Entrepreneurship for the MCIE (Middle Class Indian Entrepreneur!)

Topics:

What is Entrepreneurship for the Indian Middle Class?
Why the Indian Middle Class?
Is Entrepreneurship for us?
Indians, the natural entrepreneurs!
What drives us? What makes us Indians - Business minded?
How is Indian Entrepreneurship different from the rest of the world? How are we unique?
Does the Indian Entrepreneur take risks?
Passion, the soul of Indian Entrepreneurship!
Do B-Schools make Entrepreneurs in India?
Whom would you classify as an Entrepreneur in India?
Whats the future of Indian Entrepreneurs, especially the Middle Class ones!
Middle class, the mass which will drive Entrepreneurship in India!!
Indian Entrepreneurship will run the Domestic and also the World Economy – My Views!
Statistics of Indian Entrepreneurship – The Middle Class Story!
Recent developments on the Middle Class Indian Entrepreneurs
Various Associations for the Middle Class Indian Entrepreneurs
Annexure and Glossary

Preface:

This book is a double whammy, in the sense I am writing on behalf and as a Middle Class Indian Entrepreneur. Minds would ask, what’s a middle class Indian Entrepreneur? MCIE? Its easier to mention as MCIE J An MCIE is an Indian human being with just passion and dreams. That’s all he/she has, that’s all he/she starts with and that’s all he/she should end with. What comes and goes in between (both success and failure is life) and life is difficult guys!!!

So lets hit it and get real, all the topics I’ve mentioned, start with my story, practical, raw and straight from the gut and my real life experience. It’s my story but based on that I am sharing my views and thoughts, maybe some ideas too on the larger picture which I think will help millions of MCIEs or MCIEs in the making J

Additionally, the title of this book looks crazy, I admit it is. Am 28 as of now, a true blooded MCIE J Started my journey from 16, so the first part (book) is my journey and revelations from ages 16 to 28 with my views to help the scores of MCIEs. If indeed this helps people am sure to write another book which will be Part 2 planned for ages 28 to 40 something!! Ofcourse if this MCIE, i.e. I myself survive till then – in all practical ways (hehehe)

Before I get onto the topics one by one, just a small note of thanks to my lovely and rock solid mom, my most patient and positive dad, my lovely but strict wife (she is strict to the world at large!!) and my changed sister (she will know why am I calling her CHANGED!!) without whom this compilation would have never been possible!!!

A word of thanks to my co-directors, board and the corporate group to whom I belong to and to my full staff, colleagues and customers who are my life blood without whom I am nothing and this is what makes me and a MCIE J

PS – Thanks to the various local and international books on entrepreneurship, on business, on making money, on success and stuff which inspired me to write this book in a simple and lucid manner as I felt none of these so claimed bestsellers addressed the so very special and unique need with the matching wavelength of a MCIE. I hope I am able to do so as this is my sincere and the ONLY reason to right this book!!

Last but not the least a flying kiss to my most cherished Indian Author – Chetan Bhagat and to my teen guru Tom Peters, reading whose books I have grown up and this gave me the boost to do what am doing next in the most un-canny and un-professional way if am allowed these terms…

The language in this book is very simple, lucid and very very direct. Most paragraphs have my emotions or rather emoticons (In today’s Cyber Language) in-built. This is how I write and relate, if this offends someone – am really sorry about it. Am thankful to my publishers to allow me all this un-canny stuff which am sure no publication house would have tolerated, atleast not in a so called Business book J So my biggest hugs and kisses to My Publishers and Distributors for this!!!

Topic 1 - What is Entrepreneurship for the Indian Middle Class?

I was all of 16, sitting in my Dad’s Mody Street (Mumbai) office of around 100 square feet – He is a CA and that’s how most CA’s / Lawyers offices are in this part of the world J Small, cosy yet comfortable and large enough to manage data, files and staff for 100s of customers with just a copy of pirated MS Windows, MS Word and the messiah of Indian Accounting Software Tally – which is also, mostly pirated!!

I was glaring at the PC Screen which was blinking in black and white showing me my first exposure to the MS Windows 95 OS. My cousin had just booted the PC and that was my first brush or rather love with the thing what I was seeing. Maybe Indians or rather MCIE like Technology (that’s what I feel) like high tech things, talking, discussing and even using that on day to day basis. Little did I know that my first brush with technology would be my first crush of life and my profession for the next 12 years and more, counting J

Yes guys am getting real, this is Entrepreneurship for the Indian Middle Class. The MCIE sees something, likes it, enjoys it and decides it as his / her lifeline – I mean career in a split second – this is how we are and this is how we are radically different than our Chinese, Japanese, Europeans and the US Counterparts – mostly unplanned and uncanny J

We definitely think twice, take advice but in the end the MCIE does what he has loved and loved at first sight in most probabilities – hmmm!!

Look at the various scores of MCIEs, that’s what all of us have. Passion and love at first sight for our work J All we have is this and loads of this. Infact the full DNA of a MCIE is made just of this. No funds, no business plans, no presentations, no work flow excel sheets. It’s just the love at first sight which develops into a full fledged passion which leads to dreams and in all probability success J The Dhirubhai Ambani way or the Kishore Biyani way both of whom I will classify as a true blooded MCIEs – or rather I should say the most successful and cherished MCIE - a title which all of us eye for (including me guys!!)