Confessions of a ‘ shy’ entrepreneur at the Open House in Mumbai

I haven’t worked in India for some time now and so when I donned the entrepreneur’s hat to start a new venture with a friend in Mumbai, it was a feeling akin to being born again and looking at the world with new eyes. The sights and the sounds seemed alien yet strangely welcoming and exciting. Meeting people with completely different mindsets and attitude towards business and professionalism gave me a lot to think about and learn. It has been a steep learning curve to say the least and it still continues to be so. My business partner-friend and I started our venture very recently in the digital marketing space. While she held a reputation of being a serial entrepreneur, it was a huge life-changing decision for me.Quarterpants.com is the name of our venture and we focus on creating online marketing solutions for solopreneurs/entreprenuers and mid-sized companies. We have our presence in Mumbai and the Middle East and have been working with clients from India, the US, the UK, Bahrain and Qatar. Quarterpants has a host of services including social media management, website development, content creation, reputation management etc.

While I have always been a silent lurker around the Rodinhood forum mostly to read the articles posted by budding entrepreneurs such as myself, I hadn’t ever imagined I would be able to ever actively participate in any of Rodinhood’s events. When I read on my Facebook feed  that the Mumbai Open House was to be conducted on the 8th of March, it was in a knee jerk reaction that I booked my tickets to Mumbai. Well, pardon me! I completely forgot to mention I live in the Kingdom of Bahrain. What prompted me to do this on impulse, you’d ask? Well, apart from my keen interest in the work that Rodinhood does in hand -holding young entrepreneur talent, it was also to see for myself if the energy that I felt in the online forum translated on- ground as well.

On the 8th of March, at the NSE auditorium all my doubts were dispelled. A packed auditorium of 150 + people and all eyes on the podium was a scene that shall be embedded in my mind’s eye for some time to come. Case study after case study, real life entrepreneur experience, debates, suggestions and discussions made the space shake with a vibrant energy which has to be seen to be believed. For most parts, I was amazed at the confidence of all the young entrepreneur lot putting their competent cases forward for VC attention. Having worked in Management consulting for some  years now, it has been my business to make business plans and assess them for financial viability for my clients. Hence I am in a position to completely appreciate the efforts made by the enterprising individuals on stage. It is no mean feat to get on stage and make a compelling argument on why they deserve whatever they were asking for. Few realizations made their way home that afternoon:

1. All the entrepreneurs felt a part of the  Rodinhood community and the blazing energy was the result of being a part of that infected gene-pool.

2.Rodinhood believed that each one of has the ability and the personal strength to do something on our own with a bit of structured guidance.

3. In the above belief, Rodinhood has graciously provided a platform for like-minded individuals to come forward and show what they can do which is sort of a reassertion for new entrants like me that one day I too will have that self-belief of being the confident entrepreneur that I dream to be.

4. No matter how many years of experience you may have working for someone else, being an entrepreneur requires a different kind of confidence which an inspiring forum like Rodinhood understands and supports.

After attending the Mumbai Open House, I feel more open towards the idea of connecting with people such as myself on the forum, to unlearn and learn. Thank you Rodinhood for having the Open House and making it well worth my time!! Hope to be a part of many more of your entrepreneur -sprucing activities in the future.