and finally he passed away !!! that was inevitable considering the circumstances and situation around him sooner or later it was to happen rather sooner.
Following are snippets of his last few minutes he wanted to share with you all !!! I am just his writer, an intermediary. Please read and reflect and take away something from this tale so that his soul rests in peace !!!!
Actually it was surreal to say that he died because he never lived during his lifetime he was always dying in his incarnation as an entrepreneur.
Since the day he was born ( This is the moment when Entrepreneurship is conceived in one’s mind ) his world was turned upside down, that is since his early days in his undergraduate studies the ‘system’, was plotting against his sheer existence. All the elders tried hard to reprogram his corrupt DNA. They were trying to show him the ‘correct path’ of dutifully serving some govt or semi govt authority where he would get monthly bread and stable job. It was tradition followed by his own clan of diligently and dutifully serving their respective masters without asking foolish questions.
However he proved to be an outlier or should we call him an outcast ? He rebelled and decided to do something he feels passionate about. Rather than getting employed he thought of creating employment, rather than following the status quo he thought of disrupting the same, challenging the same with some fresh ideas. He thought of questioning some ethos forced by his clan on him.
He grew up reading stories of people who invested their lifetimes in inventing things to make this world a better place. Some Edisons, some Wright Brothers, some Schweitzers and some Carvers who who selflessly worked for the betterment of Mankind. Constantly innovating and inventing something so that lives of others become enriched and easy. Money was never a motive for that those entrepreneurs. He was motivated by these stalwarts and wanted to give his best shot in solving comparatively simple problems of homo sepias around him. However later he realised may be he is not resilient enough like his entrepreneurial forefathers, he could not stick to the fight. He also realised that the world around him hasn’t changed a bit. In hindsight one can say that ‘Every Entrepreneur faces the same set of challenges as faced by his predecessors irrespective of the time when he/she is born’.
And now when he is dead, completely surrendered, lost not only all his battles but the entire war he is ready to join the armies of millions who accept the reality and succumb to it. Finally on his deathbed just last night he updated his resume on XXXX job portals, conveyed it to his family members that he is wilfully committing an act of suicide of his entrepreneurial incarnation however while he is still on life support and breathing his last few breathes on ventilator he wishes to give some insights about his own failed journey to all the community of entrepreneurs.
- Entrepreneurship is not a child’s play and its not at all glamorous. Its a pretty tough and cruel play. If you are lucky your chances of making it here are 5 %. Dont fall pray to glamorous tales of some Steve and Mark making Billions out of their dorms and garages. The situation is completely different in their country and in ours. Vet your chances purely based on your sustainability even if you have not so bright idea but still if you could sustain you may hit the nail.
- Never ever ever ever ever start up unless you have cash to sustain for at least 1000 days in your start up. Yes you need at least 1000 days right from your first day out in the wilderness till the day you feel that you are going in the right direction and the chosen enterprise can become successful.
- Speak to your family especially your spouse, kids and parents whose life depends upon your success or failure and unless they are convinced about your plan and unless you have their willing and voluntary support dont jump inside the well.
- There are no angels, seed rounds just for a brilliant ‘Idea’, you should be able to create a small however scalable and believable business model so that you can present the same to other stakeholders like co founders, customers, vendors and employees.
- Always inform those who are investing their time and money in you the huge amount of risk involved in your business. Get their assurance if possible in writing that they understand the risk and are prepared for the outcome whatever it is. You will see all the different colours of these people when you taste even slightest failure and it may not be even be a failure but a small correction in the course but these safe people would never be able to digest it and they will rock the boat.
- If possible before burning your boat ( Day time job ) gather enough resources and if situation allows start while you are still employed. Dont believe in the bullshit that one can’t give 100 % when he is employed and start up at the same time. These kind of thoughts are good to those who have enough money stashed in their bank account. For an average middle class entrepreneur his personal cash flow is as important as his business cash flow.
- If possible grow your venture organically and sell to get funded to your customers. There is nothing better than your revenue funding your growth. Dont shop for funding when you dont have either an MVP or POC which is already generating good traction and if you have that you dont need funding. If your business model is strong, idea is path breaking and if your customers are happy with you they will outsell you.
Having said all this let this dying entrepruneur wish all the success and luck to all his fellow clan members, all the entrepreneurs out there. Even if he is dying he would like to send whatever life remaining in him to you all some life lessons he learnt in his small and unsuccessful spell so that you never ever have to die an unfortunate death like his.
He would also like to acknowledge the help and support he received from the family, friends, community and the existence at large
Amen !!!!!!
mandyisms 