The grass on the other side is always greener. Is it genuinely green or is it actually an illusion. I ventured out long time back, and can’t really say that it has turned green, even though like the salt and pepper hair that I have now, it does seem to be interspersed with some green. And mind you I have spent some 21 years tending to it. A lot of ex-employees who were at one point associated with me did jump into the sea of entrepreneurship. I am not aware of how they fared in their endeavor and whether for them it turned greener almost instantaneously. One thing is however very certain, those who feel that entrepreneurship is indeed a get-rich-quick scheme are headed for a disaster. I meet so many people who rattle out the road map, get funded, create valuation and bring out an IPO / get acquired and then walk away with tons and tons of money. A select few hit par dirt and which triggered this berserk stampede. That is why today we find that 90% of startups are failing.

Anyone who aspires to be an entrepreneur should have a burning desire to achieve success. And it has a long gestation time and the budding entrepreneur has to be prepared for the long waiting period during which the test would be severe and relentless. How does an Olympian win the Medal that he/she aspires for. There is no short cuts here.

You need to have a vision, ascertain the “WHY” factor and start small. Let the light far off be burning even though dim from afar. If Birbal could find warmth from the candle burning miles away then surely you can keep the desire burning till you reach your goal. Mistakes, aplenty are inevitable. But with each mistake the resolve should keep getting stronger. Never give up in the face of adversity. The situation will change eventually. The fire in the belly should remain burning. Perseverance and willingness to work hard. If you choose to be an entrepreneur then you have to choose to sacrifice a lot of other things.

Your enterprise is your baby. Be proud of it. Never be dazzled with what is around you. A very senior person who apparently wanted to help me in fund raising, remarked to me recently about the location of my Office. It is my Office and I am proud of it. I am the “employer”, and if employees do not want to compromise and have their own locational preferences then it is their own restricted mindset and I cannot help it. Whoever heard of a well walking up to a thirsty person!! But then you can provide Value addition. I keep meeting so many advisors and consultants who are full of suggestions. It makes me wonder, if they know so much and have such clarity, what are they sitting on the opposite side!!

I have built a goodwill by practicing integrity. And this has definitely resulted in a very positive retention of Customers. The Customers should not stop believing in your Venture. Never take them for granted. You exist only because of them and it can never be the other way round. If our reputation and integrity exceeds expectation then Customers will be willing to be associated with you regardless of the cost. It will not matter if you are more expensive.

When you embarked on your entrepreneurial journey, was it a “risk” or a “gamble”. Just like success is never guaranteed, failure does not mean the end. Nothing is final. At one point, I went on to scale heights and in the very next year my business had plummeted. The slide could be stopped only recently and have again regained the upward momentum. Entrepreneurship has its flips and flops. Never be discouraged. If you do not give up, there is nothing that can stop you from succeeding…a true life story.