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Forrest Gump (1994)
The movie revolves around the life of Forrest Gump- a mentally challenged man who shows us what it takes to be a businessman and a good friend. The message of the movie is simple: You should never forget the people who helped you out and that the right partnership can affect not only your bottom line but
your life.
The Social Network(2010)
The Social Network is inspired by the creation of the 500 million member social networking website, Facebook. A story centred on a teenager who becomes the world’s youngest billionaire. The social network will certainly pump up your adrenalin if you are a start-up guy. A must watch for every entrepreneur.
The Aviator (2004)
Leonardo Dicaprio stars as Peter Hughes who changes the face of aviation industry through his compassion and knowledge. Hughes had a relatively easy entry into the entrepreneurial life via his father's company and money, what was admirable was his fascination with and eventual knowledge of the aviation industry.
A story with which every family business guy can relate to.
The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
This Will Smith star-vehicle is the story of successful entrepreneur Chris Gardner. The Pursuit of Happiness doesn't explore exactly how Gardner built his entrepreneurial empire; it does offer insight into the man himself, a man who experienced struggles few of us will ever know in his pursuit of a better future.
Citizen Kane
No list of great films, let alone ones about business, would be complete without this classic. The movie is about the relentless pursuit of wealth and power--and what, in the end, it's all worth. For those who haven't seen Citizen Kane, stop reading now and take care of business.
Complied By Rajat Jain
Dr. Rajan Saxena
Vice Chancellor
Dr. Debashis Sanyal
Dean
Prof. Seema Mahajan
Associate Dean
Management’s Foreword
I am happy to learn that students of family business are organizing a two da y B u s i n e s s festival "lnspirus" and a r e coming out with their magazine cum yearbook "Envisage". The g r o w t h of any e c o n o m y is to a large extent written by entrepreneur. In a country like India, f a m i l y bus iness and entrepreneurial firms have contributed not o n l y to the e c o n o m i c growth but a l s o to innovations. They h a v e also innovated products and processes. The story of i n n o v a t i o n is n o t just restricted to low technology and common goods but extend to h i -tech areas including those in information, communication technology and entertainment (ICE). NMIMS as a n institution has been entrepreneurial and innovative. This is r e f l e c t e d by s e v e r a l academic initiatives taken by this institution, one of which is the two year family business program. The
p r o g r a m ’ s contribution has been widely recognized by the business owners as also by academics. I wish “Inspirus” and magazine Envisage a success.
I, as Dean of the School of Business Management (SBM), take immense pride in the students of MBA-Entrepreneurship and Family Business as they launch "Envisage", the magazine and yearbook in their annual corporate-cultural Fest Inspirus: The Spirit of An Entrepreneur. The theme of this magazine revolves around how one writes their own destiny and I couldn't agree more to this. Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium
Enterprises have played a vital role in the development of the Indian economy. I really wish them good luck in all their endeavors and really hope for “ Inspirus” and Envisage to be a huge success.
The level of talent at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies is remarkable. In its MBA- Entrepreneurship and Family Business Program, we admit some of the best and brightest students from different parts of India and around the world. As the Associate Dean of this program, it is my privilege to work with the talented people that walk the halls of the School of Business Management. It is my responsibility to nurture this talent in a way that maintains and extends NMIMS’s stature as one of the most prominent business schools in the world.
We are very proud of our Alumni who are doing great work and showcasing their Entrepreneurial traits, leading towards success. Expect to see even greater accomplishments for our family business team in the future. I wish my students good luck for their Annual Corporate-Cultural fest
“ Inspirus” and this Magazine called Envisage. Here’s hoping for a grand success. Once again, three cheers for the family of Family Business
Love and Best Regards
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Dear Readers,
ENVISAGE: “We write our own destiny”
Introducing Envisage, in association with Inspirus 2011 (the annual corporate fest of the Entrepreneurship and Family Business Batch of NMIMS University). This year is the genesis of Envisage, our annual magazine cum yearbook. The theme of this magazine revolves around how an entrepreneur defines the path he sets off on, knowing where he struggles to reach. He writes his own destiny without being deterred by anything or anyone. Starting from scratch with just a vision in mind, he forms a concrete path to reach his envisaged destination. He makes infinite blunders in his expedition but overcomes them. He may lose his way, he may falter, he may fail in his maneuvers but what makes him successful is how he strives to achieve what he had once envisioned. This magazine encapsulates interesting articles on innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship. It also includes inspiring stories of those who have left a mark in their journey of being a victorious entrepreneur. Readers will be able to relate and connect to these stories and execute their dream to make it happen for real. In a nutshell, the role of this magazine is to inspire, ignite passions, inflame desires, infuse beliefs and finally increase expectations of a victory. The Editor On Behalf of the Team
Bakul Chowdhary
Right then, it‟s that time of the year again when
the phrase „farewell-party‟ does the rounds. The
time when you prefer to stay sober at the drinking-
at-dome parties just to let it all sink in; when you
ignore a peer‟s ignominy merely to end on a
positive note. The time when you take a deeper
look at those blank pages of the notebook, which
you often forgot to carry to class, as if they had a
thousand stories essayed on them. The time when
boys try to pretend being unaffected - their
pseudo-machismo taking the better of their inner
melee – and girls can‟t get enough of hugging
each other [to the utter delight of boys blessed
with imagination]. And often, after marathon
staring-at-the-blank-walls sessions during lectures,
a teardrop swells over…presenting the varied hues
of a lifetime in the white of the classroom wall;
like a rainbow surfacing on a clear sky after a mild
shower.
And for once you don‟t do [read: watch] what you
normally do when your roomie has left the room
all to yourself. For once, you‟re lost in that maze
of memories: the labyrinth whose code no
scientist, nay, no psychiatrist, could ever decipher.
As you sit with your secret scrapbook in your lap
and the Summer of ‟69 for company as
background score, the “I guess nothing can last
forever” shard takes a dig at you. And set in action
is a motion picture that presents everything,
however trivial, that has happened to you during
your stay in the college for the past two years, reel
by reel. And everything that you ever did or didn‟t
do flashes past your memory ever since the time
ENVISAGE | April,2011
you set foot in this once-strange place that now
feels like home.
The first memories that come to mind are those of
the Induction Week where the initially-portentous
quote “INTRODUCTION!” fast turned funny
solely on account of gross overuse and grosser
under-application. Having come with dreams of
„encountering‟ the Mumbai chicks, the schedule
fast made even the singletons turn down Lady
Slumber. The obsession with roll numbers made
some ask a prospect‟s roll number instead of the
phone number! And though everything wasn‟t
fine; there was a fine for everything. With
entrepreneurs forming the
majority of the breed, pals
were few and far between.
Of course, most of them
were like the alarm clock:
that friend-turned-traitor
which failed most in most
morning classes; not to
mention the „snooze‟
function, which had been
created exclusively for the purpose of destroying
the student communities‟ GPA. The academicians,
nonetheless, had their own version of this Satan:
colloquially known as the faculty. And no sooner
did one learn to „weather‟ the storm than it all
began…
The morning classes were the biggest pain in the
you-know-where. It was here that the 20-minute
HIMYM episodes miraculously ballooned
themselves into lecture-long dozing. This was also
the place where we first learnt to tell apart
„listening‟ from „hearing‟. No sooner did the clock
strike the „classes-over-for-the-day‟ hour than a
colony of ants [only less hardworking] filed into
their rooms to carefully reconnect the broken
pieces of slumber-glasses. The room of a student
was a church where opening a textbook, save on
the exam-eve, was considered a serious breach of
the bro-code and a convict accused of such
violation was instantly tagged a „geek‟ for life.
The clutter in a room was directly proportional to
one‟s manhood. Lockers, here, were used to hide
fairness creams and anti-aging lotions by boys and
love-letters by girls. Girls, being the far-more-
organized species, arranged the letters in order
from 1 to n; „n‟ being remembered as the last guy
they dumped and „1‟ being
the guy who invariably
ignited the my-first-kiss
Cinderella fantasy.
Nevertheless, the smooth
functioning of the heart
was intricately connected
to the Internet-
connectivity; a fact which,
like homosexuals, existed
across genders. Fast running out of things to do
[you‟re right, studying was never on the list];
spreading rumours about VAT (pronounced
VAAT) became a favorite pastime for many. As
phrases like “Tere kitne aaye”, “Meri to lag gayi,
yaar”, “Tu to star hai” flew around like missiles
in a war zone, making the air too heavy to breathe;
the occasional “load mat le” played quite a savior.
The last quip soon transformed into a “Lighter Le”
approach, whereby shabby-looking guys took to
fagging just to build a cloud of smoke around
them in the hope that some juvenile would attempt
to de-mist-ify them.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
It is said that an average cigarette takes 4 minutes
of our life. Of course, nobody told them that
attending a company‟s average PPT takes 90…a
rather sorry tradeoff for a chain smoker. The word
„company‟ always reminds a Businessmen of
Opportunity, a committee which had taken Barney
Stinson‟s “Suit up” advice rather seriously.
The evenings were the only time when the
Mumbai weather was a little benevolent to the
body. As joggers and gymnasts clawed around
post-sunset, the „we-were-just-taking-a-walk-
around-the-campus‟ couples gave the nocturnal
animals a run [read: walk] for their money.
However Counter Strike and Poker were two
activities that found fame across all distinctions of
specialization, work-ex, etc. Its repercussions
sometimes catapulted into desperate requests of
“Yaar please proxy laga de! Already 2 absent ho
chuki hai, aur abhi to ek hi mehna beeta hai.” At
other times, it resulted in stepping on the dais with
panache, declaring the topic of the presentation
and then shooting back a searching glance at the
projector screen to sift through the contents of the
slide. At these times, of course, Santa had left us
with a permanent panacea, something that neither
time nor precision could scar – the messiah named
Seema. As words crawled out slowly from the
mouth, it mirrored the CC printers, where every
paper inching out of the printer made its presence
felt; a seemingly-fitting retribution for the
humongous paper-wastage all around.
There were times when a wintry night turned hot,
when a friend‟s new-found hot romantic interest
made you spew fire. At other times, the
discussions on GDP, especially when the day
constituted an Eco class, soared high. Mark Twain
be damned; statistics were thrown in from
yesterday‟s Economic Times to add credibility to
the discussion. The only bone of contention was
that telecom sector reports were mentioned while
talking Infra. These were later justified using “I
was just giving an analogy yaar”. The sector
analysis was obviously restricted to sectors 14 and
17, courtesy proximity. Only the IT-sector
knowledge was kept out-of-bounds lest the World
War 3 [IT-led of course] might start between Infy
and TCS. At a place where we were expected to
think out-of-the-box, our assignments were kept in
pigeon boxes, which were always opened with
trembling hands and a prayer on the lips
murmuring “No God, No God, No God!” Similar
prayers were heard while taking a sneak-peek into
others‟ plates in the mess to determine the menu.
The MANGO people had to taste the sour grapes.
Talking about food, the canteen food was a
mutually-agreed-upon vent for all the frustrations
of the student fraternity. And Facebook wasn‟t the
only thing we had borrowed from the West most
recently. The other bubbles often burst during the
semester-exams where a heart-broken vella ended
up defending his plight by saying: “Oh, marks??
I’m not here for marks. I chase excellence!”
Surprisingly, this species would be most active in
group tasks [which reminded an onlooker of
ineffectual orgies]. Incidentally, group tasks were
the only time when this species prayed with all its
might to land up in a GEEKS company. After all,
“a GEEK in need is a GEEK indeed!” and rumour
had it that the latter approved of requests much
faster than the former.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
And all this surreal reverie is suddenly interrupted
by a knock at the door. When the intruder leaves,
breaking this eventful chain of thoughts, a
different contemplation sets in. You think of the
things you could‟ve done differently. You think of
the difference you could‟ve made to the institute.
You think of the things that could have value-
added to life. The stares of peers were too riveting
and the stakes too high. And as you rue the
absence of having tested theory through
application, the vision of a white tiger emerges out
of the herd…and suddenly the rat race leaves you
far behind…in a league of your own.
This all a fairytale, indeed! Fairytale, until reality
raises its ugly head and quips: “A word?” And
suddenly, as you see through the oxymoron that is
the „Friends Forever‟ truism, valediction becomes
the cruelest word in the English dictionary.
Outside the gates of the campus, the big bad world
awaits. The corporate, with all its gamut of
expectations and disappointments, its mirage of
games – games people play, the chuckles and the
jeers, awaits you. The safety valve obviated thus;
a mistake will now be considered a crime. The
student tag hence bequeathed; the learning phase
is now over. Or is it? They say whenever a
separation occurs in a man‟s life; a part of him
dies. If that were true, our dear Alma Mater must
have died a hundred deaths year-in-year-out. And
the future… well, things will never be the same
again…never! Hundreds would wake up to the
concept of breakfasts again. The next time we
bump into each other, suits and ties will cramp the
exterior, an apt physical manifestation of the
stifling of emotions which is happening inside. …
The old will have to make way for the new!
These beautiful days would finally be over; the
camaraderie would come to an end.
The inexorable passage of time unyielding; the
continuum would have to transcend.
The laughter would fade away into smiles the
castles-in-the-air would be dashed to the ground;
Caprice would disappear into oblivion; age would
eventually come around and all that would remain
is memories……heart-rending ones of days spent
in class……A Thousand Splendid Suns.
By Ayush Agarwal
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Glocalisation Comes Of Age
It’s often debated whether
globalization destroys or saves
indigenous cultures. We hear
outcries about worldwide
Mcdonaldization. But we have
not yet understood a
phenomenon called
glocalisation, where people
have global and local
perspectives at the same time.
They have tremendous global
awareness and insightful local
knowledge.
Glocality suggests that
competitive advantages can be
gained on a local rather than
national scale and SME’S,
whether they are innovative,
industrial, family businesses
and small craftsmanship firms,
can increase their
competitiveness in
international markets on the
basis of a strong local
integration.
However as Indian SME’S
gear to take on the global
business interface,
GLOCALITY is essentially a
concept brought and taught by
the Multinational Corporations
(MNC’S).
Product and promotion
transfers are the essence of
MNC marketing. Anyone
travelling abroad can see
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mcdonalds,
Sony and Kentucky Fried
Chicken everywhere. Coca-
Cola and Pepsi are sold in 150
countries and promote their
products in a similar fashion in
almost all the countries.
Given such an experience, one can believe that most products and
promotions are easily transferable with or without any major
modifications among the MNC subsidiaries. Rarely companies think
about developing new products for their target markets. It thus
becomes a viable proposition only when MNC’S find unique,
profitable segment for which they have no products.
Indian scenario: In the current Indian scenario, the national economy
and market place is undergoing a rapid transformation. Several
reasons can be attributed to these changes. One of the reasons being
Globalized - the explosive growth of global trade and international
competition. The other reason is the technological change, which is a
focal factor, as technological competitiveness is making the global
marketplace a cutthroat
platform.
The Indian market is no
longer a seller’s market.
Whoever provides the value
for money, is the winner.
Companies have huge idle
capacities, as they have
wrongly calculated the
market size and installed
huge capacities.
Being one of the biggest
consumer markets, India has
attracted several MNC’S. In
the initial stages they set their
foot print s in India with
great enthusiasm as they presumed the market to be huge and if they
command even a small share of the pie in the initial years, it would be
a profitable venture. But many such MNC’S entry was a failure
because the market size assumed by them was an over-estimated one.
By the time they realized that the Indian marketplace is a different
ball game altogether, they were incurring huge losses. These global
monoliths started looking like yet another company in the market
place.
Then the outlook changed when they started analyzing the market
place in order to understand its dynamics. They dropped their
traditional global assumptions about market behavior and adapted
their offerings and the company according to the local prerequisites.
They then realized that to succeed in the Indian market, they have to
hire representatives who are much more aware of the Indian
economic, political, legal and social realities as well as “MADE FOR
INDIA MARKETING STRATEGIES”
This in turn resulted in a hypothesis - “Think globally but plan and
act locally”
ENVISAGE | April,2011
What does Glocal MNC
mean?
Glocal MNC means those
having global presence but
who plan their decision
making and implementing
capabilities according to the
local market. These companies
have realized that survival and
success of a MNC depends on
localization.
`Made for India` marketing
strategies takes care of MNC’s
global value proposition as
well as helps them to come out
with specific strategies so that
they can compete in the
market. It helps them to decide their market segment, target market
and market positioning. It also provides insights about trends that are
set to engulf the market in the future.
Why Glocality?
It has been found that 70 per cent of the US product innovations are
transferred abroad and it is six times more expensive to custom-build
products than to transfer them from abroad. So it is profitable for a
MNC to launch its globally accepted products wherever they go.
However, here comes the differentiating factor. To find out the
product acceptability, the market screening and transfer process
begins with market need diagnosis which is done locally. MNCS
want to have loyal customers as the outlook of such companies who
are coming to India in the long term. MNC’S have found that the
Indian consumer exhibits a peculiar behavior.
How Glocality works?
By hiring Indian professionals as well as tie-
ups with Indian corporates.
By communicating and changing quality
perception.
By proper communication in Indian
languages.
By rural marketing.
By understanding cultural and social values.
By providing what the Indian consumers
want.
By developing India specific products.
By adopting localised way of distributing.
Glocalisation thus takes into account all constraints
to safeguard transnational worldwide positioning as
well as well-defined marketing strategies to
compete in the local market.
By Urja Padwal
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Republic of Scams
“Regressive corruption deprives a nation while progressive corruption cheats it”
IPL scam, CWG scam, 2G scam… the cancer of corruption seems all-pervasive. As we transit from
license raj to crony capitalism, it is the ordinary citizen who is being short-changed in the process. What
lies ahead?
Top class politicians, bureaucrats and business
people—have been indicted. For a nation heady
with the success and international adulation that
came from the speedy recovery of its economy
from near-recession, this is a reality check like no
other. The CWG and 2G scams are now the two
crucial ingredients in the political stew being
cooked by both the Opposition and the PM’s
Quislings. For good effect, both scams are being
tom-tomed as emblematic of all the evils that
plague India.To all of this, there is one word
Politics.
In this dirty, unruly and obnoxious game of
politics being played, one can only expect
corruption and its long term drastic effects on the
economy. We hear such remarks on an everyday
basis. And we make them ourselves.When the
controversy surrounding the Indian Premier
League (IPL) hit the news-stands early in 2010,
India’s cricket watching millions were a tad bit
upset that their favourite game was being
besmirched. A juicy spat between Lalit Modi and
Shashi Tharoor, through the social networking site
Twitter followed by an all-out war in the media,
provided seamless entertainment to the masses.
However, it was not any more entertaining when
the Commonwealth Games 2010, the biggest
sporting event to be hosted by India and the next
big card in the India-China one-upmanship game,
ran into grave trouble with the discovery of
discrepancies to the tune of Rs 800 billion! To add
to the appauling state of affairs, another scam
blew away the entire Indian population that
brought to light irregularities in the awarding of
2G contracts to telecom players with the
involvement of India’s Telecom Minister A Raja
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Politicians and racist what did you do,
You tore up my planet with scissors and glue,
Like a bully at school,
Your games are so cruel.
Your fights over dirt, has split up my earth.
Do you sleep comfy, warm in your beds ,
When a bullet hits softly, through a little boys
head,
Land has no value, when its people are dead,
and when husbands are lost, it’s not your
tears shed.
and top business houses and that was, simply, the
last straw.
But the Commonwealth Games and telecom
scams are very different, is that they represent two
very different kinds of corruption. I call them
progressive corruption and regressive corruption.
Progressive corruption is when you want to build
a factory in India; the babu-neta nexus will suck
every drop of blood out of you for licenses,
permissions, clearances etc. They’ll demand huge,
often unrealistic amounts, for the most ridiculous
of things, like running water and garbage
collection. By the time an entrepreneur opens his
factory he’s already down on both capital and
energy. Abhorrent and unfair as this is, it is a
system that makes money by making things
happen, not by
preventing them from
happening. It unfairly
enriches officials, but
results in action,
products, jobs, profits
– which is why I call it
progressive corruption.
India’s practice of
regressive corruption
is based on the old
idea of the highway
hold up – if you don’t
pay, you can’t
proceed. It’s best
exemplified by the
CWG scam. The
culture of ―pay us or
go to hell‖ is why the
entire project got
delayed and decayed. The nation gained no
prestige (in fact lost a lot!), the public gained few
civic assets because much of what was to
materialise didn’t, and what did is too crappy to be
meaningful. Regressive corruption deprives a
nation while progressive corruption cheats it. The
starkly different results of this are best seen in
public works projects, such as highways and
dams.
It is no surprise then that India has slipped to 87th
spot in Transparency International's latest ranking
of nations based on the level of corruption.
However, perceptions aside, the hard fact is this—
confronts an Indian on the street and asks him
about black money and you get a nonchalant
shrug! Clearly, corruption has percolated down to
the man in the street—the rotund guy who owns
the little grocery store round the corner, the street-
smart property broker who shows you around the
homes you want to rent on his motorcycle, the IT
entrepreneur who cooks his books and takes pride
in doing so, etc.The silver lining comes from an
interesting perspective, though! That India is
corrupt is no secret. The recent slew of scams does
reflect an alert media and a lower tolerance for
corruption than before. The sheer scale and spread
of these scams has shocked the very core of the
Indian population. Drawing room conversation
among the educated
middle class no longer
simply laughs
corruption away.
Yes, it’s very self-
gratifying to stand at
podiums and hector the
world at large about
how we must all
become different
people overnight and
end corruption simply
because we must. But
realistically speaking,
even while we must
continue to combat
corruption with all our
might, I’ve given up on
the hope that
corruption will cease in
India anytime soon.
So, my humble request to our all-powerful corrupt
babus and netas is to alter their modus operandi
and adopt progressive corruption as their model.
Instead of holding up power stations, water
treatment plants, sewage systems, metro lines, and
highways, please just build them and make your
money off the contractors. Here’s the incentive –
if you ensure the projects come up in time and
serve their purpose, no agency is likely to get the
public and political support to go after you.
Compiled By Bakul Chowdhary
ENVISAGE | April,2011
The Blood Of Any Company: It’s Finance
Mr. Jeet R.Shah holds a M.Com degree from Mumbai University. Apart from that, he is a Certified
Financial Planner (CFP CM
). He has over 6 years industrial experience in the field of corporate and personal
finance. He has been teaching for about three years now. He is a visiting faculty at NMIMS, IBS, GIM and
Indo-German Training Centre and has taken corporate training sessions for SBI, Mahindra Kotal Securities,
and LIC. He was invited by SEBI’s NISM to take a public
education seminar.
What are the Financing Strategies
followed today? Should one rely on internal
sources or seek external sources?
Exceptionally for SME’s, it depends primarily on
the growth of the company. In the sense that if the
growth is not that big, say 10 to 15 percent
annually, then one should rely entirely on internal
sources. This is largely the cash generated from
operations.
But if the company ventures into activities such as
expansion, it may seek external sources. External
sources encompass fund-based and non-fund
based sources of financing. One may approach big
companies to fund and assist them in their
operations with a promised return. The expense is
mainly on the marketing bit of the company as the
profits yield through
that. For example, The Times of India Group
holds a stake in Infosys as it markets for that
company. If such companies can follow this
methodology, why not SME’s?
There are Venture Capitalists who expect at least a
40-50 percent return on their investments and you
have other sources such as term loans, overdrafts,
cash credit etc. For that you may approach banks
and other financial institutions. General Managers
of various banks have targets to meet and they put
forward requests to their superiors to provide
customers with loans. These days’ people have
become very innovative, in the sense that they
keep 20-30 credit cards to meet their credit
requirements.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Is it true that we can acquire loans with 2-3per
cent interest? Comment
It is all not true, just another myth. It’ll be 6
months LIBOR plus hedging cost. Libor can go up
to 4.65 per cent and that’s just the interest you
pay. Through ECB (External Commercial
Borrowing), which implies that, we can get loans
in terms of foreign currency dollars or pounds.
After getting a loan, you need to hedge it: hedging
cost is 5% as of now. On addition of both the
percentages we get 9.65per cent. Apart from the
above we have to pay 2.5per cent as bank charges
presently, these are one-time charges. ECB has
troubles too, as you cannot invest in land, shares,
etc. This method of obtaining loan is only suitable
for people in exports as you save on your hedging
cost by inflow and outflow of dollar. But for
people active in the domestic markets it’s not
feasible and has a lot of restrictions.
What should a
company’s next step
be if its working
capital position is
tight?
It depends whether
it’s a cash crunch or
credit crunch. In case
it’s a cash crunch,
you are left with not
much of an option but
to sell the assets of
the company. Even if
you are the most
efficient person in the
world, you don’t have
any choice but to sell
something to pay a liability and meet your
obligations. Even when the liabilities aren’t at a
bad position: more current liabilities over current
assets are not always considered as terrible. The
trouble is when your credit limit is over, so either
you may sell the assets or build the same. There’s
another option available called factoring, which is
not available in India as of now but is a very
important ingredient to maintain our cash cycle.
In case of credit crunch, nothing can be done on
the spot; you should know your Cibil score. And
if you find that your Cibil score is going low, you
should take immediate steps to improve it. We
assume that you don’t have anything more to take;
you have reached your CC limits. So one you
make the personal balance sheet strong as you get
your OD limits on the collateral you give whereas
CC limits are assigned as per your stock levels.
Comment on MFO’s. MFO’s are Multi-Family
offices and constitute a necessary part of any
family business. Families can exceptionally ensure
the preservation and growth of their financial
assets and family heritage through this. This
represents a centre of influence and stability to
help families to store their wealth in an efficient
manner. Most MFOs evolved from these family
offices.
In general, an MFO aggregates and focuses
resources to facilitate a common interest in asset
protection, cost control, financial education,
family philanthropy and a host of other needs.
MFOs have historically provided customized
service levels and
confidentiality not
available from larger
product-driven
financial institutions.
Other benefits are as
under –
1. Objective financial
advice.
2. Creative solutions
to financial issues.
3. Clearinghouse for
financial, investment,
tax and estate
planning ideas.
4. Services are
typically “all you can
eat” for asset-based fee.
5. Advice from a professional team with diverse
backgrounds
6. Coordination of other advisers’.
7. Proactive advice – a function of low client to
employee ratio and frequency of meetings.
8. Delivery of “best of breed” money managers,
custody, insurance, loans, etc.
9. Negotiated cost savings with other financial
providers (e.g. investment management, custody,
trading costs).
10. Integration of client’s estate planning, income
taxes, investments, philanthropic goals and family
situations.
By Aanchal Kennedy Gajra
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Tracking- An Engineer, An Entrepreneur
“A lot of what I’m doing today is basically focused on making business processes more proactive.”
The words technology and
India are now synonymous to
the rest of the world. India has
proved its mettle time and
again when it comes to
technology and its application
for a better life hood. With
success, India and technology
we also associate tags like
brain drain and high
paying MNC jobs. The
Made in India label is yet
to get its due credit.
People who decided to
ditch that lucrative
corporate cheques and
took the plunge to
establish a true Indian
technology venture.
Rohit is a story of how
ambitions and a craving
desire can drive an
average college student to
become a tech honcho
people like to hear
about. Rohit Nalwade
founded Consumer
Vision, a real-time service
personalization
technology company
based at IIT Bombay
Technology Business
Incubator which was his
second successful start-up at
an age of just 19. He had
previously started an
electronics services company
during his under-grad years
with two other friends, which
they sold after 22 months.
Today he is the Managing
Director of Keeptrak Research
Labs, which specializes in
providing tracking
solutions. Rohit described
various instances wherein he
faced challenges and how
he surmounted all of them
with sheer desire and a bit
of jugaad.
Rohit always wanted to be
an entrepreneur. But his
father wanted his son to be
an engineer. But destiny
turned over a new leaf. A
million-dollar idea struck
him and he went ahead
with it. He won the first
prize at the IIT Bombay
annual college business
plan competition –
Eureka! - And went on to
win several other business
related competitions. It
was after that he went on
to translate the idea into
real-time business
application and decided to
take on the business
world.
Outlook for SME’s in
respect to it…..
Great companies are built when maximum time is
spent in strategizing for the future, but if you look
at most SMEs today, the majority of their time is
spent in administering the company and not in
making expansion plans. There are two primary
aspects which will drive SMEs growth via IT- the
primary one is using better collaboration tools.
The tools already exist, but not many SMEs
access these tools and work towards improving
their workflow and team
efficiency through these tools. One major aspect is
that in most of the small organizations there are
not many job functions, in a large organization
there are many people and for every function there
is at least one person with a clearly defined role.
But in an SME it is not possible to deploy an army
of people for various functions. There is a need for
a system which enables proactive management
style. Like today if we look at the attendance
system of a typical company, even if it is
ENVISAGE | April,2011
computerized the SME still maintains a hard copy
of the same and the management will see the
computerized reports only once in a month. This
gives ample time to employees to think about
various reasons for not reaching on time.
Now think about an automatic system, wherein as
soon as I walk in late, my supervisor would be
informed real time. Such a system not only saves a
lot of time during audits but also makes everyone
in the organization more proactive. Thus proactive
management is required at all levels and in all the
functions. So I think apart from using better
accounting tools, better word processing tools
which improve basic efficiency, a paradigm shift
is required that improves team collaboration,
knowledge sharing and proactive management
system. Today the topmost people in an
organization might be using collaboration tools
like social networking or enterprise collaboration
tools, but the same is not true for the person who
is at a lower level in the corporate ladder. For
instance, can a person working at the shop floor
give feedback to the top level management using
these tools? The answer is most definitely a "No".
However, if a simple tool like sms-to-email based
feedback system is incorporated at all levels, not
only is it user friendly but also brings in fast
results on a real time basis.
The question is how do we bring about this
change? Isn’t it difficult?
Yes, it is difficult, primarily because of the
traditional thought process. Like I said, there is no
dearth of efficient IT systems. But, the inertia of
people to use them. Systems are supposed to help
people work more efficiently but somewhere in
the implementation cycle we forget, instead of the
system being designed and implemented for
making people efficient, people start making the
system efficient and this is the reason why a lot of
major IT system changes fail. People will have to
learn or they’ll have to unlearn as per the new
system, which is very difficult in a SME.
How does an SME decide the right IT service
and provider?
I’ll give you a very simple example, when one
gets an admit in the B school, he possibly asks
every relevant and not so relevant questions from
his peers, those who already hold an MBA degree.
The same logic applies here. So when you want
answers to your pressing problems, you go to a
trusted source. One should clearly decide on the
objective of going for incorporating the IT
systems and then have at least one person who
understands IT systems real well who can help in
evaluating various possible options. Also, instead
of trying to put in place a major IT system to start
with, the process needs to be gradual – start with
something small like an inventory management
system, a collaboration tool like MS Groove etc.
and then slowly gain more understanding and
move towards more complex systems.
Comment on your research….
A lot of what I’m doing today is basically focused
on making business processes more proactive.
First of all, if you need to proactively react, it is
imperative to measure the parameters of interest.
You need to keep a tab on those parameters; hence
the name of the company is Keeptrak. Keeptrak
designs both hardware and software using a
bouquet of various technologies like Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID), Global
Positioning System (GPS), ZigBee, Real Time
Location Services (RTLS) etc., to name a few.
Our objective is to design the tracking technology
which has applications in almost all spheres of
life, right from tracking the small kids and their
school buses to pet animals to in transit cargos to,
perhaps, your car keys! For a small business
management, it really does not matter how the
system works or what technologies it uses, what
matters is that they get visibility into their people
– so we have created an abstraction platform that
utilizes multiple technologies not only for tracking
but also for providing a seamless view to the
business.
“To take on the big market, I have realized that it is important to build relationships,
encourage change and make sure that relationships endure,” says Rohit.
By Manal Mota
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Professionalize Your Organization-Now Is The Time
One of the most critical areas for a Family
Business is the management of its Human
Resources. Though these businesses have always
been handled entirely by family members, the
latest mantra seems to be to get in professionals
from the industry so that these businesses can
grow more. But when these professionals are
recruited, managing them becomes extremely
tedious because of a wide gap between
expectations and culture. We spoke to Prof.
Vijaya Suvarna, Director, Liberation Coaches Pvt.
Ltd., an HR and OB specialist who has been
working closely with SMEs and FMBs for several
years to clarify some of the doubts and queries
from the Entrepreneurial perspective.
Q. Most family business considers HR as an
Additional expense on Balance Sheet?
A. HR is an additional expense on B/S. It is
definitely a load on the company, but the fact is
people need to be managed. Entrepreneurs often
carry a misconception about their employees; they
consider them to be self-efficient and self-trained.
They assume this because most entrepreneurs are
like that. They work on their own; they assess
their performance, commitment and loyalty
towards the organization. But it’s quite an evident
fact that we can’t expect this from an employee.
HR activities have already taken place in
organizations such as salary, welfare, allotting
work, incentives, etc. Generally the owners of
such organizations perform these activities. For
example, if the turnover of an organization is Rs.
36 crores and if he is spending 10 days a month on
these activities he is actually spending a crore in a
month. So if you look at it as an
opportunity cost and if you don’t
have an HR department it can be a
major loss to the organization. But
if you have an HR department, it
will look like a short-term expense
to the organization. It is a long-term
investment, not an expense.
Q. Is Turnover really a factor
for SME’s to have a HR team or
HR Department?
A. I suggest that more than the Turnover, the
no. of activities that need to be done is a major
criteria to settle on. If a SME requires an HR
Department or not. The team may be small but
the intensity level of the activities that they carry
out is very high. Even companies with over 500
people do not have an HR department because
their workers are outsourced and 20 members of
the same family are working in such
organizations.
In a factory where there are high Industrial issues,
there are external influences; there we do have the
need for an HR department. The duration for
which employees work is another criteria. If an
owner spends more than 1 day a month, then we
require an HR department.
Q. What is the importance of
Departmentalization in SME’s and advantage
of going vertical?
A. Firstly, some organizations start up as
horizontal organizations. In any organization, the
span of control is such that an individual can
handle up to 5 people at a time. Beyond that there
is depletion in the efficiency of that individual.
Thus, the need of a structure (vertical) becomes
essential. Secondly, horizontal structure even
enjoys the open door policy where any individual
can enter the owner’s office for various approvals
like leave grants, salary, advances, etc. This
reduces the efficiency of the owner, and thus the
next lower level should manage this.
Consequently we require a vertical structure to
define job roles more effectively. Thirdly, in a
vertical structure the growth is visible and more
prominent and if everything is flat where is the
growth? Why would an individual work in such an
organization? As a result, the need
of hierarchy or vertical structure
becomes a necessity.
Q. Professional and technical
people have been apprehensive
about joining SME. How to fill
the gap?
A. Yes, they have been
apprehensive about this because
even if they join a SME they find
ENVISAGE | April,2011
that their aspiration about wanting to learn
something more, about freedom, about career
development and the like does not happen in a
family business. And if a person is completely
professional and technically qualified that’s what
he wants-he wants to see himself growing,
learning newer and newer things, wants to work in
a professional setup where he can have people
who report to him and he have some kind of
structure, some kind of policy, some benefits. But
none of this happens in a family business when all
the top positions will be occupied by the family
members irrespective of their IQ level, thus why
would a technically qualified person want to join?
The question was how to fill that gap. To fill the
gap, you need to make the organization more
structured, more organized, where processes are
well defined, where performance appraisal is
given, training and development happens very
aggressively and proactively. Career growth and
designation are properly defined. So, when a
person is asked where he wants to see himself
after 3 years, he should be given a clear career
path to grow. In other words, the HR management
of a SME is required and you will find that
professionals would want to join, otherwise they
will join when the have nothing else to do and will
leave within 2-3 months.
Q. What is more efficient – Inbound or
Outbound training for employees in SME’s?
A. There is a very thin line-it doesn’t matter
whether it’s an inbound or outbound training but
there are factors to be considered. Like Budget as
most of the training programs are expensive.
Second is specifically Technology, which we
don’t have, and which is to be introduced because
without technology you cannot have in house
programs. Outbound makes sense in terms of
motivation where you have to motivate your
employees and you want to see them having a
little bit of fun along with learning. Even for
teamwork where office is a constraint. But most
technical and process education need constant
attention, so even if a trainer asks you to do it
outbound, we need to assess the situation, and find
out what is the seriousness level of the training.
Therefore for some serious learning, inbound is
the pick.
Q. How to appraise the family members in
the Organization?
A. Other than the owners and immediate
relatives, other family members are recruited
because you did not have a choice as they came
from close references. These people are not being
assessed. For these people, performance appraisals
is extremely vital because somewhere they must
be aware that more than their references, their
performance matters more to the organization.
You may give weight-age to loyalty, etc. but
somewhere the completion of work becomes very
important.
We should start with the owner where he gives the
freedom of Appraisal by the other top owners, or
appoint a coach or by third party. Performance
Appraisal for family members should be done first
and it should be made mandatory. If this is done
then your employees will have no complaints. It is
similar like assessing your balance sheet and P/L.
Account. Thus, if the company as a whole can be
assessed, the owners should be assessed too.
Q. What are the various activities
recommended for SME’s?
A. Typically for an entrepreneur, he can start
with his own appraisals and setting goals and
objectives for himself in the beginning of the year.
He/she can have numbers written and
communicate the same to the next level and
further make them set goals and targets for the
lower level employees and reviews can be
conducted every month or every 3 months. Again,
they can work on few standardized policies
simultaneously, like periodical reviews, timing of
salary, policies on leave, advances, etc. They can
start with some 10 policies, which can be followed
by all. They can even have some basic training
programs for everyone; therefore, we bring in the
culture of training and learning. Documentation
of all the employees, application form, blood
group, educational background is integral. These
are very basic steps to implement a HR system in
the organization.
Family businesses will tremendously benefit if
their HR is streamlined, and this will help them to
further build their goodwill, their credibility, their
competence and their ability to take quantum
leaps of success and professionalism.
By Pankaj Sharma
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Do Business For Freedom
The days of the rich pot belly baniyas and the
lalas bagging opportunities through influential
political/bureaucratic contacts and suck blood
out of their employees is now history. The era of
service class parents pushing their children to get
99.95% to seek admission into best institutes only
to get a high paying MNC/Govt. Job is gradually
changing. Thanks to a new breed of revolutionary
entrepreneurs. The heroes/mentors to the young
educated Indian population which wants to make a
difference and create value. The youth that sees
opportunity in adversity and it is prepared to
rough it out to the last mile. The power
of ideas has fascinatingly
evolved and is
progressively
remoulding the
Indian business
landscape. Narayan
Murthy for an
example started
Infosys Technologies
with a modest capital
borrowed from his wife.
Similarly, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
started Biocon in a rented garage space; Divyank
Tarukhia started Directi Consulting at the age of
16. Some more are Rashmi Sinha of Slideshare,
Sanjeev Bikhchandani of Naukri, Ajit
Balakrishnan of Rediff, Suhas Gopinath (the
youngest Indian entrepreneur at 14) of Global Inc.
They all had one thing in common and i.e. Great
Ideas.
These guys made modest beginnings, focused on
innovation and constant improvement grew
stronger with each passing fiscal, leveraging
ethical fundamentals to business; have today
proved that “great degree MNC job selling soap
detergents to the baniya kiranawalas” is not
exactly the idea of a great work life. They could
clearly identify the pot holes and creeks in the
market during the early stages of their job careers
and had the courage to quit the 9 to 5s and fill the
needs with some innovative ideas bringing a huge
amount of relief to the consumers and thus
achieve the freedom to tread a strange path with
small but sure steps to the top.
After reading a lot on these entrepreneurs and the
challenges they came across, it’s frustrating to see
some of the most intelligent friends of mine with
brilliant ideas and appropriate qualifications
succumbing to the comforts of naukris when what
they ideally should be doing is chasing
those dreams and turning them
into reality or die trying. On
asking them why; they
answer “Boss practical
bannana padta hai”.
I wonder to myself if
the entrepreneurs I
mentioned above
were in any way
impractical. I am sure
they were not. They were
more courageous, had enough
conviction and an unusual sense of pride
towards “Business for Freedom”.
“Business for Freedom” is that spirit of an
entrepreneur which makes him take the first leap,
break open the cage of comforts, face the
challenges and the harsh realities, work around the
constraints, organise and reorganise his efforts and
taste the sweet smell of success. He has a clear
sight of his aspirations and an obsessive passion to
achieve it. He has more appetite for life, for new
things, for change. It is this spirit that sets him
apart. It is this spirit that we must seek to discover
within us. The spirit of doing “Business for
freedom”.
By Samarth Dhawan
ENVISAGE | April,2011
From The Pages Of A Student’s Diary
“I walk a lonely road, the only that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes, but it’s only me and I walk alone.”
These lines from Greenday’s Boulevard of
Broken Dreams have always inspired me to
move ahead in life…no matter whatever
obstacles come in my way… even when I
am alone….
This is my journey: from a student to being
a professional then back to being a student
As a kid I always knew I had a business
back home to go back to sometime in life.
That’s the reason why before joining my
business I wanted to taste the essence of
corporate life. I reckoned that my corporate
exposure down the line would definitely
help me in my future ventures and
experiencing what an employee goes
through, would help me be a better
employer in the future. Hence it was very
important for me to work for a leading
multinational which could deliver the right
knowledge, expertise and global exposure. I
was elated when I got the opportunity
through campus recruitment to work for one
of world’s leading financial institution.
Life was about to change. It was a whole
new world out there. For starters, I was
completely mesmerized with the whole
ambience of the organization. I was
stepping into a completely different world
altogether.
A new corporate life was waiting for me.
The first day was nerve wrecking, but at the
same time, exciting. People from diverse
nationalities working in harmony caught my
attention instantly. I realized there was an
open culture in the organization. Everyone
was treated equally. There were no “sirs”
and “madams”. It was all new to me because
as a fresh graduate, I was only accustomed
to address people as sir or madam.
Slowly and steadily, the transition from a
student to a professional was taking place.
With constant training and motivation, I was
transforming into a real executive. Soon I
realized I was no longer a new trainee. Time
passed by and I was entrusted with more
responsibilities and duties. My confidence
grew with time. Growing interaction with
leading banks across the world, migrating
processes successfully, awards and
recognitions, training new trainees as well as
existing members helped me mold to a true
professional.
Some of the key learning’s from my
corporate life were how to make-work
simpler by introducing automation. How to
make complex processes simpler by just
applying basic knowledge and mind. I
realized not everything is as complicated as
it seems to be.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
A solution lies just within the problem. I
also became aware of the fact that
networking was the key to survival in any
industry. I understood it was extremely
important to maintain cordial relations with
everyone. It could either make or break a
deal. Apart from all these factors, the best
part was interacting with people from
different nationalities. Their cultures were
different from that of ours but their interest
and respect for our Indian culture was heart-
warming. I was also interesting to know
their work culture but was not easy to follow
theirs.
Some of my biggest achievements in the
organization would be
being part of the team
which won “Team of the
Quarter” award for the
quarter Oct-Dec 2009,
receiving “Spot of the
Month” – July (2009),
being selected to migrate a critical process
in Mumbai and regularly receiving
appreciation from our London Counterparts
for constantly improving the process. The
successful migration resulted in further
migrations to Mumbai from London.
One of the best things about working with a
corporate is the kind of other benefits you
get. Picnics, late night parties, Five-star
dinners were all a chunk of my corporate
life. Apart from these, I was also part of
various CSR activities. But the flip side was
working in European shifts, staying back
late at night and dealing with health issues.
It was difficult to maintain work life
balance.
When everything was going smooth in life
as well as work, I realized that something
was confining my growth to learn. It was
working under restricted parameters and I
couldn’t flourish. I wanted to expand my
horizons and that’s when I came across this
course in Entrepreneurship and Family
Business through one of my colleagues. I
realized picking up valuable learnings from
this course, coupled with a two year stint at
the corporate level would enhance my
capabilities as an employer. That’s when I
decided to call it a day after two wonderful
years at the multi-national.
It was an eye-opener in
many ways. I will always
cherish the memories at
the workplace I had. I
have garnered knowledge
which I probably wouldn’t
have ever known if I had directly joined my
business or the course. Every single
experience counts.
So…after a few years, when I look back at
life with joy and satisfaction, I know where
it all started.
By Harsha Haridas
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Innovation
Is All In
Your Head
What makes a business stand
out? What makes it better than
its Competitors? What drives
a customer to try out a product,
and come back for more?
What make you and your
enterprise a success?
It’s neither investment nor
manpower or positioning
alone, that encourages your
business to soar from its first
month as an unknown brand or
service provider to a thriving
brand, and self-sustaining
enterprise.
The key to your business
success is Innovation. The
consumer must be reached in
such a way that, your
enterprise even though it is
providing a run of the mill
service and product, must
identify with the consumer and
claim their favor. This can be
done only if your business’s
core idea and service motto is
to provide something that is
both enriching to the market
and consumers at the same
time different enough to stand
out in the right way.
So what is Innovation?
Innovation is something that
renews an idea or creates a
new idea. By the renewal of an
idea, we mean to adapt it or
evolve it to better suit the
market and consumers’
changing needs. An innovation
is a brainchild of a very
spontaneous creation that is
formed from a tireless and
deep understanding of the business aspect, product and consumer
traits.
An innovation in the business sense must appeal to the present
market; it branches from the current sense of that industry but must
reflect and counter the customer’s dissatisfaction in the contemporary
way in which the service or product is consumed.
In order to be struck by directional and a more concise innovation,
one must first identify the target industry, then study the target
audience or vice versa. One must think from the consumer’s point of
view. Put yourself in their shoes and understand their dissatisfaction
or gap in their wants and needs. Once this step is accomplished –
think, think and think some more.
Let your ideas evolve from the present ones and the ones that you
have just created. Think fearlessly, be theoretical at first, there are no
wrong concepts or ideas that are unsuitable. This can be time
consuming; a moment of revelation could originate in an instant or
take years to be formed. Once you have a theoretical concept, put it
down on paper. Create a cognitive map of the birth and maturation of
an idea. What you are trying should not just be an inspiration but
draw a mental sketch of the same. Identify the components of your
innovation.
Now for practicality to exist, every business is a functional enterprise.
It must survive and in order to do so it must generate revenue. Is your
innovation realistic? Would it work? Does it follow the present legal
and profitable framework? Or more aptly so- can it exist in reality,
following a business sense?
Feel free to adapt. There are no rights and wrongs in ideas until they
have been materialized. The trick is to create an idea that should be
concrete enough to be a successful venture. Innovation is Change or
creation – Good Innovation is Positive. Good Business innovation is
Profitable. A happy new Consumer is the sign of Good business
Innovation and successful Enterprise.
By Bakul Chowdhary
ENVISAGE | April,2011
B-School Segmented
Students in B schools, typically fall in the
following five categories:
1. Silent Assassins: They are the real smart guys.
They do not get deterred by the fact the Professors’
give marks based on the number of sheets you fill,
or on the number of arbitrary graphs and diagrams
that you make. Their sole purpose is education,
knowledge and exposure. They do not do a lot of
talking in the class, but when they do, they talk smart stuff. People around are left admiring at the quality of
what was said. They do not have anything against anyone; they are willing to help out other students,
majorly because they know that they would still be better. They do not copy in quizzes, assignments or tests.
They are amongst the toppers and usually get placed in the first or second day.
2. Head Bangers: They are the other extremes. They don’t study but party almost every day. There’s
regular stock of alcohol and cigarettes in their rooms. Unlike silent assassins, all head bangers usually form
one group because of the extreme differences in activities, interests and opinions. Typically two pointers,
three pointers, these people get placed fast, because they are street smart. They are anti-system who do
everything that the system prohibits, and yet achieve results that they it expects. So considering a group of
five, there would usually be one loser (read rich, arrogant, brainless, but full of attitude) and one sensible
and intelligent guy who even out the group.
3. Jack of all trades: These guys are good at everything. They study party hard, and manage to have a good
number of pretty looking friends around them. Everyone holds them in high regard. However, they fall in
the middle of the spectrum. In the end, it’s always a smooth and easy life until eternity. They neither go
through extreme lows, nor ride on the high waves. They are extremely social and amenable, other than those
who are jealous of them.
4. Three point Five: pointers: These guys have a grad college attitude, but a good grad college, mind you.
They are independent. They hate the fact that grading in B schools is not necessarily based on “depth of
knowledge”. They get frustrated somewhere around the third term, decide that they are good and that they
need to learn things but in their own way. They usually end up trying to do a lot of good things, both for
themselves and for the college. Generally, their chance of success is very high. Such people usually form
groups within themselves. They like observing, analyzing and remarking on people around. They try to be
good to everyone, but know clearly who is to be trusted. . They take lead in organizing and coordinating
events. They interact a lot with their profs., but outside the academic scope.
5. Blood suckers: They are the most dangerous lot. Typically thrive on the concept of relative grading. They
do stuff like 'not take photo copies for a friend who always does it for him/her'. Essentially hypocrites, who
bitch behind the back and act best friends in front. They are highly fake and artificial, and show
characteristics of a chameleon. From best friend to 'I have seen you somewhere' to 'yet another stranger':
these are the kinds of behavior typically shown over a period of two weeks. They fake intelligence and even
quality, and are usually the most aggressive during placement season. If we were to believe them, the A and
A+ grades that they got, were all the results of LSDs the profs. took while correcting only their paper. They
somehow never know anything, and never study anything; but end up taking five extra sheets. They never
find their performance in exams satisfactory. The least they are is 'fake'. Everyone should stay away from
them, unless you are one amongst them. This disease is mostly prevalent in girls and rarely found in guys.
By Shruti Bagaria
ENVISAGE | April,2011
The “She” Factor
Times have changed. The way the world functions has dramatically evolved. We cannot help but notice how women are doing wonders in various fields. From managing their homes to being at par with men at work, they are excelling in the art of balancing life. We spoke to Toral Desai, a Mechanical Engineer by profession who now runs her own organization called Shiva Products. About her Aged 31, Toral is an entrepreneur who works from home. She is self-confident and determined. She applied for job vacancies at prestigious companies such as L & T and Mahindra and Mahindra and managed to bag herself the position of a Design Engineer in both these organizations, but did not take them up. She always had an employer frame of mind. Her inclination and interest lied towards being an entrepreneur. Family background: Toral got married in the year 2005 when she was 25 year’s old. Her husband and his family were extremely supportive of her running an organization. She became a mother in the year 2007 and hence took a break from work for a while till her daughter was old enough. Motherhood had become her priority. Toral’s father and brother came to her rescue back then by handling all the operations at Shiva Products. In 2009, she resumed working. The Birth of an Entrepreneur: With her father as her guide and through his contacts, Toral first began with the manufacturing of Wax sheets as raw materials, which served the needs of the Art and Craft Industry from the year 1996. She managed to restructure the Glitter manufacturing company her father had set up. She saw a spark in the Dentistry industry and therefore started manufacturing consumables in the year 1997. Since then there has been no looking back for her. Her Hobbies: Toral is a simple person by nature. Apart from the zeal and passion she has for her business, she takes pleasure in listening to any kind of music, singing, watching and learning from informational and scientific channels. She loves to surf through the net as well. She loves chatting and playing with her 4-year old daughter, which she feels as the best part of her day.
The Balancing Act: We cannot help but wonder how many roles can an individual play on a daily basis. Toral says you need to strike the right chord to balance your life. She shares with us that she is a very punctual person by nature and likes to follow a fixed timetable. For her everything has to be well scheduled and organized beforehand. At times she has to make sacrifices, like on her sleep. She is up by 6.30 am every day, even on Sundays for the smooth functioning of everything, be it her house, work, young daughter and family. She is an inspiration to all. As an Employer: Toral believes in second chances. If her employees make a blunder once, she would still give them a second chance for their areas of improvement, however big the mistake may be. She doesn’t command respect from her employees but expects dedication and punctuality as she even has a family to take care of. She can be firm with them, wherever required.
But she considers fun as a necessary ingredient for motivating her employees. The office celebrates every milestone it achieves, be it an important deal or be it a few targets met. She makes sure she gives them incentives in the form of bonuses, promotion, etc. whenever they have out shown themselves. Challenges: “Everything in life doesn’t come easy. You need to work hard for it and struggle to acquire the best in life”, says Toral. Initially, any company would require some finance to flourish in the long run. She faced some financial challenges, like any entrepreneur. A low level of finance is always a hindrance to the progress of a venture. Apart from that, Toral had very less manpower in her company. Her ever supportive family was over-burdened with work namely her father and brother. Marketing of products was quite a challenge. Winning prospect clients had been a task for Toral and her company. The competition was also high as it’s a dog eat dog industry. If one is strong enough to deal with complications and determined to be distinguished from others, he/she is able to sustain in the long run. And that’s precisely what Toral did. She believed in herself and her family believed in her and despite the obstacles today she is where she is. She has emerged as a victorious entrepreneur and her family shares her triumphs. Her story inspires us to live up
to our dreams, to implement and execute them. To take immense pride in what we do, to not get deterred by what the world has to and will say. Her story also teaches us that through thick and thin, only our loved ones stick with us. She is truly an inspiration to all the women sitting at home with a dream to reach out to the world.
By Aanchal Kennedy Gajra
The “She” Factor
Times have changed. The way the world functions has dramatically evolved. We cannot help but notice how women are doing wonders in various fields. From managing their homes to being at par with men at work, they are excelling in the art of balancing life. We spoke to Toral Desai, a Mechanical Engineer by profession who now runs her own organization called Shiva Products. About her Aged 31, Toral is an entrepreneur who works from home. She is self-confident and determined. She applied for job vacancies at prestigious companies such as L & T and Mahindra and Mahindra and managed to bag herself the position of a Design Engineer in both these organizations, but did not take them up. She always had an employer frame of mind. Her inclination and interest lied towards being an entrepreneur. Family background: Toral got married in the year 2005 when she was 25 year’s old. Her husband and his family were extremely supportive of her running an organization. She became a mother in the year 2007 and hence took a break from work for a while till her daughter was old enough. Motherhood had become her priority. Toral’s father and brother came to her rescue back then by handling all the operations at Shiva Products. In 2009, she resumed working. The Birth of an Entrepreneur: With her father as her guide and through his contacts, Toral first began with the manufacturing of Wax sheets as raw materials, which served the needs of the Art and Craft Industry from the year 1996. She managed to restructure the Glitter manufacturing company her father had set up. She saw a spark in the Dentistry industry and therefore started manufacturing consumables in the year 1997. Since then there has been no looking back for her. Her Hobbies: Toral is a simple person by nature. Apart from the zeal and passion she has for her business, she takes pleasure in listening to any kind of music, singing, watching and learning from informational and scientific channels. She loves to surf through the net as well. She loves chatting and playing with her 4-year old daughter, which she feels as the best part of her day.
The Balancing Act: We cannot help but wonder how many roles can an individual play on a daily basis. Toral says you need to strike the right chord to balance your life. She shares with us that she is a very punctual person by nature and likes to follow a fixed timetable. For her everything has to be well scheduled and organized beforehand. At times she has to make sacrifices, like on her sleep. She is up by 6.30 am every day, even on Sundays for the smooth functioning of everything, be it her house, work, young daughter and family. She is an inspiration to all. As an Employer: Toral believes in second chances. If her employees make a blunder once, she would still give them a second chance for their areas of improvement, however big the mistake may be. She doesn’t command respect from her employees but expects dedication and punctuality as she even has a family to take care of. She can be firm with them, wherever required.
But she considers fun as a necessary ingredient for motivating her employees. The office celebrates every milestone it achieves, be it an important deal or be it a few targets met. She makes sure she gives them incentives in the form of bonuses, promotion, etc. whenever they have out shown themselves. Challenges: “Everything in life doesn’t come easy. You need to work hard for it and struggle to acquire the best in life”, says Toral. Initially, any company would require some finance to flourish in the long run. She faced some financial challenges, like any entrepreneur. A low level of finance is always a hindrance to the progress of a venture. Apart from that, Toral had very less manpower in her company. Her ever supportive family was over-burdened with work namely her father and brother. Marketing of products was quite a challenge. Winning prospect clients had been a task for Toral and her company. The competition was also high as it’s a dog eat dog industry. If one is strong enough to deal with complications and determined to be distinguished from others, he/she is able to sustain in the long run. And that’s precisely what Toral did. She believed in herself and her family believed in her and despite the obstacles today she is where she is. She has emerged as a victorious entrepreneur and her family shares her triumphs. Her story inspires us to live up
to our dreams, to implement and execute them. To take immense pride in what we do, to not get deterred by what the world has to and will say. Her story also teaches us that through thick and thin, only our loved ones stick with us. She is truly an inspiration to all the women sitting at home with a dream to reach out to the world.
By Aanchal Kennedy Gajra
NMIMS celebrated the Spirit of Entrepreneurship with Inspirus’11.
The annual flagship event “INSPIRUS” of MBA (E&FB) was held
on the 10th
and 11th
March, 2011.
The event was a culmination of the determined efforts of the whole batch. Team Inspirus faced a zillion
hurdles in their way; however, they overcame all those and put up a great show which truly set a much
higher benchmark for the future.
“It” all started as a dream.
“It” involved instilling a picture of a national level Business fest in the minds of people.
“It” involved a few sleepless nights, mind boggling hard work, immense teamwork and dedication of each
and everyone involved in the making of Inspirus.
“It” involved selling of an Idea, a product that was non-existent till then.
“It” involved understanding each and every aspect of Management and using it in the most practical sense.
“Marketing & Advertising” the name Inspirus, “Brand Building” of the festival, designing the Logo keeping
in mind all the possible aspects, managing of the “Human Resources” – delivering the best with limited
resources, managing “Finance” aspects with the number of sponsors that we partnered with (approximately
30 in number)
“It” involved a million collective decisions at the same time motivating all the team members and giving
every individual a Vision of a two-day grand fiesta.
“It” involved “Strategic Management” at various levels.
“It” involved managing “Logistics” in the minimum possible cost and time.
“It” involved “Decision Analysis” in terms of managing the work in limited time and approaching the apt
potential sponsors for partnering with us.
“It” involved negotiation skills including highball, double agent, empty pockets and even apparent
withdrawal.
Mostly “It” involved the never say die attitude of the team members of various teams and their grit and
determination to turn a Dream into Reality!
Graffiti:
Outside
College
Wall
ENVISAGE | April,2011
A brief of all the Teams that made “It” happen:
Sponsorship Team
This team was responsible for getting Inspirus associated with the potential sponsors from various arenas
and geographies. This was an extremely critical vertical and a backbone for the event. The Title partner of
the event was Noize Jeans and the team devised various Titles for all other partners:
Title Partner
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Creative Team
This team took up the responsibility of all the
creative aspects of Inspirus2011. They were at
their creative best throughout the making of
Inspirus. The team decided on the theme of the
event-“Making the right Moves” and designed the
Logo of Inspirus 2011. They worked on the
designing of the teasers, posters, pamphlets,
backdrop, drape etc. A sample of their
unquestionable creativity is available on the web
@ www.nmimsinspirus.com
Media & Marketing Team
This team was responsible for handling the
marketing and advertising aspect of the event.
They managed to attract participation from
various colleges and helped the event to get a pan
India reach. The team also coordinated with the
media agencies and got the event huge coverage
on a national scale. And the outcome was a
legendary Inspirus2011, with participation from
over 70 Business Schools across the country
including iims, IIFT, JBIMS and S.P. Jain,
coverage by the media agencies including the Free
Press Journal, Tele Coverage by Bloomberg UTV
and many more.
Event Management Team
The Event Management Team designed and
conducted various events that made Inspirus2011
a staggering success. There were some concepts
that were unheard & some ways of conducting
events that not too many people were aware of.
The team faced major hurdles and obstacles but
eventually they put up a great show that have
raised the bar and set much higher standards than
anyone had ever imagined.
Security & Permissions Team
This team was in charge of the security of all the
guests, celebrities & all the other events. They
indeed did a great job and the event was
conducted smoothly on both the days owning to
their impeccable and flawless job.
Event’s Theme: Chess
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Team Inspirus conducted a Summit where various big wigs showed up to address a batch of 240
Entrepreneurs and smes from various parts of the country.
Mr. Nirmal Jain-Founder and Chairman of India Infoline Ltd, Mr. Carlton Pereira-Managing Director of
Tano Capital LLC, Mr. Hanmant Gaikwad- Chairman and M.D. of BVG India and Mr. Mr. Rohit Nalwade
the MD of Keeptrak Research Labs participated in the Panel Discussion on “Making the Right moves”
moderated by Mr. S. Venkatraman-Founder of Wealth Tree.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
The Inaugural edition of the Annual Magazine-Envisage was also unveiled on this auspicious occasion.
The panel discussion was followed by an interactive session with Mr. Pradeep Kidwani-Co-founder, Beer
Lounge and Mr. Kamal Khushlani-Co-founder, Mufti Jeans on “What’s the Big Idea”.
Mr. Rohit Nair of Quizworks enthralled the audience with the final round of Business quiz where the top 6
teams of India participated where the team of Symbiosis Law College emerged victorious.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
One of the most sought after events “The Best Manager” attracted participants from the best colleges in
India. Survival of the fittest was the mantra of success. The contestants were put through various pressure
tests through both the days. The winner was awarded a trip to Bangkok by the title sponsor Noize Jeans.
B-Plan competition which was judged by experts from the industry attracted innovative business plans.
Pseudo Sensex was a very unique exercise where contestants experienced trading in an exciting and
interesting format.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Another major event was Treasure Hunt where the
contestants had an amazing ride, cracking clues and
discovering Mumbai in an adventurous way.
Ad making gave the participants an opportunity to unleash their whacky ideas and embellish it with their
creativity.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
The event concluded with “Genreyard” – The War of the Bands which attracted Rock Bands from across the
country.
INSPIRUS’11 was indeed an affair to be remembered. The success of this event has raised
expectations for an even more spectacular INSPIRUS’12!
By Mayank Jain
ENVISAGE | April,2011
50
`Commandments`
For The Class Of
FMB
Dear Class of FMB 2011,
This will be my last entry before exams
written specifically for you; before i pass
out year, I’ll begin focusing on the
future.
As i end my college experience, i
thought I’d leave you with the things
that, in retrospect, I think are important
as you navigate the next year. I hope that
some of them are helpful.
Here goes...
1. Your friends will change a lot over the
next year. Let them.
2. Call someone you love back home a
few times a week, even if just for a few
minutes.
3. In college more than ever before,
songs will attach themselves to
memories. Every month or two, make a
mix CD, mp3 folder, whatever - just
make sure you keep copies of these
songs. Ten years out, they'll be as
effective as a journal in taking you back
to your favorite moments.
4. Take naps in the middle of the
afternoon class with reckless abandon.
5. Adjust your schedule around when
you are most productive and creative. If
you're nocturnal and do your best work
late at night, embrace that. It may be the
only time in your life when you can.
6. If you write your best papers the night
before they are due, don't let people tell you that you "should be more organized" or that
you "should plan better."
Different things work for different people. Personally, I worked best under pressure - so I
always procrastinated... and always kicked ass (which annoyed my friends to no end). ;-)
Use the freedom that comes with not having grades first trimester to experiment and see
what works best for you.
7. At least a few times in your college career, do something fun and irresponsible when
you should be studying. The night before my BBM final semester exams, my roommate
somehow scored front row seats to the India SL ODI at a venue 2 hours away, went there
just to see Zaheer Khan. I didn't do so well on the final, but I haven't thought about it
since 2008. I've thought about the experience of going to that match, with a cute guy ;),
at least once a
month ever
since.
8. Become
friends with
your favorite
professors.
Recognize that
they can learn
from you too -
in fact, that's
part of the
reason they
chose to be
professors.
9. Carve out an
hour every
single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn't count.)
10. Go on dates. Don't feel like every date has to turn into a relationship. I swear.
11. Don't date someone your roommate has been in a relationship with.
12. When your friends' parents visit, include them. You'll get free food, etc., and you'll
help them to feel like they're cool, hangin' with the hip college kids.
13. In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college
possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now,
and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.
14. Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking
yourself, "What can I learn from this person?" More of your education will come from
this than from any classroom.
15. All-nighters are entirely overrated.
16. For those of you who have come to college in a long-distance relationship with
someone from school, despite what many will tell you, it can work. The key is to not let
your relationship interfere with your college experience.
If you don't want to date anyone else, that's totally fine! What's not fine, however, is
missing out on a lot of defining experiences because you're on the phone
with your boyfriend/girlfriend for three hours every day.
17. Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over
email. (IM does not count as "in person.") Often someone's facial
expressions will tell you more than his/her words.
18. Take risks.
19. Don't be afraid of (or excited by) the co-ed bathrooms. The thrill is
over in about 2 seconds.
20. Wednesday is the middle of the week; therefore on wednesday night
the week is more than half over. You should celebrate accordingly. (It
ENVISAGE | April,2011
makes thursday and friday a lot more
fun.)
21. Welcome failure into your lives. It's
how we grow. What matters is not that
you failed, but that you recovered.
22. Take some classes that have nothing
to do with your major(s), purely for the
fun of it.
23. It’s important to think about the
future, but it's more important to be
present in the now. You won't get the
most out of college if you think of it as a
stepping stone.
24. When you're living on a college
campus with 400 things going on every
second of every day, watching TV is
pretty much a waste of your time and a
waste of your parents' money. If you're
going to watch, watch with friends so at
least you can call it a "valuable social
experience."
25. Don't be afraid to fall in love. When
it happens, don't take it for granted.
Celebrate it, but don't let it define your
college experience. What say?
26. Much of the time you once had for
pleasure reading is going to disappear.
Keep a list of the books you would have
read had you had the time, so that you
can start reading them when you
graduate.
27. Things that seem like the end of the
world really do become funny with a
little time and distance. Knowing this,
forget the embarrassment and skip to the
good part.
28. Every once in a while, there will
come an especially powerful moment
when you can actually feel that an
experience has changed who you are.
Embrace these, even if they are painful.
29. No matter what your political or
religious beliefs, be open-minded. You're
going to be challenged over the next year
in ways you can't imagine, across all
fronts. You can't learn if you're closed
off.
30. If you need to get a job, find
something that you actually enjoy. Just
because its work doesn't mean it has to
suck.
31. Don't always lead. It's good to follow
sometimes.
32. Take a lot of pictures. One of my major regrets in life is that I didn't take more
pictures in graduation. Digital cameras are cheap and you have plenty of hard drive
space, so you have no excuse.
33. Your health and safety are more important than anything.
34. Ask for help often.
35. Half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at any given moment. Way more
than half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at some point in the next year.
Get used to it.
36. In ten years very few of you will look as good as you do right now, so secretly revel
in how hot you are before its too late.
37. In the long run, where you go to college doesn't matter as much as what you do with
the opportunities you're given there. The NMIMS name on your resume won't mean
much if that's the only thing on your resume. As a student here, you will have access to a
variety of unique opportunities that no one else will ever have - don't waste them. :O
38. On the flip side, don't try to do everything. Balance = well-being.
39. Make perspective a priority. If you're too close to something to have good
perspective, rely on your friends to help you.
40. Eat badly sometimes. It's the last time in your life when you can do this without
feeling guilty about it.
41. Make a complete ass of yourself at least
once, preferably more. It builds character.
42. Wash your sheets more than once a year.
Trust me on this one.
43. If you are in a relationship and none of
your friends want to hang out with you and
your significant other, pay attention. They
usually know better than you do.
44. Don't be afraid of the weird pizza topping
combinations that your new friend from
across the city loves. Some of the truly awful
ones actually taste pretty good. Expand your horizons.
45. Explore the campus thoroughly. Don't get caught.
46. Life is too short to stick with a course of study that you're no longer excited about.
Switch, even if it complicates things.
47. Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain.
48. Don't make fun of kids in class, you know what I mean. You were like them, like 5
years back.
49. Enjoy every second of the next year. It is impossible to describe how quickly they
pass.
50. This is the only time in your lives when your only real responsibility is to learn. Try
to remember how lucky you are every day
Be yourself. Create. Inspire, and be inspired. Grow. Laugh. Learn. Love
Welcome to some of the best years of your lives.
By Shruti Bagaria
ENVISAGE | April,2011
The Race
"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They shout at me and plead.
"There's just too much against you now;
This time you can't succeed!"
And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure's face,
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.
And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene;
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.
A children's race- young boy, young men,
How I remember well.
Excitement, sure! But also fear;
It wasn't hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race.
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.
And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire.
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boy's desire.
And one boy in particular,
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the lead and thought:
"My dad will be so proud!"
But as he speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip.
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace,
And 'mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.
So down he fell and with him hope--
He couldn't win it now--
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said:
"Get up and win the race!"
He quickly rose, no damage done
-Behind a bit, that's all-
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself
-To catch up and to win-
His mind went faster than his legs;
He slipped and fell again!
He wished then he had quit before
With only one disgrace
"I'm hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn't try to race."
But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father's face;
That steady look which said again:
"Get up and win the race!"
So he jumped up to try again
-Ten yards behind the last-
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought,
"I've got to move real fast."
Exerting everything he had
He gained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again!
Defeat! He lied there silently
-A tear dropped from his eye-
"There's no sense in running anymore:
Three strikes: I'm out! Why try?"
The will to rise had disappeared;
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error-prone:
A loser all the way.
"I've lost, so what's the use," he thought
"I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad
Who soon he'd have to face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low.
"Get up and take your place;
You were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race."
"With borrowed will get up," it said,
You haven't lost at all.
For winning is no more than this:
To rise each time you fall."
So up he rose to run once more,
And with new commit
He resolved that win or lose
At least he wouldn't quit!
So far behind the others now,
-The most he'd ever been-
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.
Three times he'd fallen, stumbling;
Three times he rose again:
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.
They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place.
Head high, and proud, and happy;
No falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer,
For finishing the race.
And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, unproud,
You would have thought he'd won the race
To listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said,
"I didn't do too well."
"To me, you won," his father said.
"You rose each time you fell."
And when things seem dark and hard
And difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.
For all of life is like that race.
With ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall.
"Quit! Give up, you're beaten!"
They still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says:
"GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!"
Compiled By Nikhil Adesara
ENVISAGE | April,2011
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE ‘Hear It From The Class Of 2009-11’
“From Bachelors in English Honours to MBA in Entrepreneurship and Family Business ---- a totally different course, a totally different city and a totally different perspective, but perhaps one of the best decisions I could have ever made. FBM honed my communication skills, opened new horizons, and taught me practical applications to great business ideas. An amazing faculty and an even better visiting faculty made sure that we students were led in the right direction, but were made to think for ourselves, which I really think was the cherry on the cake. An institution and a course which enables students to have confidence in their own abilities and to be leaders in their own fields. It has led us all to actually believe in the magic of thinking big...as we take our final step ...a big leap from student to professional life...there is only one question that crops up in everyone’s mind - WHAT NEXT? Thinking out of the box- the biggest thing I have ever dreamt of is to set up a university
like ours- but not in business or any other academic field but in the area of Performing Arts. This university will provide people with direction whose inclination lies in the field of Arts and will give
them hope to make it big in the field they chose for themselves. This vision seemed a little too impossible to be achieved but our course, faculty and my friends instilled that confidence and belief in me to make this happen one fine day and gave me that ray of hope. How I play it out, who helps me, whether it will be possible is yet to be looked into. The fact that we believe in ourselves is what makes us stand out from the crowd. After these two most eventful years of my life, one thing that I’m sure about is – I will make it happen, I will turn these dreams into a reality, I will chase it irrespective of multiple obstacles. There are many people whom you meet in your journey to the top, and only a few supports you and believe in you. However, every time I meet someone who says with all the compassion and concern - "Oh dear, I don't think it will work out', I am only motivated
even more to make sure it does!” Latika Pathela
“We are authorized dealers of Maruti Suzuki in Chhattishgarh and Orissa. Also, we are builders and developers in Raipur. We have developed residential spaces, commercial spaces and shopping mall. I had been working in the dealership for a year before I joined the course. Apart from understanding about the various aspects in the dealership, I got involved in Customer Relationship and Sales specifically. I also looked into a bit of human resources and general administration at the dealership. Firstly after going back, I intend to work at the Construction Company. I want to learn the practical aspects of this business and get deeper insights of the entire marketing aspect. Also, I have a business idea in mind which is to start an ambulance service in our state which has a similar business model like 1298 in Bombay. Though it would take some time for this to flourish but I
wish to make it into a reality in the coming years.” Anusha Singhania
“Our company Rukman Fabrics Pvt. Ltd. was established in the year 1997. We manufacture and supply exclusive shirting material to wholesalers based in cities like Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. Our sales office is based in Mumbai and dispatching office is in Thane.
‘Our vision is to be the most preferred brand among customers, suppliers, employees and investors; to achieve long term profitable growth through superior quality, innovation and commitments.' I will be joining my business after graduation. Currently our dispatch process is manual and requires a lot of human intervention.
First step is to automate this process, I am planning to develop customized software which will have the features like bar-coding, track inventory location, send dispatch updates to
customers etc. This will help us to plan for the next step of going international. We are
planning to start exports next year.” Amit Manghwani
Anthems For Entrepreneurs
Black Eyed Peas – Lets get it started :
Conveys: Starting up
The Black Eyed Peas are definitely doing their bit for the world’s
party goers, but they’re also throwing in nuggets of wisdom for the
dynamic entrepreneurs. Words of wisdom within this song are – “To
lose this inhibition/Follow your intuition/Free your inner soul/And
break away from traition“. The soulful voice of Fergie and the
energetic beats, gets the entrepreneur within you moving.
John Mayer – Bigger Than My Body
Conveys: Push Your Limit
This song is basically a great push towards understanding the fact
that entrepreneurs should always try to push their boundaries and
overcome limiting factors that surround them. Lyrics such as –
“Someday I’ll Soar/Someday I’ll Be So Damn Much More/ ‘Cause
I’m Bigger Than My Body Gives Me Credit For” . This song is
definitely an entrepreneurs number.
Bon Jovi – It’s My Life
Conveys: Do Your Own Thing
There is no need for an introduction to this timeless song by Bon
Jovi. Perhaps one of the most motivating songs for entrepreneurs.
This is a song that will motivate you to always do your own thing in
your way no matter what other people say.
Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger
Conveys: Will To Survive
A song that every entrepreneur MUST listen to! This song is all
about survival. And the courage to fight against all odds with only
the will to survive. In the dog-eat-dog attitude of the business world,
the only way you stand a chance is with a strong will to survive and
beat the odds. “Eye of the Tiger” is a great song for motivating your
survival instinct.
Aashayein – Iqbal
Conveys : Believe in yourself
Soundtrack from the movie Iqbal is all about believing in yourself
and work towards your goal. An inspirational song which gives you
an adrenaline rush from within and will get the entrepreneur within
you pumped up.
Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Conveys: Work Harder
The lyrics of this awesome song – “Work it harder, make it
better/Do it faster, makes us stronger. This songs puts you in
a mental state of pushing yourself harder, better, faster,
stronger – the exact requirement out of any entrepreneur.
Green Day — Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Conveys: Journey of an Entrepreneur
A great song that aptly describes the solo journey of an entrepreneur.
The long and tiring path may get lonely but the entrepreneur is ready
to go through to it for the sake of his ambitions. Here is the look into
the lyrics- “I walk a lonely road/The only one that I have ever
known. A truly moving song for an entrepreneur.
The Beatles : Baby you are a rich man :
Conveys : Money as a motivation
This is one of the freshest songs for entrepreneurs, a soundtrack
from the movie The Social Network. It is a fact that most of us jump
into entrepreneurship for the money. And this song by Beatles just
seems to capture that so well. Money and fame is one of the primary
reason we become entrepreneurs. Don’t We ??
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Top Ten Movies For Entrepreneurs
Rocky (1976) – Sylvester Stallone is the quintessential entrepreneur in this movie. It is about the underdog believing in himself, with a vision to win and
willing to give what it takes to win. Persistence & Perverseness: isn’t that entrepreneurship all about
Wall Street (1987) – Michael Douglas stars as the evil business man and Charlie Sheen as a budding entrepreneur in this Oliver Stone classic on share market
& business
The most memorable line from this movie is Michael Douglas’s “Greed is good.” It’s a great line and it captures a lot of truth. Greed is a powerful emotion that
drives business growth and buying decisions.
Jerry Maguire
The movie gives a message of the driving forces of passion and integrity that leads the protagonist to voice his doubts about his industry, suffer the
consequences and then pick himself up in order to grow a business on his own terms.
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
A business movie classic starring the likes of Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and of course, Alec Baldwin, who delivers one of the most quoted speeches
in business-movie history. A must watch for a businessman looking to set his sales force in action.
Guru(2007)
A classic tale of rags to riches: the movie is a close depiction of the Dhirubhai Ambani’s life and scores at all levels. The movie is about a young man trying to
accomplish his dream of becoming great; and defying all odds on the way of his journey.
ENVISAGE | April,2011
Forrest Gump (1994)
The movie revolves around the life of Forrest Gump- a mentally challenged man who shows us what it takes to be a businessman and a good friend. The
message of the movie is simple: You should never forget the people who helped you out and that the right partnership can affect not only your bottom line but
your life.
The Social Network(2010)
The Social Network is inspired by the creation of the 500 million member social networking website, Facebook. A story centred on a teenager who becomes the
world’s youngest billionaire. The social network will certainly pump up your adrenalin if you are a start-up guy. A must watch for every entrepreneur.
The Aviator (2004)
Leonardo Dicaprio stars as Peter Hughes who changes the face of aviation industry through his compassion and knowledge. Hughes had a relatively easy entry
into the entrepreneurial life via his father's company and money, what was admirable was his fascination with and eventual knowledge of the aviation industry.
A story with which every family business guy can relate to.
The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
This Will Smith star-vehicle is the story of successful entrepreneur Chris Gardner. The Pursuit of Happiness doesn't explore exactly how Gardner built his
entrepreneurial empire; it does offer insight into the man himself, a man who experienced struggles few of us will ever know in his pursuit of a better future.
Citizen Kane
No list of great films, let alone ones about business, would be complete without this classic. The movie is about the relentless pursuit of wealth and power--and
what, in the end, it's all worth. For those who haven't seen Citizen Kane, stop reading now and take care of business.
Complied By Rajat Jain
ENVISAGE | April,2011