The Anexas Story - Chapter 47: Summing It Up

Thanks for showing so much love to my book – The Anexas Story. Based on many requests to publish chapters of the book on LinkedIn, I continue to write a series of articles based on these chapters. Please read on and keep believing that there is an entrepreneur in you…and everyone! 

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I hope the Anexas story convinces you that there are many possibilities in life even if you don’t rigidly go by what management schools teach about. There are immense opportunities to do what you want to do. There is someone out there who needs your expertise. If you combine your expertise with what the world needs, and start loving it, you will always enjoy serving your customers while making the kind of money that will surprise you.

All the team members in Anexas are from small towns with basic graduation degrees. There are no weaknesses, only strengths. There are no failures, only learnings. Focusing on strengths rather than trying to overcome weaknesses has always empowered us and provided with the power to move. There are no threats, only opportunities to explore. There are no obstacles, only mountains to climb. There are no stupid questions, only a quest to learn. We believe in living life large…since there is only one life…and if you live well…one life is more than enough.

Sometimes the teams seemed to evolve spontaneously, everybody clicked, like alchemy. But sometimes it was a conscious process too. Probably a mix of both. We are all ordinary people, part of an extraordinary story which brought seismic change in our lives, both professionally and financially. The fact that it also turned some rules upside down and changed the perception of many on how consulting and training organizations work, is another matter.

We are people, who are beautifully and acceptably flawed. Like butterflies, we started out ugly and awkward and morphed into beautiful graceful beings later. As far as I am concerned, I still consider myself an accidental entrepreneur.

Why?

Because I am not an entrepreneur as defined by management books. Let the gurus opine and the professors pronounce on entrepreneurship. But, I don’t work hard enough to multiply profits you know! Due to the nature of the Anexas’ business, I end up paying 60% to the consultants and team members and 20% towards the expenses. Of the remaining 20%, one third goes to the taxes. So, there is very little to earn in percentages. However, this small percentage takes care of most of the needs a professional would have to take good care of his family and future.

If that small percentage makes you a millionaire, it is not that bad. While it may be tempting to scoff and do an eye roll here, but these are the facts. More importantly, more than the monetary gain, there is so much to learn experience-wise. I have learned about life, I have learned about business, and I have learned how to face difficult situations with hope. I have learned about people and what is possible to create. I have learned about faith and how it can turn around any situation. I have learned about beliefs and positivity and how your own word can stand for making the unthinkable happen. I have learned about dreaming with my eyes closed and opening my eyes to make them come true. And above all, I know that it is all very much possible.

Entrepreneurship is not about just making money. It is about enjoying while learning and contributing. To miss that opportunity is to miss half the fun and value of being an entrepreneur. With half of the world’s population to be soon below the age of twenty-five, this age group will need many job opportunities to be created in order to get a good start and sustain themselves. The onus lies on those in their thirties and forties to establish enterprises so that there is enough for the youth to get engaged with. Seniors have a responsibility of being job providers rather than competing for jobs with the younger ones.

I hope that our story motivates and creates a few more better professionals, entrepreneurs and millionaires in this world. Finally, following the tradition of giving a success code or a so-called secret code while writing such books, let me make my contribution too and not miss out on following this tradition!

So, here I go:

1. Identify your greatest strengths and play on the known turf. The likelihood of success increases astronomically.

2. Find out what is going to be in demand in the next ten years, and what you have an expertise in. Try a new approach to launch it in your own way.

3. Trust the world despite bad experiences. Both good and bad people are in plenty.

4. Walk at your own pace. Enjoy the journey. There is no destination worth craving for or losing your sleep. Fun is in the process.

5. Take risks. First smaller then bigger. Your risk-taking capabilities will increase as you grow stronger. Bigger risks at an early stage might not strengthen you, rather they might make your journey miserable.

6. Accept mistakes, laugh at them and plan to overcome them to create a better future.

7. To succeed more, find opportunities to fail more.

8. Always have a safety net. Then you can fall with confidence and rise again stronger.

9. If you fail, start all over again, with a smile. The double helix of effort and trust cracks the code of success.

10. The ecosystem will take care of you. It won’t allow you to finish your story until you succeed. I mean it!

Are you ready to take the first take of your movie? Let me know when is the Mahurat!

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For subsequent articles, please watch this space.

You can buy the book directly from its website on https://www.anexasstory.com

or on Amazon on https://www.amazon.in/ANEXAS-STORY-There-Entrepreneur-Everyone-ebook/dp/B07ZGLN8C7

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Amitabh Saxena is founder of Anexas, a well-known lean six sigma and project management consulting organisation. He has trained over 50,000 participants and has 30 years of experience in consulting more than 300 organisations around the world including Fortune 100 companies across industry domains. With a strong team of 25 Master Black Belts, his organisation Anexas has been helping individuals and organisations achieve eminence through excellence since 2006. They can be reached on [email protected].