embark 2016
DESCRIPTION
An Entrepreneurial MagazineTRANSCRIPT
embark J a n 2 0 1 6
Bulid Your Empire
N O W
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Disclaimer
The views & opinions expressed in Embark are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Team
Embark, Entrepreneurship Development Cell or Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), University
of Pune. Few images in this magazine are taken from the internet and are used purely for academic
purpose without any intention of copyright infringement.
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Head of the Department’s Address
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Team Embark and ED Cell for bringing this edition of
Embark.
Department of Management Sciences, S.P University of Pune (PUMBA) provides students with a
plethora of skill development programs. I firmly believe that self-initiative and dedicated hard work will
bring students close to success. But success can’t be achieved if efforts are not blended with continuously
building and utilizing our very own skill sets. Motivating students to do activities while enriching and
exploring themselves, is something very close to my heart. Embark, a Studentpreneur Magazine, is one
such activity.
In this less explored field of Entrepreneurship, we try to provide a platform where students exhibit
their creativity and bring the real life Entrepreneurs experiences on the table. The students get great deal
of motivation and inspiration while learning and understanding about the entrepreneurs. PUMBA
understands the very importance of Entrepreneurship in this fast changing business scenario and thus it is
our effort to promote entrepreneurship through this magazine. Our motive is to groom students to
consider entrepreneurship as a career option and also guide them in fulfilling their aspirations.
I also appreciate the efforts of Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar – the Faculty Coordinator of ED Cell and
members of ED Cell who have ensured the success of Embark through their co-ordination, contribution and
hard work. I wish the team all the very best for their future endeavors.
Warm Regards,
Dr B.V. Sangvikar
Professor & Head
Department of Management Sciences
Savitribai Phule Pune University
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Faculty Coordinator’s Address
In Indian environment the basic purpose of educational system is to create the manpower to fit in existing
job market only. The majority of the students passing out of universities and colleges have the tendency to get a safe
salaried job and very few students could take decision to start their own ventures. Basically we cannot blame our
students because of our existing educational system which do not have any major focus on creating more and more
entrepreneurs.
Universities need to be more innovative and entrepreneurial as against traditional way of teaching and
research. Traditional universities focus on transfer of knowledge through education and advancement of knowledge
through basic research. This traditional approach is leading to produce graduates with no any special inclination
towards entrepreneurship. The output of university should not be measured only on the basis of the number of
students enrolled and passed out with degree. The social and economical contribution of universities must be
considered for its evaluation. Universities must emphasize on those activities which will lead to economic and social
development, while doing so there must be synchronization among university–industry–government such university
can be called as an ‘entrepreneurial university’.
Entrepreneurial universities have primary role in developing the human capitals of the nation along with this
it plays vital role in transfer of technology from academics to industry. The research work development may results
into spinoff ventures. It also supports to existing business operations by offering its innovative research solutions to
industrial problems. Entrepreneurial universities can undertake various entrepreneurial activities as bellow-
• Establishing Technology Park
• Protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) through patents
• Contract research
• Executive Education/Industry training courses
• Contract research
• Executive Education/Industry training courses
• Consulting assignments
• Research funding and grants
• Collaborations and networking with other research institution
Arranging and participation in international research exhibitions, conference
All this or may be some in addition to above needs to be develop along with traditional way of teaching to me more
entrepreneurial through education.
I would like to give my best wishes to start the entrepreneurial journey at PUMBA. All the very best!!!
Warm Regards,
Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar,
Faculty Coordinator of ED Cell,
Department of Management Sciences
Savitribai Phule Pune University
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Foreword
First of all, I congratulate Renuka and Team Embark for bringing this edition of Embark – the biannual
magazine of ED Cell.
MBA has always been considered as a gate pass to enter into the business world. When we get into a
management institute most of us have a crystal clear target of getting a highly paid job in a prestigious
company. It is right though considering the traditional thinking. Earlier business was considered as the last
option from the point of view of career. But with the changing scenario entrepreneurship can be said to be
the new wave. It is the era of start-ups.
ED Cell is the place where we, with the guidance of our teachers focus to develop a sustained platform that
supports students of PUMBA in starting up; showcasing their skills and structuring their thoughts in the less
explored field of entrepreneurship.
ED Cell aims to hone the entrepreneurial skills by not just learning theories but implementing them
practically. We conduct n no of activities such as E-days, Hall of Fame where students present their B-Plans,
speaker sessions, industrial visits, entrepreneurial discussions, treks, Entrepreneur talks and the Flagship
National Level Event YUKTI. Through all this,
we learn we explore
we fall we fail
we dare we fight
we innovate we incubate
we disrupt we play
we built we conquer
All the above activities are carried out by and for the students. We look forward to continue this with your
active participation.
Opportunities are like butterflies. One who catches them becomes a great professional but one who
creates such opportunities becomes a great entrepreneur.
With Best Wishes,
Nikita Chavan
Coordinator
ED Cell, PUMBA
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
From Editor’s Desk…
It gives me immense pleasure to present you with the second edition of EMBARK– a bi annual magazine of
ED cell, Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), Savitribai Phule Pune university for the academic
year 2016-17.
'Entrepreneurship Development Cell' is an initiative by the students of Department of Management
Sciences, SPPU (PUMBA), Pune. Under the guidance of our esteemed faculty, our prime focus is to develop
a sustainable platform that supports students of PUMBA in starting up; which would give students the
opportunity to come together, to share the ideas, knowledge and experiences. This helps in enriching the
intellect of the students as they learn from each other, acquire various traits, build relationships. Embark,
as a part of ED cell, is a platform where students can express their ideas and thoughts and share their
experiences with others.
I would like to express my gratitude to our HOD Dr. B. V. Sangvikar Sir for giving us the opportunity to bring
out “Embark”. I also thank our faculty coordinator Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar Sir for his valuable feedback and
support that he offered from time to time. Without Embark team, all this would not have been possible. I
thank all the team members and cell members who have contributed in making this process full of learning
and fun, for all the suggestions and help.
I hope this magazine will add to your knowledge and give insights and would make your thoughts linger on
the amazing adventure and excellent learning that is “Entreprenaurship”.
With Best Wishes,
Renuka Karmarkar
Editor,
Embark
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: Fizzible Tech PvtLtd
Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr.Rohan Saswadkar
Chase Your Idea….Q. Please elaborate about the
business that you are into.
Fizzible Tech Pvt Ltd is into B2B
and B2C sourcing of all kinds of
core electronic and
semiconductor components. We
are also into product
development. We have our
own in-house Smart Home
automation System too and we
are integrating several innovative
things into the same.
Q. What all you services &
products you provide?
As mentioned above, Fizzible is a
specialized platform for core
electronics and semiconductor
component sourcing all over the
world. It is a marketplace with
more than 5 lakh products
available. Ranging from Passive/
Active products to batteries,
sensors, modules, IC's, motors,
cables, connectors, DIY kits etc.,
Fizzible can source all types of
products through our efficient
supply chain and a swift logistics
and delivery mechanism.
We are also launching our
SMART HOME AUTOMATION
product nationwide within the
coming few weeks. Along with
that we have a couple of exciting
new products
in pipeline too. *stay tuned to
our website for more news on
the same*
Q. How did your journey begin?
We started off when we were
pursuing our graduation. All of
us met through various "meet-
ups" wherein one can contact
people who are of a similar
interests etc
Q. To Start any new business
raising funds is crucial and
equally difficult how did you
manage this?
This is the most difficult task to
achieve for any upcoming
entrepreneur. We have been
completely bootstrapped till
now. However we found out
many sources of income to
manage the funds. Initially we
used to conduct workshops and
training programs for students as
well as faculty. We used to
participate in as many B-plan
competitions as possible
(wherein we used to win most of
them *wink*) and fund through
its prize money. We have our
own e-commerce website where
we sell all kinds of
semiconductor components.
That is where the majority of our
revenue came from.
Q. How do you market your
product?
Our core target segment is SME's
(Small and medium scale
enterprises). The semiconductor
market is an extremely complex
market. There is no one stop
solution for the same. Our team
has done extensive research as
far as marketing is concerned.
Knowing the needs of the target
segment is the most important
thing here.
That is what our team has tried
to find out and thus cater
accordingly. Apart from that
marketing comes from
sponsoring various events,
conducting workshops and
training sessions, word of mouth
publicity, targeted e-mail
marketing, meet-ups, through
extensive contacts gained in the
industry till now etc.
Q. What are your Marketing and
branding strategies you have
used till now?
We have placed a lot of focus on
attractive packaging of our
products. We also provide
attractive discounts on products
via coupon codes etc. We have
separate sections on our website
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
known as "FizzLearn and
FizzStory" wherein under
FizzStory we promote
inspirational stories of young
professionals who have achieved
success in their respective fields.
FizzLearn section of our website
is a huge store house of
innovative projects and ideas
that we have implemented at
our workspace. We have
provided part time and full time
internships to students. We also
introduced our program known
as "FizzLabs" wherein we helped
set up research laboratories in
engineering colleges wherein
students can implement their
ideas which in other cases would
not have been possible. We have
provided title sponsorship to
various technical events in Pune
city and thus increase our brand
value.
We provide special discounts and
features for Robocon teams all
over India and also provide
guidance for the same. We were
part of PuneConnect wherein we
showcased our products held at
WestIn Pune.
Q. Who have you tied up with?
We have tie ups with most
educational institutes in Pune
and Nasik region. We have tied
up with NHK Japan who were the
runners of International Robocon
2014. We have also
tie-ups with most of the biggest
distributors of electronic
components in the world.
Q. What all difficulties did you
face while building up your
customer base?
Like any start-up we faced
innumerable obstacles during
our initial phase. During the
initial phase we did not have a
office of our own to carry out
day to day operations. There
were already established players
in the sector. Not many people
knew what Fizzible was. Lack of
funds was haunting. Had to
create an awareness about
electronics and technology
through tremendous marketing
techniques such as training
sessions, event sponsorships,
social media presence etc. Our
team used to do extensive
ground work to promote Fizzible
as a one stop brand for all
Electronics purposes all over the
country. All this was extremely
resource consuming
Q. What do attribute your
success to?
Currently we are a team of 15
hardworking and extremely
talented professionals all below
the age of 25. Our entire team
attributes our success to
extreme smart work. We have a
technically sound team and have
done an extensive amount of
ground work to reach the stage
we currently are. We at Fizzible
have a vibrant work culture
wherein we promote exchange
of innovative ideas which further
helps in efficient growth of
business.
Q. What are the challenges in
this line of work? How do you
deal with them?
Challenges are going to be faced
at all points. Our team is capable
enough to tackle them.
Q. What are your future
strategies for expansion? Have
you thought about exports?
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
We are working on a
marketplace model. Earlier we
were solely into the B2C
segment. As time passed we
have successfully entered into
the B2B segment.
Our next step is creating
innovative B2B marketplace
wherein we will connect the
sellers to the plethora of buyers
through innovative features
introduced on our website. We
are already into import and
export. Be it any place in the
world. Fizzible aims at
connecting all types of sellers to
their respective buyers in a
hassle-free and transparent way.
Q. Where do you see your
company in 5 years?
Our goal is to be the leading
company in B2B supplies. Apart
from the semiconductor
segment we will be expanding
into other sectors such as
industrial automation, Power
tools,machinery, etc. We aim to
make Fizzible as the unifying
factor to organize the existing
unorganized market.
Q. What is your Mantra for
Success?
This may be done a thousand
times till now but hard work,
hard work and hard work
combined with smart strategies
and efficient execution has
helped us reach where we are.
Along with that building a strong
core team is equally important if
a business has to sustain.
Q What advice would you like
to give to the budding
entrepreneurs?
Always pursue your dream
without paving in to peer
pressure. If you believe your
business idea is ingenius, have
the courage to pursue it. The
government of India
has taken a lot of initiatives for
promoting entrepreneurship
amongst youngsters. Do take
advantages of the same.
Socialize a lot, meet new people,
discuss your
ideas. Chase your idea like there
is no tomorrow.
Interviewer: Ms. Aditi Deodhe
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: EL-tech Controls
Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Milind Chincholikar
Take Control…
Milind Chincholikar is a sole
proprietor of EL-Tech Controls
which manufactures LBSF (load
break switch and fuse) and CSS
(compact substation). He is a
Mechanical Engineer. He also has
other firm Shree Engineer
Services which does the LT and
HT electrical installation.
Mr. Milind says that when he
was determined to start his
business when he was pursuing
his degree. He never liked the
concept of going to the office
with his Tiffin and working for
somebody else. Hence, he was
always seeking an opportunity of
doing some work on his own.
When asked what capital he had
to start his business, he says "I
didn't even know what a
business requires. All I had in my
mind was to start my own
business". He says that he never
had the capital to start the
business and even now he
doesn't have much. He used to
attend an entrepreneurship
development program when he
was a student and this was
during the 80s. He got most of
his answers only because of
experience.
The journey of his business
started in Pune when he had
clashed with his boss and he
realized that job is not his cup of
tea. So he used all the contacts
he developed during his job in
Bhosri area to start doing small
job work for different parties. He
says that initially he never got
the money in hand, but on
pieces of paper. But he was
successful in this work and he
came to Nashik.
While he was searching for new
business opportunities he tells
"Saying no to any kind of work
was never an option because I
had to earn money on a daily
basis to meet my basic needs".
Most of the job work he used to
get was electrical and hence the
involvement in that field
increased. With mechanical and
electrical experience he gained
confidence for doing big jobs.
Then he came across the
electrical contracting which
includes design to installation.
But this became monotonous
and Mr. Milind started thinking
about developing an electrical
panel, which serves its purpose
in every electrical installation. He
always used to visit and still visits
the electrical exhibitions from
where the inspiration came to
develop this unique product. He
says "I literally purchased a panel
from an exhibition which was
not at all related to my product
concept, but only to use some of
its parts which were required for
my panel". It took around 4 years
to develop this product because
he had to do his regular job work
and then used to concentrate on
this product in his extra time. To
learn more about the product,
visit www.eltechcontrols.com.
He installed his first panel in
Mahindra Sona Ltd. He proudly
says that they trusted in him and
gave him job order. And after six
months he got the first cheque in
his life. He got the boost as his
product was launched in a
reputed big company. Today his
product is installed in L&T, Atlas
Copco and many big industries.
When asked about how and why
does he continue to do his old
and new work which is
contracting and manufacturing
of his own panel he explains that
these both jobs are two sides of
a coin. His soul of panels are the
result of contracting and vice
versa. He believes that saying no
to any work is not professional in
Business.
After asking about the difficulties
in managing both things
simultaneously, he says that
business cannot happen without
difficulties. There is no business
in the world which doesn't have
difficulties and not a single
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
businessman which doesn't face
it.
His future plans for the firm is to
enter in 22KV range from 11KV
range. With more than 8 years of
experience it was not a big deal
for him to enter into this range.
There is an increasing
competition in every field, but
Mr. Milind says that
"Competition must be there. It
makes you increase the standard
of your product with great pace
and it makes you feel alive in the
market".
A thing to observe about his firm
is it had and has a very little
manpower, even though the firm
has grown with extensive. He
tells that too much manpower
reduces output, things just
happened with this little
manpower and he never needed
more and believes in optimum
management of resources rather
than departmentalization with
more manpower.
When asked about the take on
the slow growth of Nashik in
industry compared to Mumbai
and Pune, he says, location really
doesn't matter today if you have
passion. He himself covers
contracts in Pune and today's
strong media and social network
has made possible for taking
business to far places. Talking
about salary and lifestyle, he
says people complain that
Nashik offers less salary but they
forget that this salary is very
sufficient to live a good lifestyle
here because people do not get
to live an even average lifestyle
with high salaries in Pune and
Mumbai. "I love Nashik and I
always will"
The last question I asked him
was about the advice he would
give to the new generation who
are a bit impatient, expecting
high and going for start-ups
rapidly. He says today's
generation concentrates for
higher education for getting high
salary jobs, but they don't realize
that the real education happens
after getting the job. And when
this knowledge and experience
combines, "You don't need to
work for money. Money itself
will work for you. Keep less
expectations and more patience
initially and concentrate on
gaining experience rather than
money. One needs to realize his
competence before expecting
and if he is not, he can always
reach there with knowledge and
experience. Anyone can do a
business if he knows these
things." says Mr. Milind with this
ending note.
Interviewer: Mr. Ameet Jagtap
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: Food Funky
Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Raviraj Poojary
Entrepreneurship… Food for Soul
Q. Please tell us about the new
venture you are starting.
Raviraj: It’s a food home delivery
venture, where we’ll deliver food
prepared at home as well as at
restaurants. We’re also going to
come up with our own kitchen.
The basic idea is to provide
people with good quality food at
an affordable price. If you visit
any 5 star hotel, you’ll get good
quality food, but at a very high
price. You wouldn’t find that
quality of food at any local
restaurants. Here, we’re trying to
provide that quality of food in a
normal price variant that is
cooked in our kitchen.
Q. How did you come up with
this idea?
Raviraj: I come from a long line
of family that is in hotelier
business, so there was nothing
new about it. This is the industry
that I chose, and I want to carve
a niche for myself in it. Just how
FoodPanda, TinyOwl, Zomato,
started out small and went on
becoming huge ventures, we
also intend to do the same.
In this industry, you’ll be facing
competition from all the start -
ups you mentioned above, how
are you planning to tackle them?
Every business has an edge over
the other business, whether it is
the quality of the product or the
quality of the service. So
‘discounting’ is the parameter
today. This industry has evolved
from going to a restaurant and
ordering food to ordering online.
Our competitors’ Zomato and
FoodPanda have invested in
inculcating that habit in the
customer, so we’ll utilize that to
our benefit. And of course, the
differentiator is going to be the
quality of product, which will be
affordable to middle class and
upper middle class families. In
terms of service, there would be
a differentiator in terms of
packaging and system of
delivery.
Q. When did you decide, that
you wanted to have a business
of your own?
Raviraj: When I came to Pune in
1996, many of my uncles owned
hotels here. So I used to visit
them, watch them minting
money, and that triggered me to
start something of my own. From
that point my interest in
business took a front seat. Soon
after my graduation, I had my
two hotels, but I gave them up,
and asked my uncle to handle
them, while I went on to
complete my MBA since I
wanted corporate exposure.
After working for 4 years at Bajaj
Tempo, I started pitying myself,
and kept questioning why I came
here. At the age of 30, I left my
job and started Wagons Learning
with my partner.
Q. So far, what all challenges did
you face?
Raviraj: It is very difficult to find
the right taste when it comes to
finding chefs. When it comes to
making a website, dependency
on any tech guy is a big
challenge, since I’m not a tech
guy myself. Second, each and
every tool you want to build
keeps changing or improving and
the tech guys always want a
standard process of work. Third
is getting right human capital,
because we are building a team.
And last but not the least is,
working capital to make it big.
Q. How many members does
your team consist of?
Raviraj: Currently, in house we
have 4 people working on this,
while we have outsourced
around 50 people including the
tech team.
Q. How are you planning to
market your product?
Raviraj: Start-ups that have
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
already made it big, have huge
budgets for TV ads, Print media,
social media. We’re trying to
pitch it fundamentally from
social media sites, and on a
secondary note from
promotional activities in
societies, malls, school so that it
attracts kids. If you see our logo,
it’s a character, which will attract
kids. In our soft launch, we’ve
got a very positive response
from kids, hence our idea is to
pitch it to kids, so the parents
automatically get familiar with it.
Q. Apart from this, how are you
planning to build your customer
base?
Raviraj: Today, there are two
types of classes we are planning
to tap, one is family, and another
is the working class. So we’re
planning promotional activities
in offices through their HR and
we’re also going to provide them
lunchbox kind of approach.
Q. What advice would you give
to young entrepreneurs?
Raviraj: Everyone is getting into
the start-up race today, people
are only planning to build an
app, bring in investors and mint
money in a short run, which is a
wrong approach. Getting app
and an investor is fine, but the
next step should be building a
sustainable business. Most folks
wind up the business within one
year since, they have no
customers, but the important
thing is to wait for 2-3 years to
let the business settle in. Also,
there is a need of corporate
culture, which you understand
only when you work in
corporate. So my advice would
be, study well, work in a
corporate for 3-5 year and then
start a business.
Interviewer: Ms. Aditi Deodhe
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: ESDS
Entrepreneur’s Name: Piyush Somani
From a Free Electron
Piyush Somani, a first generation
entrepreneur, personifies ESDS's
commitment to customer
satisfaction and high quality of
deliverables. Piyush Somani has
earned a degree in Electronics
Engineering and joined a meter
manufacturing industry in
Mumbai in the year 2002 and
then switched to a Software
company in Nashik in the year
2003. He started 'Web hosting
support' business in the year
2004 with 6 Partners. Piyush
then decided to get on his own
in the year 2005 and registered
"ESDS Software Solution Pvt LTD"
Q. What is ESDS?
Piyush: It is managed cloud
hosting service provider and
data center service provider and
we have a headquarters in
Nashik. We also have an
upcoming corporate office in
Mumbai. Currently we have
branch offices in Delhi,
Bangalore, Pune and Gujarat. We
have Leads in UK, Chicago and
US.
Q. When was your company
established? And how did this
concept come into your mind?
Piyush: Our company got
established in 2005. With a
couple of my friends I started
outsourcing of web hosting jobs
in 2004. We had huge success
because we had customers like
large web hosting companies in
US and UK. They all were getting
their back end and Outsourcing
hosting done from us. This
showed that we were very good
in giving the support services
and that made me realize that
why not become a company
which itself is a Web hosting
service provider! With this level
of support we could reach to
much bigger scale.
Q. Did you have any capital
while starting this business?
Piyush: No, I did not have any
capital at all. I started with just
one computer and my partners
brought their own computers.
Whatever we earned from the
business, we kept investing it
back into it and that's how the
business grows from the self
funding.
Q. What was the biggest
problem that you have faced
while starting this business?
Piyush: The biggest challenge
was that there was no
knowledge of finance, of
operations and of bringing an
inorganic growth by getting
external Investments. I didn't
have that knowledge in those
days. There was a golden period
in storing with the help of which
we could have actually pumped
up the money, invest it back into
the business, earn more money.
The business could have grown
more aggressively with this, but
that didn't happen. There was a
bad patch in the year 2006, for
around 6 months. Customers
were not paying. I also started
cancelling the Outsourcing of
other clients because I had to
focus on my own company.
There was a mismatch in the
revenue incoming and the
revenue outgoing. However,
fortunately the companies which
we acquired in the UK in 2005
and one company in US starting
doing very well for us. At the end
of the year, everything changed!
We made a lot of money in the
next couple of years and from
that money in India we built this
headquarters in Nashik and now
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
the 2nd headquarters in Mumbai
which will be launched in the
second week of Jan 2016.
Q. We all know that Nashik is
lagging behind when it comes to
IT sector. How did you choose
place like Nasik to start IT
company?
Piyush: In Nashik I had good
technical staff and our
requirement was also very low. It
was in just tens and twenties. So,
we had the best talents from this
place and with proper HR
policies that we formed, we got
very good people. We were not
dependant local business
because our business was totally
focused on the UK and US
markets initially.
Q. The work culture in your
company seems to be a little
informal, due to which one
must be feeling relaxed to work.
What is unique about this?
Piyush: It is quite Simple. When
our employees come to the
office, they don't feel like they
are coming to an office at a
specific time and going home at
a specific time. They just come,
enjoy their work and sometimes
even sit for a longer time. There
are some people who work for
24 hours when there are
technical issues with our
network. So, we leave these
decisions regarding work timings
to the employees. The important
thing is people should enjoy
working and that is the reason
we have facilities like swimming
pool, Table Tennis court,
Volleyball court, Gym, Snooker,
Badminton. Employees would
hardly be able to give time for
these spots after going home
from the office.
Q. The growth in Nashik is less
compared to Pune and Mumbai
for an employee for an
employer. What is your take on
this?
Piyush: Yes. People who are
looking for financial growth, for
them Mumbai and Pune are a
better option. But those who are
looking for a career growth, with
happiness as the priority, for
them Nashik is a really nice
place. I started this company in
2005. Right now there are 10
employees in the company who
just completed 10 years and 30
employees in who have
completed 9 years. I think this
was possible only because they
are happy, satisfied and they
don't compare it with the
lifestyles which we find in
Mumbai and Pune. People who
live in Metro cities, often scale
up in terms of money, but not in
terms of quality of the life.
Q. Tell us about your cloud
technology.
Piyush: We have a patented
cloud Technology and auto
scaling Technology. There are so
many clouds available in the
market today, but they all are
designed purely for e-Commerce
platforms or internet companies.
These are not designed for bank,
Telecom operators, Gas
companies, shipping companies,
aviation companies and most of
the SMEs cannot host
themselves on these clouds. The
reason is only horizontal load
balancing in these cloud
Technologies. What we have
done is, we have developed a
cloud platform which can grow
vertically and can also scale itself
as per requirement using
multiple machines. This is our
unique feature and it is only
possible because we are in
Nashik. We have a research team
which has been working on this
since the last 6 years. In cities
like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore it
is very difficult to retain such
team for 6 years. I believe that
Nashik has helped us to form
such a team and to be more
innovative.
Q. What is your take on work
life balance in a company?
Piyush: Now people in Bangalore
have started taking mid-breaks.
Mid-breaks means they take a
break on Wednesday or
Thursday and then again on the
weekends. That means they are
getting over exhausted and are
not able to live a good quality of
life in Metro cities. But here,
there are employees who come
in 7 days a week to work. There
are no restrictions. They can
work as long as they want and if
someone wants a 15 day break
during the Christmas period,
they can take it. There is always
someone who takes on the
responsibility for another person
who is off for a break. This
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
improves teamwork and creates
bonding which is necessary for a
company to grow. This doesn't
happen most of the IT
companies.
Q. Now-a-days most of the
people are thinking about start-
ups. The first reason is this
generation follows its heart and
secondly, our generation is not
good with patience. They prefer
doing business hoping for fast
money. What is your advice for
these people?
Piyush: My first advice is those
who are in their teenage, is, they
should plan their start-up from
now. There are many students
who are just 14 years, have
already registered their
company, are the CEOs and
directors of their own
companies. This is the new trend
in India now. If you observe the
start-ups in the US, which are
started by young entrepreneurs,
they all have been started In
teenage. There was a culture,
that you cannot start a business
until and unless you complete
your education. Parents never
allowed their kids to start
earning on their own. There was
also a myth that one cannot start
a business without capital. Also
the parents were more
interested in the numbers and
grades their children were
getting in the class. But now
parents are encouraging their
children for starting up their own
business. I think they should be
able to earn, then learn, and
earn again, and this cycle should
continue throughout the life.
Start-up also means doing an
outsourcing job and providing
services to other people. You can
always do a job to get a first-
hand experience in order to gain
knowledge required for your
start-up.
Q. Are you afraid of growing
competition?
Piyush: In our country you have
to be innovative and along with
that you also need discipline and
management. The rising
entrepreneurs are failing in
management skills. They are
impatient and due to that the
chances of failure are more.
Hence, being optimistic and
having a positive thought is very
important. I think the new
generation will phase out the old
generation in the next 10 to 15
years.
Q. How do you see India in the
next 20 years when it comes to
growth?
Piyush: We will be number 1 in
the world in the next 20 to 25
years. We have the youngest
population in the world. Hence
we will likely be the most
developed country in the world.
There are no more sorry politics
like those in the early years.
People are getting aware of
things and our young generation
is helping a lot for it.
Interviewer: Mr. Ameet Jagtap
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: SamarthShree
Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale
Constructing Your Own Future
Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale, Head of
the SamarthShree Promoters
and Developers a first generation
entrepreneur and a technocrat.
“SamarthShree” believes every
home has a story behind it. A
story of immense struggles,
hopes and dreams a story
unique to each and every one of
us.
“SamarthShree” came into
existence in 1986 with its debut
scheme in Dombivli. Eventually
spreading its wings it has
completed more than 30 housing
development projects in Pune
and many more are lined up in
Pune and upcoming areas
surrounding it.
Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale was a
meritorious student throughout
his school life. Earned rank in the
merit list in 10th and 12th board
exams. He replicated similar
success in degree education
when he completed B.E. In Civil
engineering, from COEP, with
2nd rank in Pune University.
Q. When did you start your
business and Why?
Shrikrishna: It all happened
when I was in IIT Powai in the
year 1986 pursuing my PhD.
Going for the PhD was my
natural choice after I completed
M. Tech from the same institute.
I always had a penchant for
starting or doing something of
my own. This was because of my
family’s business background.
One day my father said to me
“be an employer rather being an
employee and it will be a noble
thing if you could provide jobs to
other people” a value or a
thought that my father always
believed in.
So, next thing, I left my PhD
study and started ‘SamarthShree
promoters and developers’ in
partnership with my brother-in-
law who is an Architect and my
guiding force.
My education made me
passionate about the field and so
I entered into construction
instead of family business. I
started my office in a small room
in Dombivli. Launched my first
housing scheme in 1987 in
Dombivli.
Q. What were the difficulties
you faced while starting your
business?
Shrikrishna: Capital was the
biggest problem that I had to
face while starting
SamarthShree. In those days it
was very difficult to get finance
from banks. In construction
business, you need a
comparatively larger capital. My
father supported me financially
with Rs. 1 Lakh to start the
business.
Also, I had to fight against the
prejudice which my community
had about this particular
business.
Q. What keeps you going in your
difficult time?
Shrikrishna: There is one
beautiful Marathi proverb
imprinted on a wall of my house,
(This time
also will pass) This keeps me
motivated and grounded at
times.
It appeases me when my
customers say that I helped
them in achieving their dream,
dream of having their own
house.
Q. How do you manage to stay
calm and composed in this
stressful environment?
A. The credit goes to my family.
My wife has always supported
me in difficult times. We plan
family outings, go for movies
such things rejuvenate me. I like
to write poems (Charoli)
sometimes. Listening to classical
music and old melodies are a
major stress buster for me.
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Q. What are the new challenges
and upcoming trends in the
construction business?
Shrikrishna: The major challenge
is to survive in this business
because of stringent government
policies and rigorous
competition. You have to be
innovative in what you do. For
this, we have come up with new
strategies such as providing the
interiors for flat at the time of
possession itself.
Corporatization is a key factor for
the future of construction
business. We often see that
construction giants such as
Trump, DLF etc. spreading their
roots in India. So in the future, it
is going to be a tough time for
small players to survive and
difficult for new players to enter
the market.
Q. What is your Success Mantra
and Advice for budding
entrepreneurs?
Shrikrishna: Be Reasonable and
Rational. Judge your capabilities
because it’s better to under
commit and over deliver than to
over commit and under deliver.
Business requires 15% of
technical skills and 85% of
people skills. So always maintain
good relations with your
customers and employees, but
make sure you abstain yourself
from people who create a
nuisance in your life. The most
difficult thing we Indian find is to
say “NO”. We must learn to say
NO to activities which do not
contribute to our goals.
Interviewer: Mr. Rahil Parab
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
MANUFACTURING IN DEFENSE SECTOR:
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR SMEs & START UPS
Genesis of the Defense
Manufacturing:
1. India has the third largest
armed forces in the world. The
defense services account for
nearly Rs 2.29 lakh crore of the
Central Government Budget
which is nearly 2.5 per cent of
the GDP and 13 per cent of the
Central Government
expenditure. As on today, 31.5%
of its budget is spent on capital
acquisitions and a staggering
60% of its requirements are met
by imports.
2. This was the outcome of a
string of policy decisions over a
period of time. The post-
independence industrial policy,
which placed the production of
Defense items in the Reserve List
making it mandatory for
production to be taken up only
by the Public Sector. The policy
of reservation of all defense
equipment manufacture, for the
public sector, was jettisoned in
2001-02. The sector for the first
time was opened to Indian
private sector participation, with
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
up to 26 percent, both subject to
licensing. Through progressive
amendments to Defense
Procurement Procedure since
2002 and announcement of
Defense Production Policy in
2011, Government enabled
private sector participation and
increased focus on domestic
production. A major amendment
was made in DPP 2013, which
gave a thrust to indigenous
manufacturing. The table below
shows impact of policy changes
in the form of AoNs approved by
the Government in the past five
years. The proportion of “Buy
(Indian)” and “Buy and Make
(Indian)” categories in the AONs
accorded have increased
significantly in 2013-14 and
2014-15 (Table 1).
Opportunities
3. There is an opportunity to
avail defense offset obligations
to the tune of approximately INR
250 Billion during the next 7-8
years. The offset policy (which
stipulates the mandatory offset
requirement of a minimum 30%
for procurement of defense
equipment in excess of INR 3
Billion) introduced in the capital
purchase agreements with
foreign defense players would
ensure that an eco-system of
suppliers is built domestically.
4. The country is
now entering
into the next
phase of
reforms in
Defense
manufacturing
with a more
proactive
industrial policy captured in the
‘Make in India’ call. Several
initiatives have been taken
recently to promote the entry of
private sector into defense
manufacturing. A few highlights
which can be the drivers for start
up eco-system are as under:-
(a) The FDI policy for the defense
sector has been reviewed and as
per the revised policy, the
composite foreign investment
upto 49% is allowed under
automatic route and beyond
49% with the approval of the
FIPB.
(b) The Defense Products List for
the purpose of issuing Industrial
Licenses (ILs) under IDR Act has
been revised and most of the
components, parts, sub-systems,
testing equipments, and
production equipments have
been removed from the List, so
as to reduce the entry barriers
for the industry, particularly
small & medium segment.
(c) The Defense Security Manual
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
for the private sector defense
manufacture units has been
finalized and put in public
domain. It clarifies the security
architecture required to be put
in place by the industry while
manufacturing defense
equipment.
(d) To establish a level-playing
field between Indian private
sector and the public sector, the
anomalies in excise duty/ custom
duty have been removed. As per
the revised policy, all Indian
industries (public and private)
are subjected to the same kind
of excise and custom duty levies.
(e) The list of military stores has
been finalized and put in the
public domain to make the
process transparent and
unambiguous.
(f) The Department has issued a
comprehensive Outsourcing and
Vendor Development Guidelines
to all the DPSUs and OFB in May
2015, so that the private
industries, particularly SMEs are
closely integrated into the supply
chain of defense manufacturing.
Some of the salient features of
the guidelines are:
(i) DPSUs and OFB to have short-
term and long-term outsourcing
and vendor development plans
with emphasis on gradual
increase in quantum of
outsourcing from private sector
including SMEs.
(ii) Involvement of Indian
Industry, including SMEs for
indigenous development of
parts/components/sub-systems,
which are presently being
imported.
iii) Joint or co-development of
systems or sub-systems between
public and private sector.
(g) Under Skill India initiative,
DPSUs have been asked to use
CSR funds for imparting training
to the labor force. They have
also been asked to define
eligibility criteria for all positions
in terms of National Skill
Qualification Framework by
amending the recruitment rules.
This should remove the
disconnect between demand
and supply of skilled manpower.
(h) The Start Up-India, Stand Up-
India initiative is supposed to
encourage entrepreneurship
among the youth. It is envisaged
that creation of a robust
ecosystem will get a boost under
this initiative.
Challenges:
5. Though entry barriers such as
licensing have been removed for
most of the components, parts
and sub-systems, a lot needs to
be done to provide assurance to
the SMEs and Start ups to take
the plunge. Major challenges
envisaged are as enumerated
below:-
(a) Support from the Industry.
While the Government is making
necessary policy changes and is
committed to create an eco-
system for the domestic industry
to grow at the desired pace, such
initiatives would bring results
only with the active support
from industry.
(b) Funding. This remains a key
challenge for any start-up that
plans to raise funding for
their vision. Many hurdles are
encountered even if an
entrepreneur wishes to source
seed capital.
(c) Testing Facilities. Presently,
there is no mechanism available
in the defense sector for testing
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
and evaluation of the products
developed by the industry on its
own. . Majority of facilities like
laboratories and ranges, for such
qualification testing are
presently held by DRDO, DGQA,
DPSUs or Army/Navy/Air Force
and these facilities should be
made available to the private
sector.
Conclusion
6. The initiatives are still in the
nascent stage and if effectively
implemented, this framework
should result in increasing the
indigenous content in the
procurements from the current
level of about 40% to nearly
70%, development, thereby
giving the much needed boost to
the SME and Start up eco
system. This will not only take us
towards the goal of self-reliance
in defense production but will
also create tremendous
entrepreneurship and
employment opportunities. With
the unveiling of the Start up
India Stand up India guidelines in
mid January there is a likelihood
of further encouragement to
start ups in defense
manufacturing.
Bibliography
1. Website of Ministry of
Defense.
2. ‘Make in India’ in Defense
Sector: The Dhirendra Singh
Committee Report (Extracts)
3. Extracts of 'Y.B. Chavan
Memorial Lecture' at IDSA, Delhi
by Shri AK Gupta on "Make in
India: The Way Ahead for
Indigenous Defense Production
in India"
Compiled by: Renuka Karmarkar
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Where is the RISK?
The first thing that comes in the
mind of everyone while making
the list of the colleges for the
CAP round of MBA or
Engineering is, which college has
got what placement history. The
grade, quality of education and
lifestyle of the crowd coming to
the college is completely
perceived on the companies
visited to that college for campus
interviews last year.
First semester passes, making a
cool dude impression, being a
part of the coolest group in the
batch and scoring the "Na bhuto
na bhavishyati" grades in the
exams... and Last semester in
filling up slam books, sending FB
requests, getting phone numbers
and talking about the companies
in the campus!
This campus placement thing has
hammered such a deep nail in
the minds of young aspirants
that they forget about their last
semester and they might never
be college students again in their
lives...
Thinking about the career and
taking decision wisely is always
essential to draw the road map
of your life. But are we doing it
the best possible way? Is there
any better way to do it?
The human tendency is to find
security in whatever plans they
make by reducing risks from
their lives. Students behave on
the same philosophy and put
their hard efforts to avoid risks
and get placed in any company
coming their way in the campus
interview with luring packages.
But is it really the secured way?
Has it really reduced the risks of
your life?
Prima face it sounds true to be in
a salaried job. The most
important reason for this is the
SMS that you get on 1st date of
every month: "Your account has
been credited by xxx/-"
Getting a fixed salary every
month gives a sense of security
to pay all the fixed bills month to
month. Every week you can
manage visits to the mall,
movies, a long trip at least once
a year and EMIs for your house
and car.
After a few years, you realize
what are you doing sitting in a
cubicle and scrolling the same
mail box 100 times up and down.
The lavishness of the coffee from
the coffee machine fades away
and it becomes just a reason to
be away from your chair and
screen.
The 10-12 hrs shifts feel like 24
hrs a day, Mondays become a
killer and every Tuesday you
start thinking about coming
Weekend. Your dream company
for which you were ready to
work at any salary, becomes
enemy company who's not
appreciating your efforts and
your boss becomes heartless.
These series of consequences
(even without taking risks) turns
the things stressful and you start
thinking about switching to
something better. And the series
continues...
Then one fine day, you meet one
of your old roomies who never
attended lectures in college,
whole night spent playing games
on laptop and whole day
sleeping, now continuing with
his dad's business and calling
himself an entrepreneur. He also
did not take risk, but now so
called running a business. Ask
him whether he is really happy
with what is he doing or just
took that path because it was
the easiest way he had to earn
money for his survival.
Now take another case. You
dreamt to set up something on
your own and now drafting the
plans execute it. Things will be
new and challenging for you, but
you'll get a wide opportunity to
handle all the different areas of
an enterprise and make your
own way the way you want.
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
This will never change the
importance of each mail you
receive and the taste of your
coffee. You'll never feel tired,
every day will become a working
day and every day will turn to be
a holiday. Each and every brick of
your building, witnesses the way
you changed, architect yourself
and created an example in front
of your family, friends and
society. Coming out of your
comfort zone and watching the
things falling in place which you
racked in your mind and dreamt
to see it happening is the most
secure way to keep yourself
going, remaining composed and
satisfied till the end.
The biggest risk in life is not
taking risks in life! Keep taking
risks and make your life worth
living!
Good luck!
Written by: Mr. Digvijay Khairnar
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
If There Is a Will, There Is a Resource!
“Start-up”… The most used word
for Twenty Fifteen!!
From 3100 start-ups in 2014 to a
projection of 11,500 by 2020 -
the numbers are telling this is
certainly not a passing trend, but
a revolution which is going to
change the way business is
working in India.
“Indian Start-up Ecosystem is
very conducive.”
What initiatives are making the
start-up ecosystem conducive?
Purpose of writing this article is
to highlight some of these
initiatives taken by Government
and other organizations so as to
enable our young and
enthusiastic entrepreneurs to
make use of the resources
available.
A lot of young entrepreneurs
who wish to begin business are
held back due to mesh of
regulations. Right now, the
process of compliances comes
under the wide umbrella of 22
diverse laws, hence the process
is quite tedious. The government
is aiming to condense the whole
process into a 2-page start-up
Act, and the single window
clearance system.
Mumbai and Delhi have been
featured in the list of world’s top
30 most powerful, connected,
productive and commercially
attractive cities making India a
prospected Manufacturing Hub.
Many Business tycoons are
showing keen interest in
investing Start-ups. Ratan Tata,
our nation’s most decorated
businessman, has invested in
more than 20 start-ups till the
date.
State Governments are coming
forward to give boost to start-
ups. Recently, Karnataka
government made Start-ups
eligible for Government
Contracts and Government
Procurements. And many more
state governments are in plan to
take such steps.
Government of India Launched
“Indian Aspiration Fund” and
SMILE (SIDBI Make in India loan
for enterprises Scheme) with an
initial corpus of 2000 crores for
the development of micro, small
and medium enterprises sector.
Unfortunately Most of the
people associate start-ups with
E-commerce (all ready a
saturated). But looking at the
switch in view of the global
community towards greener
solutions to businesses, there
are many other areas where
start-ups can be established.
Recently concluded Paris Climate
Conference highlights the
Importance of Environment
Protection and lessen the
Carbon emissions.
There are many Areas other
than E-commerce where
immense of opportunities are
available. Areas like Renewable
Energies where the Government
is looking at potential driver of
the economy are the best places
to invest in. In fact Wind energy
is the field where Many Big
Investors are investing. (Ratan
Tata Invested in Altaeros Energy
this year- a Wind Energy Start-
up).
Start-ups in Waste Management
and Recycling wastes into useful
products through innovations
are fetching good investment for
venture and angel Capitalists.
Almost 25 Such start-ups fetched
near about $1 billion investment
in 2015.
Start-up in Such Categories will
help in reducing the carbon
footprints and fetch huge
investments in near future.
Written by: Mr. Sumit Patil
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: Horizon Adventures
Entrepreneur’s Name: Sankalp Shinde
Adventure is out there!!!
Q. Tell us about the venture that
you have started?
Sankalp: Horizon Adventures
started in 2012 by 3 adventure
enthusiasts who converted their
passion into business. The firm
deals in providing equipments
for adventure sports such as
hiking, rock climbing, rappelling,
etc. It was formed with an idea
of sharing the passion for hiking
with like-minded people.
Horizon started with an initial
capital of just Rs. 30,000 and
now it’s net worth is Rs. 7,
00,000. It organizes Group and
corporate Adventure activities
and recreational outings. The
USP of Horizon Adventures is, it’s
founders are professionally
trained and certified from
reputed government
Mountaineering institutions. We
feel proud that our equipments
are used in many Himalayan
Expeditions.
Q. What is your idea of
entrepreneurship?
Sankalp: Entrepreneurship is to
believe in yourself and pursuing
your passion. It is more than
doing just a business. Being an
entrepreneur obviously provides
you a fair chance to work on
your own interests in your own
way. It is a key to become a
proficient person in other
aspects of life too.
Q. What ignited the spark in you
to start a new business venture?
Adventure activities like Hiking,
rock climbing, rappelling are
always been into my passion list.
Whenever I used to get free time
I prefered to pack my bag, get
my gears and enjoy my outings.
All these activities need some
kind of professional equipment.
All such equipments are very
costly and difficult to maintain.
And there was no one providing
these gears on rent . That’s
where I got an idea of providing
such equipment on rent at
affordable cost.
Q. What made you prefer
Entrepreneurship over job?
Sankalp: There are several
reasons that made me prefer
Entrepreneurship to job. I am a
kind of person where I like to
take control and make decisions.
This can be best achieved in
Entrepreneurship. One of the
most oft-cited benefits of
owning a business is the
flexibility that comes with it, be
it working from wherever you
want or setting your own hours.
Thus I can maintain my own
work life balance. I have a
freedom to choose people to
work with. Some people thrive
on the routine of their job –
performing the same tasks day
after day. As an entrepreneur,
you can bet that each day will be
filled with new opportunities to
challenge yourself, be creative
and learn something new. Long
hours I use to invest in growing
my business do not feel like work
because I am actually having fun
in what I am doing.
Q. What was your feeling when
you got your first seed?
Sankalp: I got my first seed 15
days after posting online
advertisements on olx.in and just
dial. It is one of the best feelings
I’ve ever had and will be
cherished throughout my life.
That first seed gave me
motivation to go ahead with my
decision.
Q. What are the challenges in
industry of your start-up?
Sankalp: The foremost challenge
is it is one of the most
unorganized industries in India.
I find this sector to be
professionally underdeveloped in
India. To get the professionally
trained manpower is still a
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
difficult task to us. The gears are
not manufactured in India. So it
is difficult to get required gears
within time and also servicing
and maintenance of it is an issue.
Q. What keeps you going in
difficult times?
Sankalp: I consider myself very
fortunate to have very
supportive family and friends.
Especially my wife’s constant
support and encouragement
keeps me going through all
troughs and crests. My passion is
the integral quotient that helps
me to sail through difficult times.
Q. What are the key company
milestones for the next 6-12
months that need to be
Achieved?
Sankalp: Along with retaining old
customer we focus on increasing
our customer base by at least
100 %. For this we are
developing various promotional
strategies to attract more and
more IT professionals. We want
to expand our service outside
Maharashtra in areas such as
northern India where we have a
huge scope. We are also in the
process of tying up with ‘PODAR
INTERNATIONAL’ school.
What is that one piece of advice
you would share with other
entrepreneurship enthusiasts?
Sankalp: Listen to your heart.
We want to but we get so scared
of it. We may take the first step,
but to take the second and third
step becomes difficult; continue
to listen to it.
The first step that I would
recommend to an entrepreneur
is to figure out the why. Why are
you doing what you’re doing?
There will be moments as you
grow your business that will
challenge your decisions and if
you have a ‘why’ to go back to as
a foundation, you can overcome
a lot of these challenges on that
basis.”
Make your own future! Create
and be part of something that is
bigger than yourself. Nobody is
going to give it to you; you have
to work for your dreams. There
are no guarantees on success. In
order to win big you have to take
calculated risks. You will find that
nothing great just happens on its
own, you can't sit on the
sidelines and wait for it. Be
ruthlessly persistent and have
razor focus!
Build Your Empire… Now!
em bark | Jan 2016
Company Name: SmarTease
Entrepreneur’s Name: Tanmayee Varpe
Wear Your Smartness with Ease
Q. Tell us about the venture that
you have started.
Tanmayee: Smartease.in is an
online brand for TV serial & Pop
Culture inspired T-shirts, Phone
Covers, Mugs, Key Chains,
Coasters & Mouse Pads. We also
provide customized merchandize
and alumni memorabilia for
schools, colleges and companies.
Q. What is your idea of
entrepreneurship?
Tanmayee: Turning what excites
you in life into capital, so that
you can keep doing more of it
and keep growing with it!
Q. What ignited the spark in you
to start a business venture,
preferring Entrepreneurship
over job?
Tanmayee: You get a job, so you
can afford a life you always
dreamt of, but instead you end
up with no time to live the life
you’re working for. You spend all
your time at work, making
someone else’s dream come
true. Instead why not work for
yourself?! After pondering over
this thought for a few years, I
finally decided to take the
plunge.
What was your feeling when
you got your first seed?
Tanmayee: Absolutely elated!
Motivated me to keep working
hard & gave me the confidence
to dream big.
Q. What are the challenges in
industry of your start-up?
Tanmayee: Since there are
already many start-ups in similar
line of business, the first
challenge is coming up with new,
attractive and unique designs
that would differentiate us from
others. Second would be, setting
up a channel, considering the
ease of the buyer, through which
we are able to supply our
merchandize at different
locations. The third and the most
ongoing challenge is dealing with
suppliers from different
backgrounds and dealing with
buyers with different
requirements.
Q. What keeps you going in
difficult times?
Tanmayee: There are seven days
in a week; sometimes it’s just
not your day! Knowing it will
pass and make way for better
days keeps me going.
Q. What are the key company
milestones for the next 6-12
months that need to be
achieved?
So far, we’ve been able to
provide delivery services in
Maharashtra. Our next target
would be providing it all over
India and expanding our
customer base.
Q. What is that one piece of
advice you would share with
other entrepreneurship
enthusiasts?
Tanmayee: It's not about the
ideas; it's about making ideas
happen. You need not wait for
any unique idea to strike; you
just need to be good! And there
is nothing wrong with starting
small; you can make it big even
with a small team. Just don't
ever give up on your dream!
Q. How do you define success?
Tanmayee: Doing what you’ve
always loved and being happy
and satisfied!
In Loving Memory…
THE MAN
The Man was a brute,
The Man was unforgiving;
But He gave us such sweet wisdom:
It made our life worth living.
The man worshipped Time,
The man loved Knowledge;
To daily share facts and news with
us,
That was His firm pledge.
How to save your money?
How to make your
business grow?
Gods may not even
know the answer,
But, By God, did He
know!
In the walls, he was
dreadful,
Outside he was a
friend;
In our generation of
things,
He aced in social
media trend.
Never had we
known that we could love and hate
The Man,
We believed it only existed in
romance novel and such stuff;
For a man who didn't believe in
Gods,
He was like one sent from above.
Then one day He said,"Thank You,
This lecture is my last."
We thought the portion was over;
We still don't believe He had
passed.
Time heals wounds but stings us
with memories,
Memories that we had with Anil Sir;
To all those who knew Him very
well,
They'll say," Like Him, there will
never be another."
To honour Him let us work hard
daily,
As His ashes meet the seas;
Dear Prof. Agashe, thank you for
everything.
Sleep well, Forever Rest in Peace!!!
Kenneth Thomas
Agashe Sir was one of the most
influential faculty during my MBA
course. His criticism was the
learning lesson and his praises were
the ultimate trophies one could
achieve. His teachings are not just
restricted to academics but beyond.
#Respect
Harshad Jain
(Alumnus)
_____________________________
_
Every building has its premises on
which it's built up and made firm.
Prof. Anil Agashe,
the master of B-Plan,
with no doubt have
had his part in
shaping our
personality and
showing us
amateurs our path
to ingenuity. I owe
one of my biggest
successes to him. No
one could have ever
imparted wisdom in
knowledge in such a
prodigious manner.
We cherish the aura
Prof. Agashe created in campus
with full of enthusiasm and his
enrapting classes. We shall miss you
Sir, now and forever!
Mansi Sachdev
___________________________
Punctuality, enthusiasm, boldness,
bluntness, evenness and integrity
defined him! Open to criticism,
open to criticise, open to voice his
opinions made him what he was!
He was Professor Agashe! Miss you
Sir!
Punit Thole (Alumnus)
#PUMBATweets
Yukti… Amusement, Enjoyment, Enlightenment!
“I Create. I take Risks. I live my Passion. I am an Entrepreneur.”
Design Credits- Renuka Karmarkar & Soham More