Entrepreneurs are the change agents in many ways. Aren’t they the ones who doggedly pursue an idea to reality and make a difference? Almost everything around us are the products of entrepreneurs - aren’t they the engine who keep innovations going. Aren’t we seeing the world moving more towards startups? More than 20% of management school graduates are either starting up or joining a start up. And that percentage keeps growing. Our kids would work in at least a few?

How many of you are sitting on the sidelines with ideas but don’t know how to realize them? In an increasingly fickle world where jobs and steady incomes are less assured, wouldn’t you like to get to know the world of entrepreneurship.

Of course there are some places in the world, like the Bay Area and few others, where the journey is much understood. I have been fortunate to see up close these ecosystems around the world and understand how they tick. The ecosystems consist of many aspects like innovation, attitudes to risks and failures, and much more.

You may find this interesting so you can get to appreciate what makes the entrepreneurial journey so unique...I realize that if more of us were to appreciate the journey,

• Many journeys(as mine could have been) would be lighter and maybe a bit easier

• More of you can be inspired to pursue your dreams in a realistic manner to make a meaningful difference to the world

Frankly when I started in 2016, I had little understanding of the effort involved. But over the 4 years, I have had more than a peek! Many have walked the path world over, and I think I am fortunate to be walking the path. I have had my share of life with all its vicissitudes, but the last four years as an entrepreneur has been like none before. This is not meant to glorify this cult of entrepreneurs(though, i know that is what it sounds like), call them foolish, dreamers, unreal, selfish, gold diggers... For every successful entrepreneur there are thousands who have not realized their dreams.

Let me start with how I became one?(ref my article...The Nudge) In 2016, having just quit Hewlett-Packard after a corporate career of more than two decades; I had a few ideas that could make a difference to the way we lived our daily lives.

I had been thinking about starting up on my own for a few years, and in early 2016 I took the plunge. At that point I had no idea what it would be like. During my corporate career, I have been successful in starting many businesses from scratch. A start up couldn't be that difficult, could it?

I started building the FRIDAY.LIFE solution in 2016 in Singapore, with a few paid customers. Working with businesses and members, the platform was built with15/30 day technology sprints over two years.

FRIDAY.LIFE enables growth for businesses by providing them with an end to end SaaS Member Engagement platform. The solution boosts productivity by automating operations, reduces churn with a delightful experience for members. It enables us, consumers be in control of our lives. How delightfully easy would it be for us to manage our lives on mobile with a few clicks?

Once the platform was built, the question was how do you scale this business? A big challenge since the solution addresses multiple business verticals and business sizes.

Moved to India in 2018 to figure out the go-to-market and scaling vectors. After more than 75 proposals and many Letters of Intent, we were convinced that the pain points were large and urgent, we were also convinced about the efficacy of the solution in solving them. We had a good strategy to move forward. However what became very apparent was the need for technology leadership, in the fast changing contexts of mobile, security and cloud.

Pursuing that leadership, moved to the Bay Area last year. I now have a market entry strategy across verticals in the US. The validation of the solution and business models have been across cities and business leaders. Was in the process of forming the team, raising money and roll outs. There are sizeable challenges.

Then came the Covid-pivot leading me to Singapore. This has allowed time for reflection.

But the journey over these years has convinced me that the entrepreneur’s journey is tough, very tough. Why is that?

A) Uncertainty

If somebody had told me that in 2016, that in 4 years, I would be traveling across 7 to 8 cities globally, working on the various aspects of building a start up in each of these ecosystems,

• Selling the vision to more than 100 businesses, teams and businesses

• Seeking teams with the right culture

• Raising funds for a SaaS business

• Structuring the company

• Getting the right advisors and experts and teams

• Building and understanding the needs of technology long term

• Setting up my personal and office spaces

• Figuring out work visas across countries

I would have said, surely you are smoking some serious s***?

And the whole journey was a progression of valid business stages - I followed these paths as that is the only way this business could have a long term possibility. Of course, it would be crazy to even consider that this would have been possible without the right support all along. In many ways and in many forms. Thank you all. But what I am pointing to is the uncertainty of it all.

After two and more decades of certainty in the corporate space, to jump into this where every day is an unknown takes an effort, don’t you think? You know how structured and predictable most jobs are? There was comfort, predictability and security in the monthly salary and corporate career. And it is good.

B) The Highs and Lows

Over time after the initial euphoria, the founder is often juggling multiple outcomes and decisions on a daily basis. Each day comes with a sense of expectations, many times with a sense of foreboding. No two days are alike and he cant even predict a week down the road. There is elation, anxiety, fear and happiness all rolled up and many unknowns. He is making decisions when impact many short and long term elements of the business. And most of the time, he is hustling and winging it.

He is operating with his gut all the time. And with so much at risk, it is not easy.

In most careers the results of the efforts happen after a sustained period where the basic hygienes of salaries, employees, team and monies are managed by the environment or the company you work for. In a start up, you are essentially managing this on a day to day basis. The job of the founder is essentially to sell the vision, hire and retain talent and keep the money in the bank.

So many times has the night lamp been switched off, with an understanding that tomorrow will be the last day of the business; now I know that it is just the way it is.

C) Money and Survival

Have I made some mistakes? Yes, a few times. Was a time a couple years back, when on the back of promised orders, had to risk committing to technology build for a not so small a sum. The orders were delayed and the payment came due.

Of course, we all know that money means all. In a corporate world, most of us don’t come face to face with survival of the business, of your people, of your family. A start up with threaten all of their and more ...and many times. What that takes out of the founder, what what makes him, well that is what it is.

D) The Bloody Details

Underneath the business and strategic parts, lurks the grunt work of setting up of multiple operating bases including co-work offices, living spaces with full kitchen and internet/TV connections... Imagine doing this a few times across cities in India and in the US. This can get real tough. And over the course of the 4 years, have set up almost 4 bases across continents.

I am sure you know what it takes of a person to set up an office and operational aspects - legal, company formations, IT connections, personal stays? The details are a drain of resources, of energy and of many things unpleasant. But the responsibility to get it right cannot be overstated - it impacts all things future.

And it never ends - this is the way it is.

E) And he is alone!

By now, some of you are rolling your eyes, saying surely this is overstated! And I am a sole founder.

The reality is that only the founder knows the totality of the cards dealt to him. Only he understands the choices and the risks. His family and friends get slivers of his reality.

He needs support, the bleachers cheering and most of all, understanding. You may not agree with what he is doing or what he is up to, you may not get what is trying to create, but that is okay. But give him the respect to let him be the judge of his decisions. You may see it as wrong, but let him fall and learn. You have no right to make him wrong because most often you don’t get his set of choices. With your conversations with him, you can make sure that the conversation leaves him energized and not leave him bleaker! He has enough to that already.

As I write this, I cannot but be impressed and in awe of all those who have walked this path.

Every founder has his set of challenges, but in the headlines of the fortunes made by a few, all his struggles and daily grinds are missed. The sustained 14 plus hour days over many many years may possibly lead to a great outcome. There are many many books written about these efforts. I invite you to read those. The more I have dived into these journeys, the more assured am I, that I am not alone. I have had my challenges and yes, at this point I have no idea how FRIDAY.LIFE will shape up. So as I sit here, taking stock, I look back and marvel at what it takes to make a start up happen.

In the mature start up environs like the US, I realised that my journey isn’t unique. All those aspects I had lived and discovered were common place with most founders. All my hunches about building and scaling a start up - culture, design, the ups and downs, the health of the founder...were common considerations. Every founder goes through this and that is comforting is some odd sort of way. It is just the way it is.

And therein lies my motivation to share my experience. Somebody put it best recently in one of the recent events - Do not become an entrepreneur, but if you decide to, it is a beautiful! The world needs more entrepreneurs but it will be far healthier if they start with the right expectations.

In these 4 years, I have reinvented myself powerfully in the space of Customer Engagement built on delightful Customer Experience over mobile. Consumers are evolving and want more personalised offerings. Most businesses are struggling to get this right but understand that this would provide sticky customers and sustained growths. Thinking through this can often lead to powerful business models and competitive advantages.

Having made proposals to more than 100 business, big and small, across countries, I am confident that this will shape the outcome of many businesses. My career of running more than 15 businesses and all my life experiences come to bear in this expertise. Enabling the experiences of the consumer and business with technology is where I am at my very best and today, this is what i would pick to do over anything else.

Who would have thought this possible when it all began in 2016?