Hola from Team MBS!
We, Mahima Kaur, Burhanuddin, and Sanchit Nagpal from the MBA program at IIM Nagpur, won the V-Guard BIG IDEA Business Plan Competition at the National Level on the 19th of November, 2021.
V-Guard Industry Limited organizes The Big Idea Contest every year for top B-Schools across India, and this year was the 11th season of its annual B-Plan contest. We come from diverse backgrounds and experiences in the corporate world. Entering into the glamorous MBA life, the one thing we had in common was our interest and zeal for exploring the Case Competition world conducted by various big organizations.
The Theme for this year's The Big Idea contest was proposing tomorrow's business model to bridge the digital and physical world, ushering in a better tomorrow. The first phase involved coming up with the business idea in line with the Theme and submitting an executive summary of the concept. We did a thorough research about the company, its products, and the vision and mission of the company management. After brainstorming various solutions for bringing enhancements to the existing products, we decided to propose a new product to the company. Our intent was simple - suggest an innovative, digitally sound product that the company could pursue. And offer a solution that would solve the problems of consumers and the world at large. So we made a conscious choice of proposing an environment-friendly solution that would empower the idea of sustainable living.
But the journey ahead was an adventurous one! We were proposing a solution that we were building from scratch, so it involved thorough research and analysis. It was uncharted territory for us which made us explore a lot of exciting stuff about technology and sustainability trends. Finally, we were able to finalize our prototype after countless all-nighters, discussions, and coffee breaks later. But that was not it! We had to create the entire business plan - from prototyping to marketing to financials.
The whole experience was exhilarating. We had put our souls into building this business idea, propelling our creative and innovative juices. Sure the two-month journey was tiring! While our other friends were chilling, we were burning the midnight oil. What kept us going was our belief in the idea and each other. We worked like a well-oiled machine supporting each other and bringing in our unique set of expertise.
It developed a strong sense of belief in our idea. So we were more excited and less nervous to present our idea on the day. And the kind of response we got after our presentation from the jury was mind-boggling - we could actually see the jury sharing our excitement and belief. It was just incredible!
We became National winners - but there was much more to the win than just the trophy. The amount of learning we had during that two month journey was unparalleled in terms of business concepts, research, innovation and much more. First wins are always special and we will always cherish it.
About the Author
Mahima Kaur is a PGP1 student of IIM Nagpur and an Executive Member of the Mess Committee. She has 32 months of work experience in Cyber security consulting from one of the big four - KPMG. In her leisure time, she loves to dance and do fashion blogging. She is looking forward to graduating in 2023 with a dual specialization in Marketing and Strategy.
