Building a business

In my parents apartment in Bombay, if you look out the kitchen window, you can see the classrooms of the school which is across the street. But if you stick your neck out the window and look straight down, there is a ledge, slightly obscured by the outer beams that surround this 6 floor building. It is dark and cool in that safe zone. Though, it has been a bit noisy the last few days. A family of pigeons has taken up residence and keeps cooing constantly. I can’t say if it is just Mama and Papa pigeon working hard to prepare the nest. Sometimes there are at least three of them in the vicinity. Bringing a straw in its beak; or sometimes a broomstick. They dash away when I peer to check the progress, squawking incoherently.

I have been watching their steady progress in the last couple of days. The nest is not ready yet, but a neat semicircle of twigs and branches has been laid down. The rate of nest building is slow, particularly when I bend down to examine the contents and state of perfection of the nest. The pigeons seem hassled when I do that. I scrutinize their creation out of a sense of curiosity and not to scare them out of their wits. But they don’t know that. I know for sure that the pigeons will continue with their task, undeterred either by my interest or lack of enthusiasm. And they will have their nest ready, in time for the arrival of the new family members.

Building a business is very much like this nest-building endeavor. You need to figure out the immediate goal. Then bring the bits and pieces you need to create the tools to reach the goal. The journey to build a strong, working model of your idea to a point where it functions in the way it should is where the learning is, where the excitement lies. In not knowing if you have all the twigs you need or could you substitute other materials. In not getting off track when someone breathes down your neck, however earnestly. You can’t get swayed by public sentiment but need to be aware of your environment, in case it presents a threat to your plans. In all of this, you need to stay focused while continuing to be flexible.

I have days when I am torn between sticking with what I know and in stepping into the great unknown, in staying small versus growing big, in not knowing whether I have what it takes to be successful. I am happy with what I have done so far and content to stay within the status quo. But there is also a part of me that knows that I can dream big and achieve it too. I don’t know all the steps. I think I can figure out the bits and pieces, how to get them and who to ask for help in putting it together. Handling the curious onlookers gets tedious but I am sure there is a way around them too. I can do it. I just need to think of my business as a work in progress nest. Simple!