Disclaimer: I do not claim to know it all but I do hope to share it all. This is a series of 11 lessons that I have learnt dealing with Entrepreneurs and being one myself.
Someone once told me that successful entrepreneurs have a
great sense of humour. I took this
statement very seriously and went around making a list of those who did not get
my jokes.
Okay, I did not expect you to laugh at this one.
Seriously, I actually found the trait of sense of humour in
all successful entrepreneurs. They may not have laughed the same way nor had
the same wit but they got the sense. They got the jokes and imagination. They loved
the creativity. I realised that they all accepted a carried thinking and could laugh
on even stupid imaginations. After all they themselves were also breaking the
rules.
Break away from
tradition
My generation grew up accepting change and resisting to it
simultaneously. We lived our childhood
and teens in a social India strapped for choices. Middle class was a very tiny
population and hence the size of the market was small. That coupled with
licence raj made the job of businesses very tough. Being an entrepreneur meant
you were good at managing the environment and no this had nothing to do with
the trees! To be an entrepreneur those days creativity was tested in in using
your network and getting licences.
As a result we had 2 models of scooters, 2 models of cars, 1
brand of cycles, public banks & airlines, no pubs, and 2 TV channels. Our
world changed very quickly as we hit youth. 1991 happened and so did MTV and advent
of foreign brands. The technology
revolution started in the late nineties with internet, Hotmail and Google! We
got exposed to the world. Everything kept changing at a fast pace.
There were many who saw this as a threat and there were
others who saw this as an opportunity. Capital was available more easily and
the consumer demand multiplied. Since then, everything has continued to change and grow albeit at
varied pace.
Our world today allows new questions, new ideas and it accepts
failure. There has never been a better
time. To question. To think impossible. To change what and how it has been
done. To break away from tradition. To be creative. To be an entrepreneur.
One more of my heroes, Steve Jobs once said, “The ones who
are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do it”
Change the world. Question
the norm. Question tradition. Find an
incomplete puzzle. Find a hole. Don’t like it. Change it! ‘Coz, if you don’t and
continue to do what was always done then you will get what you always got.
There are enough examples of celebrity entrepreneurs who
broke away from tradition and brough creative solutions to our problems. They
built Airtel, Apple, PayTM, Oyo, Uber, Zomato etc. They saw the problem differently.
They did not stop at getting a licence for telecom co. They did not constraint themselves
with the idea that to be the biggest taxi company you had to own a fleet of
taxis. They challenged the norm, broke from tradition and changed our world.
I don’t need no
satisfaction
Coming back to the original trait, the sense of humour
really comes from being creative. But what really breeds creativity is
insecurity.
Insecurity is the feeling of not being satisfied with what
you have achieved and quickly getting on to the next problem, next solution,
next goal. Amongst many entrepreneurs I have met or worked with, those who can
live in this insecure and uncomfortable state are the ones who generally
succeed.
I see myself as a problem solver. If I don’t see a problem,
I create it. If don’t have a problem, I don’t have a job, I feel lost. At the
same time, if I have a problem then I know we are on the right path. It is only
when you are riding up the hill you have to pedal hard. Riding a bike on
descent is generally very easy and comfortable.
We all know the frog in the cauldron analogy. Frog never
gets fried if dropped into the hot oil. It gets fried only in a slowly heated
cauldron of oil. Comfortable positions can be very dangerous. I believe that we don’t have to wait for a
problem to present itself rather visualise it and solve it. Once we have solved
it, we must find the next problem, next goal.
Breed Creativity
Besides staying insecure, there are other ways of breeding
creativity.
·
Change your daily office dress pattern. Formals
is what I wore to office for 15 years. Then thanks to my new business partner,
Sandeep Kohli, I discovered colourful socks. I started wearing jeans and casual
shoes to office. I have never been as free and creative in my life.
·
Change your office space. Looking at the same
corner, same window, same pictures on the wall can get boring. Sit somewhere
else. See your office, your people from another angle. It will give you new
ideas, new vision, new solutions.
·
Drop your inhibitions. From my founder partner
in SUPAFoods, Suprateek Deb (the SU of Supa) I have learnt, amongst other things, to
drop my inhibitions. This guy never feels shy. He can go up to anyone and ask
any question, anywhere. Learning from his trait I am able to talk to more
strangers and get more inputs on my research questions. I am not scared of
looking silly. I am now embracing new and learning, constantly.
·
Take a break. Well, a vacation helps. Everyone
knows that. However, if you can’t do that then go watch a movie, meditate, go
out and cycle, read a blog. I must confess that I have solved a lot of problems
while swimming laps in the pool.
The Lesson 4:
Opportunity lies in breaking from tradition and being
creative about solutions. Breed creativity in you, breed insecurity in you. Do
not get too comfortable, in fact, get comfortable only with discomfort. An
American novelist, Jack London once said, “You can’t wait for the inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club”.
So if you ask Pintoo about his blood group then in most likelihood
he will say, “B Creative”!
