Dreams Fire Startups Engine!!

Startups are often projected as harsh battle fields where real hardships are part of everyday life, savings evaporate to zero and turn into huge debts, where there is no margin of error and decisions are often based purely on gut feelings. Does it frighten you? May be it's true for most of the startups. Well some people get excited by all this uncertainty. Really?? Naah! every one wants stability in life but on different terms, consciously or subconsciously.

Assume being in startup as flying a jet plane. If I start describing how a jet plane works and the scenarios that can come up then we might think that none of us can do it. But, hey! when you are in there, it goes with the flow.

Interestingly, the same is true when you are in a startup. It's a very different experience. There is nothing like describing the real scenario from the periphery. Just take a test drive and you will know the rules of the game. In reality, there is always a bigger goal which keeps the startup team moving. There is always a dream which keeps the flame burning in the hearts.

If God shows up some day and say that you won't ever be successful in startup, then most of the entrepreneurs won't like the hardships of startups. No matter how exciting they sound. Since this is an imaginative scenario hence more than half of the entrepreneurs might refute this conclusion. Anyways, the bottom line is that the purpose of being in a startup is very different; it's like achieving stability in life at your own terms.

Travel the less traveled road for more fun and anxiety. Well, we have just got one lives!!

Intuitions are priceless!!

Perfect business idea, Perfect business plan, Perfect management team (skill sets), Perfect execution skills, Perfect market conditions, Perfect financial support - tons of "Perfects" together at one place, yet a failed enterprise. Wondering why? Do you think lot of big companies or big ideas, with tons of business experts at their disposal that fail, are not worthy of being the successful ones - who knows? since they never reached the point of success and speak out and in this world only success speaks and defines the rules. People might try to justify one reason or the other for the failure, and no one would know for sure whether that piece of "Perfect" would have saved the company.

I believe that this list is endless and can add up to lots of Top 10 or Top 100 lists posted by many great leaders - yet when it comes to the falling enterprise at present, we add up one more concept to the current list. May be that is called "evolution of science". But with this concept may be Akbar would have never been a great King to rule the country many centuries ago. What I truly believe is that every entrepreneur is gifted with a power of intuition, very much like Lata Mangeshkar is gifted with a magical voice. 

We just don't realize the power of Intuition. Lot of times, important decisions are taken by thought leaders based on mere intuition, and that differentiates success from failures. This might sound common sense to some and bullshit to others, but at lot of places innovation is curbed, and a lot of emphasis is given to procedures (may be it is correct for the employees to follow it), but if the same is followed at the management level then you are slowly drifting towards failure.

Successful companies are run by true leaders or consultants who are gifted with the power of intuition and they truly believe in their powers. They take a note of their intuitive inner voice while making any decision and destiny leads them to the true path. Ignoring it won't take you anywhere since it is beyond our reach - it is some thing we are gifted with... Intuition

Preserve company vision during tough times

Most of you who visit my blog are either entrepreneurs or are interested in being part of the startup ecosystem. With this blog post, what I have tried to share is a philosophy that, I believe, differentiates start-ups from one another in a long run.

Every start-up team today starts with a business plan - company vision, mission, problem, solution, revenue projections and how the team plans to tap in the market opportunity. In most of the cases, the business plan changes a lot as startup proceeds and meets the real world. A lot of valuable inputs come from the side of customers, investors and advisors.

Startups face lot of challenges everyday and most of the bandwidth of the management team is taken up in solving these issues. Important tasks, like product roll-out strategy, investor relations, marketing & sales strategy, become the focus of the team. What gets lost in the middle of all these tasks is the vision of the company... the team becomes result oriented, starts focusing on revenues and new business laterals than ensuring that the decisions being taken are in synergy with the vision and philosophy of the company. 

At times, when the startup is money crunched, the management team takes detours or takes up tasks which have nothing to do with the vision of the company. Though nothing is wrong in taking the detours while the startup is money crunched, but it is extremely important that the management team gives a serious thought to the problem. At times like these, a quick help can come from the panel of advisors and mentors. 

A visionary start-up would know the value of a good advisor panel who could help the management team in preserving the vision of the company. A good mentor ensures that the bigger picture of the company is preserved during tough times. But only being visionary doesn't help in protecting the company vision, it also requires lot of strength and character, as at times, the team needs to fight against challenges of real world like saying 'No' to quick money or project that doesn't gel with the company philosophy. I guess that's where the character of a start-up team is tested.

I believe that a start-up is only as good as its team and advisors, and the team can only progress towards excellence if the team is clear about the vision of the company. While there are many factors which make a company successful in a long run, I believe having a clear company vision and preserving it can move a start-up from the list of good start-ups to the list of excellent start-ups.

This blog is written and owned by Saurabh Gupta

It's not Rocket Science, Trust me!

I wrote a blog post back in 2007 (blog post) where I discussed what's the right time to dive in for a start-up, and to tell you the truth very frankly - no one would have this answer. I didn't have the answer when I was happy with my job and I don't have the answer when I am working with my start-up. You can hear 1000 stories, feel motivated and jump for it - I won't call you stupid, in fact I would help you with whatever you lack and praise you for whatever you have good. On the other hand, you can take 30 years building the perfect ship to sail, and yet you can't board it - I won't call you stupid, I would help you find that courage.

You can look out for the best teammates in the world and yet you can fail - that's the fact of the world that you need to live with everyday, but it's the battle that matters and not the outcome, and yeah fighting with the best knights cuts down the odds of failure. On the other hand, you might have no idea at all when you start and yet you can be the role model of tomorrow. So what is it that differentiates one guy from another, or let's say one start-up from other. What is the golden rule that differentiates the two sides?

People name it as team, idea, market, investors etc., while these all are pillars of a successful enterprise, but are these all? Wait, we haven't yet mentioned passion, drive, intensity, enthusiasm and all other qualities, but are these all? Is this a must to have list or good to have list, since some people say passion comes with idea and market or let's say money, and some say idea and team are secondary, all you need is passion. I don't know the order and I don't want to discuss it, since this list is endless. Did I write leadership, focus, companionship, vision - oh my god! this list is actually endless. :)

Let me put my answer in my simple language for you. I don't claim that I am a genius or Mr. Right of this topic, but this is what I believe, and it works for me, than remembering the endless list (often used by successful entrepreneurs to put their success in words). I rarely write philosophical blogs these days, since it's hard to prove them or quantify them. If you don't find my answer helpful, I apologize in advance.

I believe that we are guided by a power, actually a belief, something that we don't have control over,something way too powerful to be put in a list . I think what differentiates a successful entrepreneur is the power of believing the power of trust. We just need to trust the higher cause ,of the organization, trust the leader, trust our instincts and that's trust, which actually brings in enthusiasm, focus, drive and intensity in the workforce. In fact, that's trust which pushes us to create the best products for our clients., a trust we don't want to break It's the trust and belief of the leaders of the company that drives the course of the company. The power of believing and trust helps in creating a bonding between people, ideas, problems and solutions. Investors, customers, employees are all humans and they all need to trust you to make you successful. For others to trust you, you need to trust yourself and your thoughts, your instincts. Rest all will fall in place.Trust me!

One more thought before I close this blog post, I think there is nothing to win or lose in the world, there is an awesome journey that goes on forever. If you love being part of the cruise, be part of it, love it, enjoy it, live it, else  simply jump off. There are thousand others awesome things worth doing than being an entrepreneur who doesn't love what he/she does.. Would love your comments on this one, really, because I trust that feedback works :)

A little later dude!

Funny it may sound, but I got inspired to write this blog post while talking to a friend about start-ups, and I realized that its perception seems to work as an oasis in people's life. Well lately, I started noticing that while discussing ideas and dreams, or say being philosophical, people share their dream of doing something on their own terms or having their own company where they can work on a problem as they choose and add to some thing as they please. There seems a different tone to the discussion (almost always) like a very different note in music, a talk coming right from the roots, a dream that comes right from the heart - thirst of an intellectual. It almost sounds like an assurance coming from within that I want to work on a problem as I please and I would work on it some day. Most of these talks end with the tag line - "Some day but not today... a little later dude!"

I used the word oasis in the last paragraph, since it does the same task of keeping the thirst of entrepreneurship alive amongst potential entrepreneurs and encourages them to keep moving towards it. Only difference being that it exists for real, but remains an oasis for >95% of us. All of us want to reach it but are stuck with lots of problems, questions and confusions. It's not important when we start or how we start, it's important that we know we want to start some day, even if it means we know - "A little later dude!"

We learn lot of lessons along the paths of our lives and become better prepared to fulfill our dreams in future. Well it might not be the right time for some of us to start the journey but it always help to ensure that we collect the right stones along the path.

• Remain in touch with start-ups and entrepreneurs to understand the problems they face every day and to appreciate the start-up life better
  
• Save money for the dependents and rainy days, as start-up life is full of surprises
  
• Start noticing market trends by tracking new ideas and businesses to understand the future market better
• Last but not the least - make good friends who would help you cruise the start-up life

But whatever happens, never ever give up on the thought of reaching oasis, even if it means to have a cup of coffee and say - "A little later dude"

Hunt for Jokers

Joker is considered as a wild card in the arena of gambling and is often used to complete a sequence of cards filling the 'required' gap. Role played by a joker, in the game of cards, resembles a lot with the role played by perfect startup employees. Most startups don't have huge pockets and hence can't afford the perfect employee for all the roles. Instead what they hunt for and prefer is a parallel figure of 'Joker' in the real world. Joker can prove to be a real bargain for limited startup funds and, in a long run, can prove to be a real asset to the company. How else do you expect a startup to compete agianst giants sitting out there in the market?

Real problem that exists with jokers, is their scarcity added with their career expectations and hence, finding a joker with a long term perspective, is the most difficult problem for a startup. Once you get hold of some jokers then other cards start making sense and hence over all chances of winning increase by multiple folds.

'No Google from 1 Billion' syndrome

Million Dollar Idea - Most of the would-be entrepreneurs in India wait for it to take the plunge in the wild start-up world. I have talked to many passionate individuals to verify this assumption and found it only partially true. Other reasons mentioned by most of them was a lack of great team and a missing ecosystem where entrepreneurship is supported.
Though I partially agree that a decent idea is some thing worth waiting for, but am not sure whether it necessarily needs to be a starting point. It can come with healthy discussions with the people you consider your core team. Great team is not some thing that we are born with. It can follow once you decide to take the plunge and start talking to people about your dreams -there are many people like us living around sharing the same vision.
Other reason which pulls the thought of entrepreneurship down - the current Indian ecosystem, is something that I found alarming since we need support from the industry veterans to change that. Everything said in newspapers seem like a marketing gimmick; we know the hard facts that the ecosystem to nurture entrepreneurs still don't exist in the country. There are VC/PE firms to infuse money in the start-up world but there are hardly any Angel investors/seed investors.
I had a chat with a VC some time back and his logic was that it's easy for us to invest 10 million dollars 5 times than 1 million dollars 50 times since it saves energy in hunting down the potential companies and later managing them. My immediate question was who needs 10 million dollars as a seed fund and he said "that's why we are not a seed fund" :)
Interesting, I guess management of time and energy of the VC firm is determining who needs to be funded today and at what stage. I am not saying that phase B or C funding is not required et al. All I am trying to mention here is that we need to nurture talent right from the start to make a Google come out of India. The very fact that most of the start-ups in India look out for $100k to $500k seed fund is because, in India, it's huge money and is good enough for a service company to sustain in the initial phase, but since the fund managers are interested in giving more money, they neglect these applications considering them trash or 'good but not interested' category.
We are missing the Indianized version of VCs - local money lenders or sahukars, who understand the Indian mentality and who could help in evolving talent right from the start. Narayan Murthy has taken a nice step in this direction though I am not sure about his targeted token amount.
We hope to see some Indianized VCs in the coming times who would help in cultivating the talent in more Indianized way. I hope we would get an answer to the 'No-Google from 1 Billion' syndrome, provided we get the right ecosystem.

Theory of Moment of Perception Shift

This blog is written and owned by Saurabh Gupta

This theory states that "the day you move from the supplier side of the value chain in the world to the needy side, you see people (friends, well wishers) approaching you dropping drastically in number and there comes a moment in life when your perception of yourself is challenged from within. While most people surrender to this moment of perception shift admitting that they can't live in this aloof arena, there remains some who evolve with a golden glow, with their characters grown multi fold. This moment of perception shift can either make or break you in life - it all depends on your understanding of the existence of this moment and how well you can handle it. People that stand by you during this time are the people that would be with you forever."

Few example for correlation of existence of this moment:

• The day you lose your job, the number of people calling you drop drastically. Suddenly no one in the world is bothered about you and you meet the moment of perception shift questioning everything about yourself.
• The day you are caught by cops for some thing wrong, boom! people gone and you meet the moment. 
• The day you are bankrupt, boom!
• The day you move to the startup life, boom!

I have a strange feeling from the day I started working on my start-up. Earlier, people had a different way of discussing stuff but now the equation seems skewed. I can clearly see the theory being applicable in my life and hence I am better prepared for it. I don't think that we can really change.. I truly believe that attitude matters in life and just screw it, don't give a damn to the suckers.. Let's see the world truly believing in who we are!

What does India need today?

This blog is written and owned by Saurabh Gupta
India has 1/6th of world's population, best technology institutes and biggest democracy in the world. We have lots of other things to feel good about and we are in the direction to make this country best of the places to live in the world. There has been numerous preachers, thinkers and philosophers existing for thousands of years who have given directions to the countries.

What have we got today? We have got the work force, the energy and the zeal, not to compete or think relative w.r.t. other countries, but to evolve at an absolute level, at a level much higher than any other level existing, much broader than anyone can imagine. What we truly need today, is a leader and its not anymore the ancient Roman empire where everything can be governed by a Church.We truly need first generation entrepreneurs, who have the vision and appetite to eat the world.

If I ask the honorable Prime Minister of India that where is our country heading, he will very humbly say 'to the future', but he can only provide us the means and show us the direction. What we truly need is a thought, a virus (keeda) which can lit up millions of souls in this country to create business and to sell it through out the world. Its not because it would solve the employment, infrastructure, literacy and growth problems of the country; but it would provide a platform for innovation and excellence to cultivate. Innovation that can take us to the next millennium, to the next level.

I have always believed that we live not in our times but in our dreams. If we can dream the future and help thousands of other people do the same then we, the country of India, can contribute a ton, for the growth of the society.

Whose responsibility is it at the first place to redefine what is already defined? Or, let me reframe the question, who is expected by the common man to redefine what is defined? India invests crores of rupees on the Technical institutes, Management institutes (IITs/IIMs/NITs) and its our responsibility to not crib about the system but deliver and preach what we have learned.
I have heard thousands of people all over the world cribbing about the social conditions, economic policies, infrastructural issues etc existing in India. If its a way to justify yourselves that you don't want to contribute in the corrupt system, then you were never destined to do that anyway. But if you have slightest doubt that you will feel sorry for not paying this debt back, then its not worth a life.Thousands of IITians and IIM grads move out for everything that they curse don't exist here. Who would the government look up to solve these problems?
It has happened forever that some people crib about the system in their entire lives, while others go out and solve the problems. We are born in a time when we have the freedom to choose and think about our futures. At least use it to contribute and not to crib and plug in negative energy in the system. If you can't do anything about it, then at least support the people who are willing to do the same. That would be better than sitting in your balcony and cribbing.

Remember one thing, if you choose this or ignore this, don't mean a thing to anyone. Its bound to happen in the coming time, you would feel good in the end if you work for it.

Apologies - Out of Touch and ME Confused

This blog is written and owned by Saurabh Gupta
First of all, my sincere apologies for remaining out of touch with the blog for quite some time (almost 4 months). I have been doing some research of the real world but somehow couldn't find time to scribble it down. I have remained really confused for a while now and I am still confused and all these days I was looking for a reason to continue with writing. Today, I thought why not share my confusion and some thoughts I have been struggling with all these days.

Also, I should admit few things before going forward with the post - the definitions written, concepts documented, ideas implemented, situations known, problems discussed and the solutions proposed so far by renowned writers are not as simple, easy and straight forward as they might have described. People describe all of these concepts in the form of simple words and justifies them with examples but in reality time justifies these concepts in some situations and at the same time completely discards others and so there is nothing right/wrong when described. No matter how big, famous or learned a person is, even he/she is bound to commit mistakes and those may not be mistakes while the event happens but becomes one when repeated or over a period of time. They write different concepts and try to work out a model for these concepts but there is nothing UNIVERSAL.

I am struggling with some thing like UNIVERSAL definitions of all these situations/terms, something as simple as concept of GRAVITY. Defining situations, problems and solutions becomes tricky and hence it seems like all of these are man made concepts and hence should not bother a focussed sole.

Like how can we define a 'Problem'? - Something which bothers a person or something which can disturb his/her easy life. Here comes the confusion - I am trying to define everything in terms of words and FOCUS is also a word and when I try to define it, something else confuses me. Also, I am confused with the complexity of time as problems change with time and so is their perception.......

This confusion, if discussed with some one, is beautifully described by him/her, but as I mentioned in the first paragraph of this post - solutions defined by people are either people dependent or situation dependent and are also always function of time. I believe these concepts are UNIVERSAL and hence need to be defined in a language which is independent of time.

We need to come up with a concept like say Concept of Fixes (for eg.) which would say that people look for the first or the second exit while in a problem, but they are in a problem because the situation is described in their mind by some thing else and which is something similar to GRAVITY. Lets call it XETA till next post. But, is it in the mind frame that is the problem or is it some thing else which is actually trying to stop him/her to generate positive energy in the world?

In the next post, I would like to discuss how I think the cell phone would look like in 20 year time frame and how will we do our day to day work.

Till then help me define problems, solutions with some other language - I don't know either.