The Energy of Entrepreneurship is Lasting

One should never quell the urge to be an entrepreneur, however small or big, ordinary or path-breaking the idea is. No idea is a bad idea if we are convinced that the product/service we are creating addresses the customer’s pain-point or latent need. As an additional validation, sometimes a detailed market research and analysis helps, and sometimes just the gut feeling based on intuitional understanding of human nature suffices.

The undying urge is also a signal that it is the most opportune time. All that is needed is trusting the process and taking that plunge.

I went through such a spell in my 20s. My inherent desire to always learn something new acted as a feeder to realize the opportunity.

Those were very early days of soft toys. The day I randomly sighted one of those, I was intrigued. Things happened in quick succession thereafter. I found a teacher in some neighborhood to learn the basics, got the supplies, and set to uncover the craft. However, since I wanted a bigger version of the teacher’s model teddy bear, I took out the patterns and enlarged them on a photocopying machine, feeling proud about my little innovation to make new scaled patterns. After a few hours of effort, I sat with a huge teddy bear in front of me, looking totally shapeless! My innovative idea went awry, as the patterns did not scale well proportionately. It was clearly a disaster.

As I looked at the imperfect bear, I had a strong feeling that I should part from it. The very next thought was: what do I do with it then? I would feel ashamed to gift it to someone. I did not want to abandon him after expending significant money, time, and efforts.

In a sudden flash, I felt that I should sell it off, and recover the cost of the expensive materials, to perhaps make a better one. It was the madness of the moment, I set out with my accomplices, who were utterly clueless, for door-to-door selling!

It was a hard but an oddly thrilling experience to knock door after door of the houses in the same neighborhood, trying to sell the liability. I was almost sure that there would be no willing customer. After a few unsuccessful tries, to our utter surprise, bordering on shock, one woman suddenly felt a rush of love for the bear as soon as she saw him. We quoted some price, she readily agreed, and bought the biggie.

We had to try hard to control our emotions while we witnessed what just happened, finished the transaction quickly, and ran out of that street, to burst out laughing till our bellies hurt! We could not believe that someone felt our product was very cute, and we had pocketed some good profit too!

The entire episode was a game changer and a new lesson for me. It was thought provoking how our own liking or disliking can cloud our understanding of customer likes and preferences. It was perhaps the beginning of customer-first mindset for me. It was also the beginning of an unending love for that teddy bear. Till today I vividly remember him with great fondness.

After that episode, my desire to make more of those toys and perfect the design, art and craft of it totally consumed me. Very soon I had heaps of the various materials needed. I spent tireless days and nights to create a dozen different cuties. As I admired my creations, I started thinking about what to do with them next. While I loved them all deeply, I knew I could not keep them all. They needed to be given away for others to enjoy. That is when I learnt my other lesson - not to fall in deep love or be so attached with our creations, that they start limiting our expansion. Letting go creates more room for new ideas, thoughts, creations, and perspectives.

This is when I invoked my mentor, advisor, and the one who deeply cared and understood what I said, and I left unsaid - my one and only brother. What can I say about him… his presence and influence on my life has been so subtle yet so profound. His deep intellect and knowledge on almost anything, always kept me wondering if this was for real! My countless memories of time spent with him through childhood, learning and being inspired by him, being helped and supported by him, being in awe of him, being deeply grateful to him – make me realize how immensely fortunate and privileged I am to be his sister. Losing him a few years ago has been a deep hurt that has never healed.

Back to the story… I think the stars were aligned, my brother told me about a certain furniture trade exhibition happening in the town, and offered to check out if we can display the toys there somehow. I could not believe my luck when he really made it happen! That is a brother - who makes things happen, however irrational the ask might be. What would we do with a few toys in a big furniture trade fair? There was no time for such questions, the next quick action was to package the toys attractively, so they appeared professional. My next lesson perhaps - whatever we do, should be alluring and appealing to the senses of the onlooker, triggering a deep sense of appreciation and desire for the product or service. Whether they buy or not is inconsequential. In simple terms, our creations had to just look and feel good!

But the biggest question was how to do it, and what materials to use for packing. After much thought, I bought transparent overhead projector (OHP - for those who have heard/seen/used!) sheets, cut them out to make perfect enclosures for the cuties to be seen from all angles, in their shiny, transparent perfect rectangular boxes. It took some really fine motor skills to pull it off, but the end results were amazing. This had to be done quickly as well. Through the life cycle of the whole process, right from inception to the final prototypes, rather ready products, my entire family was totally glued, and extremely thrilled, to say the least.

When you are at the right place, at the right time, right people emerge, and right things happen! The display of these toys on some of the featured tables in that massive exhibition, did get some curious glances and interests. But the best that could happen was, a keen interest from a sales guy from Mumbai. He not just espoused interest, but further struck conversations on the possibility of us manufacturing and supplying them, to be sold to a renowned retail chain in Mumbai. Some of such things are hard to believe, unless they happen to us! This gave me another lesson - anything can happen anytime, and we must be ready for it, if we want to seize the opportunity. Self-doubt can suddenly spring at such times. Self-doubt is a great distractor if we do not watch out, and a barrier to doing something worthwhile. ?

And so, it began. The sales gentleman lifted my entire stock in one go, saving us the effort of selling in retail mode. He also placed his first order on the spot, with some advance amount. There was no looking back after that for several years. From the initial infrastructure set up, to training the workers, to deciding on the designs that could sell more, to creating innovative new products, to making visits to Mumbai wholesale markets for materials, to shipping out the ready products, to taking part in trade exhibitions, to selling every single product we made, to winning trophies - it was all an incredible dream run! A dream run made possible by the entire team and the unending support from family and friends.

While the business had to be folded up due to my changing personal priorities and life stages, the entire entrepreneurial experience was invaluable in building my strength and energy for lifetime. Here’s my final take on it:

1. Entrepreneurship is exhilarating and liberating, since it necessitates you to break free from a multitude of limitations.
2. It is grueling yet enjoyable, giving the feel of operating at extremes, yet finding a balance.
3. The agility and nimbleness constantly needed enhances the decision-making prowess and the ability to take calculated risks.
4. Customer-orientation becomes deeper and deeper, enhancing the service-oriented mindset, and a penchant for innovation and excellence to delight the customer. As a result, the ego keeps diminishing and servitude keeps increasing.
5. The realization that it is the collective talent and efforts, raises the respect and gratitude for the employees immensely, resulting in meaningful and long-lasting relationships/friendships.
6. Entrepreneurship teaches an individual to be uncomfortable with comfort, and take comfort in uncomfortable situations, building the resilience of the spirit.
7. Entrepreneurship fuels intrapreneurship. The risk-taking appetite increases, and one starts seeking more and more challenging career opportunities. In my case, these opportunities involved – something that had to be built from scratch, or working in areas where there had been no precedence, or reimagining what existed, or disruptive changes needed to be implemented, etc.
8. Entrepreneurship also makes one humble. The realization of the fleeting nature of success, vulnerability, and chances of failure always keeps one very grounded and willing to learn.

Our learning, realizations, reflections, contributions, experience, expertise, thought process, mindset – all become our new energy bundle, that we can carry forward.

Ah… Every entrepreneur has a story, and that is mine!