To become a successful entrepreneur and raise your bar, challenging yourself is the ultimate secret to get closer to the aim. To achieve what you have dreamt of,  you have to push yourself and it mainly depends on the person what he/she wants to accomplish. In my journey so far, I have learnt that challenges keep budding entrepreneurs nimble and on their toes. Believe it or not, building your own empire from scratch takes every bit of your heart, soul, blood, and sweat. But if you know how to handle tough situations and steps taken to solve a crisis, then an entrepreneur will be prepared for what may come on their way.

You don’t become successful overnight, it takes time, hence, patience is the key. Always remember that a journey always originates from the ground. After completing my MBA from IMT, I began my career as a banker and worked at Kotak and Citibank. With no entrepreneurial background, I quit the banking field and decided to take the risk as my conscience urged me to take baby steps towards my dream of being an entrepreneur. Till now the decision motivated me every day to achieve the goals. But in those two years, I learned the basic and observed how to manage teams, and imply strategic decision.

For entrepreneurs, the word ‘growth’ signifies many forms. It can be either revenue growth or business expansion, increase in employee workforce or earning new clients. Thus, ‘Growth’ as a whole is very challenging and succeeding in all forms is what a real entrepreneur should aim at.

I have been in the industry for more than a decade now, and since the time I have incorporated a few steps which are being reflected in where I am today.

I believe, five key elements are crucial for any entrepreneur to start his/her journey. Passion, Perseverance, Resilience, Proactiveness, and Right attitude are the main characteristics which I have attributed and have helped me in attaining success.

People before Profit

Richard Branson has said, “Clients do not come first, employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients”.

Being the head of an organisation, I always admire the aforementioned thought and believe that employees are the key to the success of any organisation or a start-up. In any business, employees are the most vital asset and they act as your brand ambassador in the real world. I firmly believe that it's my duty as well as responsibility to provide a positive corporate environment where employees are motivated and inspired every day. Grooming employees for advancement are ideal ways to prepare for the future, factors like appreciating workers, motivating them, having an open dialogue are some valuable tool that benefits the employee and employer too.

Long term profitability vs. short term gains

To stay strong and survive in the business, both profitability and growth are equally important. Both aspects go hand-in-hand when it comes to taste business success. Small wins give you the strength and confidence to achieve bigger ones.

However, we should be mindful of short term gains, because few people tend to lose the track and satisfy their inner self. Short-term profit might look attractive, but the long-term goal is what builds a brand. My advice for budding entrepreneurs is, always try to scale up the business rather than worrying about profit when it is started. 

Long Pain taking process over shortcuts

Don’t take shortcuts route. Whether it’s planning for the year or planning for the next five years, it’s important to have a roadmap to understand where you are going and how you will get there. Hard work and patience makes you strong and gives an inner strength to fight the ordeals which come in the way and come out of it stronger. In every business, ups and downs are part of life but that doesn’t mean we restrict ourselves from taking the risk. At last my message to the budding entrepreneur is that It's easy to follow other's footprints, but taking steps which become footprints for others to follow is indeed great. You can achieve this when you become an admiration for others and people admire you. And you can be an admiration only by following your inner soul, doing what you want, the way you want and when you want.

About Author


Himanshu Arya, a banker turned into an entrepreneur, is a pleasant example of ‘Where there is a will there’s a way.’ Himanshu always dreamt of building something of his own, he decided to move away from a cosy banking job and a fixed income in 2009 to start a software company, Grapes Software. Himanshu was courageous enough to leap into the uncharted territories of entrepreneurship. Despite several ups and downs, Himanshu followed the path and has come a long way in the last 11 years. During this time, he upgraded Grapes Software into Grapes Digital, which is currently India’s leading independent digital agency. Today, Himanshu Arya is a name to reckon with in India’s advertising business with two thriving offices across Delhi and Mumbai. He has won several awards and is a close advisor to brands on digital marketing solutions. Himanshu is an avid reader and likes to keep abreast with changing times and newer developments. He is a firm believer in collectively creating good work for the industry and motivating young talent.

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