In this video, Giri Balasubramaniam, Quizmaster Entrepreneur, Harvard Alum shares the story of leaving a cushy job at Walt Disney India to start his own venture in the education and knowledge sector in India. If you want to know what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in India today, this is a must watch for you.
Summary of the video:
Giri Balasubramaniam, quizmaster and entrepreneur talks about starting his own company that creates bespoke quizzes and other products. He talks about getting advice from various people on how to expect the unexpected. But, he says don’t just expect, start accepting the unexpected and move on. Don’t dwell on problems; instead, find solutions.
Giri talks about lessons he learnt from the failures he faced in his 15 years as an entrepreneur. He talks about looking for, and receiving funding and how that did not work well for him. He talks about quizzing in India and how Kaun Banega Crorepati became the most popular quiz out there. He shares how, as a quizmaster, he had to compete with Big B himself!
Next, he shares some valuable lessons from his career and failures. He talks about investing in the right talent as an entrepreneur. He talks about getting advice from Infosys founder Narayan Murthy on getting funding. He shares how entrepreneurs should focus on making sure their product, service, business model, etc is well in place and profitable. VCs will flock to your door this way.
If you wish to know how one can be a successful entrepreneur in India today, this is a must watch for you.
Key Takeaways:
1. When you run a business, accepting the reality is far more difficult than expecting the unexpected.
2. If you’re not a person who can take knockdowns, don’t try & get into entrepreneurship.
3. Popularity is not equal to profitability.
4. When you know where you’re going, refuse to give up!
5. All you need in your business is an enormous amount of clarity in where you’re headed.
6. Never allow business to be driven by money.
7. Your best venture capitalists are your sales people.
8. As an entrepreneur, build your product, company or revenue to the best of your ability. People will come to you with funding opportunities.
9. As an entrepreneur, invest in the right people.
10. If you’re partnering with someone, that person needs to be capable to grow your business.
11. Don’t let emotions cloud business decisions.
12. You need people in your office who will ask difficult questions.