My father is a businessman and I always wanted to launch a business of my own since my graduation from high school. I had read multiple books on entrepreneurship, however, what I really needed was practical learning! It was my friend Harsh from college who told me about the Graduate Certificate Programme in Entrepreneurship (GCPE), by Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE), SPJIMR.
I was so happy to know that there was a programme that was designed to provide undergraduates and graduates like myself, a platform to explore this area. My father used to repeat one question every time we discussed business – Why do only 1 or 2 businesses out of 10 manage to thrive, while the others close down? – which stuck with me. I had numerous questions that I hoped to find answers to and was looking forward to developing entrepreneurial skills at the top B-schools in Mumbai, India!
My mind-expanding journey at SPJIMR
This was my first and hence, the most important step towards my entrepreneurial journey. I had inhibitions initially since I had never studied business. As much as I wanted to become an entrepreneur one day, and was excited to take my first step, I was equally nervous and feared not being able to get a hang of important concepts and succeed.
But to my surprise the journey was seamless!
SPJIMR’s GCPE programme had a world-class faculty which made the lectures extremely thought-provoking and valuable. In fact, I still have all my notes kept safely so that I can refer to them whenever I need. Theory is helpful to learn the basic concepts, but in today’s day and age, it’s not enough. We need more practical knowledge and exposure, and I am extremely grateful to SPJIMR as this programme revolved around providing us with live projects and industry exposure. We were put into complex situations that could arise in real life too. This prepared us to deal with whatever came our way, confidently, with a calm mind.
Initially, I used to feel that having a solid idea is all you need to succeed. Having a background in Science, I only looked at things logically and even all my presentations and PPTs were fact and data-based. It was this programme that required me to unlearn and relearn how to perceive things logically, from the end-user and the audience’s lens. I learned that PPTs and presentations should only talk about numbers but should also reflect the brand’s identity. The idea could be the best in my eyes, but for me to attract and receive adequate funding from investors, I must also be able to pitch my ideas, effectively, should be able to highlight a need and a market for my product or service.
For example – As a part of our curriculum, we were supposed to come up with a business idea, do our spadework, and create a presentation to pitch the idea to the investors. My team’s idea was to launch a gaming app called “FIBE” that could find the players more users to play within a particular radius. However, due to our lack of clarity, and skills, we did not go ahead, but it was a huge learning curve for us all. We were aware of where we went wrong, what we lacked, and how we could improve.
Take a look at our presentation for FIBE.
I am a storyteller with a dedicated YouTube channel. My stories are full of interesting twists and turns and safe to say, are never-ending. But the GCPE programme taught me that an idea/ thought can also be communicated in a crisp and clean fashion.
GCPE has given me a solid foundation that I will always return to whenever I find myself in a fix.
My plans going forward…
Since I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur, I have always considered having an MBA degree crucial. Having been a part of the SPJIMR family, I’d love to pursue one of its full-time MBA programmes – PGDM (Business Management) to be precise. I plan to work for a few years after my post-graduation, understand how business is done, learn the tricks of the trade, and then launch my own business.
I have written a self-help book for teenagers called “Smile My Precious”. I use my pen name – P. Naomi. Naomi, a feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning – pleasant, and gentle.
The Graduate Certificate Programme in Entrepreneurship (GCPE), Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE),SPJIMR helps young budding entrepreneurs to explore themselves as emerging competitors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and build a credible CV and profiling.
This book is a snippet of my business idea that revolves around creating a website and an application that can help people find happiness. I see people struggling with mental health, anxiety, depression, addiction. Very recently we heard about the Friends starrer Mathew Perry’s sudden demise and learned about his struggle with alcohol addiction. When people feel unfulfilled or incomplete, is when they resort to substances to fill the void. With my application idea, I plan to help people heal and fill this void within themselves naturally, without the use of any substances, and just through stillness, meditation, and mindfulness exercises.
SPJIMR has another programme called the Start Your Business (SYB) which also focuses on the entrepreneurial mindset of participants, giving the participants real market exposure to the entrepreneurship ecosystem and real-time mentorship by faculty members, industry experts, and alumni members. The programme also helps the participants explore themselves as new-age entrepreneurs.
Kriti Bishnoi, aka P. Naomi
GCPE, SPJIMR
LinkedIn Profile
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Email: entrepreneurship@spjimr.org
Call: 9930937738, 8369819631
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