From Seed to Nirvana – A Selfless Journey

Last summer I visited our mango orchard in our village in India. While looking at one mango tree, it was blissful to imagine that one little seed has become this awesome big tree and now full of mangos, thousands of mangos indeed. Does every seed have this kind of potential? Yes! It is the possibility of every seed to become tree. Yes, it is the possibility of each of us to become entrepreneurs. Weather this possibility can become a reality is a completely different question. We know that not all seeds become tree. A seed may not find a fertile ground, it may not get enough sun, it may not get enough water or it may get too much water. But when a seed receives right amount of resources and environment, it can realize that potential.

Then I started thinking about this tree that is bearing thousands of mangos. What will the tree do with so many mangos? What will happen if this tree decides that these are my mangos, I worked very hard to bring them to this world, I gave my very best and so I will keep all these mangos to myself and will not share with anyone? We will all say that tree is out of its mind. Because only reason tree works so hard to bring these mangos to this beautiful world of ours is so that other people can enjoy the sweet delicious mangos and that’s what makes this tree happy. So happy that tree does it year after year, every year and in the process, also gives birth to many more trees and the process continues. What a selfless service to the society.

So my fellow entrepreneurs, here are the few things we can learn from the tree. Please complete this list by adding your own experiences:

Like a tree is hidden inside each seed, an entrepreneur is hidden inside each of us. We have to just realize it. Entrepreneurship is one of those things that either happens right now or never happens. So it can happen right at this very moment – no preparation is needed, no degrees are required. We have to find a fertile ground (like Austin Texas), we have to find right environment and support (like our awesome Austin Technology Incubator or JSS STEP in Noida), we have to find out what kind of fruit it is going to deliver (product/service), we have to find the right orchard (like minded passionate team, advisors), we have to find whose needs this fruit is going to satisfy (customers), we have to find right amount of sun and water at the right time (angels or VCs) and lastly, we have to find out what we will do when our start-up bears all these fruits and what meaning it will make in this beautiful world of ours (making impact on society, giving back to society, social entrepreneurship).

Being the son of a farmer, I learned early on that too much sun or water can also kill the seed or tree. For the optimal growth of the tree, right amount of water and sun and only at the right time are very essential. The seed has to go through right amount of heat and pressure to sprout. Without that seed will not sprout. Always keep this in mind when you think of raising money. Money is important, but only the right amount and only at the right time and from the right sources. You cannot replace sun light with artificial one and expect same results.

Like a tree, enjoy this journey, never fear about the results. You see whether it is a small little tree or fully grown-up one, they all know how to enjoy every day whether it is a sunny day or icy storm.

In this journey, giving back to the society is important. Without that Nirvana is not possible. Seed achieves Nirvana because it doesn’t keep any of its mangoes to itself. Our society is full of examples of human beings who have lived their lives like a tree. Kanwal Rekhi, Dr. Sridhar Mitta, Isaac Barchas,  Brett Hurt, Gary Hoover, Bob Metcalfe, Alex Shootman are some of the living examples of inspiration.

May all of us follow a selfless journey of a tree and achieve Nirvana. Because Nirvana is the ultimate Bliss and that is why we are here for!

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto

Wishes for the Blissful 2010!

Experience Bliss! Now.

Image courtesy of Gettyimages

Separating the signal from the noise - A MUST have quality of an effective start-up CEO.

The credit of this conversation goes out to Manoj Saxena, an experienced technology entrepreneur based in Austin Texas.

Better identify the right signals, or the wrong things will get done. Our world is full of noise and so many traps. As an effective CEO, you need to separate the signal from the noise and be intellectually honest about the moves and the motion. Lot of people can be busy in making lot of moves, but are they getting somewhere. Are they making the right kind of traction in achieving their key goals? Capability to identify the right signal and then becoming laser focused in executing them is a MUST have skill of an effective CEO, especially in the early stage, but any stage of the business.

Ask yourself right now- are you identifying the right signals to make the right moves and getting the right motion?

The best way to stay focused on the signal is to remain client/customer focused. If you are serious about staying focused, these are the ten most important questions that will help you do just that:

1. What are they (customers) buying?
2. What do they like about your or competition’s offerings?
3. What do they dislike?
4. What can your competition’s product do that you can’t?
5. How much money are they willing to pay to solve the problem?
6. Can you solve it in a way that you can make a profit doing so?
7. When is your product going to be ready for the market?
8. When can you get your first two paying customers?
9. Does your organization have a culture of execution? Do you know your nonperforming employees or service providers?
10. How will your product make people’s life richer?

Everyone has their own style of making things happen. But the folks who have achieved more success always remain focused on the big picture even while getting involved in minor details of the business in the early stage of the company. This is also the area where your board or advisors provide valuable guidance to keep you focused on the things that matter most to your business.

There is no limit to the top line, but the bottom line is that life MUST be blissful. Keep this in mind while you do everything to stay focused.

Image courtesy of Gettyimages

World is blissful! Everyday. Startup best practices.

I got-up at 6AM and went to enjoy the scenic run with Isaac and Holly. We enjoy running together a lot. As people say, any activity is done at three levels – physical, mental or spiritual level. These running experiences are somewhat at the mental and spiritual level which provides more relaxation then just running physically, which we need to do anyway to enjoy level 2 and 3. We start the run at the physical level but after 2-3 miles into the run, we tend to transition into level 2 and start enjoying the run lot more.

After we were done with our scenic route, I thought to do my favorite 10 miler along Town Lake. My mind was in confusion whether I do 10 miles or not. But then I said to myself to go for it, no more discussion. And that was it, my body was all ready for it. There is an important lesson in this decision making and driving it to completion. As long as our mind is divided in two options, most likely none of the options will get attention. But when there is only ONE, it can be done and it makes journey lot more fun! This kind of decision making is very important for start-ups. Start-ups are faster to execute on the vision because they are focused on single thing and decision making is quick as oppose to big companies who do have lot of resources compare to start-ups. Secondly, start-ups also tend to worry about sharing their idea with others. As Isaac puts it nicely – share your idea freely, the fact that start-ups go ahead and realize the idea faster than others is what makes them valuable. Until unless, start-ups have that passion and energy to r and make a difference in people’s life, idea alone will not go anywhere. So the idea has to be executed at mental and spiritual level and not just at the physical level to compose an outcome that people will enjoy.

So I started my 10 miler run and I was no more thinking whether I should have done other things instead of the run. One the other hand, I was enjoying my run. I saw tortoise swimming in the lake, so free!. I saw birds singing. I saw trees dancing with bliss and giving their best. When I said hello to other runners, they gave me their energy with smile. I saw a little baby walking and wondering what these little pieces are on the track - and the father telling little one that these are rocks. I saw life, full of colors.

Suddenly I started thinking how beautiful and blissful this morning was and thanking God for providing me the opportunity to enjoy His creation today. God gives us everyday with the same bliss, but at times, we just don’t notice the bliss around us. Noticing this bliss is just as easy as looking at the tree outside and appreciating the dance and positive energy tree is selflessly providing to the universe. Applying this tree theory is what sets smarter start-up teams apart from others.

InXero recognized among top 10 Internet companies to watch out for in 2009 by SiliconIndia.

Austin, TEXAS - March 16, 2009 - SiliconIndia (www.siliconindia.com), the premier magazine for business and technology has selected InXero as one of the top 10 Internet companies to watch out for in 2009 in the U.S. The selection recognizes companies that are playing a leading role in innovating in the Internet business.

SiliconIndia tracks over 1,000 companies in the U.S. and selected the ones that have the potential to be the game changer in their segment of technology or business. For this prestigious award, companies were chosen by a distinguished panel composed of accomplished CEO's & CIO's of public companies, VC's, analysts, and founders of other VC funded companies, and the SiliconIndia editorial board. Evaluations were made on both quantitative and qualitative criteria including the technology innovation, uniqueness of service offering, management pedigree, innovation, global strategy, customers and customer retention and, venture funding.

"In the backdrop of current economic conditions, we’re seeing a lot of innovative new companies taking on the established players with disruptive technologies and innovative business plans," said Harvi Sachar, founder and Editor-in-Chief of siliconindia. "The 10 Internet companies we have chosen, among them InXero, are pushing and breaking the boundaries of the technology business and we are excited to report on their success stories. They have a lot of momentum and will rise above the rest."

“Austin has a long tradition of innovation in the enterprise software space and is currently transitioning from legacy technologies to applying web 2.0-like technologies to a new generation of enterprise software innovations.” said Bart Bohn, Director of the Austin Technology Incubator’s Wireless and IT Incubators. “InXero has the potential to help catalyze the emerging enterprise social media industry in Austin and make Austin the global innovation hub in this area by building an ecosystem of existing and new companies to fulfill to this new emerging market.” (www.ati.utexas.edu)
“It’s a great honor to have been selected for this award for our product innovation in Enterprise Social Media and differentiated enterprise 2.0 market offering." said Anand Raj, Founder and CEO of InXero, Inc. “SiliconIndia keeps a good pulse on the high-tech companies that are playing a leading role in innovating in the internet business, and we are very pleased with the recognition.”
The full story is available at: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/10_Internet_companies_to_watch_out_for_in_2009-nid-53206.html

Follow carefully NOT blindly - Not all things are like what they may seem

A good rule for an entrepreneur is NOT to take things as they may seem at the first encounter. You may meet with lot of high profile people or high profile companies and may follow their guidance blindly. Not a good thing. Just believe in your instincts and follow your heart no matter what other people say. At the same time - there are also few really good people out there. Consider yourself lucky if you find one of those – and take their guidance seriously.

Above is a picture of a Palace in India. Looks very beautiful from outside. Isn’t it? Now let us look inside it.

Surprisingly, this is the picture of the main entrance of this palace. This is not visible from outside in the main picture.It is at the center of the previous picture. Well, you got the point!

As you start working on your new idea, not let big players in the industry scare you. Every successful company starts small. Remember, you start your journey where you stand today and you don’t worry about any thing else but remain focused on the value creation and making this world a better place.

Be open for new possibilities – but follow carefully, not blindly.

Running and Entrepreneurship: A Blissful Experience

Can I share this thought with you? Once while running at the town lake in Austin, I started thinking that building a business and running or more specifically, running a marathon, have many similarities. Those of us who are runners and have done their long-runs, know this well. The route is typically expected to be full of hills and valleys, great scenic views and desert and so on. As runners, we know we conserve our energies while going uphill, pick speed along the downhill and keep putting one step in front of the other in the right direction without worrying about the rain or wind or distance or without spending too much time at the water stop. As long as we stay on the track, we surely cross the finish line. Businesses go through all the ups and downs and it is the passion of the entrepreneur that keeps him/her on track. Keeping on the track is the key and for that you need courage, commitment, passion and the internal energy to make a difference in this world. The entrepreneurs who are driven by money typically leave the track while going up-hill or in the rainy days.

The second thing runners do very well is to conserve the energy in the beginning of the race – We need to get comfortable with the road conditions, temperature and literally run on air for first couple of miles. Once all the muscles are juicy and mind, body and soul are in perfect rhythm, we start accelerating. While starting a new business, experienced entrepreneurs know to build the right eco-system, use all the funds wisely on the activities that matter to build the successful business. This activity is typically done by entrepreneurs own funds or outside seed money. This is the most expensive money you would ever spend – so be wise and don’t run too fast at the beginning. Remember, building a successful business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon – go slow and conserve your energies. Beyond funds, you also need to be selective who you get the advise from, what kind of customers you want to recruit, what kind of team you need to put in place. Be very careful of the runners on the track who can pass you by very fast and send negative energies. There are a lot of Bozos in the business world as well who may seem the perfect match to help you build your business.

Once the solid base is in place and all parts of the business start to work in rhythm, then it is time to pick pace. The entrepreneurs start accelerating by infusing Series A funds and expanding the eco-system to scale the business-up.

And lastly the most important thing, while running, we enjoy each step all the way – we don’t wait for the finish line to come to start enjoying. Because the finish line comes in the future, and the step we take is in the present, in the now, and present is what we can enjoy. Finish line is just another step that we will enjoy as it comes. So enjoy each day while building your business and don’t keep looking for the perfect day to celebrate. When the actor, the activity and the target become one, the work becomes worship – when the runner, the running and the finish line become one, this activity becomes blissful. When the business goal and entrepreneurs passion become one, the outcome becomes a successful business.

Best wishes for all of us entrepreneurs for a blissful run! Enjoy every single step of this journey and make meaning in our society.

Life is good!