Becoming an entrepreneur

When I left my job, I set out to be an independent consultant. I wanted to be alone, charting the unfamiliar waters, adrift outside the familiar corporate world that I had inhabited for over 12 years after my education. I wanted to get out of the rat race which I felt I was unqualified to participate in. I felt like a tortoise, on a treadmill made for rats. The 3 Ps (position, power and pay) which play an important part in career decisions of men were not of significance to me - position and power play did not excite me, the titles seemed hollow and the satisfaction nil. The pay I knew I could manage even without a stable salary.

For two years, I called myself a consultant. But occasionally, someone would introduce me in a public forum as an entrepreneur. In my definition, an entrepreneur is one who creates jobs. I had created one for myself – surely that did not count for an entrepreneur, did it? So I looked up the definition.

The Merriam Webster defines entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages and assumes the risk of business while the Cambridge dictionary defines entrepreneur as one who starts their own business, especially when this involves seeing a new opportunity.
There was nothing overt in the definition that mentioned “job creation”. The criteria really were about taking up the risk of starting a business in response to identifying a new opportunity. It is the founder, the one with vision who gets labeled as entrepreneur. And it logically follows that as the idea evolves, there is creation of opportunity for others.

What I have done recently is to continue being a consultant but have refined my vision to include other professional services in the pharma domain which has led me to hire my first employee. I am sticking more than my neck out to offer a service in a niche area where I see a definite need. I have found the perfect fit in my “employee number 1”. Now I truly feel like an entrepreneur.

The impetus for growth came from two conversations in the last couple of months; one from an entrepreneur himself and the other from a wannabe entrepreneur. The latter freely admitted that he lacked the guts to leave a stable job. Both gave me similar advice that struck a chord at a time when I had been personally soul-searching about “What now?”

Sometimes the perfect advice comes from an unlikely source, although I quite agree with a quote that says “Advice is what you seek when you already know the answer”.
I knew that my answer to “what now?” lay in growth. I have taken the first step by expanding my workforce and service offerings. I am waiting now for “what next?”

Removing blocks

Why is it so hard to get things moving sometimes? You try your best but things don’t budge. And usually it happens in a sequence. Or in bunches. Let me explain.

Last week was one such week where I seemed to be battling people/businesses/clients who could be classified under the letter “B”. First there was the Bank (one of India’s biggest) who takes pride in moving things slowly. Procedure becomes paramount as people cover up inefficiencies, both personal and in the system. The plus point – they are now trained to be polite while they go about their business at a geriatric pace.

The other enemy was the Builder, who would not let m have the keys to my apartment, insisting that the Bank pay him the last loan installment. I offered him a cheque for the same amount hoping to get a head start on getting my kitchen done up. But between the two “B”s, I was stuck.

Then there was a client whose name starts with “B” who continued to harass me. We have been dancing around the terms of a consulting agreement for months and just when I sent him a “final” proposal, he revised the terms again. At my wit’s end, I insisted that this was it and I could not negotiate any further. Finally he relented.
While I was battling the Bs, my father came down with a bigger B. A heart attack. How is that a B? Well the cause of the attack was the “big Block” in his heart. Fortunately the correct treatment was given in time and he is back home now. Think about 3 days in an ICU, in a Big corporate hospital in Hyderabad, without insurance. What we kids had to cough up was a “Big Bill”.

With all this drama, I sincerely hope I am out of the bad bout with Bs. With the block in the heart cleared up, I hope the flow of all good things towards me will begin.

Indirect profits

Earlier this month, an article in the Economic Times talked about direct and indirect approach to problem solving. The author mentions a book by John Kay, “Obliquity: How our goals are best pursued indirectly.” The book, he says, is about tangential achievement of goals and indirect solving of problems. There is data to support the premise that “the most profitable companies do not sport direct profit-orientation. They simply do the right things and end up being nicely profitable”.

The article goes on to talk about other things but the key message for me was the validation of my personal opinion that if we do the right things (without major blundering along the way), do good work and have clarity in the values (of the person or organization), the work should pay well.

When I left my comfortable job, I knew myself, I knew the market reasonably well and thought that I could fill a need with my unique blend of experience. I did not have an earnings target for myself. I worked on projects that came my way, met people, deliberated on ideas either alone or with friends. Most importantly, I acted. I took up work, did it sincerely and enjoyed what I did. At the end of the first year, I found that I had earned a decent living.

Now in my third year of working independently, I am able to fine tune my vision for future growth. Perhaps I am naïve and lack an MBA, but I am sure I can grow a profitable company if I continue to focus to identifying needs and working towards providing high quality services. My company may not become a giant corporation but certainly will do well, towards its employees, towards its customers and fill a niche. It will have good reputation in the market, it will make a difference. What we will earn will be fair compensation for the value we bring but more importantly, we will earn goodwill.

That will be the bottomline.

Wish me luck.

Ray of hope

I visited my friend who was in Hyderabad at her parents’ home this weekend. Her sister has taken the bold step of adopting a baby girl, as a single parent. Bringing up a child requires a village (also the title of a book written by Hilary Clinton) and this little girl is indeed showered with love and attention of doting aunts, uncles and not to forget, devoted grandparents. The room was full of toys and gifts that others had brought for the child’s first birthday the month before. As with any toddler, the baby crawled around fearlessly, merrily claiming the praise of family members and visitors. I was happy to see this child in a loving environment and look forward to watching her grow into a productive citizen and a loving human being one day.

As I drove back home, I passed a prominent restaurant in my neighborhood decorated with balloons and bearing a prominent sign “Laasya’s first birthday party” along with a large print of the little girl. Cars were lining up already. Around the corner is the neighborhood community hall used for religious ceremonies as well as social events. Amidst colorful streamers, another large sign informed me of “Mahi’s first birthday party” with a grinning baby girl’s picture on it. I have been disheartened so often to see girls being treated unfairly when it came to opportunities, the treatment arising solely from a bias towards their gender. But finding these proclamations of celebrations, announcing the completion of the first critical year of their daughter’s life, is a welcome sign.

Sugar n spice and everything nice – girls are special, as are boys. While we give kids our unconditional love, we unknowingly pass on ingrained prejudices as well. Gender definitions and roles, prescribed behaviors, preferred choices – these are unspoken forms of communication that kids pick up on, based on our own actions as we tread the beaten path of societal norms.

Seeing public celebration of a female’s child’s birth is the first step as we move to equally rejoicing in new life, irrespective of gender. But that is just the beginning. What we need to do individually as parents and collectively in society, is not just provide a chance for girls to explore their potential in the early years but enable them to achieve their full potential as they grow into mature adults. Becoming aware of the restraints that society unknowingly puts on them puts a major burden on their shoulders as they try to come to terms with the freedoms of younger days with the recipe of future life that is presented to them. I know of educated parents of a son and daughter, both of whom have been educated in private engineering colleges. While the son is free to pursue either higher education or an international job, the daughter is expected to marry the “chosen” guy shortly after she graduates. Her future depends on her future husband.

As all these thoughts crossed my mind, I realized that I was unknowingly voicing the prejudices I had felt growing up. Things are different now, at least for the little ones, who are enjoy much more access to material comforts and choices as they grow. I only hope that they will continue to have as many choices in their adulthood and the maturity to choose wisely.
Happy Birthday, Girls!

Independence Day 2010

The school circular informed that parents to take their seats at 8.15 a.m. on 15th August 2010. The invitation was extended to parents of children who had distinguished themselves academically the previous school year and were being honored with “scholar badges’ for the achievement. I parked in the swampy parking lot, still mushy from the heavy night rain, and gingerly made my way to the school compound where the seating arrangements had been made. I was welcomed with enthusiastic waving from one section of the children and found Aparna’s friends giggling and waving happily.

As is customary, we waited for the chief guest, the boredom punctuated by sounds of tricolor balloons going “bust” at regular intervals, followed by nervous laughter from the kids. Finally the dignitaries arrived, were introduced and welcomed with bouquets. Surprisingly, the chief guest was a prominent woman from the media, who was disabled and moved around in a wheelchair. The invited guests moved towards the flag pole and hoisted the flag. As they were showered with petals, the national anthem played in the background. Kids stood with their hands saluting the flag, seriously contemplating the notion of freedom in a nation celebrating 64 years of independence. In a few minutes, the somber moment passed. Chairs scraped against concrete as the audience settled back into viewing positions.

I marveled at the power of a simple ceremony to invoke feelings of patriotism. It had been years since I had taken the trouble to witness a flag-hoisting event. Having lived abroad for many years, I felt very much Indian but did not feel the need for a community event to make me aware of my nationality. I respected Independence Day celebrations of all countries, a fight for nationhood as a legitimate cause for unity. We take freedom for granted, and seldom stop to appreciate the benefits that it offers us. We assume we can complain about what is not well, a privilege inherent in the democratic form of government that we practice; however flawed the system may be today.

It is necessary for children to come together to salute the nation on the days that hold significance. But it is imperative that adults come together to make these ceremonies more meaningful by their participation.

Shown above are some of the creations of school children participating in a competition titled "Tirangaa"on 15 August 2010.

In a strange place

Unexpectedly, I found myself in a strange place.

I was in a car, on my way to visit a company located outside the city. We left early, to avoid the city traffic and eased into the one-lane highway after a while. I dozed off, tired from the previous day’s work. When I opened my eyes, I saw a field of green – lush countryside, soaked from the recent rains, sprouting young shoots, grass blades, still tingling green from the new growth. Trees occasionally dotted the field of vision. There weren’t any of the majestic brown rocks that are more commonplace in the outskirts of Hyderabad. There were no buildings as far as the eye could see. Trucks whizzed by along with bullock carts and tractors. No honking, no traffic jams. A herd of buffaloes slowed our journey for a few minutes as they silently deliberated among themselves while standing in the middle of the busy highway. Goats seemed content, munching grass and bushes – what a relief to see the animals eating natural food, not human garbage as is common around dumpsters in the city. About a dozen camels suddenly came into view, eagerly chomping down on tree branches higher than their tall heads, happy to find greenery at their level. Our daily concrete landscape is so much part of our life that we seldom stop to appreciate the wonder of things that are not man-made.

When we arrived at the destination, an even stranger experience awaited. It was a site with no women employees, except for housekeeping staff. It was a manufacturing environment, in a location not favoring local scientific talent. Most male staff either lived with roommates in the small town or commuted to Hyderabad to be with their families on weekends. I realized that I was not as concerned about me being the only woman who was not housekeeping staff, but more surprised that it was still possible to find workplaces bereft of women. I think we have made considerable progress if our general perception is one which assumes a gender-inclusive workplace.

Survival of the smoothest

Last month, I was invited to be a judge for a competition – nothing on the scale of Indian Idol or any of the grueling dance competitions on TV for which I don’t have the stomach to even be an observer, leave alone a judge. But it was a competition among post-graduate college students and at stake was a chance to travel abroad, in this to a much sought after European destination, for the international level competition. This was the second year for this event and I had been a judge last year as well. I knew what to expect in terms of the process but did not expect to learn what I did.

So here we had 6 groups of 6-7 students each, all given the same problem, resources and time, to arrive at a solution that was to be presented to the judges and fellow competitors. The job of the seven member panel of judges was not just to pick the winning team, but to pick 2 individuals who would then represent India in the global competition. We had an afternoon in which to watch, an hour to ask questions of the contestants and 20 minutes to reach consensus (we had a tight timeline due to the FIFA match where Germany ended up scoring a big win)!

Well, we did the best we could and objectively arrived at the winners. But what I learned in the process was the importance of communication skills. For the second year, I found myself veering towards those kids who spoke well, the ones who were able to get their ideas across. I am sure there were many with superior reasoning ability and intellect but what use were those thoughts, locked up in brilliant minds, if they were not made accessible to others? In general, the students pursuing MBA’s fared better in this category. Being of the firm opinion that a business administration education is not necessary to be successful in life, I eagerly looked for candidates pursuing post-graduate studies in science, law or other fields. But unanimously, the MBA’s did better.

In all honesty, I think people who pursue science education think of themselves as being on a higher level, compared to students of other streams. We think logically, focus on data and arrange them in order to draw valid conclusions –that is why we are scientists! Then why do we not do well in front of an audience?

Does better communication ability come from having pursued a different stream of education? Is it necessary for all science graduate needs to add a business degree to do well? No, but they certainly need to start acquiring presentation skills, communication abilities and be comfortable interacting with others. Being cooped up in a lab, wearing a lab coat and watching equipment does not translate into visibility. It is as important to explain to a lay person what exactly you do as it is to impress your thesis committee on the intricacies of your dissertation. Until we as scientists are unable to walk both paths with ease, the once with the gift of the gab will always walk away with the accolades.

Inspired Action

It seems really hot these days. I know that the hot summer days are long gone and the pleasant monsoon season is upon us in Hyderabad. As everyone around me reminded me that May 2010 was one of the hottest summers recorded in the last 20 years, I was glad to have escaped and enjoyed a relaxing American holiday. But now the holidays are distant blurs on the short-term horizon that is dotted with deadlines and deliverables, tasks and projects.

Work is getting hectic as I tackle the pending projects and respond to new ones that have sprung out of nowhere. Struggling with a strategy to go with the vision that I have created for the company involves growth on many fronts. I am finally willing to think of a bigger canvas for my company that involves openness to hiring the necessary resources.

Home will be moving soon and there are a hundred decisions to make right from kitchens to curtains, mirrors to geysers and all the rest. The common theme amongst all this in addition to expansion, is the need for finances.
And what a heady combination all this makes – I have jumped onto a hotplate after the relaxing vacation and all I can do is try to balance on tiptoes, trying to get everything done, all at once, without falling flat. It is so exciting, I can hardly sleep at night, my mind is buzzing with ideas, action items and to-do lists. I love it.

A lot of latent dreams seem to be taking concrete shape, in a complementary manner, moving towards the destined goal. My actions, though necessary, seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. There is an energy above and around me that seems to be churning up a whirlwind of motion. Is this what is called inspired action?