My Top 15 Entrepreneurial Lessons

I wanted to be an entrepreneur from the age of 24 but got a real chance to become one only when I was 37 and started ShopClues.com on 10th Oct 2010 in my home in Silicon Valley. And between 24 to 37, I acted as an entrepreneur in mirror, in bathroom while taking shower, while driving and of course in my dream. Nothing was easy for me, but I never took no for an answer.  Here are some of my entrepreneurial lessors, I would like to share:

  1. When do I know that I am ready for entrepreneurship…when you do not have to ask this question.
  2. Do not suffer from illusion of grandeur but just start small and quickly and use power of prototyping and iterations.
  3. Tell yourself where you want to be and tell what you want your startup be and you will eventually become that.
  4. Learning from your failures is very important and how do you overcome from it is even more important.
  5. Your conviction level has to be very high especially most people will think you are crazy or fool.
  6. It is among the most lonely jobs on earth.
  7. You got to be ready for lots of rejections.
  8. Market reality may not reward the hard work, dedication, sincerity, and efforts in terms of results the way you think it should.
  9. You will be amazed to realize what a highly determine individual or a small group of highly determined people can achieve.
  10. If you are brining disruption and innovations do not get bogged down by traditional approach for the same thing you are doing or reaction of the people in existing ecosystem.
  11. Do not judge yourself or at least not too quickly…Wright brothers would not have been able to fly a plane if they had given up too quickly.
  12. Frugality will go long way but do not be penny wise and pound foolish.
  13. Build a team that takes your energy and only makes it more vs killing it or diluting it.
  14. People who do not work out in the beginning, do not work out later too.
  15. Do not take no for an answer and be hustler, be a fighter and be a believer.

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