It’s like computers; you don’t need a Mac Book or 4 GB RAM to be a good programmer. You can work even on a mobile phone or an old, dusty PC. Some of my best pictures are with the old, cheap lenses. People still love those pictures. And finally, you must ‘think different’. That applies to every field, whether it’s music or art or literature. If your style is completely different...