I have always wondered what makes the 20 somethings set aside their academic pursuits and plunge into ‘being on their own’?
What’s that propels and fuels this fire of entrepreneurial ambition? Nay, surely neither nepotism nor heredity (first hand experience at home!😃)
What gives them such a huge risk taking appetite and attitude so early on? Don’t they fear failures? I mean, isn’t it a common problem with most humans?
Phew! Many more such questions kept spinning in my head and voila suddenly (for me) it happened!
Few years back, my son, all of 16, walked up to us during early days of the pandemic and proudly announced he and his friend (couple of years younger than him) have set a start up of their own in fashion streetwear and that they have made their first online sale for 1500/-!! There is surely some ‘kick’ which propels this further!
Well after the euphoria settled and he explained their business model, I was amazed with the amount of clarity of thought on purpose and goals these guys had. So ‘Clarity’ I ranked as numero uno.
All big corporate strategic talk to the bins, these guys had a clear milestone linked plan of how they would grow their business – ‘Planning’ comes next then!
There is just no replacement to hard work – every night the boys would sit late into the night designing their next ‘drops’ (learnt that’s what products are called in digital sales world!) – ‘Efforts’ it is!
I would have never imagined putting together a marketing plan as solid as what these guys came up with at such an age (I was enjoying the freedom on FYJC like most of our generation at 16-17!). Reaching out to ‘relevant’ influencers on Instagram , cutting deals with them, attracting them with freebies to promote their products..drops. Now that’s ‘Strategy’!
‘Pull up your sleeves and slog it out!’. While their IP is the design, the boys (I dare not call them boys now knowing what they are up to) were very clear that customers would keep coming to them only due to quality, designs and price in that order! So right from sourcing the raw material, contracting tailors and printers and delivery agents – every minute detail was attended to first hand. Though it’s more by design as there’s not much choice for a lean startup but nothing to belittle the efforts in ‘getting in done’! So finally ‘Execution’ it is…all the way!
And lastly, I believe, the proverbial ‘entrepreneurship bug’ has bitten them! This would for surely be followed up with more such amazing miracles!
Today my son (https://www.instagram.com/ved.iyer?igsi=MXQzNGs5NDhmY2MzMg==) is building his personal brand as a fitness and life skills influencer alongside his business venture VRSZ at the age of 23! Wishing him all the success and learnings!
Leave a comment