7 Valuable Experiences from my Entrepreneurship Expedition – by Mr. Harish Jagtani

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes and from various backgrounds. For instance, a fast-food vendor, or a newspaper shop owner is an entrepreneur, just as business magnates like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg were when they started out.

If you are planning to embark on such an entrepreneurship journey, you have to realize certain things. First, you should remember to believe in yourself and know that it is a hard and arduous journey. But, at the same time, know that it is exciting and adventurous, too, although a lot depends on yourself—your attitude and grit.

Going back in time to my childhood, i remember the one thing I’d always wanted to be. My own boss running my own company! I was quite clear about that. Whenever anyone asked me what i wanted to be, unlike some of my friends who wanted to become doctors or engineers, i wanted to be a businessman. I had many plans and, as i grew up, i became more focused, my ideas getting clearer. Here, I’ll share with you some tips that i used to make my dreams come true…

1. Always believe in yourself

I was always certain of myself. One of my friends is a founder of a successful digital media company, who has notched up great achievements with good growth in the past three years. He has even won awards like ‘entrepreneur of the year’ from a renowned business house. Despite these, he keeps worrying about what others are thinking about him. My advice to you is, do not give into these negative thoughts because they take away a lot of your energy. Try to keep faith in your own strengths and abilities, no matter what others expect from you. At the same time, try to know your weaknesses and get rid of any egos you may have. These will make you stronger.

2. Learning must be continuous

It does not matter which industry you are from, you should keep educating yourself, especially so in this fast-evolving world with new technologies coming up to help businesses perform better. Be it learning about best practices of business, government policies, or general knowledge, you must set aside a certain time for learning, along with reading good books and magazines.

3. Listen well to others’ advice

You will be lucky if you hit upon a great idea. But you must also discuss it with others to know if it really is great. Be open to modifying the idea once you talk it out with your audience to make it the best fit for the market. Listening can be easy ask your customers for feedback and see how you can improve your products and services. It can also contribute towards an awesome company culture.

4. Be ready to deal with failure

A very important lesson you should always remember while starting a new business is that failure is not the end of the world. If you fail, try to learn the lessons it teaches you and start with fresh energy. The moment you set foot on this journey, you should factor in failures, too. If you keep that in mind, failure cannot dishearten you, nor pull you down. By learning your lessons well, you will soon bounce back and reach success with some more hard work.

5. Build a team of the very best

When you build a team, try to employ the best people. It may take some time, but it will pay off in the long run. Recruit smart people who will add to your strengths, and only take on those you really need. You should remember that the people you employ will be your greatest assets and, by choosing the right ones, you will drive your business faster towards success. Remember to connect with your employees, customers, vendors and investors regularly. Reaching out to them will help build trust and a great organization.

6. Work hard and play harder

Successful entrepreneurs are known to be extremely hard-working. You will hear of more than an 80-hour week and may think that, if you do not work like that, you won’t be considered a good entrepreneur. It is true that entrepreneurship is difficult and one must put in long work hours, but that does not mean you have to sacrifice everything time for family, friends or yourself. You must pursue sports, reading, or whatever else your passion is besides business. Go out and spend time with your loved ones. Also consider building strong relationships beyond your family to create a strong business network.

7. Learn to give back to society

As you build a profitable business, look for opportunities where you can give back to society and make positive changes to the world around you. You can start by making small donations and, then, as you grow, make bigger donations or host camps to help educate children from the economically weaker sections, or take care of the old and infirm who have no one to look after them. You can also find a green campaign, or take up an animal cause. And, in no time, you will find you are making larger contributions to the society you live in.

About the Author

Mr. Harish Jagtani,?a philanthropist, visionary, businessman of Indian origin, currently based in Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 20 years now, is one of the most reputed business owners in the Indian diaspora as well as the entire expat business community in DRC. The business house caters to multiple domains, including but not limited to Domestic as well as International Air Cargo, real Estate and infrastructure development, healthcare, hospitality as well as CSR.

Coming from humble beginnings from Jaipur, Rajasthan,?Mr. Harish Jagtani?has come a long way in building this conglomerate with a strong and clear vision, sheer dedication and grit. Starting with a small job in sales,?Mr. Harish Jagtani?today is a proud and righteous owner of a fleet of airplanes and multiple businesses that cater to the basic and advanced needs of the people of Dem. Rep. of Congo in different sectors.