Hello everyone, myself Deepak Mina. I’m a pre-final BTech student at IIT, Guwahati, Indian School, Indian Institute of Technology. And currently I’m in my third year doing chemical engineering. And I’m with my stories, I’m also doing my running my fifth venture, which is the travel company.

For me, entrepreneurship is solving the problems will source society in a profitable manner. The like, the basic manager or the people is like, if you want to solve if you want to help the society, it should be non profitable, either you have to like open an NGO or you, you have to open an organization, which is non profitable. But for me, it’s not like that you can make the profit while helping the society. And that’s what entrepreneurship is all about for me.

So, like, in India, it’s not very, it’s very much read to founders, a student entrepreneur who is studying and who is also like working on his startup. So, like, I started this, my first startup in my second semester, that was, like, I was not very much passionate at that point of time. But in my second year, I was very much passionate, and I just wanted to pursue this thing only.

So I had to what, like management studies, also my class classes, also, there were minimal percentage of attendance, I had to attend the class. And so all these things like I had to manage, but my professors were against this thing.

One of my professor was, so against that, he just got me into termination list. He just told the like, administration that this guy is not listening to the professor, and he’s not obeying the rules of the institute’s. So like, he just made me like, what, there’s a disciplinary committee.

So he just put me in that list. And that was, I would say, very, was horrible experience. Because I was about to get terminated from the college and no one knew, even my parents were not new, like, aware of this thing. And I was like, if I got terminated, what will happen, if only my friends were knowing about this thing, but somehow I was able to manage this thing.

But the like, the thing I learned from these things, never, never lose your confidence. Never lose what your passion, if you’re really passionate about something, there is always a way and there is always a way that will like help you out. Because in when the committee way, I was called calling a meeting to end the professor had given me two choices whether to pursue entrepreneurship.

If I pursue entrepreneurship, I will be terminated from the college. And if I don’t, and I will be taken back by the entire college. My answer was, do what I want. I will never leave my startup. And that was a kind of smart or not smart answer. There was overconfidence answer, but that was the only thing I have in my life, like my startup is only thing that makes me feel happy.

So I’d give us that answer to the professor. And the director was like, Hey, man, who are you? Like, how can you just tell the professor so confidently that you do whatever you want, and you will pursue a strategy, you will not leave, leave the startup. And after that, they just he won’t remove my name from the termination list. And all these things.

So being next to the entrepreneur is not easy, but it’s not difficult. It’s not at all impossible. It’s very much possible. Also just need to have manage your times.

You have to manage if you want to go to chill out with your friends how you want to work on a startup, do you want to have like watch a movie? Or are you like, do you want to study so it’s basically management like time management.

So being next to the entrepreneur is not easy, but it’s not difficult. It’s not at all impossible. It’s very much possible. Also just need to have manage your times. You have to manage if you want to go to chill out with your friends how you want to work on a startup, do you want to have like watch a movie? Or are you like, do you want to study so it’s basically management like time management is so the main thing that is important for pursuing any career like whether it’s entrepreneurship or any career is passion, like for me, it’s the passion.

If I really passionate about a particular thing you you are doing, there’s always a way so there’s like, quite interesting story, I would like I would like to share when I went when I went to Chandigarh I was coming back from Chandigarh to Guwahati by train only, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any money like all my money was spent and I and I was not in a position to call my parents and ask for money because they were against this thing at that point of time.

So what I did, I went to went to rehabilitation did the like Porter work for for around four hours before by train and after four hours, I just collected around 500 600 rupees and from that since 600 rupees like I used I used in my journey from Chandigarh to Guwahati. And at that point of time, I didn’t realize what exactly I’m doing but I was I just wanted to do that thing.

But after that, I realized like I’m really passionate about this thing, because at that point, I was not I was not having that passion. But if I can do a potter thing, Mr. Potter’s work, then I can do anything. Like, if I can figure out the way in any situation in any situation.

So the main thing is passion. Like if you’re the passion you can do, and if at awkwardness transition between the ideas. So like my family’s, my whole family is from the like, is a government, government employer that my father, my uncle, my grandfather, everyone is a government employee.

So I didn’t have any experience of what exactly businesses. So for me, each and every idea was just an experience. I, like started each and every idea to get the expense of the industry, I didn’t have anything to make a big startup, or I would make an unicorn or like that, all I wanted is experience.

So that’s what my main motive was. And slowly and gradually, I learned, like, my first field was agriculture. Because like, in India, agriculture is the main sector. And then after I got shifted to education, and after education, I currently am in travel industry.

So from all these things, I just got the experience. And that’s what I was, like, always willing to get at never had any, like intention of making money, or building a big startup now have the intention of building a big startup. But at the starting, I just wanted to have the experience of what exactly businesses and how you do business.

So the first I will talk about how to make new connections, and then I will talk about how you can use your existing contacts. So for making new connections, all you need is internet and LinkedIn account. That’s all you need. Because LinkedIn is a platform where you can use it to a great extent, because I did it.

First of all, my aim was to close the 500 connections. And then after what I was doing, like, at first, I was sending random requests to anyone, I was not knowing who this guy is, but I was just saying, because I have to reach that 500 connections mark.

after that. I searched according to the field, I’m working, if I’m working in travel, I will search travel, if I want to person in travel in Delhi, or search I can I call into that. And as soon as they accept my connection, I just said hello. So Hello, ma’am. There was a first like first message I was sending to them. Because it shows that you are really what you really want to like, take out something from you really want to learn from them.

It’s not basically you are just making connection for the sake of connection, you really want to learn from them. So that was the first thing I’m doing. As soon as the connection is made, they accept the connection request, I send a message and then after they reply, and then after I pitch my idea, I directly pitch my idea.

Some of them reply to me in Fosco, but others don’t. But I think like if you believe in yourself, and if you know that you are not doing any like bad work or bad thing, then you can like I would say stick to them. message them again and again till the time you they don’t reply.

There’s a quite interesting story. I just wanted to meet the UNESCO like UNESCO India president. So what I did, I just mail each and every day to the UNESCO. I did, it’s to each and every member of the UNESCO like whether it’s HR members, management members sales member, or even like electric like engineer over there, or anyone I was mailing, I would just spam in their accounts, nothing else. That that’s the way I like to miss, I like to make contacts. Because if you if you mail at once, they will feel like Oh, this guy is some like an other guys who is asking for help.

And afterwards he will go. But if you continuously spam their account, they one day they will realize, like let’s talk do this what he exactly wants, he’s spamming our accounts, what exactly was let’s give five years to him. And then after, like, realize what exactly he wants.

So that’s my way of making connections. And secondly, how to use your existing connections. The problem with existing connection is that they know your background, they know who you are, who you are your family, your father, your mother, they think.

So play with the emotions. It’s like my father’s friend was there. And his son just needed to have some experience of like, I would say, startup, so what I did, I just told him, You work for me.

I will give you the expense, I don’t have the money, but I will give you the expenses that is required. So that’s the emotion is the emotion I am emotional the time billing between them.

And because if you if I will talk about like there was a CA my, my father’s friend, he was a he was a father’s friend. And I had to because at first I was not knowing how to calculate the valuation of startup.

So I wanted that ca to calculate the valuation of my startup. But he was I’m a big CLI I’m work from work for the government of goods rather how can I do this thing. So just told my father you have what your son is doing. He’s just, like telling me to do such small work.

So, from that, I learned that if you have the accessory contact, play with the emotions of the person, because that that might be something the person needs, or there might be something the person son’s daughter, or any anyone needs.

So use them use that thing. And new connections be like, I would stick to the thing is to stick to the person, stick to the person you wanted to talk, you want to draw, you want help from them.

So the main thing that is important for pursuing any career like whether it’s entrepreneurship or any career is passion, like for me, it’s the passion. If I really passionate about a particular thing you you are doing, there’s always a way so there’s like, quite interesting story, I would like I would like to share when I went when I went to Chandigarh I was coming back from Chandigarh to Guwahati by train only, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any money like all my money was spent and I and I was not in a position to call my parents and ask for money because they were against this thing at that point of time.

So what I did, I went to went to rehabilitation did the like Porter work for for around four hours before by train and after four hours, I just collected around 500 600 rupees and from that since 600 rupees like I used I used in my journey from Chandigarh to Guwahati. And at that point of time, I didn’t realize what exactly I’m doing but I was I just wanted to do that thing. But after that, I realized like I’m really passionate about this thing, because at that point, I was not I was not having that passion.

But if I can do a potter thing, Mr. Potter’s work, then I can do anything. Like, if I can figure out the way in any situation in any situation. So the main thing is passion. Like if you’re the passion you can do, and if at awkwardness transition between the ideas.

So like my family’s, my whole family is from the like, is a government, government employer that my father, my uncle, my grandfather, everyone is a government employee. So I didn’t have any experience of what exactly businesses. So for me, each and every idea was just an experience. I, like started each and every idea to get the expense of the industry, I didn’t have anything to make a big startup, or I would make an unicorn or like that, all I wanted is experience. So that’s what my main motive was.

And slowly and gradually, I learned, like, my first field was agriculture. Because like, in India, agriculture is the main sector. And then after I got shifted to education, and after education, I currently am in travel industry. So from all these things, I just got the experience.

And that’s what I was, like, always willing to get at never had any, like intention of making money, or building a big startup now have the intention of building a big startup. But at the starting, I just wanted to have the experience of what exactly businesses and how you do business.

Oh first I’ll talk about the culture, the how good or the culture influenced me. So like my whole childhood, and my whole, like school days, were expanding, not only in America.

So were there I like my my friends were there whose father was a businessman. And I learned a lot of about visit like normal business like business, you can pursue the career as a businessman also.

So it’s like it’s a common saying that in Gujarat, his blood businesses always there. I was, like, Gujrati by blood, I will run study. But like as my childhood and my school, school all, like all I spending was Darth only. So the business part was something inside me. In from the childhood only, like, I like to talk to the business fans, to the like to the fathers of my friends. And I like to talk, talk to them.

And now the family part like as, like my whole family, I met my father and everyone is a government employee. At first they thought that I’m just doing this as like hobby, or just an enjoyment thing.

In my first two years, they were just like, he is doing okay, let him do. And afterwards he is going to like, join the do any government job only. But in a third year when I like, told my family that No, I just want to pursue this as a career as a full fledged career or not as a side thing, or that.

At first they were like, what I was like, what? In Hindi? I would say this just told me bout okay, like, Have you gone mad? Why are you doing this, like no one, no any family have ever done this.

And there’s no job security and all these things. But I just told my father and my mother, like, just give me some, like six months. Afterwards, I will like if I don’t do anything, I will do whatever you want me to do. But if I do something, I will pursue this as a career.

So after seeing what the hard work, I’m like putting and after going to so many boot camps. And like the after, when I was selected for the US UN conference. At that point of time, my father realized that know that he’s seriously doing hard work in this. And he really wants to like do something in this.

So let him do. So at first my like, family was almost like opposite me. But right now, they are quite like supporting like they are supporting by, right Oh, my mother still wants me to be like government officer.

But I have just told her like, just wait for a year I will make really do something big and you will, you will be not in a position to tell him like you do a government job.

And in this whole process, the like, what I would say the support the major support from them from my family side, my sister, like she don’t know anything about business. She don’t know anything about entrepreneurship.

But still, she supported me. She fought with my parents, she fought with everyone who like from my family who is opposing me with opposing my decision of pursuing entrepreneurship.

She has been my constant support. And my uncle like my mother’s mother’s brother. Like I have two uncles in Hindi we called mama.

So they were always like, they also supported me throughout throughout, like they my uncle does explain my mother like what exactly this entrepreneurship is all about. No business can be a thing. And if he really do something, it can be a big thing also.

So this was a members who supported me from a family said, and I feel like my whole life is what I will say, and influence of my friends. I was six I have six best friend I will say and five are from my institute, Sonia and one is like, well, one is in Cancun, and she’s, she’s not in my institute. But all of these six have helped me and supported me throughout the way.

Like whether I’m sad or whether I’m crying or whether I’m I have achieved something. There have been constant support for me. They’ve taught me how to like talk to the parents and how to make them realize like to, like make them realize entrepreneurship, and all these things. So these people has always, always been my support and consulting companies.

So the first thing always remember one thing, if you ever want to start a startup, all you need is phone or laptop and internet connection. Because internet, internet is every damn thing you want, every every information you want. So that’s the first thing. And second thing, always remember that idea is just point 1% of what your startup is all about.

Idea is nothing like I would say, it’s just a thing that you want to build up upon. All is the, what I would say the major factor affecting startup is timing. There’s a, I read a case study about Airbnb, Uber, Airbnb, and Uber got famous after the 2008.

And by after 2008, because in 2008, economic races were there throughout the throughout the world. And at that point of time, each and everyone want to earn extra money, like it’s an ever one two, was like finding opportunity where they can earn some extra money.

So by Airbnb, people can earn by renting their house their rooms, and by Uber, the one who knows how to drive a car, and the one who knows how to like when I have many cars, they were earning money by that.

And that was the best timing, Uber and Airbnb came, they held the people. And that’s why they, they’re so worried right now, the timing is the most important factor, which affects the startup.

If I talk about right now, in India, like Indian economy, Indian economy is going through like vast changes, it is the slowing down and all these things. But this is the best time where one can start a startup, this this, like by 2022 2023, these are the years where you should start a startup if you really want to.

And after that, you need what passion. Because if you don’t have the passion, it doesn’t matter your timing, what your timing is, what your idea is, if you’re really passionate about something, you can handle each and everything, whether it’s failure or not, it doesn’t matter.

For me, failure is nothing failure is just to experience what I’m getting. And I love to fail. I failed so many times. So that’s why I love feeling because I just get the experience. And so now I will not do that particular thing, which I’ve done before, because I know that that will not work. So that is the thing. And, and the like from Indians perspective, you might face the life or pose for you might face opposition from your family. But it’s all normal.

Because their mindset is not of what of like this generation, their mindset is quite old and all the same. But if you are really if you really do something if you really do hard work, you can make them realize, no, this can be a thing and from from the opposition party, they will come in support a part and family is the one who who is the one like I will say they can support you throughout your life and they support matters a lot. So for starting a startup, or not exactly startup for pursuing any career. All you need is passion and hard work.