Sometime back Ranvir (name changed to protect identity) came up to me with a business proposition. I have known him for more than a decade, worked together in the Telecom Industry. His objective was to begin his Entrepreneurial journey by starting a business and continuing his corporate job at the same time. I said “Fantastic, we need more enterprises to start in India”.
The following 2 weeks were spent on discussing the business model. It took us a week to identify the right space and another week to finalise the terms of the contract. We were all set to go and suddenly it was all quiet: phone calls unanswered, messages not responded. Then after 2-3 weeks I get a call from him saying “I am sorry, not going ahead with the plan”.
I simply said “Oh S&*t, Is there blood on the bed sheet?”
He was lost, said “WHAT?”
I said “Did your wife tell you not to go ahead with the plan considering the burden of the current EMI, Kids’ Education, lifestyle changes, etc. etc.?”
His answer was a big YES and he hung up the phone.
Ranvir’s dream of becoming an Entrepreneur was shattered by his wife in the bedroom.
I think this is a common phenomenon amongst people in their late 30s/early 40s who suddenly decide to quit their corporate jobs and wish to start something for themselves.
My life was no different. When I first announced “I want to start a venture, I will quit my job” there was a lot of hue & cry in the house; friends came up with funny hashtags #Mat_Kar_beta, #pagal_hai_kya, #Kharche_ka_kya_hoga.
I had decided and I ignored all these trending hashtags and finally one fine day put in my papers at Oracle. Ranvir too could have done that but he would have faced severe domestic violence just like I did.
So for all those nearing their 40s, who think that the age to start your Entrepreneurial journey is over, think again and don’t let go, take the plunge now … it’s never too late.
Let me share 3 things (with all the budding & struggling Entrepreneurs) which I did to overcome the bouts of depression:
– I stopped talking to people who did not inspire me in pursuing my dreams. This included my family, friends and ex-colleagues. Hence I got more time to get connected to Entrepreneurs in TiE, NEN, Start-up Saturdays etc. I wrote to a few of the CEOs, most of them gave me time, a patient hearing and motivated me to continue the struggle.
– I stopped listening to sad & emotional songs, instead read Page 3 of TOI, listened to Coke Studio, watched TED talks, read books by Steve Jobs, Peter Thiel, Bill Gates, etc. etc.
– Slowly I got used to the Non-Corporate life, got habituated to unavoidable criticism. Most importantly I became absolutely non temperamental & stopped being an egotistic.
If you have a receding hairline and often get frustrated by the persisting question in your mind “What am I doing? It is the right time to take the leap. No worries, your EMI, School fees, committed vacations, etc. will be taken care of. Just believe in your idea and start your Entrepreneurial journey now! All the Best & God Bless.
Written and Believed by Rajarshi Guha (rguha@hotmail.com)