STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH

RASHMI BANSAL

GROUP MEMBERS
BHARANI DEEKSHIT

F10A161
DINESH REDDY G F09BB05 HARISH NANDIPI F10A130 PRASHANTH F10A105 HC

SANDHYA R
F10A125 SWARUP KUMAR B V

F10A110

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rashmi Bansal is an Economics graduate from Sophia college Mumbai and an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad . She is a writer, entrepreneur and youth expert. She is the co-founder and editor of JAM( Just Another Magazine ).

STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH

The book is all about the inspiring stories of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who choose to tread a path of their own making.. This book would inspire the youngsters to dream the forbidden and achieve the impossible

CONTENTS
THE BELIVERS
THE OPPORTUNISTS

THE ALTERNATE VISION

THE BELIVERS
People who knew entrepreneurship was the chosen path. They took the plunge straight after their MBA or after working barely a couple of years. And they persevered until made it big!

THE BOOK OF JOB

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGDM, Indian Institute of

Management Ahmedabad, India 1987- 1989. BA, St Stephens College Delhi, India 1981- 1984.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Co Founder and CEO at Info Edge

Delhi, India -1990 - Present ( 21 years) Product Executive at HMM Ltd. Delhi, India -1989 - 1990 ( 1 year ) Junior Account Executive at Lintas India Ltd.

THE BOOK OF JOB

I could see my future , had I continued as a manager in the corporate sector. If I was lucky, at the end of 5years Ill be a senior product manager, in 8 years I'll be marketing manager in 25 years I might be the CEO somewhere. All this if I am really good. I used to ask myself: is this what I want in life? I didnt want to sign complex agreements, have somebody breathing down my neck and be under pressure for growth. I was comfortable, leading an uncomplicated life. Entrepreneurs are Seekers Persistence is a quality that you have to have, to be successful Entrepreneur

ROCK WITH IT ROLL WITH IT

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGDM, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1986- 1988.

ROCK WITH IT ROLL WITH IT

Entrepreneurs are smart people, they manage the risk-reward equation very well. With an IIM Ahmedabad degree, the risk is not much. You can always go and start something. If it doesnt work out, somebody will give you a job Its all about being an eternal, insane optimist. I never had the dilemma: Am I doing the right thing? Should I just shut this down and go to take up a job? Never ! Being an entrepreneur is the art and science of creating value.

SOFTWARE COWBOYS
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGDM, Indian Institute of

Management Ahmedabad, India 1977- 1979.

ASHANK DESAI (MASTEK)

SOFTWARE COWBOYS
The other strategy was to divide the project into

many micro steps so that every delivery gets some money. In time some banks started giving credit against invoices. The IT industry is like sitting on a tiger. You have to keep reinventing yourself. When you are sitting on a small market, you have to be good at many things.

SWEET SUCCESS
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1992 - 1994.

NARENDRA MURKUMBI (SHREE RENUKA SUGARS

SWEET SUCCESS
You keep thinking about how to grow the

business. Of course, you have a lot of ideas, and not everything succeeds. In every business, the more you know about the grassroots, the better. I am an entreprenuer because I want to create something. Its not the money that motivates but the size of what you built, the scale. Its always difficult to switch off. Mentally you are always there and thats hard for the family. Partly may be personal style. Also because its your own business.

AT YOUR SERVICE
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1970 - 1972.

CHENDER BALJEE (ROYAL ORCHID HOTELS)

AT YOUR SERVICE
When things are tight you monitor every expense.

Only when business doing well. Inefficiencies creep in. We compete with big names like the TAJ and WISDOR MANORS of the world.

YEH HAI YOUNGISTAN MERI JAAN

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 2002- 2004.

VARADAN KABRA (FOUNTAINHEAD SCHOOL)

YEH HAI YOUNGISTAN MERI JAAN

Education, as a business model is feasible, no doubt

about it. Except for the capital expenditure which makes life very difficult. For a preschool there's no problem.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Identify what kind of work you want to do.

Be early. You can make your mistakes while it is

cheap to make them, when there is no competition. Get great people. Enjoy your work, you wont feel it is an INTRUSION Getting the direction is probably a matter of time and working hard.

THE OPPORTUNISTS
These entrepreneurs did not plan to take this path but when opportunity knocked they seized it. Their stories go to show that you dont have to be born with it, you can develop an entrepreneurial bent of mind at any age!

TRIPPING ALONG
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1990- 1992. St. Stephens College,

Professional Experience
Co Founder and CEO

at makemytrip.com, India -2000 Charter Member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) and on the Board (since 2006) Head - IT Infrastructure(YES BANK)

DEEP KALRA (makemytrip.com )

TRIPPING ALONG
The MBA is a wonderful degree. You can either use it

as a noose, or you can use it as insurance. I would always tend to use it as insurance. My motto for my team is borrowed from JEFF BEZOS work hard, have fun, create history. But two out of three is not an option! I have only taken in capital from guys who I think can add value to us.
Investor philosophy of

Deep
When it comes to investors, and even when it comes

to your own people, loyalty is important but competence matters more.

BLOOM AND GROW

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1987- 1989. University Of Mumbai(Bachelors Degree)

Professional Experience
Founder, Chairman, CEO, MD of

EDELWEISS Capital (1995Present) Director and Member of Audit Committee of Rediff.com India

RASHESH SHAH (EDELWEISS CAPITAL)

BLOOM AND GROW

When you are the CEO and shareholder, you want to

avoid raising money because your equity goes down. When you wear only the CEOs hat, all you want is to grow as fast as possible. We always differentiate between a plan and an aspiration. There is always a short term plan but there are always long term aspirations.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE HONEY

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1987- 1989.

Professional Experience
Founder, Chairman, CEO, MD of

INDIA INFOLINE Ltd., (1995Present) NIRMAL JAIN (INDIA INFOLINE Ltd.)

ITS ALL ABOUT THE HONEY

If you are an artist like M F HUSSAIN or a player like

TIGER WOODS your individual skill only matter, and not how good a team player you are or how good team you can build. The analogy applies to business as well. Do you want to be TIGER WOODS, the golfer or Captain of Team India?
You always run

a risk, its a game of probabilities. You have to be sporting.. however good you are, you may get out for a duck.

ITS NEVER TOO LATE

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1968- 1970.

Professional Experience
Co-Founder, Executive

Chairman, of EXL Service. Director of SPICE Enfotainment Ltd.

VIKRAM TALWAR (EXL Service Ltd.)

ITS NEVER TOO LATE

It was fun of the whole thing, more than anything else

that drove me. It was creative aspect of my nature I love to cook, for example. I find that creativity. Corporate life isnt creative it was more mundane, routine At the end of the day, I had given my personal word to a lot of people who had come along with me. People had left good jobs to come work with us. You cant just walk away.. And of course there was desire to leave behind legacy. Working with a partner requires a huge amount of sacrifice, understanding and tolerance. Its like a marriage at the end of the day. I mean worse than marriage.

DRUG BARON
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1977- 1979. University of Hyderabad(Bachelors Degree)

Professional Experience
Chairman and Managing Director of

ORCHID Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Director of BEXEL

K RAGVENDRA RAO (Orchid Pharma)

Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

DRUG BARON
We started as a public limited company right from the day of the organization. Because I went and told them, I committed to this, this is my plan and this is what I have. Wherever I worked, even when I held with zero shares, my attitude towards work and project has been absolutely same. There is no point in merely saying we are all a family. We have to believe it, we have to show it, we have to behave, we have to walk the talk.

THE BANKER WHO BLINKED

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1971- 1973.

Professional Experience
Former Vice President,

General Manager of India Operations and NonExecutive Chairman of MPHASIS BFL

JERRY RAO (MPHASIS)

THE BANKER WHO BLINKED

I should have started 3-4 years earlier. If you think

about it, it could have been much bigger if we had started in 95. But thats life. You start when you get your break. You must not loose focus on cash If you dont have cash, you are up against a wall. You end up raising money at the wrong time or walking away from the business. Plans are all okay, but if you dont have the courage to take mid-course changes and corrections, particularly in highly changing environment like technology space youll get into trouble.

ITCH BIN EIN ENTREPRENUER

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1974- 1976.

SHIVRAMAN DUGAL (ICRI)

ITCH BIN EIN ENTREPRENUER

Professionals are better than entrepreneurs for

running the running business. Because an entrepreneur is too much in love with his creation. Working at other companies in my early career helped me.. to understand how an employee thinks. It also taught me the value of systems and how important it is to employ people who are better than yourself. Or your organization will never go anywhere.

MILLION DOLLAR SEAM STRESS

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1981-1983.

RUBY ASHRAF (PRECIOUS FORMALS)

MILLION DOLLAR SEAM STRESS

As an entrepreneur you dont say that I have to reach a

particular place in five years. You just keep doing whatever you are doing. You have plans, you have goals, you know a strategy. But still one doesnt anticipate that so much work will be doneyou just keep doing it. We are the only company that checks every garment before shipping, in the US. The prom foray happened in 1996 and today precise formulas is one of the major players in that market. At the upper end.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Choosing the field is very carefully. Plan the funding

very carefully. Its all about the people. Make friends at work. Never have equal partners. There should be fist among the equals. Build a core team, delegate and empower your people. Be an entrepreneur with a very good financial. Choose a goal and focus on it. You have to play multiple roles. You have to be egoistic and yo have to be humble. Passionate cannot come without knowledge around it.

THE ALTERNATE VISION

These individuals are using entrepreneurship to create social impact. Or as a platform which allows them creative expression

THE ART OF GIVING

ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1991-1993.

VENKAT KRISHNAN (giveindia)

THE ART OF GIVING

We also set up a ROTRACT club in the college,

which was very exciting. I would say my first entrepreneurial experience in a sense. We actually used to go and meet people, get them excited, get them to college and organize a career guidance fair entirely on our own. whenever you look into the things that make a difference to quality of our lives, we somehow think theres no need to apply scientific thought. I think if there is passion in the environment, people pick it up. I have seen it every place I have worked in.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
ACADEMIC
MBA/PGP, Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad, India 1975-1977.

ANAND HALVE (CHLOROPHYLL)

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
The buffer that we talk about is having enough

money in the bank to pay fixed expenses for two months you need to have it at any given point. The name chlorophyll embodies our core values: creativity and efficiency. The molecule is exceedingly efficiency because it uses every photon and its creative because it combines two unrelated things carbon dioxide and water to create something new.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Just try and experience the joy of giving first hand. For goals: Follow your heart and think of intangibles For People and Values:
Define your Dos and Don'ts .

No deal is worth losing your self-respect.

For money: Money is not an end in itself. Create love and affection in your workplace.