Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

You Can Achieve More by Shiv Khera – a book review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Stories/storification, Training, , , , ,

  • Paperback: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury India (18 April 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 938634906X
  • ISBN-13: 978-9386349064
  • Package Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm

I signed up for this for the simple reason that its SHIV KHERA.

One of the most impacted stories that is also a part of this book is about being woken up by the mother every day morning. In a situation of handling money and a bit of unethical variety the accountant asks his mom what he should do. When he explains the things, she says that she doesn’t understand what he says but says one thing  “I don’t understand anything you say, but I want my son to be awake when I enter the room”

I was not disappointed with the book, has a lot of things on the ethics and moral side of it which are given a go by in todays corporate world.

The book is a very lucid in the sense making the subject easy. Not many jargons. Author given his extensive training experience quotes from his seminars and makes us relate to the messages he has, in his inimitable style.

To be honest his approach on the ethical and moral issues deserves praise simply because he has taken it to the logical end in terms of the context and more so he believes real issues are taken up.

The base premise is of living by design and not by default. I think we get into the default mode the moment we get into a comfort zone. Perhaps that is why we need to remind ourselves that its not the real potential that we are really better and more capable that what we think.

There are books and there will be books, this is one of the simpler ones and easy to digest if you ask me. The design of the book and the layout with easy to read format and quotes in special boxes makes it reader friendly and also make it easy to take notes.

The author does say that you can take your time reading this book, I think its like you can come to this book anytime later and that serves you well simply because it is a kind of reference material that we can look up to.

The best part is the exercises behind each of the topics and I think that works very well like – the things to do and action plan after every chapter is read.

This book is a clarion call by the author to live life by design and not default. You could always keep it simple and real and this book has the ability to make people look within and find their potential and achieve more than they think they can.

The book will be a great help for those who doubt themselves and for those who think greatness is thrust upon a few.

A person with a positive attitude cannot be stopped and a person with a negative
attitude cannot be helped.

Thanks Flipkart for the copy. This review is a part of Flipkart Sponsored Book Review Program.

Senthilkumar

Celebrating the Super Connected City #celebratingsuper

Entrepreneurship, , , ,

entreprenuership

The spirit of entrepreneurship runs through every chaiwala, every kulche wala bhaiyya not to forget the golgappa wala bhaiyya. These are times when entrepreneurs are changing the landscape of the economy in more ways than one. The best part is that it is encompassing every sphere of life right from childhood to youth to the rest.

And it’s no surprise that Delhi or the NCR region is home to some of the best of the entrepreneurship fairy tales that we see today. What we see is what we seed. Quite often the strength of the network is what is the strength of the individual, that perhaps defines the spirit of New Delhi as it spawns new set of techies and expands frontiers of success stories across a variety of disciplines from food to classifieds to real tech to AR to VR.

With a heavy push on Digital India the roads are now more than crowded with many a startup competing to be there, to be heard and to win. The journey is a tough one because the ideas are easy but the execution is difficult and at times like these we have some real super help from the like of Vodafone.

hero2

You heard it right the #CelebratingSuper Vodafone actually helps the startups with initial packs that can go upto over 2 lac rupees that a huge huge amount of money if you ask me. This is not new, and some of the most celebrated successful startups like Zomato and Oyo rooms have tasted this before.

The entrepreneurs know how each of these measures will help them overcome initial difficulties and gain momentum especially in the first few days of starting up. You will be ridiculed because we still don’t know how it is going to be and people can easily say things when it doesn’t happen.

But its the story of persistence, like once I read about the founders of LinkedIn wherein they said our over night success had to wait over 14 years when Microsoft took over LinkedIn.

So this attitude of persistence is a strength of the entrepreneurs we see today. There is so much of similarities when we think of these things with respect to the City of New Delhi. The city has a never say die attitude and is giving itself a shot in the arm whenever a crises hits and that when you see the resilience at display.

The Vodafone network  has these quality that you can easily relate with in terms of what it is supposed to deliver. To make it interesting the city today boasts of 120 hotspots across Delhi & NCR such as DLF Mall of India, Fortis Hospital, Delhi Haat, Khan Market, Airport, etc

And when you thought the air is unbreathable Vodafone decided to create the first Air-Purifying bus shelter in the city so that people could breathe non-polluted air while waiting for a bus. Innovating to get the best for the people of Delhi.

It is in such small details that God aka Network resides today. So Vodafone apart from making us talk is making it easy for us to breathe and more over look to making it cleaner. That’s the secret to making Vodafone the choice of 1.2 crore customers in Delhi and NCR and Vodafone receives 1 customer appreciation every 30 seconds.

Times are a changing so too is the Network!

Anywhere But Home by Anu Vaidyanathan – a book review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Entrepreneurship, Management, Motivation, Training, , , ,

anywhere-but-home-adventures-in-endurance-original

 

  • Language: English
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Publisher: Harper Collins
  • ISBN: 9789351775249, 9351775240
  • Edition: 2016

This is one book for anyone who is into running the Marathon as a hobby and then there is some serious stuff if you ask me beyond that. The basic premise about the Marathon and the attitude and the practice that makes it perfect is all there with wit and a narrative that will be so light on you as you read the book.

As for me the book is a narrative in inspiration of can do and must do and how you overcome the odds that present itself when you want to do it. It’s an inspirational first person account of how you should go about things in your pursuit of your goal, not necessarily the one – the marathon or the Ultra Marathon that the author does it as the first Asian woman to finish the race.

When you do things you love, everything gets relegated and especially your weaknesses and then there you are running and fighting it out. The result will make you wonder how did you do it and that’s the best part of the whole training and marching all the way to the goal.

Anu Vaidyanathan is the first Asian woman to complete Ultraman Canada: a punishing 10-kilometre swim, a 420-kilometre bike ride and an 84.4-kilometre run. She placed sixth. Which is breath-taking. But what is your typical good Indian girl, super-nerd doing at the Ultraman?

This book is also a go to guide for the best Marathon that you may want to run the world over. There are experiences from Canada to New Zealand to US of A. Infact there are stories that will teach you to be a good negotiator, be spend thrift and also gives you ample access to what you can expect at these marathon races.

This first person account will help you get off your seat and try some real active life and can work wonders that way. May be its not the Ultraman but yes go kick yourself to be a part of the Marathon or a Half Marathon happening across the country. Make it a habit and I am sure it can be addictive as the author says.

Pick your copies here at Flipkart / Amazon 

Faster, Smarter, Higher – Managing your career by Utkarsh Rai Book Review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Entrepreneurship, Management, Motivation, Quotable Quotes, Stories/storification, Training, , ,

faster-smarter-higher-managing-your-career-400x400-imaegbqs2rxytptr

  • Language: English
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Publisher: Rupa Publications India
  • ISBN: 9788129137500, 812913750X
  • Edition: 2016
  • Pages: 199

A career crisis is a phase everyone goes through at some point in time of their life. The earlier one gets it, it makes you better to anticipate somethings for yourself. In this book the author Utkarsh Rai takes us through some of the most mind boggling times when we should have had the real experience of being faster, smarter and think higher.

The author has made the book into 8 parts and each one is a testament on how you can manage different sets of values and sometimes people.

  1. Managing Self
  2. Managing your Manager
  3. Managing your Team
  4. Managing your Peers
  5. Managing your Managers Boss
  6. Managing Managers Peers
  7. Managing Others
  8. Managing the Acrobatics of the future.

The book provides ample insights in giving us the solutions in the form of What can you do? Quite often it’s this question that needs to be answered and that’s how it is done.

The book quotes extensively from the experience and situations which we may come across and this holds very true in case of people to people interaction we may come across in the daily routine.

I think this is an encapsulation in a very fine format which young budding managers need to learn a bit especially about managing their managers and their peers, this I think is a very new way to look at the career prospects and the people influencing the same.

The quotes which accompany the chapters are very thought provoking and mostly application driven and has the ability to propel you to achieve what you want in your career. In hindsight when I look back I feel things could have been different if I had read something like this before early in my career and it could have really made a difference.

I think this book is a go to guide for you whenever you need to go back and check and how you need to work on the situations that you come across. It’s more about people and how we manage them to get the best out of them.

It’s a fast read in a sense but will hold your thoughts for a while and sometimes you might take time to digest and flip through to the next page.

Another aspect is the simple straight talking language that is akin to speaking straight to you, making you comfortable and talking to you in a way that makes it easy to understand and help ourselves.

Pick this book and this will be an immense help for yourself and will turn to be a go to guide for times to come.

This review is a part of Flipkart Sponsored Book review program. To pick up your copy of this book just click here

Senthilkumar

The search for Indias Most Loved CEO

Entrepreneurship, General, Management, Motivation, Personal, Spirituality, Training, , ,

CEO

CEOs are of different varieties and what better way to recognise them than with a apt title of the India’s Most Loved CEO! There is a sense of excitement and a sense of pride when you see him across the table. A role model refined in a way that you always try to emulate him. All that and more happens. But now it’s time to express those emotions and unleash your love/respect for the CEO in a way make it memorable for both of you. There’s a hunt now for India’s Most Loved CEO. And you just need to nominate your most loved CEO and with real reasons ofcourse why you consider him or why your organisation considers him as the Most Loved one!

But hey wait am clueless as much as you are who this is going to be. Again who is the one, who gets to be the Most loved CEO. Answers to these questions will be there at http://www.indiasmostlovedceo.com/

So it’s time to log in http://www.indiasmostlovedceo.com/ and guess who is India’s most loved CEO. Lot of prizes await you, you could end up with a Moto G or Flipkart vouchers. Just not only that you could be featured on the website – your moment of fame beckons you.

That man in shining armour at the most important time in your life! That could be the best description of the most loved CEO. Now time to spread the word and participate in the process as they unveil them in a few days to go. You could share a bit on your CEO so the world joins in celebrating him.

On the other side am anxious, as much as you are to know how he is going to be selected and will that be a poll or nominations and more. It’s time to watch out and wait for the curtain to go up in 4 days and find out who is India’s Most Loved CEO.

Now what are you waiting go check out and see who is the one and only #IndiasmostlovedCEO…

As for nominations it’s not just the CEO that every company has, he is the CEO in real sense! Time now to go guess who that is!!!

Senthilkumar

Can there be India’s most loved CEO ????

Entrepreneurship, Just about it, Management, Motivation, Motorsports, Personal, Training, ,

indiasmostlovedceoThe word CEO evokes a myriad of emotions for me, and there is pretty good reasons for the same. And when there’s a contest for IndiasmostlovedCEO, it makes for some real action both online and offline, to get the drift continue reading.

CEO make or break things for an organisation, he is more than a leader, manager and sometimes a friend rolled into one. I know you must have felt that right. And personally there are many people who have had a role in making me understand who is a CEO and what is he made of? There were some who taught me, some who directed me and some compassionate ones, you get a mix of all. There are impacts and there are just small overtures in dealing with people.

But then we need to ask can we ever have a contest, and if there is one how do we decide who’s the most loved one at that!

Who could be the most loved CEO ever? Everyone has different answers and can those thoughts meet and could we have someone rock the place as the #IndiasMostLovedCEO. This brings to mind lot of names, suggestion in particular like that of NR Narayanamurthy or APJ Abdul Kalam.

I have had a CEO who blazed a racing track, no guesses though. There are times when you can talk to him and get an answer for some question you thought don’t have answers! It’s like he has answers for everything!

So would your CEO qualify for the best or the most loved one? Would you be nominating the person who made a difference in your life and how exactly are they going to be ranked or chosen. This is for real and I just can’t wait to see that unravel as we go in the days to come…

Sometime I do feel if there could be most loved CEO. That’s an irony if he is able to keep folks happy and the board members happy, but could that be possible, may be yes or no.

As we debate this, lets check this out and see for yourself how CEOs have shaped careers, personal lives and destiny of a lot of people. Go straight here http://www.indiasmostlovedceo.com/ Check out and join in the race, nominate your CEO, and chances are you will be walking away with goodies and more importantly you would be noticed by your most loved CEO.

Senthilkumar

EVC announces $50m fund for Indian startups, plans to invest in IoT, ad-tech and e-commerce

digital, Entrepreneurship, Internet, Management, , ,

Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital (EVC), a global venture capital firm has announced to invest a fund of $50 million in India. The organisation aims to build and support technology ventures in sectors such as the Internet of things (IoT), mobile space, ad-tech, e-commerce, gaming, wearables and education.

Entreprenuership

The venture capital fund also operates EVC Accelerators in the United States and India where it provides capital and mentorship to help entrepreneurs turn ideas into unicorns.

EVC is likely to invest between $100,000 to $5,000,000 from its fund EVC II in exchange for equity in growth-stage companies that fit its investment criteria.

Anjili Jain, Managing Partner, EVC said,

Today, India has emerged as one of the most assuring entrepreneurial landscapes. We have launched the fund looking at the opportunities that Indian ecosystem has to offer. We also aim to bridge the existing gap in the ecosystem by supporting new businesses that can put India on the global entrepreneurial map.

The VC firm says that it sees IoT, ad-tech, e-commerce, gaming and education are the main sectors where the business growth lie.

According to a report by IDC, the global IoT market is expected to grow to $1.7 trillion by 2020. Devices, connectivity, and IT services are expected to account for two-thirds of the IoT market by 2020. Google has also shown keen interest in this space. In 2014, the search engine acquired smart thermostat maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.

Gaming is another potential industry which is waiting to take a giant leap. According to a report, the gaming industry earned a total of $10.5 billion in revenue in 2009. In 2014, that figure quadrupled– the gaming industry had raked in over $46 billion.

The VC firm says that e-commerce is one of the sectors which holds the largest business potential; and it’s impossible to avoid this sector. Besides, various studies have also predicted the potential growth in the e-commerce sector. Recently, as per industry body Assocham, the e-commerce industry in the country is likely to be worth $38 billion by 2016, a 67 per cent jump over the USD 23 billion revenues for 2015.

Early investment

During February this year, EVC supported Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE) with $ 4 million for its Innovation in Mobile App Development Ecosystem (I-MADE) program.

Innovation in Mobile App Development Ecosystem (I-MADE) framework is a 5 year program in which one hundred (100) institutes will be selected to be a part in Phase I of the program. Phase II will include up to 3000 institutions. The goal of the program is to help Indian entrepreneurs build 1 million mobile app start-ups which can eventually become Indian unicorns.

This post is cross posted from YourStory.com / with lead from EVC.