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Business motivation Strategy

Visa, IFundWomen Announce Grant Programme to Empower Women Entrepreneurs in India

Mumbai, September 21: With an aim to empower women entrepreneurs in India, Visa along with its global partner IFundWomen on Monday rolled out a grant programme to boost the morale of women entrepreneurs across the country. According to a report by IANS, the digital payments technology leader will seek applications from women entrepreneurs across all sectors till October 20, 2020. IfundWomen is the go-to marketplace for women-owned businesses. The applicants need to submit details about their business and online presence, along with a short video about their business to www.ifundwomen.com/visa-india. Three winners will be selected and receive grants of Rs 7 lakh each and training from leaders within the Visa and IFundWomen network.

Women-owned businesses constitute around 14 percent of the total entrepreneur base in India. To spread the word, Visa said it has partnered with FLO (the ladies’ wing of FICCI) and Instamojo as digitisation partner for the programme in the country. T R Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa, said, “We want to see this number increase but our interactions with women entrepreneurs show that access to capital to fund, run and grow their businesses remains a challenge”.

The Visa and IFundWomen grant programme in India, the first outside of the US, “aims to boost female entrepreneurship and empower budding businesswomen through our network, guidance, financial support and resources to help achieve their dreams”, he added.

Visa’s partnership with IFundWomen is specifically designed to help women entrepreneurs secure the funding they need through a series of grants. This year in June, Visa had committed to supporting 50 million small businesses globally to power recovery and enable them digitally. In August 2020, through the first India edition of Visa Everywhere Initiative, it awarded three fintech startups with monetary awards and technological support to take their solutions to market, the company said.

Categories
Startup Technology

Humsafar, an App-Based Doorstep Diesel Delivery Service Provider, To Help Startups Become ‘Fuel Enterprises’

New Delhi, September 15: Humsafar, an app-based doorstep diesel delivery service provider has introduced its support services to help aspiring fuel entrepreneurs. This unique opportunity will help the startups to be a part of one of the biggest disruptions in terms of fuel marketing in the Oil industry – Diesel Door Delivery (DDD). According to a report by IANS, Humsafar plans project support from scratch to complete fruition to new start-ups of doorstep diesel delivery. The plan includes setting up a company, fabricating bowsers, (oil dispensing vehicles) and setting up a tech platform for delivery of diesel at doorsteps in various parts of the country.

Sanya Goel, Co-Founder and Director, Humsafar was quoted in the report saying that Humsafar also helps start-ups market the service in the industry by partnering with other dealers and acquiring new customers.The opportunity the Doorstep Diesel industry provides is enormous, offering safe and legal alternatives to fuel procurement.

About Humsafar App:

  1. In less than four months, the Humsafar app, ‘Fuel Humsafar’, has crossed over 10,000 downloads on Google Play Store and has processed 20,000 transactions.
  2. The app has been customised to help clients and vendors manage their orders, drivers, tracking of the bowser, checking fuel capacity, stock management, advanced MIS.
  3. The report informs that Humsafar also offers a dedicated app, just for the Drivers, which allows them to track the user’s location, check orders, review order history, and manage stock, which in turn allows the vendor to view the driver’s performance and delivery status from time-to-time.
  4. Humsafar is currently servicing 24 states across India. The startup has also roped in 50 plus retail partners across 24 states.
  5. Humsafar is also looking to raise its first external investment and plans to launch B2C ordering by the end of 2020.

The mobile bowsers, popularly known as dispensing vehicles, are expected to supplement petrol pumps, changing the landscape of fuel procurement. Goel added saying that it’s great to see that most of their applications have been from the younger generation which speaks volumes of the entrepreneurial spirt among the youth.

The gross revenues of the startup stood at Rs 22 million in the year 2019-20, and by the end of 2021, Humsafar plans on targeting diesel delivery of 500 million litres. This will translate into a revenue of Rs 100 million.

Categories
Startup

Starting Up a Business: 5 Things Young Entrepreneurs Should Know to Make Their Business a Success

It might seem hard to start to a business, but when the entrepreneurial project gets going, the brain behind it rejoices. However, in order to make your business a success, there are several things that you need to consider before you start your business. Young entrepreneur venturing into a new business, keep looking for ways and means to help them achieve their goals. Young entrepreneurs are at an age where they need a platform to prove their caliber. They want to run something of their own, create more job opportunities and be a part of the growing India.

Here Are 5 Things That Young Entrepreneurs Ought to Keep in Mind:

  1. Know your product: The first important thing before starting any business is that the entrepreneur should know in and out about his product. He should first, himself, know what is product is all about, how well he can pitch about it in the market, what is the demand of the product, and so many other related questions. A young individual will always know what is in trend and things that work in a market.
  2. Know your market: Understand who your target audience is! Before starting up a business, a young entrepreneur should very well understand what the need of the hour. Of course, there are other competitors in the market, so a beginner should consider all the risk factors before venturing into something new.
  3. Do what you love: Take your time and understand what you love. Let your passion be the driver for your product or service, which will always keep you motivated and get you going through the tough times. Before starting up a business, one should think with a calm mind as to what one loves because when you work on something that you actually care and love, you’ll probably be happy and make the idea a reality.
  4. Find a mentor: No matter how intelligent you are, you may falter! Hence, it becomes really important to find a mentor who can guide you and let you know when you go wrong. Find someone who can open your mind and share your ideas with. Surely, your ideas will be shaped in a better manner which will be easier for execution.
  5. Perseverance and Patience: The most important trait of any businessman is perseverance and patience. These 2 Ps go hand-in-hand and help people to get better and win laurels in their work. Once you have thought about an idea, don’t give up and work on it until you make it a success. For young entrepreneur, it is an added advantage that they have time, even if Plan A doesn’t work, then be ready with Plan B. There might be rough moments in your entrepreneurial journey but you have to keep working towards your goal.
Categories
Finance Startup

Why Do Investors Invest in Startups? Here’s How Investors Add Value to Startups and Help Entrepreneurs

For any business to flourish, there needs to be good investment and planning that will help the firm reach its target audience and go beyond! Here’s where the role of an investor comes into picture. An investor puts capital to use for long-term gains, while an entrepreneur seeks to generate profits by using those funds. Thus an investor is a crucial aspect for any startup, who typically generates returns by deploying capital. Investing in startups is a risky proposition. However, the low requirement for overhead capital along with high upside potential, makes it lucrative for the investors to put their bets on startups.

Basically, an investor is a person that allocates capital with the expectation of a future financial return or to gain an advantage. An investor can choose to invest in-equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, token, derivatives such as put and call options, futures, etc.

According to the official website of Startup India- startupindia.gov.in, investors particularly venture capitalists (VCs) add value to startups in a lot of ways. Some of them are listed below:

  1. Stakeholder Management: The investors are the ones who manage the company board and leadership to facilitate smooth operations of the startup. Moreover, their functional experience and domain knowledge of working and investing with startups imparts vision and direction to the company.
  2. Raise Funds: Investors are best guides for the startup as they help to raise subsequent rounds of funding on the basis of stage, maturity, sector focus etc. The investors aid in networking and connection for the founders to pitch their business to other investors.
  3. Recruiting The Best to Achieve Business Goals: Finding great talent and best-fit human capital is critical for startups, especially when it comes to recruiting senior executives to manage and drive business goals. The venture capitalists, with their extensive network can help bridge the talent gap by recruiting the right set of people at the right time.
  4. Proper Marketing of the product: The venture capitalists (VCs) assist with marketing strategy for your product/service.
  5. Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Activity: VCs have their eyes and ears open to merger and acquisition opportunities in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem to enable greater value addition to the business through inorganic growth.
  6. Organizational Restructuring:As a young startup grows to an established company, they help with the right organizational structuring and introduce processes to increase capital efficiency, lower costs and scale efficiently.
Categories
Business motivation Motivational

World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020: Celebrating Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership by Spreading Awareness

An entrepreneur is someone who plays a vital role in developing the nation’s economy by solving the issues of unemployment and generating awareness regarding entrepreneurship. On Friday, the global fraternity will celebrate this day to honour these entrepreneurs, who work hard each day to innovate something new and lead from the front to boost the country’s financial situation.

We all know that India is affected by the coronavirus and its economic situation has taken a roller-coaster ride in the past few months. However, Indian entrepreneurs are trying their best to cope-up with financial instability. Not only these entrepreneurs are pacing up India’s economy with their latest innovations, but are also spreading awareness through their leadership skills. World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020 allows honouring these hardworking entrepreneurs for all their efforts to keep India’s business sector move forward.

The special day is dedicated to founders, managers, producers, contractors, industrialists, innovators, administrators, designers and producers. As per Global Entrepreneurship Development Institute (GEDI) data, India currently stands at 68th position — out of 137 countries — in entrepreneurship development.

Considering the significance of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs need 3 Cs for success — capital, courage and conviction — to grow their business in the global market. It is said that without an enterprise and entrepreneurs innovation, productivity growth and new jobs are unthinkable. Through the World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020, events like conferences, workshop and meetings, can spread awareness regarding leadership, innovation, creativity, design, entrepreneurship and other related topics.

Here are some tips to celebrate and honour entrepreneurs on World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020:

1) Enterprises can organise conferences, workshops and meetings at various platforms. Through this, they can generate awareness regarding entrepreneurship and leadership.

2) Business Schools can organise conferences by collaborating with large enterprises. During the conferences, successful entrepreneurs can share their experiences with the upcoming entrepreneurs and motivate them.

3) Business firms can provide discounts and promotions during the World Entrepreneur’s Day.

4) Radio and television networks can prepare programs to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship. Also, talk shows can be scheduled to educate the population about entrepreneurship.

5) Universities, government organisations and private firms can organise a group seminar or workshop regarding government policies and hurdles associated with it. Also, discussing financial solutions to set up a firm and ways to sustain in the market would certainly motivate young entrepreneurs.

Apart from this, there are several ways to celebrate World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020. However, the motto behind the celebrations should be spreading awareness and clearing doubts. Experts believe nourishing a healthy startup environment across the country is the most vital part for developing entrepreneurs. On this special day, lets help in igniting new minds and shape them in the right direction.

Categories
Business motivation

Business startup ideas after COVID-19

COVID-19 has taken its toll on the global economy in the most unthinkable and unimaginable ways and the global economy is experiencing an all-time low. This pandemic has inflicted damage and affected the overall health of the MSMEs and entrepreneurship that generate a heavy revenue contributing to the economy. It is crucial to think of how to stay relevant these days and to help you with that, we’ve shared a few start-up business ideas that won’t let you down.

There are some businesses that are either unaffected by COVID-19 or have flourished even more, standing the test of time. In this article, our objective is to introduce you to 4 such industries that have proved themself to be “corona-proof” and can end up being the best businesses to initiate your start-up.

 

1.    Over The Top Platforms/Online Gaming
Nobody can deny the fact that all we have been doing these lockdowns is watching movies and TV series on OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. This fact itself proved that viewers, who have been quite anxious about the ban on movie theatres and gaming parlours, have resorted to the over the top platforms and online games. The people, especially the older generation, who initially were not very comfortable with the change, are now welcoming this change with an open heart. This shift in the interests of the viewers has proved that this industry will continue to bloom even after the pandemic is over!

 

2.    EdTech
From the worried parents to many of us sitting ideal during these lockdowns, the EdTech industry has emerged to be the biggest support. Where on one hand, students were able to learn from home, millions of us across the globe have leveraged Edtech and enrolled ourselves in many courses. EdTech has not only helped students repair and recover their disrupted schedules, it has given many professionals a chance to develop new skills and hone the already acquired. Now that EdTech has proved its mettle, we cannot help but accept that, come what may, this industry is here to stay!

 

 3. The Health Industry
The health sector has been the one that has evolved dramatically of late. It has been the time where the health and wellness businesses have boomed because of how aware the world has become of their health and well-being. We all must have received this advice, directly or indirectly, to boost our immunity as it will help us keep fit and less prone to the infections out there. Making them most important in our lives in these unprecedented times, they are certainly going to experience a boom.

 

4. E-commerce platforms
We all know how brick and mortar stores have been hit the hardest as people have restricted their outdoor visits in a bid to maintain social distancing. The industry that has leveraged the most out of these restrictions is the e-commerce industry! There has been a major shift in the behavior of the consumer as they were forced to go online to make the necessary purchases. Now that the consumer has started to feel comfortable buying online, they are preferring to buy almost everything online. It goes without saying that this industry is cherishing this rise in the business and riding high on the pandemic boom.

 

 

Categories
Business motivation Leadership Building Motivational Powerful Personalities

7 Motivating Quotes By The Most Powerful Women That Will Boost Confidence of Female Entrepreneurs

Modern times have witnessed more and more women entrepreneurs taking up different types of businesses and succeeding like never before. Female entrepreneurs are rising beyond all levels and proving themselves worthy of everything with each passing day. There are times when people are let down, but the wisdom lies in not giving up, and not paying heed to what the world says! One should believe in oneself and the rest of the things will fall in place! However, at time we just need the positivity and the motivation to get us going.

The quotes from these great inspirational ladies below are truly words of wisdom. Inspirational quotes from successful people can help you reframe negative thoughts during tough times and change your attitude for better things in life

The wise and beautiful words from the most positive thinkers will get you in the right mindset to tackle the hurdles that you face. Inspirational quotes and motivational quotes that will inspire you to achieve your dreams. Read these quotes by these empowering women, launch your business, and becoming a girl boss.

Here are 7 motivating quotes from the most powerful women in history

  1.  “I don’t believe in failure. It’s not a failure if you enjoyed the process.” -Oprah Winfrey
  2. “If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking risk, really amazing things can happen.”- Marissa Mayer
  3. “I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.” -Coco Chanel
  4. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes—understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” -Arianna Huffington
  5.  “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.”- Michele Ruiz
  6.  “You never lose in business, either you win or you learn.” – Melinda Emerson
  7.  “If you are starting your own business, the best shortcut is to find a good mentor.”- Kim Kiyosaki

Throughout history, it has never been easy for women to prove their mettle. However, women have fought against all odds in the stereotype male-dominated society and made important contributions as businesswomen, entrepreneurs, actors, leaders among several other fields. Some of the most talented and successful women have believed in history and the world has seen what they are capable of. So never give up on dreams and keep hustling.

Categories
Business motivation Process & Business Expansion

5 Business Tips Every Entrepreneur Should Know

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire dynamics of running businesses. Running a business is hard, but if one puts in consistent efforts, no one can diminish the spark of an entrepreneur. One has to be really focused and have a positive mindset to succeed and to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. It becomes the need of the hour to make yourself and your business strong and worthy enough to deal with the perils of new entrants in the market.

Insulating yourself from such threats will not only help you grow your business, but also focus on trying to survive in the market at times of crisis. Being an entrepreneur in any sector should fill a hole in a certain market or niche.

Here are 5 Business Tips that Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Customers First: Listen to Them

The most important feature that a successful entrepreneur should possess is the quality of listening. The more you listen, the better you understand the problems of your customers. The quality of listening not only helps you focus on finding a solution, but also makes your customers happy as you give them a patient listening.

Trust Your Gut

Believe it or not, you need to trust your gut as it helps you make the right decision. This phrase is often used but rarely understood. Folks out there in the market are looking to solve a problem or find a particular type of product. If you trust your gut and give an idea a shot, who know? Your idea may be a hit!

Track Your Finances Inside And Out

A successful entrepreneur is the one who knows the key to access and manage the finances in a proper manner. If one knows the finances inside-out, keeps a record of the spending and earnings and plans accordingly, nothing like it! An entrepreneur should be well versed with the the firm’s revenues, expenses, capital requirements, profits (gross and net), debt, cash flow among other things. Spending are always easy, earning them takes a great deal of effort.

Be A Solution, Not A Problem

People out there have a lot of problems already. You be the solution! Provide solutions by listening to your customer’s grievances.  It’s a lot easier to gain a solid customer base when your business is fixing a problem. Just sit, be quiet, and listen to yourself.

Never Stop Looking for New Ideas

Be open to new idea. A successful entrepreneur is the one who should be open to fresh ideas even if after reaching a certain level of success. When one is open to fresh deals, the business has the potential to reach a next level altogether. The most successful businesses are always on the lookout for new ideas and useful business tricks that they can use.

 

Categories
Powerful Personalities

10 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Get Motivated by Dr. Vivek Bindra?

Dr. Vivek Bindra has touched the lives of millions of people helping them improve the quality of their lives and for entrepreneurs he has helped them lay the foundation of growth & success in their business. Here is why Indian Entrepreneurs love & follow Dr. Vivek Bindra

1. By inspiring people to bring about a change in their lives and achieve their business goals, Dr. Vivek Bindra has become Asia’s no.1 Motivational Speaker and Business Coach.

2. Dr. Vivek Bindra works on ground level problems of entrepreneurs understanding their pain points and giving solutions through real-life examples and case studies to ensure their problems are put to ease.

3. He has organized various seminars and events like the Leadership funnel, Bounce Back and the very successful Everything about Entrepreneurship Summit, wherein he done’s the role of a motivational speaker and business coach to solve the burning problems of the entrepreneurs by giving powerful tips, strategies and frameworks that could benefit their business.

4. Indian Entrepreneurs watch Dr. Vivek Bindra’s videos and implement his strategies to grow their business through his Youtube Channel also termed as a “Free Digital University” on Entrepreneurship. Dr. Bindra’s Youtube channel is the World’s No. 1 subscribed channel on entrepreneurship with a follower base of close to 12 million.

5. Dr. Vivek Bindra ensures to give actionable and executable examples which motivates the Indian entrepreneurs and leads them to successful business strategies that are straight away implementable.

6. Indian entrepreneurs get motivated by Dr. Vivek Bindra because of his Hindi Content based on Bhagavad Gita which connects with the small & medium entrepreneurs. Hindi language is understood by every tier 2, 3 & 4 entrepreneurs making him easier to understand the business strategy. On the other hand the inclusion of the principals of the Gita helps in giving reasoning behind every point that has been spoken.

7. His vision is to empower entrepreneurs in a manner that can help them expand their businesses not only in India but around the world. This will help in making India economically stronger; by taking our country ahead on the path of becoming a developed nation.

8.  Dr. Vivek Bindra’s energy and style of delivery make him the best motivational speaker in india. Delivering relevant and lots of content in less time is what the business owners prefer as he values everyone’s time and money.

9. His followers love the fact that practical solutions to the most common and prominent business problems are provided keeping the bottom of the pyramid entrepreneur, the ‘Real Bharat’ business owner in mind.

10. Dr. Vivek Bindra’s personal story of becoming an entrepreneur and tasting success resonates with the business owners and motivates them to follow his journey and get inspired by his thought process.

Dr. Vivek Bindra is a motivational speaker, a thought leader and a successful entrepreneur. He has also been awarded an Honorary Ph.D. Degree, Doctor of Philosophy. He is a Trusted Advisor to 1500+ corporates and an inspirational pathfinder to various high-profile entrepreneurs and business entities providing leadership excellence for taking their organizations to the next level. He has been instrumental in providing CEO coaching to over Top 100 CEOs in the country. He has been conferred with the ‘Best Leadership Trainer in Asia’ Award by Marshall Goldsmith at the World HRD Congress. He is relentlessly working towards his mission of empowering Indian businesses by sharing management solutions & strategies for their burning problems. Not only are Dr. Vivek Bindra’s principles, strategies, solutions and content very different from other motivational speakers but also his energy and that’s what makes him better than the rest and a business icon for Indian Entrepreneurs!