THE STARTUP HABIT FROM INDUSTRY STALWARTS REFLECTS ON EXPERIENCE AND AMBITION
The Startup Habit, as authored by Dr. KCC Nair, Former CFO of TechnoPark and Registrar of Technology Business Incubation Centre (TBIC), Trivandrum and Dr. ArunSurendran, Strategic Director, Trinity College of Engineering share the collective wisdom they gained over the years helping seed several startups. KCC as he is known by all is currently the Principal Consultant with KITCO has nurtured over 200 companies. For any aspiring entrepreneur, this book gives the much needed dose of motivation. It distills the myths about entrepreneurship and works as a primer allowing glimpses into the startup world. All this is done in an easy-to-read manner and minimal use of jargons.
During their interaction with entrepreneur’s day, in and day out, the authors discovered a pattern of habits that helped them succeed. They also observed the traits that did not work and held them back. Systematic analysis led the authors to believe that it is not destiny that differentiates the companies that succeeds from the rest, but a collection of eight habits that the leaders
at the helm of a startup possess. The authors dedicate one chapter to each of the eight habits – Inexcusable Excuse, Ideation, Analysis, Execution, Resilience, Reflection, Growth and Ownership – elaborating why the habit is essential and how to develop it.
At first glance, the list of habits appear rather simplistic. Yes, you need to have a new idea, take risks, draft a thorough business plan, execute consistently, be resilient and so on. The framework
maybe obvious, but the supporting anecdotes add character to it. Also, the earnestness of the authors to propel hesitant entrepreneurs to follow their hearts and have a clear vision is quite appealing. What truly stands out in the book is the lavish sprinkling of numerous aphorisms. Some of these are phenomenal and evidently come from deep experience.
Sample a few gems here:
- ‘A mentor is not a teacher… or an advisor. We can get people to teach us skills. We can find advisors who can help with specific questions and issues. A mentor is someone who helps us find
ourselves. They are the influencers …’
- ‘Compete to survive and innovate to grow must be the mantra of a young company.’
- The eternal dissatisfaction of the entrepreneur must be closely guarded.’ Such powerful statements resonate with the reader and you would be tempted to pick these quotes and frame them on your work desk.
The shoddy editing with typos and other grammatical errors is off putting at times, but the content with ample practical suggestions makes up for it. The true value of this book is that it gives you the immense knowledge in just a breezy read of 125 pages, the knowledge and learning which took the authors many years of experience.
The book was released by Shri Thomas Isaac, Honorable Minister for Finance, Govt. of Kerala at a function held at the Fourth Estate Hall, Press Club, Trivandrum. The first copy of the book was handed over by Shri Thomas Isaac to Sanjay Vijayakumar, Founder Chairman of Startup Village. In the event Shri Thomas Isaac said, “Technology has an important role to play in economic growth. Knowledge and experience is the capital for innovation and therefore innovation is not bound by any societal restrictions to help you become an entrepreneur. Innovation today is also important in the financial domain, so I feel the book – Startup Habit has been published at the right time when the State has also given the startup ecosystem a great boost in its budget. The book
is ideal for every youth who aspires to be an entrepreneur as a reference point. So make the best of it.”
Text: Ramya Srinivasan Photos: Various Sources