With complete and invaluable support from Alok and Asha, of course. Kind hearted NSE, prompt hearted Lowfundwala, Me, Hitesh bhai and our crack team with specific core competencies (Vinay with stinging sarcasm and a good camera, Pooja with her pleasant presence and AOY support, swift footed and ever willing Karan bhai & Imran, Nameet with his deep insights and a perspective that matters) did what we could as our first attempt of making an Open House happen after receiving key inputs and information filtered and directed by Asha. The long email threads, a couple of quick meets and the truth had really sunk in when we started testing the mike at the venue!
The experiences have been very well documented here (Sapan Kadakia), here (Anita Menon), here (Vikram Parekh) and here (Pics on FB). On behalf of the team, I’d like to say that we’re grateful for the love and support we enjoyed. Thank you.
We now realize that once we take over the mantle from our mentors (individuals who spearhead the community), we will leave them with more time to plan bigger things for The Rodinhoods. Like an efficient startup, City Teams can now be delegated the task of organizing events/meet ups on their own (Yay Mumbai Rocks FTW lol). The online platform can be curated to a higher level and great content can be created with specific results and stakeholders. All this, which will directly benefit the thriving community. A community of 7000+ entrepreneurs is definitely cool, but a community of 7000+ successful entrepreneurs running eight figure businesses is cooler!
“Smooth like Clockwork..”
Quoting our super Rodinhood, who aptly described the OH once it was done. It certainly was, thanks to all presenters (Ajay, Gunjan, Akshay, Jubanashwa, Bharat, Arpita, Divyesh, Alok himself and dear Divanjis) who were sweet enough to mail in their presentations on time, for being with us throughout to smoothen last minute wrinkles and for being so darn awesome on stage.
Create a Startup
To be quite frank- while the session did throw up fascinating discussions, we didn’t end up creating a startup. We’re happy though, now we all know that it isn’t a child’s play to build an idea that can be executed. And also, too many cooks spoil the broth. What we did manage was to open up possibilities and our minds to debate. We’re sure of creating executable ideas (or atleast a more effective framework) that will help churn out results faster. It simply needs some more work from our end. Suggestions will really help, please feel free to write in 🙂
What Next?
I’m confident that we have the freedom and opportunity to take this ahead by applying our crazy minds, crazy ideals and result oriented approach to build a tangible event structure. Can we have bigger, longer Open Houses? Can we include curated Startup Fairs? Can we highlight written content during the event? Can we focus on rockstars who are making this community happen? Can we make heroes and offer this stage to as many promising startups as we can? Can we include workshops and talks by brutally frank personalities who can hit nails on their head, driving the point home? Shall we ensure that all the startups who might not be doing certain things right, start doing them right? Can we stop glorifying failure and start glorifying successes? Can we, as Rodinhooders, start actively focusing on building as many successful startups out of these 7000+ members by working towards it?
You Now Have An Army
Yes, you do, Asha and Alok. An army of business people, consultants, designers, artists, chefs, writers and students. All with vested interests, of course, but creating a win-win situation is one of the key aspects of running a startup. All 7000+ of us have the opportunity to network and learn priceless lessons from folks who have been there, done that. The battle is worth it. Show us the lands to conquer, we will ride forth 🙂
love and peace
Sushrut Munje
Please forgive me for the absence of spaces between paragraphs.
Some temporary bug isn’t allowing me to insert them.
asha chaudhry
sushrut… i’m very moved and kinda speechless.
last nov in b’lore – alok’s VC ash lilani said something that got etched in my memory. he said, “therodinhoods has moved way beyond alok. it has become a movement.”
i gulped then. and NEVER thought we could grow so fast and so deep! a couple of days ago the rodinhooders of a’bad met up on their own and have decided to have regular structured meetups every couple of months!
yes – we have an ARMY!!! thank you sushrut for being one of the BEST WRITERS and youngest startup dudes in the house!
Sushrut Munje
Thank you so much, dear Asha 🙂 It indeed has. Let’s do it.
asha chaudhry
it’s a glitch sushrut. happens to me all the time in the newsletter.
if you copy it onto word and using your default font, space it correctly and copy – paste it back – it will get resolved.
my gosh i love your OCD!!!
Sushrut Munje
Sorted. Thanks! Woohoo!
Hardik Shah
I joined RH somewhere in June last year at the then TRHS OH. The community had reached close to the 5k mark then.
Today, as I read this post I realised that the community has touched 7.5k. A mamoth growth of 50% in 9 months time. And the only reason this has happened is that RH is not a closed community but sort of a wild jungle where everyone reached out to the other just like the trees of the jungle grow in the wild. The roots are strong with Alok and Asha at the helm but the community has thrived because of its people – because of the ever so awesome entrepreneurs.
This also makes me realise the rate at which people are moving into the entrepreneurial ecosystem 🙂
I happened to miss the RH this time around but reading all these posts takes me back to the same NSE stage where I presented less than a year back and what an awesome experience I had.
Kudos Sushrut and Team
And special thanks to Alok and Asha to decentralize TRHS 🙂
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
:)) THANK YOU ALL
asha chaudhry
we missed having you around hardik!
now, a community is only as good as its members are 🙂
recently someone asked me what makes trhs and our events so different.
my reply:
a) we are a community – not a notice board. so for example, when people post in ASK – members go out of their way to help each other! i’ve noticed, people like darshan – will go to ANY lengths to connect people who have synergies so they can help each other!
b) at our events – we try to keep it REAL. we try to solve real issues the rodinhooder is facing. and in the process try to make it a learning experience for everyone!
while our positioning is HELP through SHARING, our events are about HELPING and we humbly strive to ensure everyone takes back some LEARNINGS.
welcome back! you’ve been away for a while…. 🙂
Hardik Shah
Thanks Asha 🙂
TRHS is too addictive to be able to stay away for long…:D
The helping hand comes from the two of you itself. I still remember you taking time out on a saturday evening to meet me in Goa.
Karan Pandhi
Hey Sushrut,
Thanks a lot for the read buddy, it was a great time I had and will always look forward to the next OH.
I also Pray and hope that we all grow strongly, and I have a dream to go to all the TRHS open house where ever they may be. I hope to do it and let’s see where I reach.
But all I can say is that what this community has given me I don’t feel anywhere else I could have got such immense hope, belief, and also the advice that I have received, and been receiving, it’s simply phenomenal. A project which was a childhood dream now is a reality and coming soon in a much stronger reality.
I have to Thank Alok, as it was through his LinkedIn account I got connected to TRHS, it was like the Gods from above sent that bolt of lightning on me and all of a sudden TRHS is now like the air to me, can’t live without it.
Though there have been ups and downs, today I feel in sometime things are going to go much stronger for me.
Thank You All and as always will be here for everyone.
Darshan Bhambiru
Humbled by the mention Asha,
Thanks to all the Awesome RodinHoods Alok and You to provide me the Opportunity to Make My Day!! SWswSwsW!
Quoting M.K.Gandhi here “Love is the Strongest Force the world possesses and yet it is the Humblest Imaginable”
What Goes around, Comes Around!! Cheers!!
Rishi
Sushrut/Asha — were there any videos recorded?
Perzen Darukhanawalla
Would it be wrong of me to find this comment the most amazing piece of writing in this article so far. and Asha’s OCD comment – lol I feel you both since I am a fellow OCD’er myself.
But anyways, an awesome read Sushrut as always and I hope to be an active member the next time around.
By the way, am so up for a curated Startup fair! Imagine members of our own community having stalls and helping each other get new business – it’s like family but better!
Sushrut Munje
Hey Rishi, I love the way you focus and get straight to the point 😀 Yes, Lowfundwala was kind enough to help us with that. We’re all looking forward to the edited video being uploaded. Thanks for asking and, in the process, putting undue pressure on Kashyap (Lowfundwala) to deliver!
Sushrut Munje
Thank YOU Karan. We love you! 🙂
Sushrut Munje
Thanks Hardik 🙂 Missed you, matey.
Sushrut Munje
Woohoo! 🙂
Rishi
Sushrut — Now I’m unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing 🙂 No pressure, I was just eager and didn’t know if I missed them. Look forward to the videos.
Sushrut Munje
Good thing, of course, buddy 🙂 We look forward to the videos too!