Monday 21 April 2014

ANTI - PRENEURS



There are two pains in the world.
 Pain Of Hard Work and Pain Of Regret. 

I am looking to try the first pain because the latter pain is really painful. The first one makes you sleep deep in night and the second want makes your night sleepless. This blog is for all Indians who are looking to do something different, those who don’t want routine lifestyle. Yes, this for all who wants to step in into entrepreneurship.  This blog is about my observation about the mental and meaningless obstacles faced by Indian middle class youngster who want to create something of your own, who wants to be an entrepreneur. This time it’s not about funding, business plan or curiosity. This time it’s the other side of the coin. It’s about marriage, flat and family.

A year back one of my good friends told me about a product idea. I liked the idea and told him I could work with him on that if he’s willing to seriously build it. His answer was –yaar abhi job nahi chhod sakta, 6 mahine mein shaadi hai [Dude, I can't quit job right now, getting married in 6 months]. Okay, get married but why do you want give up on an idea you believe in? Your girl will understand, won’t she?
Guess what? Obviously, he never build it and few months back I saw someone executed exactly that product out and is quite close to getting funded too! Yeah, my friend’s happily married, at 27!

One of my ex girlfriend had started talking about marriage barely when we had graduated. I never denied marrying her but I used to tell her lets first achieve something, I want to do a few things in life, be a successful entrepreneur and all this might take a little time, there’s no point in getting married quickly and then allocating funds to expenses that could have been avoided at that age, but no, she wouldn’t listen! Of course, she’s happily married and I, having failed 2 times in the past, am still building another startup product! (I hope this post reaches you, lady!)

Oh! And that concept of getting your kids married at the right age, guys before 30 and gals by 26-27 max! I’ve always stressed, there’s nothing called such as a “right age” – why not just get married when you are ready – 25 or 32 – how does it matter? I hope you’re not thinking about that old shit about retiring and then marrying your kids before that actually is the root problem.

I observed every family or your parents’ needs approval from another closed relative to whom they think they are well placed, or know more than them or highly matured.  They might be your uncle, aunt, cousins, brother, sister or their spouses. Sometimes, their suggestion and advices changes your family’s thoughts and uselessly you have to face mental obstacles and pressure from your family. I am often surprised why we are so late in accepting new ideas, new thoughts or new career models? 

It is only because it is not tested or just because it’s not common among society or just because it’s not a safe way. I never find the definition of safe way. Our families don’t like to attempt new things when it comes about our career. Find job, work for them, underestimate your skills, buy home, get married and produce children, this is what the only definition of life.
What more you want?  haa? Want to build home in Jupiter?
Don’t get surprised if you hear this from them.

One of my close family member told me to look for a career in “chip designing” back in 2008-09. Recently, I met him at another family gathering a few months back and he said “tum chip designing me kuch kyu nahi try karte?” [Why don't you try something in chip designing?] I was like…dude? You are still the same! Your thoughts are still stuck where they were 4-5 years back.

 It is very difficult for Indian middle class family to agree on those things which others of your age don’t do. They think, if you fail, you are finished. You can’t stop that kind of thinking. See, it’s their belief, it’s their perception and belief, perception and behavior can’t change in one day and sometimes never. Accept this that these are the additional mental obstacles which you will face or have faced if you belong to 2-tier cities or middle class families.

 My purpose for telling you these things is clear. I want you to be proactive and not reactive on those issues. If your family is not getting your view or point, it doesn’t mean they don’t love you. It’s their concern and possessiveness.  These concern and possessiveness might pull you back mentally and could be harmful at some extent, because your family are not ready and set to accept your failure at this time but it doesn’t mean you will get reactive. You learn to manage those issues. You need to learn how to move ahead and how to achieve what you exactly want while carrying those mental obstacles.

The other fantasy about middle class family people is owning a flat. I never get this point. I, really don’t. Why do they want their kids to buy a flat and then spend the rest of his life paying back the loan? Coming from middle class, we’ve never had loads of money to spend. So the way out always is to pay probably a 25% or even less initially and then take a loan for 75% for the next 20-25 years.

And is duly supported by our financial system! Go and try to raise money for your startup and the same money for a home, you’ll know what I mean!

Once you have a loan on your head, which too a home loan, for not less than 40-50 Lacs, for sure. you wouldn’t be willing to take a risk, would you? And that tension of repaying that loan. Anyways, there is very little probability that our kids would stay in that house for long. They’d go places, do stuff in life and make it big themselves.

If you are not dreaming to get a job in MNC, if you are not choosing a mass career option, then don’t choose traditional personal planning. Plan your finance what is suitable for your startup. Home, car, and other so called important stuff will get easy to achieve for you sooner or later in your life. This is the time to build foundation for your startup not home. This is the time to run your startup not car and this is the time to sleep with your projects not with your wife.
  
                                       Stay active. Do positive. Take action.



Thursday 6 June 2013

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU FAILED.

I would like to thanks all 378 unique viewers of my last blog. It’s only your responses and messages through all communication modes which make me motivated to write another one.

The speed of my blog is just like the journey of my life. It always blows over. Yes, I could not able to make my name in the final list of entrepreneurship program. It went past 4 months, to be more precise 3 months 28 days and 9 hours and I could not able to forget that moment. I was at that time sitting in the chair with my wide open eyes, open mouth, sitting at the edge of the chair, waiting and staring hard to that idiot person who was smiling and announcing the names of the finalist and finally he didn’t call my name. WTF. The experience of that event is inexpressible for me. Suddenly I realized I look like a fool and I quickly changed my gesture and expression. I and others started meeting with one another at the end of the program. I smiled with glued lips and shake hands with many people and fallaciously to one of the security official who was standing near one of the exit gate. He started laughing, I smiled with embarrassment and few others who were standing beside me smiled too. This is the time when I realized how your thoughts and intentions changed your action. That’s exactly what happened with me. I was feeling desolated and disappointed which brings incoherent thinking and my intention was to skip away from there and unguent the lesion of my heart which leads to absurd action. Few leaders came up to the stage and convince those who are not selected, like me, that it is just a starting of your journey. Move on. I think true leaders inspire us to be bigger and do things we are afraid of doing. Those who selected were very happy and some of them can’t control their happiness. They were really very happy. Suddenly my eyes stuck to a guy. Damn, he is selected. How it is possible? He is B.A. in history and completed some stupid correspondence course on computers. I asked to one to whom he was talking. Is he selected? Yes. He replied. His idea is unique and giving a great platform to android app developers. I met with him in previous events of the same program. He is good but got selected in final is quite emergent for me. Then I saw 2 others who were selected too and that was completely against my expectation. No, it’s not jealousy or any complex. These words have no place in my dictionary. I had few conversation with those three previously. I scored higher in the pitching round against them. I scored higher in public speaking round too. I went back home with disappointment. After few days, I checked the official website. I notice the winner names list and their business plan. I looked at them. All plans are good, some are excellent but mine was not bad too. On observing those ideas, I found all ideas are solving bigger problems than what my idea is solving. Those persons whom I assuming ‘not so smart person’ are giving better solutions to make the life easy for customers in their niche skills. The same day I learned the second lesson through the same event that smartness and intelligence is not about pitching in front of investors, it is not about speaking in public. Intelligence is all about ability to solve problems. This spontaneous observation of mine reminded me of my senior project manager where I was previously working in Kolkata. He said, everyone have money problem. You have, I have. If you want to make yourself rich, solve problems. Identifying a problem and creates the opportunity for creating a solution. He was right.

I have decided to move on in my life with holding my dreams. This was the event through which I realized the exact meaning of sadness, discouragement and irritation but fortunately so early I realized the importance of control in my life which is the basic demand of doing something different and bigger. Believe me It’s not easy, man. It requires discipline, focus and stubbornness. Yes, stubbornness.  It’s not comes in a day or in a month at least not for me. It needs time. It needs instinct. My one of the inner desire is to do something in education system of our country where schools taught students about the importance of control in their lives.This is one of the principal reason why so many people are feeling insecure today.We don’t know how to control our lives.This is the big problem of our society but solution comes with smart, creative and mature thinking.

Well, I am still moving and finding opportunity and from last 3 months 28 days 9 hours and now 20 minutes I have been respecting the value of time. I have been learning each day. I have been learning life. I have been learning market. I have been learning finance. I have been learning business. I have been learning technology. I have been learning India and the world. I have been learning values and I have been learning to live my life to the fullest. The more I learn the more I realized how much I don’t know and it’s a strange feeling. Mmm.. mixed emotions. This opportunity failure gives me another eye to see those barricades which are not allowing me to move forward. Few past opportunity failure in the first quarter of my life give me strong feeling that I was behind the learning curve. I saw people of my age farther ahead in their life simply because they had taken their education and professional careers seriously. This failure was my realization that I needed to become a student, to study like I never before.

 I need confidence.  I need more confidence than today. A wise investor said to me:

Every Self confident person is not an entrepreneur but every entrepreneur is a self confident person.

There are two school of thoughts. One said you learn the most when you fail and other said you learn the most when you succeed. Many support the first school, some support the second school. One thing is for sure, either way you will learn.

By taking view of my speed of writing the personal blog, I hope next time when I would write, I will express the learning through my success and not failure.

Monday 3 December 2012

Minutes Which Counts...



This is my third blog in last 5 months. I am rated as slow blogger through my domain website. They asked me the reason, I told them I am busy working but actually I don’t have the content. I usually write niche blog for self help. My blog content comes from what I experienced or learned new things. In the past few months I met with big executives what I really called them SUPER executives. They are CEOs, MDs running companies, innovate ideas and make them real. This is the life time experience for me. I met these successful people on the way of finding the path of entrepreneurship for me. They acts as speakers, mentors for us and guide us to step in into entrepreneurship. I called it their concern towards society. No one can pay them for doing this.
The good thing about that event in Hotel Hyatt regency is girls are served you….served drinks..Yes and they served with smile and the evening becomes more unreal for me when these supermen talk with you one on one.
My first conversation is with an Ex-CEO of a multi national IT company. I am holding a glass of scotch covering with blue cotton napkin. I never loose opportunities like these especially when it’s free. I recollected some positive energy on me and step forward to meet him. I think 100, mmmm..no..115. yes, my pulse rate per minute. He saw me.

Helloooo young… He said
Good evening, Sir. I said.
You are future entrepreneur? Isn’t it? He asked.
I chuckled. I am trying for it.
Good. What’s your idea? He asked again.
This is just like an opportunity for me to deliberate all the good things which I learned till date. I told him about my idea. What market needs, who is my end consumer, and how I make my idea ready to use, what is my market anticipation.
He was listening to me.
He said. Never feel that you are talking to a higher level person. It will break the level of your idea. ‘What you believe is your level’. Believe in yourself and your thoughts and don’t leave your level for anyone. I repeat, for anyone. If you find any difficulty to talk with higher level person, imagine him in underwear what I did in my early days. Don’t get me wrong. I am straight. He laughs. He continues, this will helps you to bring that person to your level and once this is done you can speak to him as you would to a friend.
I was listening to him carefully.
I am now scared, how you are picturing me. He said and laughs again.
Did I say something wrong? I asked
Do you think people take advantage of you?
No. Not really. I said in husky voice.
You know, I wonder why so many people feel as if they are being used by someone. I think it is from lack of faith in their fellow workers, supervisors, their friends and sometime family. If you believe the same that others are taking advantage of you or that everyone is against you, look yourself dude. The odds are there is something wrong with you my boy, and if you know you have some fault it’s time to do something about it.

I did not get why he is saying all these to me in reply to my business idea. I don’t think like that I already told him. Actually I am focusing on controlling my pulse rate to come down at least at 80, but my concern is to look confident and intelligent in front of him. I put my both hands in the trouser’s pocket, stand more than straight. Move my head upward and downward with bouted lips (bouted lips means Angeline jolie kinda lips, in general duck kinda lips. It’s not a dictionary word) and then look into the person’s eye. I think ‘stare’ is the right word, stare into that person’s eye. This is my way to keep my nerves down but it never works. Somehow, I managed.
Yes sir, you are right, but I believe in others. I said

How is my business idea, sir? Is it works? I asked.

Don’t depend on the predictions of others. Make your own. You know your business better than others. Work at it. One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. Without work there can never be success. Unfortunately, the thing that can help people who are failures, or who suffer from boredom, laziness, loneliness and what have you, is often the only thing they won’t try  “Work”. So pick a starting point, if you haven’t already done so, but you have already chosen that is why you are here and then work from there. Starting is not always easy, it is a hardest part of achieving success. You’ll need all your energy just for the starting. You know, only a small percentage of a motor’s powers necessary to run a car, but all its power may be necessary to start it.

Suddenly, another superman went to stage and deliberating speech about what investors, Venture capitalist and Angel investors look into the idea.
Okay young man, its nice meeting you. See you in market. He said
We shook hands.
Thank you sir, thank you very much. I said.

I really appreciate the power of scotch when it exceeded above 250 ml in your body, it really makes you feel that you can do anything. If that mental status would continue with me for one month I definitely do something extra ordinary. I started acting like fearless person and that’s the best feeling for me, inexpressible. Thanks to Johny. I then talked to so many other participants; share each other ideas and experiences. The party and the event went over. I came back home.

Our sponsor organizations who are conducting these events organized one on one video conferencing for mentoring us on skype and provide some reading material to us. It’s a five day involvement and what I learned in those five days are how to execute your plan, how to develop team and how to be passionate about your work.
After completing reading these five days material and conversation on skype I realized, smiled and think….

THAT’S WHAT I LEARNED THAT NIGHT IN 10 MINUTES.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

The Philanthropic World



 Hahahahahahahha…..Business??  Entrepreneur??  at this age??? You must be kidding. The most common line for me, I used to hear.


Business?? Entrepreneur?? at this age?? Good, this is the right time to decide. Put the paddle on the accelerator .Go ahead. The second most common line for me, I used to hear.


Business??  Entrepreneur??  At this age? Hmmm…so, how  can I help you. Need any suggestion? Need any help?  The most awaiting line for me, which I want to hear.


This is all leading up to a very helpful point. I generally dislike the first kind of person. After a certain time, I found that, numbers of people I dislike are more than number of people I like. I got afraid; there is something wrong with me. We tend to believe that the entire world revolves around me. I was thinking all these unusually in my bed room at night, suddenly my sister called me. Her poem was selected for broadcasting in vidyut bharti radio channel. She has to go to record 10 minute’s poem in her own voice. I congratulated her. She insisted me to come with her coz, this is her first time and she is little bit uncomfortable. As I am busy for nothing kind of person, I agreed to come with her.  We reached there and waiting for her turn by sitting in the hall Her turn comes up, I and she went inside the studio.  She entered into the recording room alone, where big mike placed on the centre of the table and started arranging their pages; I stayed outside with the person aged, about 30, in the technical room where he is adjusting the frequency and volume type of stuff.
I asked him.  How long you have been working here?

He replied, I had worked here for 5 years. Now, I work as a part timer.

Okay, you changed your job?  I asked.

No, I am running my recording studio where I make demo tapes for aspiring recording artist. He said.

Then, why are you working here? I asked

He said. The company does not want to let me go, they insisted me to work for them as a part timer, so, I did.

Hmmm. you must be the best. I said.

He smiled, may be or maybe not.  Lots of skilled people are working here. So, it is tough to say that I am the best.  You know, I always think of the client first, this is my first priority. How I make him or her sound better? And I seriously don’t care if I have to put extra time and expense to make the person sound better and you know, I am always fully booked. I work that wayyy. He said, in a stubbornness manner.

I chuckled. I wished him luck for the future.

My sis recorded well, we went out.

I, then, have to rush for the seminar of IT technical opportunities. I reached there.  The main speaker started his speech and continues till one hour continuously. I reached back to home. Believe me, no person even move their eye balls during his speech. Each and every word is still in my mind. The way of communicating his thought to us is more than superb.

Maybe the speaker thinking:

I make sure that people learn something?

 I make sure that they are happy?

They talk about me and my system of teaching?

Well, I don’t know but may be.

I have attended so many seminars, professional meetings, and met few big executives too. I have noticed that these big money men were egotistical and selfish enough to want to be tops in their field.I think that’s good. These same men were capable of generating enthusiastic interest in others too, particularly customers. They are interested in others business problems and find out how their product will help them.


If an interviewee thinks, I have to help this reporter to give a good and strong piece of material. Readers must read or watch that content.


If a teacher thinks, I have to help students to make them memorize and make them to learn to do something with their mind then I think he or she can teach better than any other teacher.

If a musician thinks, I have to create a music which makes my listener emotional, sentimental, or they starting dancing on the floor. That musician really Rocks.

If a blogger thinks, I have to help my page viewers by ensuring that he or she learns something here which makes it worth for them. He definitely is successful in future.

C’mon. It is not altruistic. It is the way of thinking to get your work done.

Everyone wants that others get interested in them.  Well, I think, it’s easy. Be interested in others and show them.


Business?? Entrepreneur?? At this age??

No..Let me help others to start their businesses.     

The CURIOS blog



I am looking for writing my first blog. I am planning since last few months but did not able to come in an any idea. Some told me, write about what you are passionate for, some told me, write something what people enjoy to read. some told me, write something informative. Some told me, Internet is huge, there is google ,you know the use of ctrl C and ctrl V then what’s the problem, go ahead, Dude. Well, every suggestion is good and worthy except the last one which is, as expected, made by my dear friends.

A shining morning, temperament of sun was very high, I guess, around 42…I leave my home for my work place, as usual, with my disturbed facial expression. I reached to metro station and waiting for my train to come. I was usually choose second car of the train which is next to first car reserved for ladies, but after certain time, I realized that no miracle is gonna happen there in the full of rush car. So, I decided to move my eyes and mind from there and go for the last car of the train.

I used to see an Old man, nearly about 65, stand tall and straight on the same last compartment and on the same time matching with my time, almost daily. After few days, we started giving response to each other by smiling like smiley, whenever our eyes encountered with each other.
One day, fortunately, I got a seat and that old person is sitting next to me.
“Hello”, he said. “hello sir”, I replied gently.
What’s your problem…girl???? , he chuckled.
No sir. I said
 Then?? , he said.
Nothing. I am okay. I said.
okay.. sorry, may be my observation went wrong . He said,
Not more than 2 minutes silence between us…
“Direction”,
I said while staring on his eyes.
Okayyy..and???
So many..Direction is the major one. I said in a rough voice.
Why you need this??
I have to establish my own enterprise but I am not able to find the starting point or so called execution point.
He said, my father was running a restaurant. He is a Waiter in his early days. He was interested in the food and its recipe he served, and wondered why they were priced so high. During his spare time he went about finding how much the material per dish was worth. He learned what customer wants and demands when they come to restaurant. He thought about methods to low down the prices. In short, he learned all he could about the business from his position.
It is not a matter of weeks. It covered some months or years, but when the opportunity to go into the business arrived for him, he was ready. His ideas on low cost didn’t work but make him a success. He was, then, started hiring peoples and these people would have the same opportunity he had, if they would just have the same CURIOSITY.
                                               I have been seriously listening to him. He continues… Solving problem is not a difficult task. Finding problem is difficult. Once you know, what they are, you can solve it.
I think you find your problem. He said.
I didn’t get any words.
Sir, how could you know, I am disturbed or in any problem?? I asked, politely..
How many switches are there in a switch board of you room?? , He asked to me.
How many compartments/cars in a metro you are traveling?? He asked again, without giving me a chance to say something.
I started recollecting but didn’t get in the definite number.
He said, it doesn’t make any sense but it will increase your observation power and keeps your mind open. See the world with your mind not with your eyes.
I don’t know why, but, I started feeling more confident about myself. His destination reached after ten minutes of our conversation. We shook our hand. Sir, Its nice meeting you, I said. (This is the first time, I said this with the inner core of my heart).
He said, Its your life son, Make It Large. Yes, I will. I said. But not more than 90 ml and he laughs loudly.
My day passed out with full of energy. I came back to home, open my computer and I took hardly 45 minutes to complete my blog contents.
May be I found, what missing in me.