Little things do make a difference

There is a story of a little girl who was on the beach one day after the tide had rolled out. On this beach hundreds of fish washed up on the shore. The little girl was picking them up one at a time and throwing them back in, when a man approached her saying, little girl, you can’t make a difference for there are thousands on the beach. She looked at him as she threw another one in and said it made a difference to that one.

The Bible says: "Unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities." Most of us tend to think it’s big things that make a big difference, but when we trace the sequence of events in our day-to-day life, we will find that eventually what leads to that big opportunity is the result of a lot of little things being done. If we look at all the little things that we did, we will see the invisible train that leads to our big breaks. A journey of thousand miles begins with one step, including downwards treks.

Sound mind in a sound body. We may earn good grades in our studies but at the same time if we do not take care of our health and our mental well-being, all is futile. We need to manage our time in such a way that we find time for exercise, that we eat at the right time and that we get sufficient sleep. All this daily routine looks small but if not followed, the consequences could be colossal.

Peter F Drucker, the management guru, says: "Man’s most perishable resource is time and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed. Each minute is a little thing and yet, with respect to our personal productivity to manage, the minute is the secret of success."

How do we maintain our relationship with our friends, our parents? Do we take time to remember some of the simple courtesies that are so important in our effort to build personal regard and graciousness in relationship with others? Do we remember the smile, the compliment, the positive note and the word of encouragement?

We should do these important little things without reserve. They should be a part of our everyday manner as we groom ourselves socially in the critical young-adult years. One quality of character most needed in this world is compassion for other people. One of the urgent lessons of life is to learn how to deal with imperfections in ourselves and in others. And if we are not altogether pleased with us, it should be easy to understand why we are not altogether pleased with others.

Courtesy: ET, 7 Oct 2009, 0451 hrs IST, L R Sabharwal, COSMIC UPLINK

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Rising Stars: Young entrepreneurs turning dream into a reality

It’s a goal!

At the age of nineteen, when most people are still pursuing their degrees and trying to chalk out a career path, Naveen Aranha already had a job offer in hand. “I was offered a job in a Dubai-based internet business by my brother. While I enjoyed the fact that it was a new, funky industry, I found things coming too easy. And that was the fundamental reason for me to take the plunge in a different direction,” says the commerce graduate. Driven by the hunger to achieve success, he was back in India within three months.

Channeling his love for sports not in the area of playing but production, Aranha decided to start a sports content company. While most people struggle to get the moolah required for setting up a company, Aranha had it relatively easy. “My father advised me to register a company and helped me with the initial, minimum share capital required to be incorporated according to the Act. However, there was no other financial borrowing. Every piece of earning was ploughed back into the business. It was probably slower and more gradual but reduced our overall risk quite drastically. So, while it was more hard work – the lack of any financial strain, made it a lot more enjoyable,” he says.

While he had the resolve of a zealot, his age and inexperience were definitely roadblocks to look out for. “While age or the lack of it was clearly a factor, the lack of real-world experience at the start was something I was even more conscious about. I made up for that with plenty of extra effort in any department desired. If people ever wondered about taking me seriously, I was probably quick to lay those doubts to rest. Being sincere, transparent and honest with your clients goes a long way. I was permitted odd mistakes, simply because there was enough trust and confidence built at the other end, by often delivering above expectations,” says the young turk.

Aranha is a happy man today. The hard work has surely paid dividends. He is now the CEO of Sportz Interactive, a B2B web-based sports content company. “Starting from scratch, taking those first steps and seeing those steps convert to leaps is the biggest high for an entrepreneur. You could compare that to a parent watching a baby grow up. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s a very exciting phase,” he says enthusiastically.
Age, no bar!

Age may be a deterrent or a motivator; it depends on the way you perceive it. For Rohina Anand, her age is her biggest asset. The 23 year old is the owner and design coordinator of AA Living, an interior décor store at Napean Sea Road (Mumbai). “Being young is my greatest strength. At 23, I have the energy levels and passion to drive myself to the top of the creative world of design and textiles.” She might be young but Anand surely has an impressive resume by her side. After six years of specialising in woven textiles, both in India and the UK, she graduated with an honors degree after winning three national prizes.“I was fortunate enough to complete an internship with global retail giants, Marks and Spencer, where I worked closely with their merchandising, buying and design teams for home interiors. This made me gain more confidence in my vision and have the belief to embark upon AA Living,” says Anand.

AA Living started off as an export showroom for the multinational company Faze Three Ltd but Anand soon took over management and re-launched the store. With recession and a limited budget out to play spoilsport, she did face hiccups initially. “I did face some financial constraints when I embarked upon this project since it was formerly an export showroom and funding was extremely limited. Our budget did not allow me to advertise and shout out the brand from the rooftops or make a grand entrance into the retail market. Re-launching the store during a time of recession was difficult as well, as we found people are more conservative about spending money on redoing their homes or buying new apartments.”

But the most difficult hurdle to overcome was the Indian consumer’s price-conscious mindset towards home interiors. “There isn't enough importance given to interiors; the average consumer concentrates so much on fashion but fails to recognise that their home is an extension of their personality. I am also working hard at bringing in new machine washable fibers, materials and designs into our store that aren’t available anywhere else in Mumbai, and until now, the response has been overwhelming which is extremely encouraging,” she says reassuringly.

Dancing to a new tune

Sometimes, when opportunity knocks at your door, it’s best to seize it at the same moment. And that’s what Sumeet Nagdev did. “I feel when an idea pops up in your mind, you shouldn't delay it. I always wanted to make my career in the world of dance but the moment of reckoning came when I was getting this place at Dadar (Mumbai) for rent and I had an option whether to take it or not. I did,” he says with firm conviction. He was barely 19 then.
Expectedly, there was no dearth of sceptics ready with unsolicited advice. “Nobody believed in it. Even my closest friend told me to think twice. A lot of people said it’s a bad location for studio as there was a garbage bin outside and not very prime. I believed and I knew it back then that this was going to be a success,” he says recalling his prophetic statement.

With neither familial support nor monetary, the youngster had to generate resources on his own. “I used to take tuitions for maths and accounts for school students to collect money for my studio. Then, I was also teaching dance at schools and people’s houses. I invested all the money I had saved and then took a loan from a friend with no idea whether I'll be able to repay or no,” says Nagdev. Today he is the founder- director and chief choreographer of Expressions Modern Dance Company.

These young individuals go on to prove that if you have the willingness to learn and the determination to excel, all barriers could be easily overcome!

Courtesy: ET, 12 Oct 2009, 2354 hrs IST, Anju Maskeri, ET Bureau

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