Expanding my entrepreneurial mindset: SPJIMR’s GCPE Experience

My “Why”

I come from a business background wherein we have our own printing and packing unit that I wish to grow and expand in the future. I pursued B.com at Manipal Academy of Higher Education and was keen on pursuing a programme in entrepreneurship to explore and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. The prestige of S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) is something everyone is already familiar with, so there was no better place for me than the top B-school in Mumbai!

It was its Graduate Certificate Programme in Entrepreneurship (GCPE) that seemed ideal for me –

• A 1-month hybrid programme,
• Designed primarily for fresh graduates like me, and
• Aimed to cultivate a wide range of skills that were critical to achieving success in entrepreneurial endeavours.

Exactly what I was looking for! Thus, a no-brainer!

Secondly, it had been my dream to have an enormous circle of friends from across the globe, with diverse cultures and educational backgrounds. SPJIMR’s global network is something business-minded people are aware of. I knew I would get the opportunity to interact with peers across programmes, network with alumni and the world-class faculty, and make friends, so I dived right in!

The “illogical” beginning

SPJIMR is certainly not for the weak-hearted!

Being a hybrid programme, we could have attended it from the comfort of our homes, but I was so excited that I went to the campus to attend my SPJIMR’s GCPE programme.

This was a rather unique session that required us to come up with an illogical idea in 10 minutes – an idea that could never be materialised, something that could never come into existence.

This froze even the brightest minds.

We have all been trained to think and act logically at all times! So, this task felt “out of syllabus” as nobody prepared us for something like this, and every idea faced a lot of criticism.

But again, the entire experience was mind-expanding and I realised that when you go illogical, is when you use your instincts and let your creativity guide you. Whatever you carry as an individual is showcased uniquely at these kinds of sessions.

I was glad to be experiencing this at the campus.

There was so much to learn

That a month seemed so little!

Consistency was one of the skills that I recognised the value of. I understood the significance of repeating something over and over again until it became boring, which it ought to eventually, is the key to success, so to speak. It is the only way you gain mastery over a skillset that you leverage to achieve success.

I got the opportunity to network with peers across programmes, faculty members, and even alumni residing across the globe. This is often misunderstood and confused with frivolous socialising and gossiping over trivial matters; however, at SPJIMR, networking was taken seriously. Ideas and opinions were shared.

I believe in progress over perfection. I also believe that this helps you to work, rework, and improvise continuously. It opens your mind and compels you to view things from different angles and not stick to your own unidirectional perspective.

Now, coming to my most significant takeaway from the programme was how the startup culture worked. Coming from a business background, I realised that the two, although the same, are extremely different in their workings. Most of the things in business are already established, and you just invest time, energy, and funds into maintaining and expanding it. A startup, on the other hand, is new and needs to be built from scratch. There is a lot of ideation and strategising and experiments that go on for months, if not years, before it gains momentum, recognition, and traction.

So, there are a lot of risks involved, but at the same time, if it clicks, you are bombarded with rewards!

Coming to
The final session

By now, I began appreciating feedback.

We were asked to present our business ideas, and how we planned to take them forward financially, and we were also asked to create prototypes which we received a lot of criticism for.

Unlike in the olden days, I consider any criticism that comes my way, as “constructive criticism”, as positive now. As an entrepreneur, you should look at it that way, as it’s the only way to improvise, add value, and grow your business.

The sea change nobody saw coming

We had about 1 or 2 weeks left before the programme came to an end, I noticed that everybody had started looking at everything as a business opportunity, as a “startup idea”.

For instance – Since I have a printing and packaging business, I found myself looking at a fevistick and wondering who the manufacturers of the packaging would be, which company would’ve created the stickers, and what paper they used for the stickers…

It was just a fevistick! Think of bigger products – think of cars, or luxurious products – the opportunities are immense!

So, there was a gigantic shift in the way we all began perceiving things.

The significance of networking!

The most difficult thing today is to find like-minded people.

It is these kinds of programmes that allow you to meet people who are in a similar field, and give you a chance to share and discuss your ideas. It also helps you understand where you stand, where people already are, and how much work must you do to cover the rapidly widening gap – self-realisation!

What according to me, makes the S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR)

The top B-school in Mumbai, India, and the world!!

The “startup” ecosystem is booming and has become prevalent in India. Opportunities are everywhere, but how you present it is more important. The ones who can take your business to heights are your mentors and the people whom you discuss business with – the major/minor setbacks and achievements. These are the people who have years of experience and see your business neutrally, and not as a threat. Having a good mentor makes your entrepreneurial journey easier as they give you unfiltered, brutally honest feedback and “constructive criticism” and therefore, something for you to work on.

And the entrepreneur in me found the mentor/s I need to nurture my entrepreneurial mindset and in my journey, at the GCPE programme. There were different mentors for every subject. And even now, if I feel stuck and in need of some expert advise, I can just approach them for guidance. And this brings great sense of security when you know you have mentors to show you the right path.

My ”Pearls of wisdom” to the aspiring entrepreneurs

You can opt for any institute overseas, invest half a million, and start a business. But, the value I got from pursuing the GCPE programme at what I consider the top B-school in the world I don’t think I could’ve got anywhere else. I met numerous people going through different phases of life, and I understood who I was, where I was, who I wanted to be, and where I wanted to be.

This entrepreneurial programme does work solely on your skills, it has a holistic approach that works on creating a dynamic personality.

It might be a month-long programme, but the knowledge it imparts is eternal. So, don’t look at it as just “padhai”, but as an adventure, as a pandora’s box, that you will see the goodness of, only once you open it.

Just go for it!

Register now