Building your own Business
Startups have been the go-to option for many ambitious youngsters with a vision for a product and hunger for independence.
How profitable can startups be? To put things in perspective, here are a few examples of some successful Indian startups: Swiggy, Ola Cabs, Flipkart, Paytm, BYJU’S, and many more. It’s pretty impossible to imagine your day without using at least one of these services. The instant success of a well-executed product and complete logistical control is what drives youngsters with product ideas to set-up a startup rather than taking their ideas to a well-established business.
Today, several students have a promising idea. They lack the guidance, state of mind, and the tools to make their startup dreams a reality. SRMKZILLA took on the responsibility to help out these aspiring entrepreneurs through our latest event, The Startup Story, conducted on February 8, 2020.
Who were our speakers? What made them qualified to guide young, aspiring entrepreneurs? We went on the hunt for the best speakers, somebody who has successfully established a startup and stood the tests of time. Our esteemed speakers were:
- Mr. Balaji Sadagopan, Co-Founder, Chai Kings
- Mr. Balamurugan SP, Co-Founder & CEO, GUVI
- Mr. Abheek Talukdar, Head of Engineering, Commutatus
Mr. Balaji Sadagopan was gracious enough to tell his truly inspiring story of success. Hailing from a humble background, he set out to become an Engineer. Got knocked down when he did not even pass round one to secure a job, started working at a call center, and rose to a managerial post. He started Chai Kings in partnership with a friend, even though they faced initial setbacks, they opened their first shop in 2016. Mr. Balaji urged youngsters to stay positive and sharp about their idea, no matter how small it is. The biggest take-away from this session was the advice he gave, “Before setting a startup, one should always take an experience from all domains of an IT Company and only then must one think of becoming a successful entrepreneur “
Imagine that you are a placement officer, each year, you meet hundreds of students looking to secure a job in an IT Company, after years of meeting students, you will gain a clear understanding of what these students are learning. Such was the story of Mr. Balamurugan, the Co-Founder of GUVI, an online learning platform. Years of experience led him to realize that students learning different technologies do not know what they are learning. Thus was born GUVI (Grab Ur Vernacular Imprint), a platform offering various courses in Indian languages. Mr. Balamurugan asserted that quality matters more than quantity and that it is essential to have the right people with the right technology by your side for a startup to thrive.
Mr. Abheek Talukdar, from Commutatus, was the last one to take the stage. Being an Alumnus of SRM IST, he caught the pulse of the audience. The audience identified with Mr. Abheek, seeing a hopeful version of themselves in him. His story of how a company that a few friends started in a tiny apartment that grew to employ 39 people with a promising future was a sure-shot confidence booster. Mr. Abheek noted that his involvement with several NGO’s and organizations like AIISEC helped him gain a deeper perspective of the world. He urged the audience to:
- Grab hold of every opportunity that they come across at college.
- Push the envelope and do something that’s outside their comfort zone.
- Hire the right associates, create a safe work environment. These words of advice are something that all of us will carry in our hearts.
Each of our speakers was gracious enough to answer every question our audience had for them.
We broke for lunch following a Q&A session. Following lunch was an intriguing discussion presided by our very own Pathikrit Pal, Head of Public Relations, who also happens to be a bonafide MUN-er and someone who is always up for a good old debate.
The discussion had the participants divided into different groups, each group had a constructive discussion on various startup-related topics. The star performers of each group then moved on to round two — A debate. The debate saw great speeches from each finalist and friendly dialogue. The winners were given exciting cash prizes and goodies.
All in all, it was an enlightening day at the SIIC conference hall. `
