Chit-chat with Saurabh Kathuria!

Saurabh Kathuria

AK: Tell us something about yourself with a brief background.  
SK: Well, I am a Delhite! Someone who loves the winters and street food of Delhi. I did graduation in commerce from Delhi University and post graduation from IIFT. I have been in the learning and development industry for more than 13 years now. Worked with Sify, Symantec, Accenture Management Consulting before starting my venture about 3 years ago.

AK: How has the journey been so far for you as an entrepreneur?    
SK: It has been like a dream come true. As ‘work’ forms a major part of our day-to-day life. If you love what you do then life is truly good. It is like turning your passion into your profession.


AK: Did you face any challenges while starting as an entrepreneur in the learning domain? 
SK: Lot of challenges especially in the first six months to an year. This time is when you are most vulnerable – Leaving your high pay package and then landing into a completely uncertain world is very difficult.

Overcoming the fear of loosing the fixed income (Job Security!) is the biggest challenge. Thoughts of my colleagues will progress in their carrier and I leave fall behind is also one of the roadblocks..

However, if you plan your move as an entrepreneur, save money to survive for the first year, build your network of like-minded people who also want to work with you. Then, it is less difficult.

From a mindset perspective, think that all your colleagues will keep doing what their boss asks them to do. Yes, they will get a decent lifestyle – But do they have opportunity to make it BIG! No you have it! You don’t depend on yearly performance appraisals or have to worry 50% of the time that whether your boss is happy with you or not and whether I will get promotion or not.

AK: Tell us something about your family background like are you married and have kids. What was your family’s first reaction when you told them that I want to be an entrepreneur? Did you have any one in your family who was an entrepreneur that you want to share? 
SK: I am married, my wife Deepa works as a R&D Manager in a leading chemical company and I am father of a 4 year old boy Arsh.My family reaction was mixed :) My father never wanted me to leave my job and start as an entrepreneur. As per him, I had a secure job, decent salary package, I get off on weekends, travel globally for work. Why on earth I need to leave my job!!My father is also into business but like most of people in his generation have worked very hard but their majority time went into managing their enterprise. This was the time when no MNC’s were in India and you either do a government job or run your small family business.

AK: As an entrepreneur, does family play any role to start any new venture? 
SK: Family is a big support system. I don’t think I would have left my job if Deepa had not supported me. She was working so we had one source of income so I decided to take the plunge and see how it goes.

AK: Do you have any role model whom you admired before starting to become an entrepreneur? 
SK: As I wanted to make a great company, instead of a ‘human’ role model, I have these companies as my role model:

• Apple for the innovate products they make
• Microsoft for the way they made a near monopoly in the software market
• Amazon for their focus on customers
• Tata – You think of Tata and it resembles Trust
• Walmart – for their supremacy in the supply chain area

AK: What are the key strategies you used during the initial phases of becoming an entrepreneur in the learning domain?
SK: I published a linkedin post on this https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-experiences-while-bootstrapping-startup-india-saurabh-kathuria?trk=pulse_spock-articles


AK: What is the source of motivation for fighting frustration of self-working?
SK: Consider it as a phase and trust that it will get over. Watch success stories of people (loads of them available on TED and YouTube) if they can make it BIG …so can I

AK: What are three success sutras you want to give as a piece of advice to the people who are just starting out as an entrepreneur in the learning domain?
SK: I am no expert in giving success sutras. Just sharing my thoughts: Don’t think too much and take the plunge – Before starting my venture, I was majorly part of offshore delivery team with minimal experience in business development.  I trusted myself that I know the work so I would be able to sell it. When you think of starting up there may be some gaps (lack of capital, lack of resources). Trust yourself and take the plunge. As the days will progress, you will be able to fill the gaps.Confront the brutal facts of reality and have faith that will be sail through – Prepare yourself that the initial journey will be very difficult and you will come out of it. Be positive and read books as much as you can – books are your best friend, reading of the books will increase your knowledge, self confidence, and make you better prepared.

AK: Have you ever thought of quitting and going back to joining an organization?
SK: Yes, initially I did! But very soon I realized that starting as an entrepreneur is an evolutionary process, things won’t be easy, as the days passed you will start getting the confidence. You can check this linkedin post of challenges you face as you start as an entrepreneur: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-we-decided-quit-job-start-our-company-indiasome-initial-saurabh?trk=pulse_spock-articles
 
AK: Have you had sleepless nights fearing failure?
SK: Yes absolutely! But the fear drives you to do your best. It ensures that you are not complacent! So I would say that the fear is good.

AK: Would you happily start any other venture if given a chance?
SK: We are investing and partnering in two startups that offer complimentary services and will help us deliver end-to-end solutions.

AK: Have you faced awkward questions while hiring staff?
SK: Yes, when you can afford a modern office and people don’t know your company. While hiring you will face tough questions.

AK: Would you like to share some tips with the budding entrepreneurs?  
SK:
#1 – Don’t compromise on the quality of people – Even if one good resource is double the cost of two mediocre resources. Hire the good resource!
#2 – Plan your financials to the core – Cut all unnecessary expenses even if you’re doing good. Be prepared the payments from the client can get delayed. Build a cash cushion.
#3 – Good project delivery is the best SALES you can do.

To blog or not to blog ...

"How can I write a blog", said a team member to another while having a conversation over coffee.

"I am not even an expert writer", he replied

This is the most common myth that people have about blogging and that is the reason why most people hesitate to write a blog. I have found some people say that they are too hard to be written while others complain that they have nothing to write about in a blog. There are several other myths that create hurdle for those who are willing or at least wish to start their own blog. Let us go through some of the common myths about blogging that I have gathered from the people around me.

1. I am not an expert in writing.
First of all, blogging doesn't really mean that you need a degree in English. Instead, what matters the most is that you just need to be able to express your thoughts to your reader, and teach them something they want to know. Writing well may help you in getting your point across more easily but that is not a necessity; rather, it is just an added value to a post.

2. I do not really have time as I am too busy with my project deadlines
Yes, indeed, we all are busy with our project commitments as we need to complete our targets. But, it is not necessary to blog every single day. Instead, you can choose to blog only a few times a week or even a month. Remember, your focus must be on the appropriate topics and not the number of blogs you write for a given period of time. Studies have found that the companies who blog 15 or more times each month get 5 times more traffic than companies who do not blog at all.

3. I am unable write a blog in just 1 or 2 hours
Most people feel that they need some time to write a blog to make it look unique. Note that it is not necessary that every blog you write is a masterpiece. You can choose to write a blog in 1000 words or you can write in less than 100 words. You just need to ensure that the blog you write helps serve the audience for which you have targeted to write the blog.

4. Blogging is just a waste of time
Some people believe that there is so much content in the Web space then why there is a need for blogging. Well, blogging gives you a voice and a medium to express yourself. In addition, it also helps you to create a brand identity especially if you have something important to say.

5. Who will read my blog?
This is a fear rather than a myth that restricts most people to start a blog—fear of being rejected in the Web world. However, with sincere and proper efforts and a simplified approach, anyone can publish a successful blog.

Conclusion
Blogging is a fun activity and it offers an opportunity to express your views and opinions on various aspects. Among the horde of internet users in this digital world, there is a group of individuals who are called bloggers. Being a blogger, it gives you a voice over the Internet so that you can possess the right of being heard.

So, do you have any other myths about blogging that are restricting you to start your blog?

2015: A brief recap and looking beyond!

The New Year, 2015 is just a few days old and it is that time of the year where we all have come back from the vacations, and are on a verge to kick start the New Year with a bang. So, before we look beyond, it will be better to take a dig at the past and see what is coming ahead this year.

Global Industry Analysts, which is a research company, have estimated that the market value for e-Learning will reach a $US 107 billion in 2015.

Let us all get together to see what’s in store for the year ahead for us, and predict the key learning trends.

Learning via mobile is a new phenomenon

Last year saw a tremendous growth in mobile learning due to an increase in the usage of smartphones. Mobile Learning Market Report have predicted the five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the mLearning market to be 18.2% and estimated global revenues would be at $US 12.2 billion by 2017. It has also been predicted that almost all of the world’s population will have a smartphone though this had been already true for most of the year 2014. As the usage of mobiles continues to grow, it has become evident now that mobile learning will be the new mode of learning due to ease-of-access capabilities as it allows a learner to access learning anywhere and at any time.

Increase usage of APIs in learning

Like last year, this year too will see an extended growth in the usage of APIs or Application Programming Interface like Tin Can API. Tin Can, which is a Learning Record Store (LRS), helps track learner’s progress as they engage in traditional, formal learning as well as informal and social learning. This API is all set to overhaul SCORM as the “Go-To” industry standard LRS.

Gamification in learning

As Karl Kapp have said, “The future of eLearning cannot be boring courses lacking engagement or emotional response…the future of eLearning must include games and gamification.”

Gamification has emerged as a significant trend since recent years, and it will be one of the top trends this year as well. This type of learning includes game mechanism and game design techniques, and it is a powerful tool to engage the learners. It helps to develop skills and enable innovation among the learners. Gamification allows the learner to learn a new skill by doing real tasks in in a real environment in a fun and interactive manner.

Video-based learning

With the rise of mobile devices, video-based learning also saw a tremendous increase last year. It was estimated by Google and Ipsos MediaCT that over 67% of mobile users who own a smartphone watch videos. In addition, it was also estimated that 14% use videos at least once a day.

Rise of cloud-based LMS

Like last year, cloud-based LMS will see a continuous growth due to excessive rise of cloud technology. The forecasts show that the Learning Management Systems or LMS will rise at a rate of 25% for the next five years reaching $ US 783 billion in 2018. It also has been projected that the growth of cloud-based LMS will rise in 2015.

Use of Analytics in learning

Last year, Big Data was an area that had a greater impact in the IT industry and we also saw how Big Data has been used by the companies to determine the efficiency of learning. This will help calculate and project a more accurate ROI—and then create personalized learning to suit the needs of the learners.