Hi Rodinhooders,
I did a presentation on Roodinhood OH Mumbai on 19 July 2014 under “I’ve got Tech but no Biz” which did not went well but surprisingly I received a very warm response from the community. And so I’m here to share all about it.
Lets first have a look at how it all started
I’m a Passionate Web Developer and I Love Everything Web and had this “Web-O-preneur” bug inside me for a long time. I have been observing that lots of people were given mediocre websites in the name of web solution. Also I observed that there is a huge dissatisfaction among majority of website owners that their website is not bringing any new business mainly because either they were given not-so-good solution or they didn’t knew how to use it in the best possible way. Finally the high point was when I was approached by the founder of a 6 years old Web Agency to develop a Website of slightly higher complexity. The most amazing thing was their website claimed a good amount of work done and their list also included some of well know brand names.
So When I told my family that I wanted to be an Entrepreneur, as usual there was lots of friction. And since I live in a joint family where everyone is having a stable Job I was opposed from all the possible directions with lots of questions. Out of frustration I said that I can start the business with “zero investment” and also got excited with the challenge to do it.
So that’s how it all started with “Zero Investment” I had decided to Invest Only my Time and Skills towards a dream of making a Firm providing Web Technology Solutions to Businesses and People. I had also made a decision to not take money/investment from anyone for the making of this vision and not invest my money also until I earn some from this endeavor to Invest.
Since I was starting with zero and also needed a team to help me with the development, I quickly assembled a small team of trusted developers, who were willing to work with me as my team mates on freelance basis. And my bedroom became my office.
Finally after everything was setup I was not getting any major work. So I started searching for a Business Developer or Business Manager who could manage clients & bring more work and who’s willing to work on commission basis.That’s what led to this presentation at Rodinhood OH – A Business Manager who could manage for me.
The Presentation at TheRodinhoods OH
I was nervous because I know I’m not a good orator. When I took the podium my heart started beating faster, my mouth was dry and my hands got shaky. But I ruined it further by saying “I’m feeling nervous”. By doing that I distracted myself form the task I had at hand towards the feeling I had. I should have avoided it. My heart was still racing and after a sec when I finally tried to focus myself towards the presentation, I got confused as to where should I speak from – the paper I had with me or the slide in front of me. And then finally I went into a complete blank state where everything inside my mind malfunctioned and I just wanted to leave the podium.
But then Alok sir managed it by asking me questions( which also I could have answered properly but there were too many answers in my mind and I couldn’t organize it properly) and trying to help me focus and trying to put me at ease. It helped for a moment but I had lost interest in the presentation as I knew I had ruined it and I just wanted to leave the podium. So finally without any grace I just read out my last slide and left the stage.
I was really disappointed by myself. This presentation was very important for me and I managed to make it the worst presentation of my life. I had given decent presentations earlier but this one was the worst. And in my head “The other me” wanted to beat the shit out of “Me”.
Finally the event concluded
As the event concluded, everyone went up on stage for a group photo and so did I. That’s where I got the first card. Now, this is a big thing for me as I’m an introvert who doesn’t socializes.There are people who have the ability to have conversation just for the sake of having a conversation and make contacts, I’m not one of them. After the pic, while I was going to collect the book “Autobiography of a Yogi” from Alok sir, before I could enter the queue I manage to take 12 more cards and few more people took my number.
So, form not finding good work to getting to choose what work I want to do, this was a real boost for me. And I’m happy to say that right now I’m working with
1. Atul Merchant Sir : He’s an absolutely amazing person with deep business & worldly insights which are often coupled with artistic examples. He’s the angel whose been mentoring me ever since and helping me understand my flaws and at the same time encouraging and motivating me for improvement.
2. Paresh Shinde : He’s the cool dude with whom I’m working on a video start-up. And we are super excited about it.
3. Swapnil Kokam : I came in contact with Swapnil from Jobs section before the Rodinhood OH and from today i.e. 07/08/14 we’ll start working on his fitness based start-up i.e. Fimmunity.com. He’s an awesome fitness expert who has trained lots of Bollywood personalities like Madhur Bhandarkar, Paresh Rawal, Sachin Pilgaonkar etc. He was also a part of Vishal Gondal’s start-up GOQii. He’s also my first client.
A word of Encouragement to people like me with Stage fright
I knew I was not a good orator and I knew I had stage fright but still I choose to get into that uncomfortable zone because I knew nobody is born with skills but people acquire it with study, practice and time. And even though I messed up my presentation but still people were generous enough to approach me and show an interest in me.
I wouldn’t have met so many amazing people if I had chosen to avoid the stage. I wouldn’t have had business which I have right now.
Thanks to Rodinhood, I have now launched my Web Agency Maven Labs which provides Web based Solutions.
Lastly I’d like to quote two most amazing people
“Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable. It’s your roll call to destiny & your chance to score attendance…” – Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
Because you won’t be able to claim your life with proxies.
“You Gotta Act
And you gotta be willing to Fail,
You gotta be wiling to crash and burn,
Because sometimes that is what separates the people who do things,
from the people that just dream about it
If you are afraid of failing… you won’t get very far”
– Steve Jobs
Krishna Chandran
Thanks Chetan for sharing your experiences and your learnings. As you said we are the ones who create our own destiny’s.
Kudos to you and your team and keep working hard.
Chetan Kaushal
Also today I received my first pay check as an Entrepreneur 🙂
Chetan Kaushal
Thanks 🙂
Lalit
All the best Chetan… whats your website?! I may be very soon a potential customer of yours.
Chetan Kaushal
Thanks for the wishes 🙂 . My first pay check just got cleared today, so my website is still a work under construction.
But you can also contact me with your requirements at chetan.s.kaushal@gmail.com
or
We can have a skype session. My Skype Id : chetan.v.kaushal
or
Let me know, if you are based in Mumbai then we can also schedule a meet-up.
Arpit Desai
Chetan, What’s the name of your firm and it’s URL.