Leadership Tips for SMEs & Startups

It was an honor to be invited as a guest speaker for the ‘Everything About Entrepreneurship’ program launched by Dr. Vivek Bindra’s company ‘Bada Business’.

The program aims to train entrepreneurs and startups in how to take their businesses to the next level.  A wide range of topics were covered by various other established businessmen, such as sales, marketing, finance, HR, technology, legal, product & services etc. 

Organized at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on June 27-29, I had the pleasure of addressing over 3,000 participants, mostly young and upcoming entrepreneurs eager to learn from industry leaders.

Sharing My Learning with Young Entrepreneurs

A few aspects I touched upon in my speech were the criticality of incorporating technology and leveraging digitalization in businesses – right from conception. As entrepreneurs, we must realize that the older ways of doing business would simply not be sustainable. So, be prepared to invest liberally in technology and digital platforms of doing business. At the same time, we must endeavor to continually improve our systems and processes.

Secondly, startups usually have a hard time in accepting (and paying) the various taxes the government levies. Remember, it is only when your business is compliant with the various laws of the land that people are going to respect you as an entrepreneur. Investors are bound to have a positive view and would be ready to invest in your venture as they come to trust your initiatives and business practices.

And from a personal perspective, always remember your roots and ethics. Remain humble, approachable and empathetic in your dealings with various stakeholders, including your employees. Moreover, I feel the time has come when we should view our employees not as ‘human resources’, but rather as ‘human capital’ – For they are the ones in the trenches handling your day-to-day business activities and are the face of your company.

Lastly, remember that entrepreneurship is a ‘journey’ and there are no short-cuts to success, which is bound to follow if you are persistent yet, dynamic to the ever-evolving business scenarios.

I wish all participants a very bright future and success in their various business ventures, and thank Dr. Bindra for giving me the opportunity to share my learning with such an enthusiastic audience.