20 THINGS ONLY ENTREPRENEURS WILL UNDERSTAND

1) People think you're legitimately insane for quitting studies, job and pursuing some hair-brained idea.

2) Risking everything you have to pursue your dream.

3) No one else understand your vision.

4) Still believing in your vision when no one else does.

5) You're friends and family tell you you're just having a quarter life crisis.

6) Everything seems like an opportunity just waiting for you to make it happen.

7) The time is now.

8) Knowing all too well the meaning behind Reid Hoffman's quote that an entrepreneur is someone who has to 'jump off a cliff and assemble an airplane on the way down.'

9) Writing down ideas that you get in the middle of the night.

10) Staying up until ungodly hours of night.... morning? Who even knows anymore....

11) Running solely on insane amounts of caffeine, i.e whatever you can get your hands on... Red Bull, Crunk, Raw Coffee Beans, gasoline...

12) Constantly promoting your ideas to anyone who will listen.

13) Shamelessly haunting down sponsors for funding.

14) Using an absurd amount of social media advertising.

15) Working with a bunch of Generations Y, Millennial Hipsters.

16) Never knowing what's coming next or what the future might hold in store.

17) Trying and falling.

18) Then trying and trying and falling again.

19) Finally succeeding.

20) Looking back at how far you've come once you've finally succeeded. 

THEY SAY- THE THIRD PERSON PROBLEMS

I have always found that an instant barometer to the state of any company's employee relations is the way their people use the words 'we' and 'they'.

You ask a salesperson for an item and he says, 'Sorry they have decided not to carry that brand any more.' Or you get to the front line of the check-in line at the airport and the airline agent tells you, 'Sorry, they have just cancelled that flight.'

This mysterious anonymous entity 'they' is held responsible for limitless problems. Bad news tends to be delivered in the third-person plural, whereas good news is much more likely to be relayed in the first-person singular. I wish my old English teacher could read this, as she was convinced I never listened to a word in those lessons!

So if the requested item is in stock, the salesperson will likely reply, 'Yes, I have that.' When a flight is on time, the agent will say, 'I would like to announce the on-time departure of the flight XYZ.'

Managers and business leaders should watch for this tendency. A company where the staff overuse the word 'they' is a company with problems. If employees aren't associating themselves with their company by using 'we', it is a sign that people up and down the chain of command aren't communicating - and if that turns out to be the case, you'll usually find secondary problems throughout the company, affecting everything from development to customer service.

A company's employees are its greatest asset, particularly in service based operations where your people are your product. When the company fails to grasp this simple business tenet, the result is invariably an oppositional 'us and them' divide between management and front line staff.

Just as two wrongs never made a right, these two conflicting 'theys' will never make a 'we'.

Resolving the underlying issue is not that difficult. If employees feel they are outside looking in - so far outside that they refer to their company as 'they' - then who's to blame? Managers and executives may be investing no effort in making staffers feel like valued insiders. For example, try asking employees where they learn about new product and other important company news. If the answer is the newspaper or a next-door neighbour, then they are truly stuck in a 'they say' quagmire.


Involving every relevant employee group in development not only drives better product design but also adds a huge pride-of-association factor. 'We came up with this as a team.' Everyone wins, including customers and shareholders.

A few days back I went to a general store and asked for a product, someone working there said, 'Sorry, but they don't have that anymore', my standard response was, (with a smile!) ""They"? Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you worked here.' Tough love, maybe, but it certainly gets the point across!

One of a leader's greatest challenges these days is getting people to actually talk to each other; one on one meetings and  old fashioned brainstorming are vital to the success of any growing business. Sending an email with an attached Power Point presentation to a hundred people may be effective in some situation, but most of the time nothing beats gathering all the contributors to a project, soliciting everyone's input and then acting on it.

So, rather than sending that email to the product team, why not walk over there now and talk to them. I am sure 'they' will thank you for it!

What is Success?

A few days back one of my friend asked me, 'What does SUCCESS as an Entrepreneur really mean?' When discussing about this with my friends they quoted 'Any task that makes you feel satisfied and happy' or 'Success is happiness or when your self respect feels good'
First, success in any career is closely tied to doing what you enjoy and developing your skills and talents. If you are considering a career as an entrepreneur, remember that leaders in this field are flexible and open-minded. They are able to imagine themselves in their customers' shoes. And they have empathy not only for their colleagues and employees but for the people who are affected by the business's operations. Business favours people who, when they see a problem or an injustice, try to do something about it. Does this describe you?

It can be difficult to assess one's own strengths and weaknesses. If you don't already have a mentor, it would be good to contact someone who has experience in the area you're thinking about entering. Professional organisations might be able to put you in touch with someone willing to help you review your best options.

Remember, a good mentor is not necessarily someone who is well known, but, rather, someone who is leading a rich and enriching life. Reach out to a business leader who has made a difference that is important to you.

At this stage, many young people are focused on developing abilities in areas where they haven't succeeded or exhibited much skill. Not long ago, I talked to my neighbour who was dyslexic. I said that it is important to try to excel at what you're good at. Don't let your limits knock your self-confidence. Put them to one side.

This is the time to focus on your strengths, because success as an entrepreneur is about ideas and excellence. Not excellence measured in awards, or other people's approval, but the sort one achieves for oneself by exploring what the world has to offer. So, rather than looking to others for your markers of achievement, consider what success means to you. Thinking about personal matters, like your hopes for your family and private life, might help you bring this vision into focus.

Are you dealing with great wealth? Success in business has nothing to do with profits. Profits are necessary to invest in the next project - to pay bills, repay investors and reward people for their hard work - but that's all. The reality is that, in business money flows like a running stream. During one season, it might be a torrent, but then you have to invest in order to keep your business going, and your cash flow dries up overnight.

It seems like an American trait to talk about wealth. In India we are slightly embarrassed about it, and I think its a good thing. When I go somewhere I see people not bank statements, and I'd like to think that others feel the same about me. Money is only interesting for what it lets you do and create.

If money is a poor guide to achievement, celebrity is the worse. The media tends to personalise and simplify matters, and that's understandable. It's much easier for reporters to talk about Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata or Bill Gates but that doesn't reflect the reality that a legion of senior people at those companies make many major decisions every day - they just don't talk to the media about it.

If neither money nor celebrity are fair measures of success, then what about personal power? Well Reliance is still working without Shri Dhirubhai Ambani, just as apple is continuing without Steve Jobs and Microsoft since Bill Gates stepped down as CEO in 2008.

Success in business is best measured by whether or not you have created something of which you can be truly proud - and whether or not you've made a real difference for others. This is what will get you up in the morning. This is what will make you happy.

The more actively and practically engaged you are, the more successful you will feel. Right now, I find myself doing more and more to help safeguard our future on this planet and help more and more people. Does that makes me successful? I don't know, but it certainly makes me happy.

When you are facing choices about your path to a career, and in all the choices that follow, focus on your own goals and try not to be distracted by those of others. Consider the needs of community, and how to might best contribute. What is your vision for change? Start working towards that. In business, as in life, what matters is that you do something positive.

PEOPLE POWER- THE REAL ENGINE OF ANY BUSINESS

Let’s get right to the point; good people are not just crucial to a business, they are the business!

Finding them, managing them, inspiring them and then holding on to them is one of the most important challenges a business leader faces, and your success and growth of your business.

What is a company but a collection of people? Take an airline – the aircraft it flies are pretty much the same as its rival’s. The interiors are usually much of muchness and there is often only a slight difference in the entertainment and food. What sets one airline apart from its peers is its people (aka cabin crew) and their attitude towards their passengers. Few airline crews are smiling, cheerful and pleased to help, which leaves passengers wanting to fly with them again. On the contrary there are airline where crew members are rude.

People are your key asset. On the front lines of business, managers and other budding Entrepreneur, a true sense of pride in the business makes all the difference.

Even the best people need great leadership. A good leader must know the team, its strengths and weakness; socialising and listening to the team face to face is the key. One of the most common reason people leave a job is because they were not listened to. Its rarely just about money, more often about frustration.

Like a proverbial bad apple, a bad leader can destroy a business very quickly. In small business this is easily apparent. Trust is the key facet of any business, but how you deal with being let down once can also contribute to success. Are you willing to give people a second chance? We all slip up at some stage in our careers.

But people are lifeblood of any company, we need to understand it.

9 Entrepreneur Tips Every Business Owner Should Know

In the corporate world, the goal is to strive, not simply survive. Leading entrepreneurs depend on a core set of guidelines to help them reach this objective. Some of them may seem deceptively simple, but all of them are important as you either move your start-up into growth mode or strive to sustain your existing business. Below are some top entrepreneur tips from leading minds in business.

1.       Love What You Do

Business leaders are the driving force behind a company’s success. They must have vision and drive and enthusiasm—and who has enthusiasm for something about which they feel only lackluster. Entrepreneurs must maintain their optimism, through good times and bad. If you are passionate about you do, there is a better than likely chance your motivation will remain strong.

2.       Customer Is King

Who pays your bills? Your clients. Who is the thus the most important stakeholder in your business? You got it, the customer. Strive to create an atmosphere in which the customer is recognized as the key player in your success. It takes a lot of work to win a client. Everyone in the company needs to understand their role in keeping those clients and delivering a successful customer service experience.

3.       Quality Is Queen

If customers drive your business, quality service and products are what keep them coming back. Stand behind your product and make sure it is the best. People will pay for quality and will appreciate it. Your staff will love you for it. Constantly improve what you do and put into place quality control measures, not only for profitability, but for reputation management. Be the company everyone wants to work with because you are just that good.

4.       Hire Smart

Successful entrepreneurs will tell you the key to their success is the people with which they surround themselves. You may know a lot, but you can’t know everything. As the boss, you shouldn’t need to have your finger in every pie, every second of the day. Hire people as smart—if not smarter—than you, and surround yourself with staff whose knowledge and education fill in the gaps of your own experience. Give them a vested interest in the success of your enterprise. If you have hired the right people, you will see the results.

5.       Money Management

The life of an entrepreneur isn’t easy. You work hard for every dollar that comes in. Cash flow builds inventory, pays for services, promotes and markets your company, maintains equipment, and pays for staff. Make sure your money isn’t flying out the door on expenses that don’t directly increase your profits.

6.       Image Is Everything

Who wants to work with a jerk? It only takes a moment to create a first impression; don’t you want it to be a good one? Some of the world’s largest companies have based their business success on being great to work with and nice people to boot. Maintain attention to detail, be precise in your communication, apologize when you are wrong, and strive to do better.

7.       Expert Advice

Become known as an expert in what you do. When you have a problem in need of a solution, you look to the person or company that can give you the most accurate and straightforward assistance, people who are known as the best in the field. Be that company. The more experience your business gains, the more you learn, and the more your expertise grows. It’s a beautiful cycle.

8.       Learn from Mistakes—Fast

Mistakes are a fact of life. Everyone makes them, even smart entrepreneurs. The key is to recognize them, take your lumps, learn your lesson, and put into place safeguards so they never happen again. The only thing worse than an error is making the same one twice, especially if it negatively affects your bottom line or corporate reputation.

9.       Follow-Up, Follow-Up, Then Follow-Up Again

Contact, follow through, and follow up with clients, leads, and business partners helps to cultivate and maintain relationships. This leads to stronger sales and better service. Once the sale has been made, follow up again to make sure the client is satisfied. In a time when every lead is precious, positive word of mouth and repeat clients are golden.

What are some entrepreneur tips that have worked for you and your business? Share them below in comment section!

A NOTE TO THE YOUTH OF OUR NATION

When you grow up you're tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside this world. And try not to bash into the walls too much. But thats a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact and that is - "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you". You can change it. You can influence it. You can build up your own things. If you shake of this erroneous notion that life is just there and you're gonna live in it for years and decades. Change it. Improve it. Make your mark upon it. Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.

Never ever say, "I can't do this because I don't know how to." Give it a go. Don't let silly rules stop you. I don't believe that that little word 'can't' should stop you. If you don't have the right experience to reach a goal, look for another way in. If you want to fly, get down to the airfield at the age of sixteen and make the tea. Keep your eyes open. Look and Learn. I don't believe you have to go to a art school to be a fashion designer. Join a fashion company, pick up a broom and push it. Work your way up. I'm not dismissing the value of higher education. I'm simply saying it comes at the expense of experience.

Dream Big. Align your passion and purpose in life with a goal, focus on the goal and you'll overcome all obstacle, if you focus on obstacle you'll never reach. Be positive and optimistic in life, dismiss the profits of doom, have self confidence, believe in yourself and above all believe in INDIA because this country gives each Indian an opportunity to realise his dreams.

Everyone is saying everything in this world is going wrong, there's wars, there are conflicts all around and I guess the reason we're here is to fix it, to be able to improve it and leave it better than we found it.

The biggest strength and the biggest obstacle is a belief. Abraham Lincoln, The person who got defeated 8 times in election became the greatest President ever. Albert Einstein who was denied the teaching post made the syllabus to be taught. The ball boy in 1987 World Cup went on to become the God of Cricket. The woman who worked in cafes wrote Harry Potter. A common man became the Father of a Nation. They all were just someone until they believed they can be more, they were simple humans as are we, they had a dream as we all do, they dared to chase it, Why don't we? Have a dream and dare to chase it. Believe in yourself and the world will start believing in you.
At last THINK BIG, THINK FAST AND THINK AHEAD OF OTHER. IDEAS HAVE NO ONES MONOPOLY.

FIVE SECRETS TO STARTING A BUSINESS

I have come up with five secrets of  improving the chances of a new business surviving and with luck - something we all need - flourishing.

1) IF YOU DON'T ENJOY IT DON'T DO IT.

Starting a business takes huge amounts of hard work and time so you had better enjoy doing it. When I thought of starting an online venture through Fylis, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn't set out to build a business empire. I simply wanted to create something people would enjoy using, have fun doing it and at the end of the day prayed that it would make enough to pay my bills.

For me building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that's going to make a real difference to other people's lives.

Business people are not unlike artists. What you have when you start a company is blank canvas; you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or woman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves and it's not that easy to paint over your mistake!

If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference and achieves that objective, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.

2) BE INNOVATIVE- Create something different.

Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you've got to do something radically different to make your mark today.

Look at the most successful business of the past twenty years. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook all shook up the world we live in by doing things that had never been done before and then by continually innovating. They are now among the dominating forces.

Not everyone can aspire to such levels; however, should you decide to enter an already crowded segment you had better to be ready to offer customer service that blows the competition away.

3) PRIDE OF ASSOCIATION WORKS WONDERS

Business are nothing more than a group of people, and they are by far and away your biggest assets. In fact in probably the majority of businesses your people are your product.

For me there is nothing sadder than hearing someone being apologetic about the place where they are working. When people are proud to be associated with their company it generates a special level of advocacy and dedication that is a huge differentiator in a world full of mediocrity and indifference.

4) LEAD BY LISTENING

To be good leader you have to be a great listener. Sure, you need to know your own mind, but there is no point in imposing your views on others without some debate and degree of consensus. No one has monopoly on good ideas or good advice. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them. As a leader you've also got to be extremely good at lavishing praise. Never openly criticize people; never lose your temper, and always be quick to applaud a job well done.

People flourish on praise. Usually they don't need to be told when they've done wrong because most of the time they know it.

5) BE VISIBLE 

A good leader doesn't get stuck behind a desk. A good leader is constantly out and about, meeting people. He visualizes his dreams and always work for it. You should always try to meet as many people as possible, be it your employees, customers or a random person, you will come up with a dozen or more good suggestions or ideas. Write it down, if you don't write them down you'll remember only a few, but putting them in notebook means you'll remember all. Talk to your staff and customers at every opportunity, listen to what they tell you, good or bad, and act on it.