Key factors for Indian startups to survive in Indian market [Optimized]

India has the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, with an annual growth rate of about 15-16% [1]. In the last decade, India grew in number of startups from 7000 to 50000 from 2008 to 2018 which intimates that 3-4 startups come up each day [2].

According to Grant Thorton (2016) startups are an organisation which is an entrepreneurial venture partnership or a temporary business organisation engaging in development, protection or distribution of new product services or processes [3]. 

With flexing laws in favour of FDI(Foreign Direct Investment limit) and IPR(Intellectual Property Rights), India is to witness an increasing cult of entrepreneurs in the upcoming years. Foreign companies are gung ho in investing in a country that has about 34% of its population under 24 years, the largest in the world. 

But why startup? We know startups produce unicorns and entrepreneurs are helping our economy to grow and not to mention the immense number of jobs that it produces (40000 every year). India has not yet seen proper exploitation of its human and material resources. The intellectual acumen found in India are either ignorant of the possibilities of providing value through a brand or they are intimidated by its societal nature. This is why the government is trying to build a startup friendly ecosystem that counts among top three startup friendly countries.

There are certain challenges posed by Indian market that result in the failure rates to soar as high as 90% such as inadequate financial resources, lagging infrastructure, varied demographic and culture, lack of awareness, govt regulations, low internet penetration and the list goes on.

And even more are the opportunities that India as an entrepreneurship stage possesses and to survive here, these key factors need to be considered. 

1) Idea reception. Before jumping into the market with an awesome idea, it is imperative to check its reception in the market. This can be by connecting to the targeted audience through social media and building a rapport with them. It can be the source of many of the first customers and can be used to propagate the idea as well. 

2) Branding and Positioning. These might be the most important factors that build a brand out of a startup. Positioning is using the customer’s experience of the world to communicate with them and using the elements of customers’ mind to stand themselves out. A brand should present itself on the basis of a speciality that would make them a go to brand in some specific category. Branding is the perception of the brand in people’s mind. For startups to sustain, it is imperative for it to have well planned branding and positioning. 

3) Proper cash management- Cash is what that runs a startup. It needs to be tracked and forecasted. There are many unprecedented obstacles that arise in operating a business like hiring rates, hike in taxes, infrastructure cost etc. Having an animated running cash from customers to company keeps it out from depending on investors and funding agencies. Negative cash flow has caused the demise of many Indian startups.

4) Growth v Sustainability. For a startup, sustainability comes before scaling. Many times startups have to downsize due to lack of funds to run bigger markets. When a company starts to sustain on its own and has a steady inflow of profit, scaling is expedient.

5) The team. In growing economies like India, it is a challenge faced by many emerging startups. A highly skilled and hardworking workforce can create all the difference in the thriving of a business.

6) Exceed customer expectations- In many cases startups in India are found to lack in providing real value to their clients. Fine tuning the products or services with the market demand is important along with a recurring revenue model. Finding new customers is important, but retaining customers is what will bolster the brands market position. 

7) Mentorship- It is found that startups grow 3.5x faster and raise 7x more money when mentored. Effective and pragmatic decision making is important for each business and having a helping hand can help sustainability and growth.

8) Marketing- Every business needs marketing. How can a brand sell a product when no one knows about it? A product or service that is more appealing and exhibits clear objectives is more likely to sell than its counterparts and for that to happen, proper marketing is necessary. 

Seth Goden- ‘People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.’

Reference-

[1] www.startupindia.gov.in

[2]www.startupindia.gov.in

[3]Startups an overview Grant Thorton India (2016)

Speaking of the sages of India

sages in india

colors of india

Speaking of the sages of India

Speaking of the sages of India my mind goes back to the period of which history has no record, and tradition tries I vain to bring the secrets out of the gloom of the past.

And if we look around in present times we will find these sages all around us. Maybe you will find many of them in proximity of Holy places and maybe you will find them travelling in trains. But the question here is not how many sages we have in the country, the question is do we in their sanctity? Do we believe that their devotion towards the Almighty true or is it just a cover up of some prohibited activities. Many such fake Sages have been busted who tried to lure in innocent people, giving them false hope to solve their problems.

In order to be safe all you can do is be alert and active. Not all of them are fake and not all of them are impostors. Be wise, be safe.

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India is a diverse country with an extremely rich culture and a history as old as the age of human race. For a country with so much diversity, it is very hard to progress as a unified nation. Still, India has made tremendous progress in every field ranging from Science and space to politics and also sports and games.

With a rich culture which is still preserved in its pristine form, the nation has made a huge progress in terms of technology and lies among the top 10 in each and every field.  The nation has a very dense population and perhaps houses the largest number of people than anywhere on the planet. This gives India a competitive advantage over other countries in terms of human

Reflections of Life

 Reflections of Life

Reflections of Life-At times it is important to retrospect our lives and actions that we undertake in our day to day activities. That is to say it is essential to reflect upon our actions and understand how they are altering the course of our life.

The beauty of reflections is that they show you nothing new but are still able to astonish you by showing you what is true.

It is truly said, ‘Life is a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see and be’.

In order to see what is true we need to reflect on ourselves, before pointing a finger at others see if you are doing the right thing. As when you point a finger at others the other fingers point towards you.

Buddha says, Since everything is a reflection of our minds.. Everything can be changed by our minds.

Let us take an objective illustration

reflection reflections

The beauty of the world lies in the image, the beauty lies not only in the object but also in the eye of the beholder.

Man made marvels all over the world have astonished the people. Be it the Stonehenge or the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Colosseum of Rome. Astonishing man made marvels have always made me wonder about the artistry we humans have the potential of. And among all these wonders of the world, the most beautiful is the Taj Mahal in India. A symbol of royalty , a symbol of trust, a symbol of Love. It captures all the aspects of true love which blossoms in the sanctity of two lovers. The Taj Mahal is the Taj of India.

“The Taj Mahal rises above the banks of the river like a solitary tear suspended on the cheek of time.”
― Ravindranath Tagore

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Virat Kohli: The Legend India

Flashback to 2008, when India won the U-19 world cup. The world saw a new leader in making, a leader who would soar to great heights and would establish himself in comparison to the likes of Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar, maybe stymying them. He was furious, full of energy and ready to prove himself. A fire burnt within him, some even thought it would be a cause of his own destruction. But he was adamant to reach the top. Virat Kohli, a true legend in the making, has surpassed all those fears and is an inspiration for many aspiring cricketers today. In 2016, he became more marketable than the likes of Lionel Messi, one of the most popular sportsman of the world.

Back in July 2016, Virat Kohli did something remarkable which only few cricketers have done till date. In the course of his double century in the Caribbean, he played no remarkable shot. Yet the class of the innings was such that it is remembered as one of the best in recent years. He felt no need to harass any bowler, made no mistakes, and drove India to victory from a paltry 74 for 2.

We have all seen his play. The perfection of his shots keeps getting better and better. We can almost anticipate the length of calculations that go behind each stroke coming out from his bat. Perfection defines Virat Kohli these days.

In the age of efficient technology and specialists all around, Kohli makes it look so easy to switch across different formats. His body balance and stamina would even give Usain Bolt a run for money. The longer he stays, the more the chances are of the team winning the match. Alternatively, it can also be said that he relishes tough challenges, a rare and remarkable quality not easily available. With all the records that he breaks with every innings. The comparison with Tendulkar is just inevitable. As ong as Tendulkar was there, there was hope. With Kohli, it is more of a certainty. The moment he comes in, the match is done.  There have been many Indian batsmen before him who have been known for a particular format of cricket but not all, with Kohli this is hardly a problem. Not only do we see him conquering our hearts with his amazing batting skills, he is also great at the field too. He is like an electric flowing through the stadium.

Not only we have seen progress in his play, but he has also remarkably improved in his attitude towards the sport. The directs all his aggression to his bat, instead of his rival. The way he channelizes the raw energy is mind blowing. Few years ago, people raised their brows on his temperament. Today, nearly all of us agree how calm he has become, especially after he has been made the captain. A few years ago, Rahul Dravid said, “With every subsequent meeting, I see a better player emerging.” It is also a fact that Dravid is hardly wrong in his assessments.

Filling the shoes of the legends like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Dhoni may be difficult. Whether he becomes one of them also remains to be seen. But with Kohli, nothing seems impossible.

Keep the name high

Keep the name high/Soup for the Soul

Patriotism nowadays is rarely found but it surges through us at once suddenly at some points.

 

We might keep yelling bad things about our country INDIA, criticizing the system, the corruption, the infrastructure and even our countrymen. But when we’re talked about in other countries and when others come to judge us, we stand united.

SOUP FOR THE SOUL INDIA

india desh

indiadesh inspiration

We our self can say a lot bad about India but we can’t hear the same from any other countries. When it comes to proving our mark and proving our potential, we give our level best to perform more than good in front of the whole world. We keep that dignity higher when it comes to competing internationally and that’s in itself a achievement that leads us to many others.

 

If we keep getting united at times like these, we’ll soon learn to stay inside even at the domestic levels and that is where the rise of the sun of developed India will take place.

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Keep on working in the good directions and one day the worlds will take our name with much more respect!