as i write this post, i am ironically listening to a song titled - Azaadiya from a movie Udaan. The thing which i started, the thing which could've given me that flight, that freedom is coming to an end. and it hurts :(
living room canvas will soon be history, resting in peace on my hard drive in a folder titled "Entrepreneur!"
Exactly an year ago, i nurtured this dream of becoming the first person to create an online experience of buying and selling paintings and works of arts, of providing a platform to artists, of partnerships and collaborations with art houses and what not. Even contemplated leaving job, and nearly left it in the pursuit..and actually let go of 2 mba seats as well! LivingRomCanvas gave me reasons to not do things which i did not want to. fuckin' job and fuckin' mba! i did not have a business plan and started in as immature way as anyone could have. even spent nearly 40k in the investments. the art works now hang on my room walls. they look beautiful though!
the process taught me. yes it is cliched to talk about how failures are the pillars of success and blah blah..but what i learnt from living room canvas is what no other experience could have even come close to teaching me. and for sure no mba could have!
Lesson 1. Starting an online business is by no means an easy job. The only difference from brick-and-mortar is in the initial investment. Where i invested 40k, in the real world i would have spent 400k to get started. Thats all. Getting buyers to buy an online stuff in India is even tougher than the real world.
Lesson 2. Suppliers have the potential to bring you to your knees and make you weep. They just dont fuckin listen! and you cant do anything about it..except hope that they die
Lesson 3. You should listen to your dad. and take advice. specially when he is a businessman himself! Dads might be wrong, but then if you can't convince your dad, you wont be able to convince your suppliers or your buyers.
Lesson 4. You should talk about your idea. There is one unknown market for artists in my city of which i came to know while discussing my idea with the panel at an XLRI interview!
Lesson 5. Subscribe to a business magazine. There are some stories which you will only find inside pages. Like i came to know of a competitor in one such magazine. It motivated me (although after disheartening me) and gave me a fresh perspective of a lot of things.
Lesson 6. which i did not do. You should not give up. at least not before you have tried all means. which i am not going to do now. Giving up is for losers. period.
Lesson 7. Think Big. This is not the age of earning 10,000 per month. In 20 years, a crore would be worth only a honda city!
Lesson 8. Market your stuff. as a friend once told me, "jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai".
Lesson 9. Lie only if you can. but dont lie to yourself.
Lesson 10. Never go to the market without a business plan and a model. Most people (including your suppliers) are reluctant for change. They will not talk to you unless they see money. You are no rocket singh and you will not get a goodwill loan.
Lesson 11. Dont be shy about investing. Unless you put in something, you wont get something out. but think twice before you take out your wallet.
Lesson 12. Unless you have really good friends, they won't help you. of the 25% you ask, half will think of their own interest and the rest will procrastinate. remember that you will be on your own.
Let me see how much of these lessons i keep in my mind for my next episode. I sure dont want to fail this time. The song still plays.....
