Antarprerana Part II: On Becoming an Entrepreneur

In Antarprerana Part I, I talked about my background, the experiences, the challenges I faced, and the solutions I implemented. I took a slow, steady, reflective approach to build my business from scratch. The reason was I did not want to make costly mistakes. I applied the principles of the Quantum paradigm to build my practice. Therefore, the approach is research-oriented and reality-driven. I also realized the need to proactively and mindfully create awareness around the various dimensions of applications of the Quantum paradigm in the real world. For that, I have taken several initiatives. These initiatives are the research and the findings, the awareness-building efforts through writing and speaking engagements, initiatives to give back to society, and being part of a supportive ecosystem.

The research and the findings:

The sample size of this survey was 105 people. It was done from August 2019 till February 2020. People responded over email and LinkedIn messages. I met some of them in person. I also spoke to a few on phone. The intent was to find out whether they would be interested to learn more about my work. This was pre-Covid time.

105 individuals were mostly from India. There were few individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and the U.S. These individuals represented mid to senior-level professionals and entrepreneurs who were in decision-making positions for possible workshops. I reached out to this group with the hope that they could share their unbiased views on my work and possibly introduce me to interested people in their network. I also asked them how much they would be willing to pay for the services.

• 63% responded and showed interest to learn more about my work
• 33% of this 63% believed my work has high potential in the VUCA world
• 2 people introduced me to others in the network
• Hardly anyone was comfortable talking about money, although it was an open-ended question
• Retired professionals, women, and non-Indians were the outliers in the data set
• Those who took interest were mostly entrepreneurs or those who have good people skills

The awareness-building initiatives:

I did several awareness building initiatives through speaking and writing engagements. I was invited to speak about my work on several occasions at places such as Calcutta University, Nepal’s Kantipur Conclave, eChai Network. The receptivity from the audience was very good.

 What I also realized, it is difficult for many people to understand and conceptualize the idea of Quantum. It does require a strong intellectual base, a good understanding of metaphysics, understanding and application of Spiritual Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, and Contextual Intelligence. Most importantly, it requires self-awareness. Therefore, instead of talking about theories, I started writing real-life stories on applications of Quantum.

I wrote articles and stories for the Thrive Global, the Café Dissensus Everyday, and The Kathmandu Post.

An exploration of how the digital world can evolve on Quantum Paradigm – I talked about how we can apply the principles of Quantum to build a dynamic digital world based on Conscience, Consciousness, and Connectivity.

Transforming loneliness to blissful solitude – I talked about how I struggled with anxiety, depression, and loneliness and slowly worked on me to transform these emotions into a blissful state. This piece was based on the application of Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence.

Finding optimism and resilience during current times – I talked about various practical ways to build our inner strength and resilience to get through the current times of the pandemic. This article was based on the application of Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence.

A story of conviction, courage, and purposeful living – This piece was based on Lynn DelGaudio's book, Altered on Impact – How a traumatic brain injury taught me to lead a purposeful life.

An afternoon visit at Kolkata's historic Coffee House – In this creative piece, I talked about my observations about a city that needs to be restored with intellectual vigor, professional inspiration, and academic rigor. This piece was based on the application of Contextual Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence.

Chennai'a Anna – In this piece, I shared my experience with a highly emotionally intelligent man who happened to be an auto-rickshaw driver from Chennai. My hope was my readers will start seeing each of us as an individual irrespective of socio-economic background. This story was based on the application of Emotional Intelligence.

The shades of Mumbai - the glamour and the gloom – In this piece, I celebrated the spirit of Mumbai. This piece was based on the application of Contextual Intelligence.

Additionally, I published the following articles on LinkedIn -

The story of blockchain, The path that lead to the essence of my being, Digital identity enabled by blockchain technology

I also wrote regular posts on LinkedIn, engaged in dialogues with my connections, and requested feedback on my posts.

Initiatives to give back to society:

I believe I am part of society, and society is also part of me. Since I returned from the U.S. in 2009, I started an initiative called Christmas Food Drive. It is ‘pay-it-forward' for all the kindness and warmth I received from my American friends and families. Like every other year, in 2019 Christmas, I did Christmas Food Drive. I gave packed lunches and shawls to fifteen homeless and differently-abled people.

In the 2020 Durga Puja (regional festival), I gave a sari (Indian tradition wear) to a fruit-seller lady. I buy fruits and vegetables from her, and she was undoubtedly generous. It was to honor her spirit of giving. Additionally, I made time to speak with aspiring students and young professionals who requested career guidance and direction from me.

Being part of a supportive ecosystem:

I wanted to bring balance in all dimensions of my life. So, besides building my business from scratch, I also carried out my family duties, social responsibilities. I also stood committed to living a holistic, organic, green lifestyle. These were made possible by careful financial planning and mindful spending.

I am also thankful that I am a member of Lorange Network. I read and listen to the contents with utmost sincerity. The business-oriented contents are real-world learning and learning from others. The contents helped me to stay realistic and inspired me to navigate the various challenges I face as an entrepreneur.

I want to conclude by saying that none of us achieve anything alone. We are part of a larger ecosystem, and what I have accomplished I owe this to my family, friends, and well-wishers for their encouragement and care.

Conclusion: 

This was my overall journey as an entrepreneur in the past two years. Covid-19 did impact my plans but since I am building my practice on Quantum principles, I have taken into account the uncertainties and complexities of the world, we live in today. My conviction is that the work I am doing may have some lasting positive impact, someday; this belief brings joy, inspiration, and fulfillment in my journey.

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Key points from part II:

1. Conduct research. You can apply a combination of methods.

2. Generate insights from research findings.

3. Design next steps based on the insights.

4. If the idea is new (as in my case), it is best to build awareness. This will help in adoption later.

5. Give back to society. It is part of social entrepreneurship.

6. Be part of a supportive ecosystem.

7. Other important factors are mindful spending, careful financial planning, staying healthy, and living a balanced life.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rajyeshwari Ghosh is the Founder of Quantum Holistic Advisory Services. It is a Quantum paradigm-based multidisciplinary leadership and management consultancy practice. She is a Certified Blockchain Practitioner and a Member of Lorange Network. A former Wall Street and Big Four professional, she is a Trusted Advisor and a Management Consultant. She advocates holistic thinking, practices an interdisciplinary approach to organizational problem solving, and believes in the meaningful use of technology for good of humanity. She studied and worked in the U.S. and currently lives in Kolkata, India.