A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. — Nolan Bushnell, entrepreneur.
If you ask either a young college graduate or a professional CEO, what that one thing was that they wished to do, chances are that they would both wish for the same thing — to be an entrepreneur! The entrepreneurial fever in the air is so overpowering that we are tempted to call it a revolution. This revolution has attracted a bunch of young professionals, who have daringly made their way up the ladder of success and established themselves as the hottest young entrepreneurs.
To celebrate and glorify their success, we bring you our annual edition of Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA). As a precursor to this edition, BW Businessworld convened a powered jury meet, comprising top industry honchos and experts, who picked the brightest young entrepreneurs of the day from a bulky list of nominations. The BW journalists, who interviewed and profiled the YEA winners, vouch for their disruptive spirit and assert that they represent the best of the lot.
BW Hotelier’s executive editor Bikramjit Ray, for instance, takes stock of the most innovative and capable food entrepreneurs. Yamini Singh, executive editor, BW Applause, profiles startups in the events industry. Startup champions like Deep Kalra, Ronnie Screwvala and Mohandas Pai share their wisdom in guest columns. Sutanu Guru, deputy editor, BW Online, writes of the most successful political startup, the Aam Aadmi Party.
In an exclusive interview with Tiger Tyagarajan, president and CEO, Genpact, deputy editor Suman K. Jha discusses the trend of ‘disrupting the disrupters’. Jha also talks exclusively with Rohit Nandan, secretary in the Union ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Associate editor Ayushman Baruah spots an emerging trend in India where failure is no longer considered a taboo in the world of startups. In fact, as NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordon had suggested, failures are really the pillars of success. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life,” Jordon had said, “and that’s why I succeed.”
Also in this issue, correspondent Naina Sood writes on the trend of co-working spaces and interviews a significant player in the space, Amit Ramani of Awfis. Mumbai bureau chief Clifford Alvares enumerates first generation entrepreneurs who have listed their businesses on the stock markets.
Noor Warsia, editor, Marketing and Advertising, talks to Markand Adhikari of the Adhikari Brothers, on the SAB group’s transformation from a broadcasting company to a full-fledged media conglomerate.
The issue in your hand strives to create an ideological bulwark for startups in particular and entrepreneurship in general. At the end of the day, any business is about capital and costs. We too, dear reader, have had to succumb to the cost-push impact of our inputs and have been compelled to pass them on to you. Your magazine will now cost Rs 100.
Reverting to the theme of this edition, businesses are made or broken on their ability to implement an idea. As Behance co-founder Scott Belsky had once pithily said, “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”
BW Reporters
The author is the Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the BW Businessworld Group and the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the exchange4media Group
