Story 1: The swayamvar ceremony of Sita. The challenge was to lift and string Lord Shiva’s famous bow, Pinaka. All the big and the mighty present in the ceremony tried but failed until Lord Rama, who not just lifted the bow, but even managed to brake it while trying to string (which led to further complications which are beyond our scope today). (Note: What was impossible for others, was a walk in the park for Lord Rama – He was a genius!)
Story 2: Indians had agitated and fought against the British for centuries until Mahatma Gandhi, who took just 32 years (he came back from South Africa in 1915) to organise and lead a successful change (though some may argue, it would have happened anyways). He not just won, but achieved immortality. (Note: He applied a different strategy and achieved success while earning the respect of his oppressors – He was a genius!)
Story 3: The well funded global scientific community had observed flaws in the “Laws of the motion” by Newton but failed to provide answers for nearly 200 years until Einstein, a Clerk (he was not able to secure a school teacher’s job) at the Patents office in Bern wrote a two pager which became known as the Special Theory of Relativity. (Note: He was able to articulate and theorise complex universal laws accurately with the assistance of nothing but his brain – He was a genius!)
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If you notice, what’s common in these stories is the apparent effortlessness with which these geniuses achieved success which had been a distant dream for many.
For entrepreneurs, success generally would be growth in business.
Here’s one more story, this one is more relevant to the current and future entrepreneurs.
Story 4: A certain small time brass and wood handicraft merchant from Moradabad starts 5 companies with un-inspiring names and a total paid-up capital of Rs. 50 Lakhs. Within 36 months, the balance sheets jump up to more than 300 Crores. He utilised minimum resources and human capital to achieve this miracle, and would surely have one of the lowest “carbon footprints” among the companies of its size today. (Note: He made his businesses grow 600 times in just 36 months without breaking a sweat (apparently) – Is this guy a genius too?)
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It is tough to be an entrepreneur, to start a business and grow it consistently. It’s not just the skill, but also the will to plough through odds. There are taxes to file, paperwork to worry about, partners, employees, investors, electricity bill, printer cartridges, chai and client expectations.
While we slog it out, we perhaps may be missing a few gems which glide-by through our collective consciousness. Sparks of sheer genius; people who make millions and billions apparently without any skill or effort. Is there a plot here that we, Mango Entrepreneurs are missing?
The question one asks is, is politics the most evolved form of entrepreneurship today?