This post is in response to all those people who keep asking me - when is the right time to start off on my own?
Just because I’ve been an entrepreneur for a few years now doesn’t mean that I have the faintest idea when one should start a company or even if one should! There are a million and one people out there who would love to assist you. They’ll tell you everything - from how much to save (depending on your risk appetite) before starting up to planning for your marriage and family.
But from my limited experience, I can safely tell you this - If you need someone’s sanction (be it your astrologer’s, for all I care!) to dive into the world of entrepreneurship, KEEP AWAY, my friend.
I’m putting in writing what I tell wannabe entrepreneurs who come looking for advice. Don’t let the romance of a startup fool you. There’s nothing romantic or cool about it. Its a life full of struggle and impossible deadlines - deadlines that you cannot afford to miss. Nothing can be put off for tomorrow - everything needed to have been done yesterday. And most importantly, have the ability to swallow your pride and grin when your classmate shows off his new big car!
So, if you got the steel to survive the rigours of being your own boss, start today, nay, NOW!
P.S. There’s a pot of gold (and a very BIG car) at the end of the journey - that is, if you last that long :)
Those on twitter would already know about the Kiruba Incident and Cleartrip’s response. Though Cleartrip did make up for the lapse by quickly compensating Kiruba, their handling of the social media has been disastrous to say the least.
TODAY is the game changer. TODAY is the day that has changed the way I’ll lead the “rest of my life”.
And all it took was this one post by Steve Blank.
I quit the supposed “rat race” to follow my dreams but I never realized that the rat race never quit me. And this post is about an entrepreneur’s confession.
This is very disturbing. I had visited the Coffee Day outlet on Commercial Street last Sunday to meet a friend. When we ordered a couple of cold coffees, the waiter offered the familiar choice of whipped cream, ice-cream and chocolate sauce. Since all that we wanted was a glass of cold coffee on a very hot afternoon, we declined.
Then came the shocker, the waiter informed us that they don’t serve cold coffee without the “extras” on weekends. Incredible!
After haggling for a while, we settled for the extras to be served on a plate. In one swift stroke, CCD lost years of brand equity that they’d built with me. Forced up-selling never worked and probably never will. Siddhartha and Co - didn’t really expect smart people like you to do this. No wonder, the outlet was a ghost town on a crowded Sunday. CCD, SHAME ON YOU!
A big thanks to everyone for responding so passionately. Let me reiterate once again - the post was not meant to provoke but highlight the fact that we are celebrating something that we shouldn’t be proud of. The reason why its a lot tougher to get into IIT/IIM than Harvard or MIT is because people there have a wider choice of top schools.
I don’t intend to be prescriptive in any of my posts. I got a lot of responses from people who argued about everything from public policy to pedagogy and legislation. Some of the responses were completely off the mark and argued against current legislations like reservation and other affirmative actions. My personal opinion about this subject (though it may only be tangentially related to the current post) is that no nation can progress without taking the entire nation along - even if it means a couple of generations have to make sacrifices for a greater future, so be it. After all, we’ve been independent for less than 62 years - Americans were hunting each other down 60 years after their declaration of independence. Once again, this is a very contentious subject and I would rather leave it alone.
I request everyone who has sent me mails to post their views on the blog - the comments section is not moderated - so feel free to candidly comment.
