MACONZA Trishna issue

7/29/2019 MACONZA Trishna issue

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Dear Readers

We bring to you the Trishna Special issue o

Maconza. We salute the spirit of entrepre

neurship in women. We cover Anita Roddick

the owner of British cosmetic retail company

Body Shop and unfold the story of Ms. Priya

Kumar, who belongs to a Hindu joint family

and is a mother of two, in an interview withher. A lecture delivered by Ms. Rashmi Bansal

in which she defines various types of entrepre

neurs, has been covered.

This issue highlights the need of having a Plan

B, along with the B Plan and the role of a B

School in shaping an entrepreneur. The pas

sion of a sportsman, taking shape of entrepre

neurial aspirations has been put across

through the story of Arjun.

With the entrepreneurship boom in India

huge FDI inflows and revival of the dying arts

an attempt has been made to explore some o

the opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs

There is also something in store for the fitness

freaks who wish to be entrepreneurs. Check

out!!!

We welcome your feedback on the magazine

at [email protected]

- Meenakshi Aggarwa

MISUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN BUSINESS

SCHOOL & BUSINESS 4

B PLAN AND PLAN B 6

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOM IN INDIA 6

B-PLAN AND PLAN-B 9

THE DEHATI GYM 8

DEFINING AN ENTREPRENEUR 10

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOM IN

IN INDIA 12

WHO IS AN ENTREPRENEUR 14

SUCCESS STORY OF ANITA RODICK 16

ENTRPRENEURSHIP, THE NOT FOR

PROFIT WAY 18

THE HIDESIGN STORY 21

THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT

ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA 23

REVIVAL OF TASSAR SILK IN JHARKHAND 25

INTERVIEW WITH MRS,. PRIYA KUMAR 28

THE XX FACTOR WOMEN ENTREPRE- 31

NEURSHIP BLUR IN INDIA?

CROSSROADS- BEAT THY OWN SELF!!! 34


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Macon means to Create or to Build. The objective of launching the cell is to provide the commo

platform to those who aspire to be an entrepreneur and want to bring change in the society in a differ

ent way.

These people can come together, express their views, show their passion, share their ideas, and nurtur

their dreams to see them turning into reality with the help of Macon. Through Macons initiative, w

try to bring out the entrepreneurial skills and provide with the vital support system that a budding en

trepreneur demands.

The Vision

MACON is a conglomerate of individuals with a vision, a dream which surely can come true. It is

place for all those who want to create their own path and leave behind the trails of success. The Ce

aims at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and tremendous energy among individual to a level wher

they can bring about a positive change in the societya change that we all aspire for. MACON believe

an entrepreneurial mind is a mind of original ideas and aspires to extend all possible support to its stu

dent and alumni members, in association with its strategic partner, NEN, and enable them to realiztheir dreams.

The Mission

To ignite the spark of entrepreneurship amongst students from IBS and other institutes and provide

common platform for individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit to develop, nurture, share and grow

their ideas.

Establishing a new enterprise requires skills that have to be nurtured from a very early stage. Th

huge potential and skills of management graduate of India needs to be tapped and each and every col

lege has to take up initiatives of creating not just job seekers but also job providers. However motiv

tion and information at the right stage could lead to birth and nurturing of future entrepreneurs a

the graduate level. Even for those who do not aim to start an enterprise immediately, the cell wi

help in providing them the platform to demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills.

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The Entrepreneurship Cell


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Why do business schools misunder-stand Business

By Ashish Agarwal (Alumnus, IBS Hy-

derabad)

Today B-schools are producing employees and

not entrepreneurs. Most students see it as anentry to the money minting world. Most of the

B-school grads accept the high-paying job; and

after the honeymoon is over, all are frustrated

and looking for answers to a basic question:

Is this what I really want to do? Whats

my calling?

When we look into the future, we should look

for the people who can exploit the opportunity

rather than those who solve the problem.

While problem solvers ponder over the fruit

that has already fallen, an opportunist looks

for the fruits that are ripe and ready to fall.

An entrepreneurship-specific curriculum in B-

schools is essential for today's entrepreneurs

to create valuefor their organization, and

their stakeholderswhether they are building

their own companies or playing a leadership

role in any organization.

Differentiated products drive the growth of

company, and in a globally competitive worldthose products become a necessity at increas

ingly accelerating rates. Therefore, companie

need to continually innovate. This is why busi

nesses of all sizes need entrepreneurs.

Where do these entrepreneurs come from

Many are honing their skills by working with

startups. While those who take this path do

develop all the necessary skills, from opportu

nity identification to growth, they are particu

larly adept at finding outside investors. Thi

skill, while critical for a startup, is much les

for a corporate entrepreneur. For big compa

nies in need of entrepreneurs, relying on thos

Misunderstanding between Business School and

Business

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who have started their own business isn't

really a solution. They simply don't have the

right skills.

That's where B-schools have a role to play.

They can and must step up and create entre-

preneurs, so badly needed in organizations of

all sizes. An emphasis on entrepreneurship

would help MBA students understand how to

identify opportunities and create value. It

should start by defining entrepreneurship in a

way that communicates its relevance to corpo-

rate recruiters.

We are unfair to ourselves by defining entre-

preneurs by the size of the organization they

work for or by the firm's growth potential.

Beyond redefining what it means to be an

entrepreneur, B-schools must alter their

curriculum in order to produce entrepre-

neurs. In addition to having stand-alonecourses, the entrepreneurial mindset needs

to extend to existing disciplines within the

business school. The addition of experien-

tial programs allows students to transform

their classroom knowledge into real-world

skills.

Beyond redefining what it means to be an

entrepreneur, B-schools must alter their

curriculum in order to produce entrepre-

neurs. In addition to having stand-alone

courses, the entrepreneurial mindset needs

to extend to existing disciplines within the

business school. The addition of experien-

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tial programs allows students to transform

their classroom knowledge into real-worl

skills.

While Ford is today known for his innovative

assembly line and American-made cars, he

wasn't an instant success. In fact, his early

businesses failed and left him broke five time

before he founded the successful Ford Mo-

tor Company.

The billion-dollar business that is Honda

,began with a series of failures and fortunate

turns of luck. Honda was turned down by

Toyota Motor Corporation for a job as an

engineer, leaving him jobless for quite some

time. He started making scooters of his own

at home, and spurred on by his neighbors,

finally started his own business.

Source: www.onlinecollege.org


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Rajesh is a worried man. He finished his MBA

from a reputed B-school and had taken up en-

trepreneurship, turning down a lucrativeplacement offer from a Fortune 500 firm. Things

were going positive in the beginning but after

a year, the difficulties in running the business

at ground zero, rather than the imaginary

world in the B-school, crushed on him. He was

planning to close the business and join a small

time firm for a not-so-attractive package.

The fear of becoming a person similar to

Rajesh is always present in the minds of bud-

ding entrepreneurs and it is justifiable to a cer-

tain extent. People with good B Plans usually

tide over the initial obstacles due to the enthu-

siasm they experience over their plans and go

on to become successful if their product (or

service) is lucky enough to be accepted by the

market they wish to cater. But, if for some rea-

son it takes time to gain that acceptance,chances are high that they might be dejected

provided the high expectations they had for

their B-plan. Gradually, the challenges and ad-

ventures become obstacles and problems and

they might doubt the worth of their own B

plans.

Insecurity ABOUT their future would be th

next stage as they might feel a lot would b

under stake. In the worst case, bare surviv

becomes difficult for them.

This extreme case happens when a perso

does not know when to stop investing mor

So, like someone said Business is like gam

bling that one extra try would get you all th

was lost, the engrossing nature of an entr

preneurs B-plan, arising most probably due this emotional attachment, might lead one to

deep abyss. But does all this mean that w

have to abstain ourselves from executing ou

B-Plan?

B-Plan and the Plan B

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The importance of having a

contingency plan while starting abusiness and even beyond that.

By Manohar S


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THE PLAN B

The answer is an obvious NO. After all, would

there be any Tatas, Ambanis and Fords if their

respective founders had abstained themselvesfrom executing their B-Plans due to the fear of

failure?! The solution is to come up with a

Plan-B along with the B-Plan. Yes, I am talking

about the what if plans that always gives the

entrepreneur the necessary backup in case the

new business fails to run in a successful man-

ner. This sort of planning helps us to take the

vital calculated risks without jeopardising

our bare minimum needs.

The Plan B not only provides the entrepreneur

a safety net but also instils in them an assur-

ance and confidence and in turn may play a vi-

tal part in forming a successful business.

Thus, the backup plans are not necessarily

backward looking and should not be taken as

a sign of meekness but rather as a consequence

of rational thinking.

A good backup plan should be based on our

existing strengths (in our case, a MBA degree

is definitely one!) and it should be practical

and easily executable.

TYPES OF BACKUP PLANS

But, this sort of contingency planning shouldnot be restricted to just what to do after I exit

my business kind of scenarios. It is but one

among the many backup plans that one has to

have while running a business because in a

business, it is always about revision of deci-

sions and in that process, choosing an alter-

nate plan of action to the existing plan.

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Thus, apart from backup plans that revolv

around exiting the area of business altogethe

there are others which might be about shiftin

from one business to another. This kind plans should be made after learning the nu

ances of running a business and evaluating th

profitability of alternate plans.

Still, other plans may not deal with anythin

even remotely associated with going out

business. It happens within the same busine

and it might deal with setting of realistic ta

gets and how to achieve them. Initially, a potential entrepreneur, in her overconfidenc

over the plan, might impose on herself unrea

istic and over-optimistic targets to achieve i

the business and might plan accordingly. Bu

ground realities might prevent them from

achieving those targets. So, certain backu

plans might aid them in rethinking the

strategies based on their revised targets.

Whatever the type of Business, it is necessar

to have one of each type in different tim

frames of running the business. Moreove

budding entrepreneurs must tide over the no

tion that B-Plans are a conservative way t

look at things and realise that these backu

plans, as a matter of fact, would help the

pursue their B-Plan more aggressively withou

the fear of survival. The benefits of the assu

ance that a backup plan gives may be bett

reaped if they are made immediately after,

not along with, the making of the B-Plan. S

what are you waiting for? Go ahead with you

B-Plan...after making your Plan-B, of course!


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Working out at the cost of nothing: A

modern impossibility?

By Divya Ann Selveraj

Within the quietness of an orchard called

Amrud Bagan at Jonha, 40km away from Ran-

chi (the capital city of Jharkhand), a thoughthas changed into an idea which has given birth

to a very unique venture: a rural Gymnasium.

However unlikely the concept, it has been exe-

cuted successfully.This Dehati Gym was pioneered by NiteshSonkar, an under graduate student. He was

aided by his two friends Suraj and Shyam.

These three first created the gym and thenwere joined by two more visionaries: Karan

and Shekhar.

The Gymnasium is nestled within a rambling

fenced garden with fruit bearing trees. It haits own assortment of gizmos all sourced righ

from nature. These gizmos include a barbel

made from wood and mud and dumbbellsculpted out of stone, a chest lifter with two

spherical stones fitted at either end of an

iron bar. An earthen cauldron filled withsand on which they practice Karate i

mounted on a brick supported hearth andis heated using wood. This open air gymdoes not even require the artificial comfor

of an air conditioner.

These fitness equipments made out ostones, wood and mud may sound crud

but on second thought, the engineering

that must have gone into creating them iunbelievable. Other than the conventiona

gym equipment, they have also created newequipments in innovative shapes.

Whatever they did is eco friendly and does no

use even a hint of modern technology. Theyhave proved that to create something it is no

necessary to destroy something else; especially

not their green beautiful home. Money is certainly the biggest constraint one faces whil

starting any kind of a venture. But not for this

group of youngsters who overcame it withsheer determination and hard work and th

will to do something constructive, to giv

something back.

Not only have they provided a village lik

Jonha a modern privilege, they have accom

THEDEHATI GYM

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plished something that youth in such areas canonly dream of having, that too for free

The importance of being fit is waning every-where but Jonhas youth will never be at a dis-

advantage when it comes to having an oppor-

tunity to fight this trend. Even though life inrural areas is comparatively active with culti-

vation and farming activities, modernity and

its influences are everywhere. Also, to stick toones roots and conform to change at the same

time is difficult if not impossible. These five

young men have become an inspiration tothose facing this struggle.

The gym was first built only for personal use.Now about a dozen fitness freaks attend the

rural gymnasium. These very people also claim

with great conviction that the services they

provide are at par with any high end gym inthe city. Suraj credits the wooden barbells for

his biceps. Currently entry is only on the basis

of friendship. No fees are charged. What thefuture holds cannot be predicted.

An enterprise whatsoever will have to keep itsintegrity intact. These young entrepreneurs

may not be making money but they surely have

given something and received benefits person-ally as well as satisfaction in the form of seeing

their dream grow and go on to fulfil those of

others.

What we need to analyse here is whether

turning it into profit making venture is feasiblein this scenario. Will it be as happily accepted

and will it do as much good as it is doing now?

Will the cost of changing its nature be toomuch in terms of the loss faced by those in

need of a facility such as this one?

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To turn it into business may be possible bforming a framework of the privileged alon

with the unprivileged. The more privilegecan, if they so desire, become stakeholders in venture such as this and use its services an

generate profit. At the same time they mus

not close doors to those who cant afford tpay the fee however nominal. Neither mus

services to them be provided at a lower prior

ity level. This is where the glitch comes. Oncthey overcome this it will turn into a model fo

all to look up to and emulate. It is a big ste

but the one that is dreamt will be possible foa group of youth so daring, so creative, so ex

perimental and so enterprising that they liter

ally created not just something but a lot othings out of nothing. Nothing more than the

very own hands and what they found lyin

around (considered by most to be useless jununworthy of anything constructive).

Entrepreneurship is all about going that extr

mile without regarding personal benefit as thsole objective. It is mainly about innovatin

and daring to execute something unconven

tional. This they have already achieved. Futurdevelopment in this case may require mor

than just the five of them but a larger respons

bility from the society. Till then may the youtof Jonha develop their biceps and work ou

their way to new strengths not just physicall

but psychologically, knowing well enough thathey are in no way behind their counterpart

in the city when it comes to such matter

Sometimes it is only the mind that needs to bconvinced. Nitesh Sonkar, Suraj, Shyam, Kara

and Shekhar will never let this conviction die.


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Who is an entrepreneur?

By Shubra Pant

The session by Rashmi Bansal (the writer of

Connecting The Dots, Stay Hungry Stay Foolish and

owner of the magazine Youth Curry on entre-

preneurship, was a refreshing change from the

conventional guest lectures. The youngspeaker was dynamic and open minded, who

shared with us her insights on entrepreneur-

ship, her experiences, the challenges she faced

and what was that one thing that drove her to

where she is today. We not only heard but ex-

perienced the great mile

stones of her odyssey.Ms. Bansal started with a very common, ye

unanswered question WHO AM I? Its no

just an unanswered question but its reach goe

way beyond in the sense that it is introspec

tion of ones soul. The next question she raised

was what can I contribute to this world

What is so special about me? What is that one

thing that I can do best and only I can do i

best? Moving on, she spoke about differen

types of entrepreneurs:

The natural entrepreneurs who alway

had it in them to make it where they ar

today.

The logical ones, who grabbed the op

portunity when life offered it to them

and made the most of it.

Defining an Entrepreneur

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The emotional ones, who were always

passionate about one particular thing in

life and always knew and believed inthat one thing

Accidental entrepreneurs, who became

what they are by chance rather than

choice

And finally, the experimental ones, who

end up discovering that spark within

them experimentally, are very much

there.

The speakers next question was again a very

fundamental one but not very easy to answer -

what drives you? What is that one thing that

makes you happy and you just love working on

it? She emphasized on the need to find that

driving force and that passion, the belief in

that passion and after the realization of that

passion, things automatically fall in to place

.She further emphasized on the point that we

need to start from the basics and move from

simple to complex and not complex to simple.

In this regard, she quoted Steve Jobs as you

cant connect the dots looking forward con-

nect them looking backwards.

She emphasized on doing something com-

pletely crazy and out of the box, going beyondthe scopes of our own imagination want and

innovate something and innovate something.

It is a necessary condition to first know what

you before you actually start working on it

because until and unless you dont know about

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what you want you will never have the pas-

sion and zeal to make both the ends meet.

Once you know what you actually want and

have the basic raw material you are all free to

unwind your imagination.

The most important message from the

speaker was that what matters the most is

the fact that you either love what you do or

do what you love. Entrepreneurs probably

never love what they do but they do what

they love because that entrepreneurial spirit

never lets them settle for anything and every-

thing. Entrepreneurs are their own boss and

do what they like rather than doing anything

that comes their way.

Your time is limited, so dont waste it living some-

one elses life. Dont be trapped by dogma which

is living with the results of other peoples thinking.

Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out

your own inner voice. And most important, have the

courage to follow your heart and intuition. They

somehow already know what you truly want to be-

come. Everything else is secondary


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Entrepreneurship is neither science, noran art, it is a practice- Peter Drucker

By Gayatri Bose

Entrepreneurship is a word that not onlyholds many meanings for individuals acrossthe world, but is also a word that transformsand transfers one, instantly into a land ofreverie, hopes and aspirations.

There has always been a time wheneach of us has felt a need to changesomething or do something away fromwhat is predicted and break away fromthe chains of expectations that bind usso tightly that at times, we suffocate andstifle because of the very society and socialgroup on which we feed as parasites other-wise.

The time when Indians, without much adoand hesitance, have started to express theiryearning to spread their wings and fly seemsto most certainly have arrived on the muchtracked timeline. The entrepreneurshipboom in India stands a living proof for suchprogress and yearning.

However, one must wonder, is stretchingyour arms towards a more independent formof work just enough to sustain such a boomin any given arena?? Along with ideas, areborn the forms and necessary helping handsthat shall hasten the realization of suchdream. I believe that the entrepreneurial

boom in India is not just a result of ideas, butalso the support of various organizations andpolicies that have had their share of contri-bution. It is believed that India shall con-tinue to unlock the keys of this boom for thenext decade.

The advent of technology, political changesand government support through entrepre-neur-friendly policies has been instrumentalin ushering the forces of change. The IT in-dustry has been a leader in such cause-setting examples and being a bandwagonleader, inspiring the other sectors as well totake on the initiative and thus ensuring thegrowth of the diversified sectors, through bigand small entrepreneurial ventures.

India has forever had the spirit of an entre-preneurship in her and though such spiritwent unnoticed with bigger giants such asUSA and China standing up shadowing her,the time has indeed arrived when India toohas stood up and made an impact on the waythe world has forever perceived her.

There was time when colonization and so-cialism has buried the spirit of entrepreneur-ship, but today it is much celebrated andlooked upon, by practically applying theo-retical concepts, like reverse positioning,proving to be successful in spite of criticismand political issues.

However, each new venture faces challengesof various types. The first of such challengesis the primacy of the venture and entrepre-neurship. With increasing number of Indians

ENTREPREUNERSHIP BOOM IN INDIA

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moving towards an entrepreneurial trend, ithas been noticed that some of them have nothad any entrepreneurial activity in theirbackground. With dearth of investors and

the much required infrastructure, it onlypoints to the lack of entrepreneurial ecosys-tem.

A second challenge is the threat of competi-tion from the existing biggies in the marketwho are the giants having a lot of money andinvestment. Being existing players, they arealso a part of the customers and target mar-kets attention and retention power and ca-

pacity.On further consideration, capital tooemerges as one of those challenges, that

young new foal in the entrepreneurshiparena might face. Though there are VentureCapitalists existing in the market for the ex-act purpose of providing funds to new startups, there are few who support the idea dur-ing the initial stages. In addition, with in-

creasing number of start ups, there arises theproblem of mobilization of funds from theold ventures to the new ones. There also liesthe problem of reduced access to these VCsdue to the sudden flooding of ideas and en-trepreneurial brainwaves.

Any business, to start off, needs the power ofthe human capital too. A one-man army intodays world is no longer enough to take on

the world. However, it also needs to be con-sidered that people, no matter how risk tak-ing, would ever wish to take risk with theirfuture and hence therein arises the problemof a young entrepreneur, the problem of find-ing adequate and adept human resource forthe venture in its nascent stages. The attri-tion rate in these start ups has also thus been

Page|13

observed as high and mostly, it is the younginexperienced who join the entrepreneurThis also implies that the knowledge and theexperience of the personnel, which are im-

portant elements for steering the ship, maybe lacking in most of the ventures. Anotherstraw would be to keep up with the fast paceof globalization in todays world and developthe contacts and networking skills required.

On the social front, since entrepreneurship isviewed as risky and seems to be lacking aconsistent and regular flow of funds, it is stilnot a widely accepted concept in the Indian

minds which looks for security issues firstwhen deciding upon the acceptance of anindividual into their social group.

Despite the above, there have been fascinat-ing and inspiring stories that emit rays ohope beyond the darkness of the challengesmentioned above. Networks such as NENhave been set up to not only encourage theentrepreneur overburdened with the expec

tations of regulated cash flow by the societybut also to help people start thinking in away that differentiates them from the rest ofthe herd. There are E- cells that have beenset up in various B schools across the coun-try (for MACON, the E-cell of IBS, Hyderabad) that maintains contacts with venturecapitalists and convince them to providefunds to the young minds, in order to achieve

their dream and do something different inthe world.

Shashi Ruyia of the Essar group, in hisspeech at the National Institute for entrepre-neurs, rightly said, There has not been a bet-ter time in India to reach out and touch thehorizon entrepreneurship is no more lim-ited to family-managed businesses in India


14/36

Memories are a part of everyones life. We tend

to bask in past glory and remember those

phases of life, where we have performed excep-tionally well and not only made others proud

of us but also ourselves. What is it that makes

that moment extraordinary and etches it into

our mind forever? Why is it that we feel a re-

newed positivity when we think of that mo-

ment? What makes that moment so special

and so different?

As these questions flash through my mind, I

am reminded of this one person, a real good

childhood friend and a neighbor of mine. He is

Arjun, a tall and lean, 18 year old guy. His pas-

sion, since childhood, has been Football. He

can play the game for close to 12 hours with

just one break in between, such is his stamina.

Arjun has never had an inclination towards

education. He always used to scrape through

his examinations. Every single day, he wouldreach home, drop his bags in his room, grab a

bite and call all of us out to play football with

him. If no one agreed to come, he would play

all by himself which pulled everyone out to

play.

While we were kids, Arjun and I got along

really well. We were inseparable and shared a

bond exactly like two brothers. We were in

the same school, took the same school bus to

go to school and return home. We shared our

food, games, clothes and even stayed with each

other. Such was our bond that even each of our

parents considered both of us as their children

The two of us were the naughty brats of the

neighborhood. We would do all the mischiefand ensured that the blame went on any one of

the others.

At the age of ten itself, Arjun made up his mind

that he was going to become one of the great-

est footballers ever. The way he worked to-

wards achieving his goal, everyone around him

knew he would achieve it. He was selected for

his school football team the same year. He wasthe youngest and all his team mates used to

bully him. The team coach used to console Ar-

jun but laughed at him afterwards. I didnt like

the two faced coach one bit. He wasnt even

qualified enough to be a coach. He just played

for the state team for 8 matches. Arjun always

complained to me that the coach didnt use

proper strategies. This went on for at least a

year. As Arjun played in the team, he began to

gel with the team and all the team mates be-

came his friends.

One fortunate day, it was one of our friends

birthday and there was a football match and

our school had with another school. Arjun was

supposed to be a part of the team. So, all of us

Who is an Entrepreneur?

Page |14

Be the change you wish to see

By Kunaall Jumani


15/36

decided to watch the match and then go to our

friends place for lunch. The pavilion was a full

house. All students from our school as well as

the opponent school were already there. It wasthe final match and as per Principals orders,

the team had to win. Both teams entered from

opposite ends of the field with their coaches.

Our school coach continued with the same

strategy as earlier. The whole team was bored

of playing with the same formation and pat-

tern from the past one year and they wanted a

change that could be challenging and provide avictory, when it was crucial.

The team gathered and brought out what they

wanted. All of a sudden, Arjun came up with

his strategy and made the game plan, alto-

gether different from that of the coach. The

team was convinced with Arjuns plan and the

game began. The coach saw sudden formation

changes and began to yell. All of us began towonder what happened, and then the captain

was called. He told the coach to sit down and

watch and stopped him from giving further

instructions. The offended coach resigned that

very moment and the team began to celebrate,

instead of feeling bad or getting scared. The

game resumed after a confusion lasting for

twenty minutes. The opponent team had been

the constant winner of the Tournament till

then. The shield went to them for 4 years in a

row. This time, our team was determined to

break this record and we were confident be-

cause Arjuns strategy never failed. All round

the ground there was continuous cheering,

Cottons, Cottons.

Page|15

This was the defining moment for Arjun as h

had to prove his caliber to all those who felt he

wasnt as good. Our team went on to win the

match and Arjun was hailed and carried al

round the field by the team. Age no bar, Arjun

was given all the respect he deserved for get

ting away from the norm.

Well Arjun is not a footballer yet but will b

one soon. Also, he is a multi talented person

with football as his passion and photography

as his hobby. But he is no less than a profes

sional photographer. Thats not it, Arjun alsohas dreams to be an entrepreneur and thi

dream has taken him to one of the premier B

Schools in India.

Arjun, does not have a B Plan as of now, but h

has a dream. He has an ambition. He has a vi

sion. And last but not the least, he has the ca

pability to stand against all odds, the potentia

to be different and the capability to take riskeven when he is under a pressure to produc

the best of the results.

Arjun portrays the true spirit of an entrepre

neur. Entrepreneurs are not a part of the herd

They are not followers, they are the leaders

Entrepreneurs are not born, they are developed

by their grit, determination and will power.


16/36

If someone asks people to list down the names

of the entrepreneurs they know, it would not

be surprising if they come up with the namesof Ratan Tata, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and

the like. Whatever names they would come up

with, that list is most likely to have one com-

mon feature. I am sure we would be thinking

of lofty aspects like guts, intelligence and glory

of those personalities once we look for the

commonalities. But above all these is one sim-

ple common attribute. The common persons

idea of an entrepreneur is that HE would bea male and the list that he would come up

with, would be a male-dominated one, irre-

spective of which gender he/she belongs.

Are female entrepreneurs few in numbers? A

dispassionate analysis would tempt a person

to answer in the affirmative. The reasons were

(hopefully not are) plenty. Whatever the ob-

stacles are/were, things have changed in thelast few decades. Women entrepreneurs have

begun to show up and are beginning to prove

that they are inferior in no way to their male

counterparts. Let us take a look at the inspira-

tional life of one such entrepreneur, Anita

Roddick.

Anita Roddick was the founder of British cos-

metic retail company, Body Shop. What mad

it stand out in the cosmetic industry was th

it stood for ethical consumerism. The Bod

Shop was one of the first commercial cosme

ics outlets to prohibit the use of ingredien

tested on animals and one of the first to pro

mote fair trade with third world countries.

stood for aspects like community trading, hu

man rights protection and promotion of selesteem based on the ideals of its founder, Anit

Roddick who vigorously campaigned for env

ronmental and social issues involving herse

with organizations like Greenpeace.

She attributed her work ethic to her childhoo

life which in no way was a smooth road. Sh

was born in 1942 as the third child to paren

who would get divorced when she turneeight. She grew up working in a caf and on

fine day she stumbled upon a book on th

holocaust, carrying horrible stories of the Naz

concentration camps. This kick-started m

into a sense of outrage and a sense of empath

for the human condition, she would later say

She initially wanted to become a teacher an

The Success story of Anita Roddick

Page |16

The Story of one of the most

inspiring women entrepreneurs ofall time

By Manohar S


17/36

accordingly pursued her tertiary education.

She had earned herself a scholarship to study

in a kibbutz in Israel where she was expelled(thankfully?!) for playing a prank.

She held various jobs and travelled to many

places from South Africa to Tahiti. She went to

a school in South Africa where again she was

expelled for violating an apartheid law. She

returned home and shortly married Gordon

Roddick. The two of them made a living run-

ning a restaurant and an eight room hotel.

One fine day after Gordon Roddick went trek-

king on a horse from Buenos Aries to New

York leaving her to support her two girls; she

started a cosmetic retail The Body Shop

(incidentally, placed between two funeral par-

lors!) in Brighton, England.

Out of desperation, she created cosmetics out

of every ingredient that she had stored in her

garage. Her products contained ingredients

that women used in cleansing rituals that she

had witnessed in her travels. She opened her

first shop with only twenty five products fi-

nanced the store using her hotel as collateral.

With its strong environmental flare and popu-

lar demand of the products, Roddick had al-

ready opened a second shop before her hus-

bands return after 10 months. She took thefranchising route when the company was in a

financial crunch and spread franchises all over

England. In 1984, the company decided to go

public, a decision she thoroughly regretted as

their company was evaluated by how much

profits they were making and not the number

of jobs they created being the socially active

company it was. Today, The Body Shop ha

over 1,980 stores and more than 77 million cu

tomers in 50 different markets serving customers in over 25 different languages. Its succe

put Roddicks net worth at more than $20

million. In 2006, the company became an inde

pendently managed subsidiary of the LOr

Group.

The Body Shop has a reputation for supportin

social and environmental causes, thanks t

Roddicks strong personal sense of social r

sponsibility. After stepping down in 2002 fro

co-chairman, she spent 80 days of the yea

working as a consultant in her stores and use

the rest of her time to advance causes in cam

paigns against human rights abuses and ex

ploitation of the underprivileged.

On September 10, 2007, Roddick passed awa

due to a massive brain hemorrhage

ANITA RODDICK ON ENTREPRENEURSHI

If you do things well, do them better. Be da

ing, be first, be different, be just(sic).

Dysfunction is the essence of entrepreneu

ship. Ive had dozens of requests from place

like Harvard and Yale to talk about the subject. It makes me laugh that ivy leaguers are s

keen to learn how to be entrepreneurs, b

cause Im not convinced its a subject you ca

teach. I mean, how do you teach obsession? B

cause it is obsession that drives the entrepr

neurs commitment to a vision of somethin

new.


18/36

As I waited in my car for the signal to turn

green, a soft tap on the window suddenly

brought me back from my reverie. It was a lit-

tle girl begging for alms, holding the baby

sister in her arms. It was this pitiful sight that

got me thinking. Academy Award Nominated

Slumdog Millionaire was an instant hit all over

the world. The audience thoroughly enjoyed

and absorbed every word of the movie, conven-

iently ignoring the pathetic condition and the

hidden truth of the gamble that was openly

broadcasted. As such issues stare the world in

the face, one needs to be empathetic and in the

least, take note of the existence of these social

problems.

In his recent visit to India in November 2010,

the President of United States of America, Mr.Barack Obama mentioned the recent trend and

potential of entrepreneurship in the world.

Though entrepreneurship is often related to a

profit motive and business for the purpose of

creating wealth, yet one must not restrict her-

self to this narrow definition of an entrepre

neur. An entrepreneur is not only the one who

has an idea and earns profit but she is also th

one who hits upon an idea for a social caus

and can also be rightly termed as an entrepre

neur- a social entrepreneur. The Skoll Societ

defines a social entrepreneur as a chang

agent; a pioneer of innovation that benefits so

ciety. The seventh United Nations Genera

Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan describes social en

trepreneurship as "Founded on the principle

of private initiative entrepreneurship and self

employment, underpinned by the values of de

mocracy, equality and solidarity, the co

operative movement can help pave the way t

a more just and inclusive economic order

The above definition may sound too ideal to fi

into an idea that is essentially perceived as

profit making enterprise. However, this ver

idealism has become reality, as more and mor

entrepreneurs are investing their profits fosocial causes. For a social entrepreneur, wealth

is only a means to the end and such wealth i

generally used for the betterment of the societ

and protects humanity and Earth against sen

sitive issues.

Entrepreneurship, the not-for-profit way

Page |18

A not-for-money way ofEntrepreneurship

By Gayatri Bose


19/36

It has been more than a year since recession;

however, it has left its scars on many people.

Poverty and unemployment suddenly became

the most feared words in the job market. It is

since then believed that entrepreneurship is

necessary to set off the loss that has been

caused by these factors on a society so fragile

and vulnerable.

The term social entrepreneurship is often mis-

taken to be another form of charity. As rightly

described by Emanuel Swedenborg, True

charity is the desire to be useful to the others

without thought of recompense.Social entre-

preneurship, on the other hand is a non profit

motive that relies less heavily on donations

and reinvests its donations to generate reve-

Page|19

nues and sustain itself. It uses these funds t

create a lasting impact on the society as well a

identify opportunities wherein there lies th

potential to change the world. An entrepre

neur is identified by his ability to innovate. In

volving in social entrepreneurship implies th

there is a need to heavily innovate the kind o

offering. In todays world, where the society

increasingly conscious of the societal need

and what the society most yearns for, it

these social entrepreneurs who are required t

innovate their offering. Today, one might b

able to suggest the names of a lot of NGOs tha

are involved in serving the society. However,

the social entrepreneur is unable to provid

something different to the society, it may los


20/36

its visibility in the market. Thus, unfulfilling

one of the primary requisites for carrying forth

a venture of any sort. Innovation is however,

not restricted to offering proposition that is

totally unheard of. It may also extend to a

common proposition with a few variations and

it is these variations that may make all the dif-

ference.

Since the social entrepreneur serves the soci-

ety, one of the basic characteristics that me

must possess s awareness and empathy for the

cause one is working on. One needs to believe

in the cause they are working for in order to

show results. Social entrepreneurs are not dis-

couraged by the lack of funds for they see the

greater opportunities that lie ahead of them for

the betterment of the society. As with most

forms of entrepreneurship, capital is necessary.

However, funds have always been scarce for

social entrepreneurship. It is for these reasons

that business men have developed the concept

of patient capital for funding these ventures.

Patient capital is simply the long tem capital

that is appropriated and accumulated from the

profits of their other business ventures. Some

modern economists today view patient capital

as a poverty reduction tool that must be pro-

vided to those who wish to dive into the sea of

opportunities of social entrepreneurship. The

major challenge, of course lies in procuring and

channeling the investments towards such

cause.

The impact of such a venture however is

largely and mostly dependent on the business

generated at the base of the pyramid, that is

the lowest segments of the society at whom

these ventures are primarily aimed at.

One of the best examples of a successful social

entrepreneurship ventures is Grameen Bank as

suggested by Muhammad Yunus, for which he

was also awarded the Nobel peace prize. He

opines Im encouraging young people to become so-

cial business entrepreneurs and contribute to the world,

rather than just making money. Making money is no

fun. Contributing to and changing the world is a lot

more fun.The concept of Grameen bank is very

simple. Money is lent to a group of poor people

to invest and start their own business. The

revenues thus generated are used to pay back

the loan. This capital is then recycled to initi-

ate further business and encourage more small

scale entrepreneurial activity which in turn

acts as a poverty alleviation measure.

As the signal turned green, I drove towards my

destination with William Draytons words in

my mind. "Change starts when someone sees

the next step."

Page |20


21/36

When I began, one of my biggest weaknesses

and strengths was the fact that I really didnt

care. I didnt care if the company flopped or if

it survived because that was not what was

driving me. It took me many years to realize

that doing your own thing is making your own

brand, says the free spirit entrepreneur Mr.

Dilip Kapur (Kapur), President ofHidesign.Kapur spent his childhood in Sri Aurobindo

Ashram, located in Pondicherry and always

thought America was the centre of the world.

At 15, he wrote to the headmaster of the Ando-

ver Phillips Academy (Massachusetts) asking

for admission. Surprisingly, the letter from the

ashram was accepted and all fees were waivedoff.

In 1977, after completing his studies, Kapur re-

turned to Auroville, Pondicherry. Once back to

the sleepy south Indian town, Kapur didnt

Page|21

have anything to do. To beat the boredom, h

sat down with an artisan and hammered ou

his first leather bag followed by another si

bags. Then, a German friend bagged orders fo

Kapur. He got an order from a German hous

for 1,400 bags, 200 of each design. With in

creasing demand from the foreign market, K

pur was pressed into expanding his worksho

Soon, there were about 200 people workinunder four roofs.

With no background in business, Kapur learn

the tricks of the trade bit by bit and currentl

the turnover of Hidesign India is more tha

Rs.100 crore. It retails through 52 exclusiv

stores and has its presence in over 100 mult

brand outlets. Hidesign, which came into exi

tence in 1978, as a one-man-artisan worksho

with Rs.25,000 (for a sewing machine, som

leather and a worker all accommodated in

thatched shed on the roof of Kapurs house)

The Hidesign Story

Are you Chic, are you Fab, do you cravefor Style,

Do you adore Design??

Do you own a Hidesign??

By Akanksha


22/36

now a global trendsetter in the leather fashion

accessories segment with international sales

worth Rs 200 crores.

Initially all Hidesign products were exported to

Britain & Australia but the Indian market

opened for Hidesign with liberalization in the

1990s. Currently, numerous embassies and

consulates in New Delhi and other cities have

made it a point to give away only Hidesign bags

as official gifts to visiting dignitaries. There

are hundreds of Indian and multinational com-

pany executives who like to flaunt this 'Made

in India' brand, who flaunted nothing other

than global brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada or

Gucci until some years ago.

Hidesigns joint venture with the Future Grou

has led to the launch of a successful fashio

accessories brand for the modern Indiawoman called Holii. Kapur is currently work

ing with Rohit Bal on a new luxury brand fo

the modern Indian woman.

That is not all, the man behind this successfu

venture has many feathers in his cap and t

talk about it all would need a separate book

Kapur backs up quality with solid custome

care and after-sales services thus caring abou

the products long after they have left th

shelves.

This is a story of a hobby that made a buzz

both in the Indian and foreign luxury market.

So what is your hobby???

Page |22


23/36

Today, India is a hot destination for global in-

vestors. The money flow from FDIs and FIIs inIndia has reached phenomenal levels and is ex-

pected to touch $50 Billion by the end of the

financial year 2010-11 alone. This is now a

keenly observed phenomenon by policy mak-

ers and economists alike. Another important

section of people noticing these developments

are the entrepreneurs. From start ups to well

established entrepreneurs they are dreading or

looking forward for the FDIs.

Observing Indias ability to withstand the

Global slowdown, confidence of the foreign

investors is very high. Moreover, the return on

their investments in their countries is low,

given the recent slump in growth and eco-

nomic dormancy in many of those countries.

This has further encouraged inflow of foreign

funds in the recent years.Given the circumstances, the question that

arises in an entrepreneurial mind is- whether

this is a disadvantage or advantage. Their

doubts are not baseless, given the fact that in-

flux of more foreign funds usually results in

Page|23

the Survival of the fittest kind of situation.

There are people who argue that there wer

many companies in India who had great poten

tial but did not live up to it and it was the fo

eign investment through joint ventures th

enlivened these companies. So, it would not b

a blunder to extend this logic and say that if

start up is showing potential, it is sure to b

noticed by investors who might be Indian o

foreign. Investments from foreign organiz

tions on start-ups are not ruled out of th

equation. This is mainly due to the compettion which forces them to be vigilant and no

tice any innovation, so that they could capita

ize on it before their competitors do.

But this does not mean that going the FDI wa

is a bed of roses. To be noticed or to make

mark in the target market is very difficul

IMPACT OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS ON

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA

How badly can Foreign investments

affect Businesses in India?

By Manohar S.


24/36

given the competitor-infested scenario. This

means any innovation or business plan should

be really good. Foreign venture capitalists are

usually extra careful and apply stringent tests

on the B-Plans, given the fact that they have to

risk their money in a far-off land and that too

on a start-up instead of an established com-

pany which is likely to make profits.

But one thing is for sure, any plans for starting

up a business in an existing, well established

field will now have to be seriously deliberated

and carefully executed because it is difficult to

match the capital employed by these well es-

tablished firms.

But the advantage is that this is an open mar-

ket scenario wherein anyones new product or

service is bound to be accepted provided it is

good, irrespective of whether the firm is big or

not. This could be well illustrated by the re-

cent developments in the retail sector.

The influx of FDI is being encouraged into the

retail sector. This sure is bound to have a pro-

found impact and is seen as a big threat to the

small retailers. There were arguments that it

would write off the inherent entrepreneurship

of small retail in India. Hence, there were calls

for the government to manage this FDI in a

calibrated manner. But if events just prior to

this are of any indication, then it would serve

as a good source for allaying these fears. It is

because even before this allowance for FDI

was finalized by the government, big corporate

houses no lesser than Reliance industries lim-

ited (RIL) and Aditya Birla Group had set up

their retail outlets. The former hadReliance fresh

and the latter came up with More.

These retail outlets were expected to perform

really well, given the capital at their disposal

and the brand value they commanded. More-

over, they came up with an attractive business

model which involved direct sourcing from the

farmers, removing the costs involved with the

use of intermediaries. They were expected to

elbow out the common corner grocery store

and other small retailers which they appar-

ently have not done. Even though these initia-

tives by the corporate houses were not failures,

they did not affect the business of small retail

outlets in a significant manner. In fact, the

small retailers actually made great use of these

retailers as there were incidents of small gro-

ceries sourcing their grocery from these bigger

outlets and selling them to their customers!

But it is true that the big players have not been

around for a long time in the retail business

thus making it premature to come to any firm

conclusion. But still there are two lessons to be

learnt. One, entrepreneurial skills are not de-

pendent on the capital at a persons disposal

(E.g. Small retail outlets outwitting the

biggies). Two, India as a market has space for

everyone.

This could be extended to any industry, prov-

ing that all these talks of high influx of foreign

funds diminishing the spirit of entrepreneur-

ship could in fact be exaggerated, if not wrong.

So high FDIs or no FDIs, a good idea backed by

good commitment will make it through!

Page |24


25/36

With the continuing economic growth in In-

dia, it has become a habit to compromise upon

some industries which are not purely profit

oriented. This compromise has also taken into

its void some distinct traditional occupations

which have characterized certain regions in

India with uniqueness and exclusiveness. This

was the condition of the Tasar Silk Industry in

Jharkhand. Tasar Silk is a delicate golden hued

fabric, slightly coarser in structure than mul-

Page|25

berry silk.

The rare craft of rearing silkworms which wa

indigenous to the tribal of the state slowly b

gan to extinguish when the cost of living an

exploitation from the purchasers increased t

an unbearable magnitude. Diseases whic

killed the silkworms before they formed co

coons caused the farmers to incur huge deband hence lose their lands to money lender

These facts have now come to light, with th

government trying to amend by fixing tradin

terms and providing support incentives lik

seed capital and subsidized raw materials.

The question that arose was how to reach th

new development to the farmers. This is wherNGOs like PRADAN (Professional Assistanc

REVIVAL OF TASAR SILK IN JHARKHAND

A unique opportunity for

entrepreneurship in the tribal

community

By Divya Anne Selvaraj


26/36

for Development Action) stepped in as media-

tors between the government and farmers.

This has given rise to four branches of employ-

ment: production of DFLs to be sold to farm-

ers; rearing of silkworms and harvesting the

cocoons; raising tree plantations which feed

Tasar silkworms and finally, reeling and spin-

ning.

DFL producers are trained through NGOs and

Grainages for the purpose are built through

governmental subsidies such as the Swarna-

jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY). This

has given many people an alternative if not the

only employment opportunity. Once they learn

how to develop the DFLs they become owners

of their very own enterprise. They can then sell

their produce to the government or to rearersaround them at a fair price without the inter-

vention of private parties with vested inter-

ests.

The second branch comprises of farmers who

rear silkworms in the forests around them.

They buy DFLs at subsidized rates from the

Government through Distributors.

The third branch comprises of plantation de-

velopers. Tribals in this region are owners of

the rearers around them at a fair price without

the intervention of private parties with vested

interests.

The second branch comprises of farmers who

rear silkworms in the forests around them.

They buy DFLs at subsidized rates from the

Government through Distributors.

The third branch comprises of plantation de-

velopers. Tribals in this region are owners of

large pieces of wasteland. They are being en-

couraged to develop these into privately

owned plantations of Asan and Arjuna. In the

future, most of the Tasar production will be

from these areas because of the controlled and

disease free environment of these plantations.

The fourth branch comprises of rural and

semirural populace who are provided with the

cocoons from which they extract yarn. This

activity is known as reeling and spinning.Reeling and spinning, to a large extent, is a

community based, governmental or NGO as-

sisted activity. Self Help Groups have been

formed to improve the economic and social

condition of women. Individual effort is yet to

be taken in this regard. Weaving, which is the

final process of crating Tasar silk fabric is not atraditional occupation of the Tribal commu-

nity. Efforts are being taken to promote the

above so that the community can have total

control over the entire production process and

Page |26


27/36

earn greater profits.

Therefore, entrepreneurial opportunity can be

cited in the first three branches. Significant

levels of women entrepreneurship can also be

found in these fields. Women have discovered

the benefits of earning their own money as

they are enabled to supplement the income of

their husbands. It has empowered many to

send their children to school and earn a re-

spectable and equal place in the society for

themselves.

The entrepreneurial flame has now been lit

amongst the tribal farmers and their families.

They can once again be self dependent. The

Government, through the Central Silk Board

Page|27

(CSB), and NGOs have together in a uniqu

and powerful effort helped revive the spirit o

self help among the rural tribal populace oJharkhand. Silkworm rearing has once agai

become a profitable occupation especiall

with the growing awareness of organic fabric

Organizations such as PRADAN have reache

out directly to farmers with new technologies

The Central Tasar Research and Training In

stitute (CTRTI), established in 1964 in Ran

chi, has qualified scientists and researcher

continuously developing new technologies t

increase the productivity of the industry an

to provide training to farmers and Rs. yout

alike who are interested in venturing into th

industry.

The positive results that have been achieve

are only due to private individuals who reall

dared to take up this new opportunity, ind

viduals like Piyush Ranjan Tudu of Dodhajh

in the Dumka district of Jharkhand. This 2

year old earns about Rs. 20,000 a year by pre

paring and selling DFLs to rearers around him

If others like him decide to make a life fo

themselves the community will soon come ou

of the shackles of poverty and they will owe

all to no one but themselves.


28/36

How was PROVAS born?PROVAS was born as a result my enthusiasm

and my wish to do something of my own. I

had been working since the age of 18, first as a

Customer Care Executive in a small company

and then in Deloitte. After getting married, I

shifted to USA and started working as an as-

sistant with the CEO of a well firm where I

was praised for my willingness to adapt toconditions.

I also asked my boss to shift me to some other

vertical as I would be able to use my intellect

and creativity since the job of an assistant is

very mechanical. I permitted to work with

any other functional area I would like in addi-

tion to the job of an assistant. I explored some

more areas and realized that my skill set

could be used for something better. I also re-

alized that the work I was doing for my em-

ployer could be done for myself in the sense

that I could provide administration services

to business houses who are willing to out-

source the same. On realizing this, I explored

the market for the same in the US. The US

market providing such kind of services was

quite mature but such kind of services were

yet to be provided and popularized in India.

I had the idea and also the willingness to im-

plement it but had to wait to return to India asI was on a dependant VISA. As soon as I came

to India, I started giving shape to my idea. Fi-

nally, in October 2009, PROVAS was born.

What is that one thing that drove you

throughout?

My urge to be known and be someone apart

from the crowd always motivated me to work

really hard.

What was it from your professional life that

Interview with Ms. Priya Kumar

Page |28

Housewife, mother but most of all, a

successful entrpreneur

By Meenakshi Aggarwal and Gayatri

Bose


29/36

worked to your advantage in starting this

venture?

The first and the fore most thing that helped

me was the network I had built over a periodof time while working with different organiza-

tions. I consulted some of my previous em-

ployers and friends and acquaintances in the

US who encouraged me to go on with the ven-

ture. It was only through my networks that I

that I managed to tap the target customers in

various parts of the world. Also the experience

gained while working as a business analysthelped me immensely.

What are the qualities that you want to in-

still into your organization?

Competency, commitment and confidence.

That is why I have just one employee working

as an assistant as I believe in quality work andnot in quantity. Also my assistant is as com-

mitted and competent as I am. But there have

been college interns working on their respec-

tive projects in my organization.

Maam you just said that you have just one

employee working for you. So, your costs

must be very low. Is it so?

Yes, definitely. Apart from the basic costs, the

costs I incur now are on two internet connec-

tions, electricity back up, phone charges and

an employee.

Page|29

What according to you is the most impor

tant thing for a business?

Discipline and ethics are the two most impo

tant things in a business as they bring back thcustomer and assure them of fair and just pra

tices.

Maam after having worked in both Ind

and US, do you see a difference in the att

tudes of people towards women entrepre

neurs?

Yes, definitely. I think the basic differenc

comes about in matters of family support an

the husbands consent in the case of a marrie

woman. But in US, the gender does not pla

such an important role. (Being a male and fe

male does not matter). I have been fortuna

enough to have such a supportive family an

husband without whose support striking

balance between my personal and profession

life would have been difficult especially since

have two small children.

What have been your greatest accomplish

ments till date?

I believe my greatest accomplishment is th

greeting card given to me by my daughter o

the occasion of Mothers day on which shwrote mom, you are my role model. There ca

not be a better compliment for any mother i

the world.

Just to share with you, one of my clients onc

said to me- In God and Priya we trust whe


30/36

he was really very happy with my work. This

is one of the compliments which I take as an

honor and cherish till date.

How is it that you strike a balance be-

tween your personal and professional life?

The first thing that works to my advantage is

the fact that Provas is a virtual service pro-

vider and the fact that I operate from home.

This enables me to have flexible work tim-

ings and be available for my kids when theycome back home with a trophy or a bruised

knee. As a parent, it is my duty to give fond

memories of childhood to my daughters.

Though some issues might crop up at some

point of time but I manage to pull through

with the help of my husband and kids.

As we come to an end, I would like to ask

you that who is your role model?

My role model, undoubtedly, is my mother

who herself is an entrepreneur. THANK

YOU SO MUCH MOM!!

In the end, I would like to request you to

give a message to budding women entre-preneurs?

Always believe in yourself as you will face a

lot of challenges in life. Also learn to multi-

task as there are a lot of expectations from

you as an individual, as a daughter, as a wife,

as a daughter-in -law as a mother and as an

Indian citizen. Fulfill your dreams in a wa

that are acceptable in India.

Page |30

Inspirational story

In the 1940s, a young inventor

named Chester Carlson took hisidea to 20 corporations, including

some of the biggest in the country.

They all turned him down. In 1947

- after seven long years of rejec-

tions! - he finally got a tiny com-

pany in Rochester, New York, the

Haloid company, to purchase therights to his invention - an electro-

static paper-copying process.

Haloid became Xerox Corpora-

tion we know today!

Source: http://www.allinspiration.com/


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Many things are left ignorant; obvious issues likeglobal warming and economic disturbances even

if the signs are clear. On the same lines, the gov-

ernment and people of India, chose to remain ig-

norant of opportunities that lay ahead for women

entrepreneurs despite some signs that show clear

growth in the number of women entrepreneurs,

over 10% from 1990. This untapped sector of our

society still remains in the myths that she does

not have what it takes to become an entrepre-neur.

But many women have broken barriers to travel

to the other side where only men were allowed.

Over the years, womens potential as an entrepre-

neur has been recognized as an important factor

for economic growth. They have proved their

caliber with the management skills and raised to

occasion whenever required but still, women en-

trepreneurship takes a back seat in our country.Why is there a discrimination against womens

possibility to become entrepreneurs and their

possibility to become successful by choosing the

road less taken?

Lets begin with a basic question, Why do we

need women entrepreneurs?

Page|31

How does gender matter when someone is

clined towards an idea that might bring cha

and urge to do something for the society? The

perhaps nothing more disheartening as an en

preneur than having your ideas belittled base

your gender.

What drives women to a workplace?

She could be the sole bread winner of the fa

or it could be her inherent desire to achieve use her potential to the fullest. Adding to

empowerment of women with adequate ed

tion and changing lifestyle have helped wo

seek better options and draw into ventures.

has helped them to challenge existing scen

and go beyond the popular knowledge of sarc

and superstitious beliefs.

Do they make better entrepreneurs than me

Our customs and traditions have imbibed cer

characters like trust, patience and effective

cution of decisions. These characters start f

our own families. This has made women as c

petent as men. Matching the basic qualities

quired for entrepreneurs and the

sic characteristics of Indian women reveal t

much potential is available among the In

women on their entrepreneurial ability. Thistential is to be recognized, brought out and

posed for utilization in productive and ser

sectors for the development of the nation. C

tents of entrepreneurship dont target just

but is generalized. However, women have sh

specific capabilities than their opposite gen

for instance networking and socializ

The XX factor- Women entrepreneurship blur in

India?

Are the number of women entrepreneurs

growing in India? What can be done to

encourage women entrepreneurs?

By Subhashree Srinivasan


32/36

Whether they make better entrepreneurs than

men still remains an unanswered question. But

what can be answered is that they can do as

much as men can.

Page |32

The statistics from all over the world

SOURCE:http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/businessstatistics/article82018.html)

43% of women business owners (vs. 32% of men) say the one thing they need to be more success-ful is money.

27% of women business owners will invest in new technology such as computers and softwareover the next six months.

56% of women business owners plan to make their business environmentally friendly by recyclingwaste products.

94% of corporations send supplier diversity representatives to women's business conferences andtrade fair

85% of women surveyed don't believe being a woman is detrimental to their business success,while 32% believe it's beneficial.

69% of women entrepreneurs say they feel confident with the decisions they make regarding ex-ternal financing for their businesses.

32% of women business owners believe being a women in a male-dominated industries is benefi-

cial.

10.6 million firms are at least 50% owned by a woman or women. Women-owned businesses willspend an estimated $546 billion annually on salaries and benefits ($492 billion on salaries and$54 billion for employee benefits--heath, retirement, and insurance). Health benefits comprise thelargest share of benefit expenditures, with 2004 spending estimated at $38 billion.

Women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate $2.5 trillion in sales.

Privately-held 50% or more women-owned firms are just as likely as all privately-held firms tohave employees (23% of women-owned firms compared to 25% of all firms).

Annual expenditures by women-owned enterprises for just four areas--information technology($38 billion), telecommunications ($25 billion), human resources services ($23 billion), and ship-ping ($17 billion)--are estimated to be $103 billion.

Between 1997 and 2004, privately-held 50% or more women-owned firms diversified into all in-dustries with the fastest growth in construction (30% growth), transportation, communicationsand public utilities (28% growth), and agricultural serves (24% growth).


33/36

Is the growth of ventures started by

women over the years-justified?

Though the number of women-owned busi-

nesses has gone up, the receipts fromwomen-owned businesses is still much lower

than men-owned businesses. However,

women are starting ventures twice as fast as

men. This is positive.

The conclusion is that performance differ-

ences are not a function of skills shortage or

lack of competence in managing the business,

but are directly attributable to unequal levels

of socio-economic positioning in many coun-tries, especially ones like ours. There is ine-

quality right from the support of the family

to raising capital. Many ventures still expect

a womens father or husband to sign the

document when they want to raise money.

The myths of entrepreneurship matter

because they can be discouraging to any-one who doesn't fit them. But women en-

trepreneurs are pouring trillions of money

into the economy and creating over seven

million jobs a year. And they're doing it on

their own terms -- which may be the big-

gest news of all- Women Entrepreneurs

Shattering Stereotypes, US Weekly

A recent study from the University of NewHampshire Center for Venture Research

shows that women outperformed all en-

trepreneurs in receiving angel investments

to fund their business ventures in 2005.

Although women-led ventures accounted

for 8.7 percent of the entrepreneurs seek-

Page|33

ing angel capital, 33 percent of those women

received angel dollars in 2005, while th

overall rate was just 23 percent, according

to the study-Research study conclusion

What has to be done?

There are many things to be done to brin

woman to the limelight-

Identifying women from all sectors, base

on interest and risk taking nature

Educating women on entrepreneurship

and helping them create jobs rather thaseek jobs.

Making women understand the impor

tance they are going to create and linkin

them with other factors like social status

Briefing them with the difficulties the

might face. They have the right t

know.

Training women on various entrepreneu

rial activities.

Encouraging women to pen down B plan

and evaluating them. Give timely input

and suggestions to bring the venture to re

ality.

Monitoring their progress and guidin

them in all stages

Steps are being taken to bring out the womenentrepreneurship in India. Entrepreneurship

cells in B-Schools can help a lot in encouragin

young women take up entrepreneurship.

But the numbers don't say much. Only tim

can tell!


34/36

Crossroads was an event that created much curi-

osity and intrigue in Trishna 2010. The success of

the event not only added a feather to the hat for

MACON but also proved to be a great learning

experience for all the Maconites involved in con-

ceptualizing and organizing the event.

Crossroads was a game designed to test the par-

ticipants skill in strategizing and decision mak-

ing. The game was a reflection of an individuals

life and the daily choices that he needs to make.

We always try to make the right choice and playsafe in life, but what is important is whether it is

an intelligent choice. Crossroads challenged the

participant to think out of the box and take that

bold stride to break free from the vicious circle of

monotony. The tag line Beat thy own self

could not have been more befitting.

Crossroads started with around 20 teams partici-

pating in the initial round. In this round, each

team was asked to play a ten minutes game calledKLICKSTART on a laptop. It took the teams

through a virtual entrepreneurial journey .It

proved to be an apt precursor to the final game.

The top six teams with the highest scores pro-

ceeded to the final round. The final round kick

started with the opening of the wheel of cross-

roads which determined the luck of the participants

and guided them to their best or the worst deci-

sions. Baby, Doodads and Charity options in the

wheel made the participants crease their forehead

as they had to bear these expenses in the game.

The participants found the game absolutely grip-

ping and enjoyed it thoroughly. The team fromMANAGE Institute, Hyderabad emerged as the

winner, with the team from IBS Hyderabad com-

ing second.

Crossroads proved to be a great challenge to the

participants, but even more daunting a task to the

Maconites involved in materializing it. The hercu-

lean task of devising the game, implementing it

and marketing it the right way was all well man-

aged with the constant support and guidance from

the senior team. The game sought us to raise the

bar for ourselves and we did.

Macon also organized a B Plan competition ,

which is the flagship event of Trishna and offers

the highest prize money as compared to all the

other events.

CROSSROADS- BEAT THY OWN SELF!!!

Page |34

One of the events of Macon in Trishna

2010

By Shilpa Jacob


35/36Page|35


36/36

MACONZA Trishna issue

Documents

Transcript of MACONZA Trishna issue