“Entrepreneurship” and “start-up” are the buzz words these days. Everyone wants to be an Entrepreneur, solve different problems, and be his/her own boss. There is no definite path to be an Entrepreneur, and Entrepreneurship is about trying, learning, validating, launching, innovating, and growing; it’s no different from Evolution. Start-ups are mostly seen as solutions to common or existing problems, and then continue to innovate and solve more problems after user acceptance.
Most have a job, whereas very few own companies. The idea of building or co-founding a company is equally very tempting and uncertain. Every creation starts with a struggle, and building something from scratch is no easier than a mammoth task. Securing a job may be considered comparatively easy and has stability (if you think in a way). But, does a job really mean limiting your dreams and not to try something on your own? I don’t think so. Entrepreneurship attempts to solve problems and find a sustainable business model – which is the ultimate goal; then, at Job, entrepreneurship also means solving problems and discovering a sustainable framework to deliver. None the less, the reward or possibility in both cases is unlimited.
When I was at L&T Infotech, I learned my first lesson about Entrepreneurship, i.e., “entrepreneurship is about creating and solving something; it can be applied anywhere, even at a job or your favorite game.” This lesson was inspired by the story of Mr. A. M. Naik (Chairman and MD, L&T), who joined L&T as a junior engineer in 1965 and made his way to the Chairman and Managing Director in 1999. At that time, L&T hired graduates from IIT’s or top colleges only, but still with a degree from an ordinary college. Starting from a very junior grade, Mr. Naik ultimately secured India’s largest engineering company’s top position. Mr. Naik’s English was weak, and he used to think in his mother tongue and translate it into English; even that could not stop him from expressing his vision and rising as a top leader.
The roles and responsibilities of a job normally tell you what you need to do at your job, but most importantly, they restrict you and define what NOT to do at your job. Entrepreneurship at the job is about solving this problem and to go beyond what your responsibilities are. If you lead a team, think of your team as your own company or start-up, and run your own company.
I like Mr. Steve Blank’s “dysfunctional family theory”; he says that if you are from a dysfunctional family, then your chances to succeed as an entrepreneur are bright, as you have already made it if you are still around; because you know what to focus on in a state of chaos. That does not mean that you will blame your parents for providing a harmonious childhood if you are not a successful entrepreneur. Though the dysfunctional family theory is not a single criterion to be a successful entrepreneur, it provides a clue to an essential trait, i.e., focusing on moving forward in a state of chaos. Things might seem difficult at the job as many things are already defined without much room for yourself and people around you having more liberty to upset you, but still bringing order, commitment and gratitude are the basic building stones of Entrepreneurship by solving and creating things.
Quantifying the ‘reward’ in salary, bonus, or promotion is one way of looking at it, usually documented on papers. Still, the growth, confidence, and inner peace will stay with you forever, wherever you go.
Entrepreneurship is about ‘creating and solving.’ It will always be with ‘You,’ which cannot be suppressed or limited by what you are doing for living right now but can be developed like any other traits we slowly learn.
