1980s.. Startup as a word did not exist, there were companies being formed, ideas being implemented, breakthrough inventions happening, big names turn to dust and new names become a trend setter overnight but the word Startups did not exist, there did not exist a need for a mentor or a guide to sit you down to tell you what you need to do for your growth. We had our parents, teachers, friends and fools who would always advice us on how to go about, we would listen to them and move on to do what we felt was right, so heres to the journey of Startups, the speed, the hurdles, the highs and the lows...
SPEED... When we begin the first step towards becoming an entrepreneur, we start to believe that we are on a flight, we are the pilots and we just have to fly and fly fast, we never stop to ever think that it is now that we need to be steady, slow and careful about the steps we take ahead. Lets take an example of everything we do regularly, slow and steady has actually won races but we forget that, very easily.
I experienced the same urge for speed in a aspiring entrepreneur who has just started her journey. With all my mentoring hours spent with her, we have become good friends and I am able to know, why she says things she says and she as well knows when she has really pushed me over the edge with her questions. So, as friends as we are, Satamita calls me up exactly after 3 days of her decision to go ahead with the new found idea and tell me that she needs to travel for a month in January and she needs the business up and running before that.. She is surely not abnormal or wrong, there are many out there like her, in fact, just few years back, I was exactly like that, my co-founder suggested to me that we must get into hospitality marketing as we were associated with few boutique resorts being set up and the next thing I do is, register a website and put a count down for 20 days down the line for it to go live.. check out www.exoticexplorers.com it did happen, we also made sales, in 20 days, we had the strategic tie-ups, we had the website, the operations and processes going but what we did not have is the TIME.. Business Mentoring is our core services and we just let that idea be, and moved ahead with our core interests.
So, as we move ahead with our journey, we the startups need to remember that the first steps are the most crucial and you need to take them slowly, carefully and understand each and every thing you get your hands into.. Not stop completely but move ahead.. Structure your plans, put the first things first and also get down to doing it. If you plan to put the complete end to end plan perfectly, it would never happen, so put a plan which looks more feasible and practical and proceed with it.
HURDLES... Now, is that word familiar or what? Have we not come across that in everything we did ever. Going back to the teacher who hated you, to your parents who never allowed to take up what you wanted to do in life, to your girl/boy friend who would always seem to need something different to your needs. So, now why are the hurdles in the journey of making your idea into a practical business considered a huge issue. Hurdles are meant to happen, to sharpen your views, to strengthen your visions, to make you a better entrepreneur, so welcome it with open arms, take it as it comes, face it with a smile and come over it with confidence. See, how much you will learn from each of the experiences of overcoming your hurdles.
Another example is one of my client again, who just launched his healthcare product on the 16th November, Anshil, not to forget, he is also a good friend of mine (the question I always ask is, do I make my client, my friends intentionally or it just seems to happen all the time), has had so many hurdles he has to over come, that I cannot imagine that an 8 month old startup and also an 8 month old entrepreneur could have ever overcome that. He has had to handle his financial crises, his father's expectations, his best friends and their tantrums, his mentor's anger :), his girl friends fights for not giving her time, his desire to booze in the night with friends and sleep late on weekends, you name it and he has got it all and he has faced all of it and he moves ahead. Clear in his mind and sure about his vision. Even as I write this, I get a call from him to update me on the progress and tell me that he has a another small war to win, I am confident he will and plus, he is confident he will see me beside him if he needs our services as his mentors. So, my dearest entrepreneurs, hurdles are a gift to all entrepreneurs to make them into the best ones the industry every produced.
Finally, HIGHS & LOWS of your life and mine.. It is we who make the high points and the low points of our entrepreneurial journey. Is it hard to believe? It is always the case when the world decides that we have had it very easy, it gifts us with all the low points in life and when we make up our mind; "Fuck the World" and move ahead, we gift our selves with High Moments.. So, are you ready to create your high moments as you move ahead?
I am, I was very low today morning when I read the news about Paul Walker, someone I adored and drooled upon. It just took him a drive to end it all and I suddenly felt, "Y am I working so hard to build something when it takes just that much?" and then, it happened, I said exactly the same, Fuck the world and logged into my Club's website (www.startupsclub.org) and there it was my HIGH MOMENT.. we had crossed 1500 members just in all most 10 months... I won.. again...
