(also known as ‘Why i think Teaching Entrepreneurship is a cheap trick to rob you of your money’)
I realize im taking on the billion dollar business of teaching ‘Entrepreneurship’. My intention is not to rub anyone the wrong way. Im actually giving them full credit - it takes a smart entrepreneur to identify a lacuna in the market and design a ubercool product to sell and profit from. Because of that, i highly respect Mr. Amit grover, the IIT-IIM graduate from Infosys, Asian Paints and Onida.
1. The word ‘entrepreneur’ is a highly ambiguous, hype induced, buzzword compliant, media fueled word. Lets take a walk down any road in India - you will notice shops lining the road. What do you think the shopkeepers are? Employees of mother earth? If they are not entrepreneurs, then what are they?
In this post, i will use the word ‘entrepreneur’ only to maintain order and not confuse people. Besides im bashing entrepreneurship curriculums, so i guess i need to use the word atleast :-)
2. Entrepreneurship is about managing chaos. When you start a company, there are some basic truisms - you WILL fail, the VC is NOT going to give you money, the customer is NOT going to buy your product, the competition will CRUSH you like a bug, everyone is going to LEAVE you, and you will DIE alone. How you are going to overcome these challenges is the essence of entrepreneurship. A packaged course is NOT a magic pill.
3. The curriculum does not have a ‘Have fun and learn to smile’ module. Its the most basic tenet of entrepreneurship, the one factor that will determine the quality of your journey.
4. The best part about Entrepreneurship is that its a personalized curriculum about life - its about developing a free spirit, and discovering oneself - your limitations, strengths, passion etc. There is so much more to gain from life by starting up a company than just money.
5. I read somewhere (dont remember the author but ill never forget this line)
Entrepreneurs jump off the cliff, and build a plane on the way down.
You learn in adversity, you learn by making mistakes, you learn when you have no choice. Not in a classroom where you can take a snooze sitting in the last bench.
6. There are far too many wannapreneurs. All the industry meets are filled with people asking theoretical questions like ‘How do you raise VC money’ without having an idea or product in hand. From close observation of these trends and people, i have also mentally concluded that they will probably never take the leap. And they are back in the next conference asking the same questions. Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, and they want to learn. But taking the leap is a wholly different chapter. Since there is evidently a hunger to learn, Full points to a course on entrepreneurship. But zero marks to the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
7. You learn the pros and cons up front. Thats always a deterrent, more than a catalyst.
After 5 years of bootstrapping and failure and failure and failure and some success and some recognition and some more failure and then a little more failure, and some money on the side - if i had known it would be such an arduous climb - i may have never jumped.
8. One thing that has rung true for me everyday - YOU are always the hindrance. Start, bring in smart people, get the hell out of their way. The course has - ‘Human resource management for Startups’? What HR? What people? How will you afford them?
There is no process for hiring with startups. It cannot be taught. Did anyone teach you how to find your circle of friends? Its about finding people your wavelength so that you can all dream together, and work your asses off on making shit happen.
In small lean teams of startups, your challenge is to stay alive, not design ‘team building exercises in resorts’? Once your startup starts doing well, you can hire a kickass HR manager or outsource the entire function even.
Entrepreneurship means learning the art of hiring awesome people that you can delegate to. Does Ratan Tata screw on the bolts of the Nano? Or do maintenance for banking software?
9. Ive spoken to many a million dollar company CEO, and they acknowledge that Intrapreneurship never works. Because of the cushion the company provides, it makes for a little complacency - and a derisked version of entrepreneurship.
My point is - there is so much risk - you cannot teach people to take risks in life.
And my other (more subtle) point is - theres a great market in fleecing big companies by promising them courses on Intrapreneurship. Go forth bro, suck them dry.
10. In the entrepreneurial world - there are no rules. You can break rules, make your own rules - whatever helps you sleep at night. You can do everything wrong, and still make it. And the most successful companies that have been built - have violated normal ways of doing things. Thats what makes them innovative, successful, different, and entrepreneurial.
Sigh. Dont teach entrepreneurs rules or frameworks of ways of doing things. Dont make cookie cutter zombies. Thats just morally wrong. Sigh.
11. My personal problem is that it goes against the madness - its conditioning people.
Stop trying to institutionalize the last free thing in the world - Starting your own company.
(This is just my personal rant, because im an disillusioned old coot - dont take it to heart :-) )
12. Rs.25,000 - That sum would make a great seed investment.
It could get you a Logo + website + biz cards + petrol + food for you to get the fuck out of your house, and go build a bloody business.
Cheers entrepreneurs!
Rock hard, ride free!
TED. Sigh.
Once upon a time, I had a mental list of things i wanted to do in life.
Be at TED, shortlist at the Booker, Win the Nobel Peace.
The good news is, One down, two to go!
The bad news is, once you taste TED, you convert it into a recurring event on your calendar.
I was introduced to TED by a close friend/colleague of mine, who I started a nonprofit with once upon a time. He used to follow all the talks, and wax eloquent about all the things TED is doing.
So when he sent me the TED fellows application, I started filling it up in all sincerity. With my name and address, and then aided by my short attention span, I forgot all about it, till he reminded me one day before the deadline.
So i hurried through it, knowing fully well it was a shot in the dark and I would never make it anyway - and sent in my application an hour after deadline with an apology note attached.
Two months later, i receive a mail from Logan (who is the goddess managing the TED fellows program) saying -
“We are thrilled to offer you a TED fellowship.
Please reply and confirm that you accept this fellowship”
WTF. Firstly, they accepted me? And secondly, who in the right mind would say ‘No, im sorry logan, i dont accept this fellowship’.
Obviously this must have been a letter sent out in error to all the jokers (namely me) who applied, so before they realize the faux pas, I quickly replied saying ‘I ACCEPT I ACCEPT I ACCEPT’, hoping that my enthusiasm would mask any recanting of this acceptance email.
So, after many somersaults, and tolerating the disbelieving guffaws of my friends/family - I landed up on Nov 3rd for my shuttle to be taken to Infosys Mysore. I should also mention that its my incredible luck that the sum total TED would end up paying for my travel would be Rs.500 ($10). Sigh, why couldnt have TEDIndia be held a little farther than my home!
I landed up hungry, due to a previous agreement with the wonderful pastry chef Kishi Arora who promised a bunch of us Fellows, breakfast on the shuttle. Id pored through the fellows booklet previously and was glad to recognize many of the fellows in our shuttle.
Meeting the TED fellows was the best part of the entire experience for me.
Philosophically, it felt like we’d all hung out in a previous life (mostly around some fire keeping warm in the ice age)
Metaphorically, it felt like birds flocking together.
Actually, it felt f%$king awesome to meet all these amazing people.
It would be impossible to describe all the 4 days without slobbering all over myself, so I shall follow boring convention and bullet point my favorite moments and not so favorite moments.
Like always, the bad news first :-)
Not so favorites -
India Shining - Give me a break! At TEDIndia I got an overdose of India Shining. There were hardly anyone giving us the skinny on what is really happening in India - way too much sugar coating. Much like Africa, India is at an important tipping point. IMHO, there was more to be learnt from the TED fellows than any of the main stage speakers.
Most people speaking would have given any activist worth their salt, the heebee jeebies.
RA Mashelkar - I barfed a little when I saw R.A. Mashelkar, yes, the one and only R.A.Mashelkar, going on and on about the Tatas. An unforgettable mental image was the huge screen behind showing a picture of Ratan Tata, and Mashelkar in front of it glorifying Ratan to high heaven.
Dude, cmon - YOU’RE Mashelkar. Your personal story is inspirational. Your work with the CSIR and Intellectual property is worth a TED talk. Not giving us jazz about the Tatas.
Could it be because of your appointment as a director of Tata Motors? Never mind.
Srivatsa Krishna - I continue to barf. Something disturbs me deeply about the man and his talk. The factual inaccuracies, the incomprehensible slides, the godawful butter that he layered on the audience - sick.
His talk would have worked perfectly for attracting dollar investment from an audience of Foreign investors. Not at TED.
After his talk, i went upto the man and asked him - ‘How does Civil society involve itself with the bureaucracy to grow this country?’ His exact words were - ‘Im wearing a jacket and I cant climb these steps cuz i will get all sweaty. I will take the elevator. Bye’.
Nuff said.
New money - TED is such a cool place, that billionaires, celebrities, and super smart successful people hang out with their guards down. And in such an environment, the norm is that egos are left at home.
Such an environment can be hell to those who are used to a life of ego massages.
It was hilarious to watch such people struggle with existential questions like - ‘Why is no one sucking upto me?’ ‘Im important, look at me look at me’ ‘Pitch me dammit, dont you want a piece of my moneypie’ ‘Talk to me, bask in my awesomeness’
Noticeable was how their behavior would change when you showed a little recognition.
Favorites - in no particular order except the first -
Meeting the fellows. My absolute favorite part of TED. The first thing one would notice is how accomplished each one of them were! These guys were doing everything! CEOs, Photographers, Filmmakers, Chefs, Racecar designers, Writers, Doctors, Professors - these fellows covered every profession, putting the cool into everything mundane about the world!
The one common thread was all these fellows were working on something fundamental and revolutionary. Did i mention how nice each fellow was? I could write pages about each one of them and how much i love them, but im kinda lazy you see.
Sunitha Krishnan - She left not a dry eye in the house. Nuff said.
Kiran Bir Sethi -Beautiful woman - check. Macbook - check. Prezi - check. Revolutionary Educationist - check. Whats not to love about her? After her talk, i went upto her and asked her if i could marry her.
FYI - shes married with 2 children, and if i continue to press, her husband will come after me with his billiards sticks.
If i had joined Kiran’s Riverside school when I was a kid, I would have conquered the universe by now.
Shaffi Mather - a TED fellow and a featured speaker on the main TED stage - true revolutionary. His talk about building a business model around busting bribes was goosebump worthy. Id like a Prime Minister like Shaffi.
Usha Uthup - I understood why shes called a Living legend. Indefatigable energy, she had the whole audience on their feet and dancing. Including Mr.Two left feet.
Abhay deol mentioning Irom Sharmila. Wow, my respect for him went up many notches. Gives us hope that Bollywood can make sense in the hands of people like Abhay.
The TED Parties - Tanking up on an otherwise dry event - the parties were an amazing way to meet other TEDsters with all our guards down. The Afterparties - even better.
Defiling the Infosys ban on vices. Muhahaha. Too much fun. Cannot go into details here, but rest assured, I was upto my old tricks with new friends who brought their old tricks along.
My Pakistani buddies. There was this one moment when we were chilling, and a sudden realization hit us - We cant hang out every weekend, and im not sure whens the next time im going to see them! Very very emotional.
Sandeep Sood closing TED with his song and all we fellows jumping up on stage and singing with him. Now thats a sweet memory - Kodak moment.
In conclusion -
Together we laughed, we cried, we got exhausted, we had a blast, we got inspired, we got motivated, we had such a great time together.
This article is as incomplete as it can get, since i have so much more to say. But then id have to write a book. And did i mention earlier, that im lazy?
A soft gnawing in your head reminds you,
that you’re not here to stay, its just a quick stop,
on your way to a destination,
that sends you back to your origin,
the engine wails on a sad note,
regretful that it has to take you with it.
But the lady holding your hand on this stop,
filled with welling tears in her soul,
writhes to let you go, the ignorant lass,
unknowing that she will be on the next bogey,
wasting the chance to flit around,
spreading the cheer among those,
who await their turn,
on the next bogey.
Last night, I read out a few pieces at Poetry across borders @ www.jaaga.in.
This was the first time id ever read out any poetry in public! But it was decently received, encouraging me to torment more minds with rubbish-masquerading-as-poetry.
Archana Prasad, Freeman Murray, Roshan Nair and me read poetry, and Sean Blagsveldt and Rahul Roddam listened in. It was awesome. Some of the pieces (barring mine of course) were blindingly brilliant.
Join us December 6th 09 for the next reading.
I want to eat a meal that will make me cry, soothe the pain, destroy the pangs, wash the longing away.
Someday, i dream of writing, a poem so frightening, that will scare you to bits, cuz you just fell in love with it.
Sitting alone in the office without mandatory birthday nutrients. this abstinence business is upsetting as shit.
