Not all Opportunities Matter...

And I was in a state of complete surprise when I signed-in my e-mail ID and read the very first un-read mail which was sent to me 2 hours ago.

The sender wanted to publish my work, damn ready to give me the platform I’ve been waiting for since past 4 months but, there followed a list of terms and conditions too and I went cold reading them. What should I do? Be happy for having my manuscript approved or be sad for the terms that to some extent were unacceptable?

OPPORTUNITY, it knocks only once and when it’s gone you’d probably curse yourself to death for having lost it. There are always many things that go into our mind when a new opportunity comes our way. At times, you want some experience only and the other times, you always want to end up earning and joining the millionaire’s league.

But, to gather the right and complete information about the work and its type is important too and believe me, in today’s fast paced world, there is no lack of opportunities. You just need to be at the right path, at the right time to take on the full advantage of it.

Dedicated to all the undergraduates of my entire city so that, they always think and act and do not just end up following the trend or one of their XYZ friends.

My own start-up Experience and Learning...

“And you think you’ll start up with your own start-up today and end up earning in millions tomorrow?” japed one of our batch-mate and friend.

“Dude! You don’t have that right skill-set and neither do you have any experience, how are you going to survive in this market where there are thousands other struggling for oneself?” came in another shot from yet another friend.

“Listen guys, all you need is just a strong idea to get your start-up working!!!” said Vicky (name changed) bluntly.

I was indeed in a state of surprise. Not knowing what to do. Support a rising, budding entrepreneur or join the league of all those de-motivators?

I chose to be the 1st one. After-all, I too wanted some adventure, some thrill in my life and what was more adventurous than being a co-founder of a company? I wanted to grab the opportunity and munch it at that particular moment. I never knew at that point of time that- 3 years later, it would still be a strugglers life; a life where we’d be fighting for our own identity; a life where we’d still be struggling to survive.

“But, Vicky! This won’t work! You need to be calm and patient. Being under-graduates, we won’t be welcomed everywhere. What we need to showcase is, our skills and our work (idea to be more specific) so that people know we are the real stars, the DOERS!!! We need to move on and work harder” was what I always said whenever we weren’t able to make it up with our customers.

Entrepreneurship... one word which defines your potential, your skills, your future, your character or rather your overall personality

I started with this journey in my 1st year of engineering... not knowing what the term is, that defined “Company owners/ Starters”. We registered a society and worked with our full dedication; everyday on a new idea (almost). Though not all the ideas worked, but, we never lost hope. It was then, in our 2nd year of graduation that we came across the term entrepreneur and yes! we finally knew who we were.

Entrepreneurs are crazy beings, lost in their own world. Their life is their own dream, their own world and their food ... nothing more than their work and their vision at large.

Today, I am a final year graduate, still supporting and helping my company grow with a dream to rule the world in the coming years. People laugh at it but what matters to me is my 100% dedication towards my work. We lose on many deals because people think we are novice but, we don’t mind. Every time we fall, we know for the next time that this won’t work. We learn from our mistakes and move on.

3 years of our start-up, and we’ve finally made it to a few government projects for the betterment of our own city. Next week, we’ll be opening our office which only adds to our excitement.

And so, life has proved to me- what matter is one’s will power. There’s nobody to stop you when you want to live your own dream; provided you are ready to take on the risk. You just need to work, search for the right guidance and if this is not possible then, start learning from your own mistakes and move on!

-Namita Jain

Co-founder, TDC