There Is A Need To Act As Passionpreneur
The company’s business essentially is to add value to the lives of the people, and it believes that should be the approach to entrepreneurship
In a freewheeling conversation Agnelorajesh Athade, Serial and Social Entrepreneur and Chairman of St. Agnelo’s VNCT Ventures speaks to BW Businessworld about the importance of passion in entrepreneurship and more. Excerpts:
What was the inspiration behind your entrepreneurial journey?
I started my entrepreneurial journey when I was just 13. I did a number of odd jobs till I finally set up my own venture in the early 90’s and since then there has been no looking back.
In my view being a successful entrepreneur is more about passion than anything else.
I think more than becoming entrepreneurs we should become passionpreneurs. You should try to identify your passion and then pursue it with total focus and when you do that life becomes a picnic. If you don’t then it will be drudgery and something you may give up soon.
I also believe in swimming against the tide. While the last five years have been challenging for our industry, it has been good for us because we have played it differently. So willingness to take calculated risks and thinking out-of-the-box does matter in the long run.
Many entrepreneurs look at profits alone as the ultimate metric for success, what is your advice to them?
I don’t believe that we should take up every opportunity that comes our way without taking into account it’s impact on the business in the longer term. We should not be driven by profits alone. I consider myself to be a wealth multiplier for people and selling gold at the price of silver, this has been the backbone of my success story. My business essentially is to add value to the lives of the people and that should be the approach to entrepreneurship.
What ails the real estate sector in India and what according to you are the corrective measures that need to be undertaken?
Real estate has become a business of greed, if you operate it as a business of need there are many opportunities for all of us. Also, in today’s times we need to look at the global markets and adopt the best practices to stay relevant. We need to operate locally with a global knowledge to stay competitive in the industry.
You mentioned global knowledge is important – what would you say are the gaps between the Indian real estate sector and its global counterparts?
The way real estate is being practiced in India is different than how it’s practiced abroad. In India, the developer wants to buy the land, raise the money himself; advertise himself and even sell it himself. He wants to be a one man army, which is not the way the sector will function well. In my view, the one man show approach will not work. Internationally, all these are segregated activities and this needs to change if we have to compete on a global stage.
