The Journey of a 1000 miles begins with the Second Step

After a trilogy on fiction, it’s time to get to some real life learning 🙂

I feel the real journey to any destination begins at the second step. When you falter at the very first step, what is the next thing you do? Stand up to take the second or move backwards again?
(If the first step has gone right, you are a genius and you also better thank your stars.)

At the outset, as a person who’s just started out as an entrepreneur, this blog might seem to be like blind leading the blind but, frankly it’s more like a document & a daily reminder for me!
At the age when most young girls are looking for their perfect matches or are busy searching names for their Guddus and Gudiyas, here I was giving my parents the utter shock they wouldn’t want to listen to. Nevertheless, before anything else, firstly remember that in life do exactly that what makes you feel happy. While young, buy more experiences than you buy stuff!
So, these are some invaluable lessons I learnt and am sure gotten more sense into my brain.

• Research, Research & Research –

From the beginning through the middle and continuing thereon, ‘Research’ will always be a very important aspect in business. Yes, I never knew the importance of this 8 lettered word until I learnt it the hard way. Gather as much information in the space as you can, the process could be tiresome but the result will be awesome. Learning about your competitors in & out; knowing exactly where the problem lies and why hasn’t this problem been solved etc., every how and why must be sorted out with an answer.

When I started, I believed I had something amazing to offer, I did a small survey, I had a rough sketch of how to execute it, had some people in mind whom I considered will be my coveted clients, more or less knew how I am going to reach others, pricing is too simple- just put something competitive and lo & behold, a business is ready. Why then do they scare saying Entrepreneurship is the toughest thing perhaps 100 times tougher than everything you had done in life till date? But, the sweet truth I realized bitterly was that picturing the whole business is a different thing and getting it onto paper is yet another. (I am not even referring to getting it out or getting it live as of now). You know you haven’t done research when you struggle for words to questions people ask. You find yourself at loss of words to explain things going on in your mind. At this juncture, spend all your energies in understanding yourself, the business and the market.

I was strictly advised to do only competitor analysis for 4 days before I think of anything else. I thought either he was mad or I had heard wrong. It was neither; it was a wake up call of what level of commitment is expected of entrepreneurship. And, on the fifth day, I knew how to fit myself into the puzzle.

• Yes, Rome wasn’t built in a day –

You took 9 months to come out into this beautiful world and the mango tree took 4 years to bear its first fruits. From the start all through the way I was in haste, a haste to prove people, haste to reassure myself of my decision, haste to stop barking mouths, haste to get the product out ASAP and a haste that seems meaningless now.

What this taught me? – Give your customer what they want in the manner which you would like to receive. Not make them receive simply something that you want to give. Go back to the starting point, Research.

• The First are not necessarily the Best –

Being in a rush, I adopted the practice that every first vendor I met, I thought was the perfect person. With a little negotiation and a presumed win-win situation I went ahead to work together. I walked the wrong (I thought was right) path! Even though you might go to them eventually, meet 5 others before them.

What I learnt? – Nothing worth is got easy, so don’t be in haste. Reiterating the second point, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

• Know your target market exactly –

I always pictured my clients defining them as ‘people like me – I mean everyone like me, from my age group, earning salaries I used to, leading life styles I lead etc.’ I was making assumptions based on my personal knowledge and experience believing that I could think like my target market. No! Frankly, appealing to everyone appeals to no one. Chalk out your target market to perfection. Who are the first 10 people who you think are going to buy your product and pay you as well?

A business doesn’t start with everyone; it grows to everyone.

• ‘Beyond Idea,’ Sirji –

Paraphrasing, the well known philosopher, Confucius, ‘every thought that you have thought has already been thought.’ So, firstly when you think “Wow! I think this is an amazing business and I am doing this just at the right time”, pat your back that at least you decided to work on that idea rather than many others who just left it in their brains. But, it is hardly counted as the first step towards the success of your business. It all lies in execution. 

• 
• Adopt not the Escapist Optimism but Fighting Optimism –

It’s not about “I don’t know how, but, this project will be a success.” You are then escaping from the reality. Instead make it include “what is it that I need to change in order to make this a success.”

Extend your optimism to one step further in being open to learn always.

• Document every “Eureka” moment of yours –

Whether you got up from sleep at 2:30AM because of that brilliant idea you had (that you considered could save the world) or whether you started smiling at yourself while traveling in a public transport considering yourself to be their Messiah, simply write it down. Document it! It will definitely be useful to you some day for sure.

• Peeping into the Crystal ball –

So can you look into the crystal ball of your future and say 3 years hence I will be there, 5 years down this is what I want of the company and 10 years forth this is what it is going to become. It’s not about what will eventually happen but about what I will work towards making it happen.

If we haven’t yet been able to do that, time to set our clocks.

• Sorry, but there is no room for Frustration –

There were numerous instances when I was pulling my hair on all ends, looking at blank walls, feeling like a moron, arguing with myself, feeling disconnected and utterly confused; and each of us will surely go through them. In all these moments of desperation remember, you could never enjoy that delicious Tropicana had those yummy looking fruits not been crushed. You are being grilled to become a super achiever. Just continue with a little more strength, a little less doubt and a lot more positivity every single day. One extra tip for girls – learn to understand the ‘disguised mentors’. Each one will give you a piece of their brain and it’ll seem like they are trying to help you. Yes, it only seems! They actually aren’t. Nevertheless meeting these species will actually help you distinguish the gems. Be prepared to meet them in plenty, though.

The journey has just started. Many more lessons down the lane!

And finally 25 years later, I am not sure if I would dye those silver hairs … lot of efforts gone in getting them… 🙂