In a recent BW Dialogue on Leadership, Raj Kundra, CEO, Viaan Industries shared that of all the verticals that he has invested in, Viaan Gaming has been his most passionate and exciting venture. Besides, he shared how the pandemic period has been for him and his company.
Raj Kundra, CEO, Viaan Industries has informed, “We are coming up with a live streaming app which will have in-built free games.” He pointed out that in the last 60 days, online gaming has become significantly popular with people who have been at home and using their phones a lot.
In a recent episode 17 of BW Dialogue on Leadership organized by BW Businessworld, Raj Kundra, CEO, Viaan Industries shared key lessons from his entrepreneurial journey. He informed that he strongly values the importance of astrology and spirituality in his life and family.
“Out of all the deals that I have done, Viaan Gaming has been my most passionate venture to-day,” said Kundra. He shared that he has enjoyed all the various verticals that he has started, but the most exciting has been the phase that he is going through now. Kundra reiterated: “From a start-up point of view, I am really enjoying this space.”
Kundra discussed the challenges the entrepreneurs are facing in the present times. He said, “I think a true entrepreneur is one who can fold their arms and get up with the same excitement time and time again.” Kundra is not a believer in any playbook for success in entrepreneurship. He stated, “There is no fixed formula. You have to do what you are passionate about.”
Furthermore, he added, “It is very easy to say that I went all in and lost a lot of money, and that’s it for me and now I am gonna go and work somewhere. That’s not the spirit. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to have the same spirit for every start-up that you have invested.” On the challenge of separating the personal life and the professional life of an entrepreneur, the celebrity businessman acknowledges that in the first two years of starting a start-up, an entrepreneur has to focus his everything into it. He advises: “Detach yourself when it can be detached.”
Addressing the overall impact of the pandemic, Kundra stated that it has been a great learning curve for all of us and that if this happens again in the future, all should be prepared for it. “We need to create businesses that are pandemic proof in the future,” Kundra said. Moreover, he shared that he has been living a proper routine life everyday during the lockdown period. Kundra informed, “I wake up at 4:30 am and the first hour of the day goes into meditation. Then, I jot down my thoughts and plans and hit the gym for an hour, before going ahead with my day.” “Just because there is a lockdown does not mean you cannot keep a routine,” Kundra emphasized.
Kundra and his wife, Shilpa Shetty are strong believers in the role of spirituality in their lives. Kundra said, “Our shared passion is the spiritual journey that we have both embarked upon.” Speaking about her wife, Kundra said, “She is a wonderful person who has a great instinct for business. She won’t endorse a brand that she won’t believe in.” He further added, “Similarly, if I am going to invest in something if that is not going to add value, I am not going to do it.” Kundra, who is also a strong believer in Astrology, speaks on the importance of luck in one’s life apart from hard-work.
In 2013, Kundra wrote a book titled How Not to Make Money: A Novel. Discussing the interesting title, he shared, “It is a book based on a true story. There was a huge tax crime that happened in the UK and Europe that cost the government close to 50 billion pounds a year. So when I wrote the books it was purely from the point of me being one person who got hit from the fraud.” Kundra also shared, “I want to write another book on trials and errors in my life.