WHY join a startup ?

The new talk of the town these days have been “start-ups”. A plethora of companies are coming up with an aim to imitate the success gained by Facebook, WhatApp, Twitter etc. Apart from new college pass outs; start-ups appeal to people working in large MNCs for several reasons including flexibility and unique growth opportunities. Some are of the opinion that working in a large-scale organization does not give them enough freedom to put forth their views or ideas.

In lights of such a situation, working at a start-up poses to be an attractive prospect. Being a part of the start-up allows a person to make their own mark, undergo a broader learning experience and express ideas. Having started my career with a start-up, here is a list of a few reasons why you should consider joining a start-up as a part of your next career move:

High career growth opportunities:

Of course this is the most obvious reason why most of us opt to join a start-up. For a freshman just out of college start-ups provides an opportunity to step-up and lead, while accelerating career growth simultaneously. Additionally, as the company grows the scope of responsibility and experience increases too. You grow with the company.

Flexibility:

Working hours are flexible; but that doesn’t imply it’s easier. You as an individual should exhibit the ability to flow with the changes as needed by the business when essential that may include working at odd hours when required. Several start-ups allow their employees to work-from home or have flexible schedules. This primarily appeals to individuals who seek work-life balance. The first few years are considerably difficult; however once the business is set and you get resources to handle your workload, you have the prospect of working at flexible hours.

Unparalled experience:

Start-ups satiate your need to learn, it give you a holistic view of how things work in an organization. As several start-ups comprise small teams, limited number of employees you get an opportunity to learn a variety of skills. Also there exists a significant amount of camaraderie amongst the colleagues, making it to be a healthy work environment.

A new company essentially relies on the talent of each employee, and therefore you are at an advantage of being given a responsibility of working on a client project. Start-ups give you this excellent opportunity of taking on responsibilities and be accountable for meeting timelines, which allows you to be more creative, versatile, confident and productive. 

Being an entrepreneur

Who are entrepreneurs? We all know the answer to this question, but how many of us really have it in us to be one? Entrepreneurs in some way have always fascinated me - choosing a path different than others, the drive to innovate and not follow the crowd is something that makes them even more unique. They bring about positive effects to the society, community and economy of the nation, and inspire a vast majority that dreams come true.

Recently, I have started reading quite a lot about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs, and I am amazed with their exceptional business ideas. We see a lot of entrepreneurs; however I am more inclined towards the ones who start from a scratch, innovate and despite the criticism they receive are determined to move and achieve their dreams. The kind of energy they exhibit is contagious; they are here to thrive, survive and be their own boss.

In a country such as ours, anything that deviates from the mainstream is always looked down upon. If you have 9 to 5 desk job you are considered to be more successful and of course an eligible groom or bride. However, the picture is fast changing with a rise in number of start-ups. So what does it really take to be an entrepreneur? How to know your business idea is viable; well start by asking a few of the questions to yourself:

Does the idea aim at solving a problem?

Can it be sold at a reasonable price or does it even have the potential to generate revenue?

Does it appeal to the mass market?

If you have answers to the aforementioned basic questions, then it is most likely that you are on the right track. Apart from a good idea, be a realist, humble, honest and have a proper knowledge about your strengths as well as weaknesses. It might so happen that to make a business work you may have to sacrifice family, friends, time or your social life. Well I am not advocating that you will have to; but you should at least be prepared. Last but not the least, do not be a jack of all trades and master of none, and focus on your vision and goals.

I am an amateur to write about the intricacies of entrepreneurship or entrepreneurs; however they inspire me to believe that dreams can be turned into reality, if you have the determination. This article was a small attempt on my part to talk about a topic that inspires me. In future, I want to meet a few entrepreneurs in Pune, interview them and put forth their thoughts, ideologies and their business ideas.

Please don’t forget to give in your feedback or write me back on madhumita.work@gmail.com and express your views or discuss ideas.

Ideas that click !

Every aspiring entrepreneur looks out for an idea, a eureka moment that will translate into profitability. Most of them spend lifetime figuring out ways to realize their dreams, while a few take up the courage, and impulsively go ahead with their ideas. BoxMySpace was one such innovative idea that caught my attention, and intrigued me to delve in further to understand this brilliant business concept.

On a lazy Saturday, while I was going through some YouTube videos to kill boredom, I came across an advertisement “BoxMySpace”. Well to be frank I usually skip YouTube ads ( I’m sure most of us do), but this one caught my attention; What a million dollar idea! Imagine a situation wherein you have to move out on a month long business project, and you are in dilemma as to where you can store a few of your personal belongings until you return.

In another case, if your landlord asked you to vacate the place without a prior notice, the first thought would be, ‘Where do I keep my belongings until I manage to find a new place’. Of course, friends, family and relatives are the first ones that come to our mind; however we tend to refrain from bothering them. The founders of BoxMySpace have just managed to understand these day to day issues people might face, and turn into a viable business idea.

Well, BoxMySpace is a unique storage solution allowing people declutter their office or home space in an easy and pocket friendly way. The western market has seen emergence of several self storage concepts, for instance MakeSpace in the United States; however implementing a similar idea in India was something new. The company is a Mumbai-based venture founded by Mr Pratyush, and the service can be availed through a web portal or a mobileapp.

For the customers to avail this service they need to order boxes online, which are then dropped off at the end-users convenience. Now, all the customer needs to do is pack their stuff. The company’s staff then picks up the boxes and transports them to the intended storage location. A customer can retrieve their goods anytime, as and when needed through a simple online process. The company allows people to store their goods for a week, month and more than year. Further, as a part of their value added service, the company offers an insurance of upto Rs. 50,000 per box and Rs. 1,00,000 for the items stored in the space at absolute no cost. These services can be availed by hostelers to travelers.

A concept like this is very new in India, and it would be interesting to see, how the company plans its strategies over the future to gain market share and expand its operations across other cities. But this surely is a good idea, and I am looking forward to experience the services offered by the company. I hope someday, I am lucky enough to have a conversation with the founder, and understand better about their business and future plans. Cheers.

For more information, please visit the company website J

http://boxmyspace.com/