2017: Habits to Inculcate

"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify" - Henry David Thoreau

As the new year dawns, I am thinking of subtracting things from life, consolidating time and just focus on developing long term habits which will ensure good health, happiness, simplicity and peace of mind.

So here is what I intend to focus 20% of my time in the year 2017:

• Health: 
• 90 mins of focused physical activity everyday: I have been walking regularly for 40-45 min in morning and playing badminton 30-40 minutes in evening. Intend to make it consistent and convert walking to running.
• Eat 6+ small meals: Need to increase proteins and eliminate white/processed carbs
• Skill:
• Learn Coding: Will continue my codecademy program and learn Java, Javascript, SQL and Excel
• Happiness:
• One Habit with Priyanka: We need to spend time together on one activity of common interest - Can be walking, dancing, cooking (interferes with health one above) et, al.
• Dreamlining: Here I can go limitless, though caveat is substituting consumption (alc, food,reading etc.) with producing/doing - Spending time with Family, Driving Cars, Dancing, Movies, Writing, Meeting people, Traveling etc. Key is to put a timeline to it.

With the simplicity manifesto in mind, I am restricting it here :). 

2014 - Good & Bad, Setback & Hope!!

The year was a mixed bag. Many good things happened but one major change occured, which altered my path for next couple of years. I have not reconciled emotionally with my own decision, but terming it as a bad event would be an oversimplification. 

In the path of entrepreneurship, one needs to take a detour, but it is more of a mindset. And I continue to be an entrepreneur, even though I have shut operations of EnNatura.

Here is a list of the Good that happened and the learning from EnNatura shutdown

The Good:

• This was the year when Politics became really interesting again and for good. Got involved with IITians for NAMO, followed Modi speeches  and the Elections 2014. And ofcourse who can forget the meteoric rise and fall of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal.

• Made multiple trips - Agra, South India, Chandigarh and Patiala's Baradari Palace. Had many outings with Priyanka and loved her company. Our love grows everyday. Was her partner in learning driving, teaching (baby steps) and having fun with friends.

• Our darling daughter, Advika, continues to add happiness in our lives - Be it her masti with Papa, Mummy, Priyanka, her dance, her smile, the way she speaks, walks, snuggles upto me, snatches my specs, it's all wonderful. Could throw a lavish birthday-party for her and felt good about it.

• Realized that it is more fulfilling to invest time in nurturing existing friendships that forging new one. So reiterated this by meeting Friends and often - Mangal, Mastram, Alok, Sharma, Khera, Bhatia, Parakh, DJ, Don, Sareen, Rishabh, Rishi.

• This was the year when I understood that I have a great professional network and it works and responds to me. Got good offers at Cardekho & Snapdeal (in < 3 months). Have joined Snapdeal, learning about e-commerce, managing fast growth and internet driven businesses. 

• Met Nikesh Arora, Rohit Bansal, Kunal Bahl, Deepinder Goyal, Amit Jain (all having networth > $ 50 Million). Wealth is no indicator of character, but of success nonetheless. They are not role models but examples of what's doable.

• Financially we are a lot better now: Have contingency fund, healthy savings in place and good salary. The move to Snapdeal turned out to be a good one with added bragging rights.

• Went w/o driving to office with Uber & Ola and then with a Driver.

• Watched and enjoyed movies - Queen, Kick, Dedh Ishqiya, PK et, al.

• Could gift mobiles & jewellery to Papa & Mummy on Diwali and felt really good about it.

• Understood the cash flow models of bootstrapping: consulting, tuition, job and will be super-eager to implement them when I start again.

• Spent avg 40 min everyday on health, had lotsa fun with office janta and the new boss.

• Had dinner at Good & interesting places - Wishpersing Willows (CDG), Baradari restaurant (Patiala), Sarovar Portico (GZB) & Tunkhoos near IIT D.

The Learnings:

• A $ 10 Million business is far more fulfilling in all terms than any large company Job.
• I want to monetize my intellectual asset in EnNatura, not through services but products
• Key asset is health and abilities. If we have time, we can grow the business.
• I should keep all pieces of the asset intact & well preserved.

Looking forward to the new year with greater hope and wisdom.

Manufacturing Travails: Experience of Running EnNatura

We run EnNatura, a green chemicals company, which is a R&D spin-off from IIT Delhi. We manufacture zero-odour & food-grade printing inks for applications in commercial printing & packaging.

  We operate a manufacturing unit in Gurukul Industrial Area, near Badarpur, on the border of Delhi & Faridabad for past 3 years. We have had first hand experience of the dismal state of manufacturing infrastructure in the National Capital Region. 

The industrial area houses factories of biggies like Escorts, Bharat Gears, Plasser India et, al. This is 30 minutes drive from South Delhi and near to Railway track and Delhi - Mathura highway. This is required for easier material transport from in & out of Industrial Area.

But what ails this industrial area is the last mile connectivity & lack of industrial infrastructure. 

Infrastructural Travails

Once you enter the area, the decrepit condition of roads make you realize why Industrialists in Delhi buy SUVs. Water-logging & improper effluent discharge on roads is common place. Their is no common effluent treatment plant for the SSIs operating in the area. Electric power cuts and transformer faults are common and become severe in summers. The industrial production is backed-up on diesel generators. Touts, masquerading as babus from Municipal Corporation of Faridabad extort money on an yearly basis in the name of 'MCF license'.

Taxation Mess hinders Growth

Indian taxation system is byzantine. If one operates a production unit in Faridabad & has customers in Delhi, UP& Haryana, he will be in spending a significant amount of his time on taxation & compliance in all three states. Managing DVAT, Haryana VAT, CST, excise, Income Tax filings require some serious legal skills. For a large business, it may be manageable but for a SSI, with limited resources, proper filings are expensive & tedious. No wonder SSIs evade tax and operate on cash. This hinders growth as most SSIs will want to remain geographically limited to avoid regulatory head-aches and have limited access to capital to finance losses associated with geographical growth.

Need of the Hour is simplification of taxation regime and better industrial infrastructure. If this is the situation of industrial areas in NCR, one wonders what would be the situation in lesser developed parts of the country. 

I can understand why there are so few industrial start-ups from technology institutes in India. Apart from the obvious risks associated with the start-up, the regulatory & infrastructural issues create further roadblocks to starting up.

But no country has 'developed' without industrialization, be it US, UK, Germany, France or China. If India has to 'develop', its leaders have to create manufacturing friendly policies & invest in industrial infrastructure.

Taking a Political Stand: Modi for PM

There comes a time when we have to make a choice. The choice is difficult, as I am very encouraged by the rapid rise of AAP and their leader, Arvind Kejriwal. He has shown that politics based on issues, backed by crowdfunding and creative campaigning can be done and can win you elections against entrenched incumbents. This has created hope among the Nation's youth and has given AAP significant momentum for LS elections. Thats revolutionary and remarkable.

But I support 'Narendra Modi' for PM. Or BJP as India is not a presidential democracy. Sound economic policies and growth is what India needs desperately now and Modi is the best man to deliver. In administration & execution, experience and track record of performance matters, apart from personal integrity, which is a pre-requisite. 'NaMo' an outsider, who has shaken the establishment in Delhi and with great track record for 10%+ growth in Gujarat for 10 + years. He has negatives, but all great leaders have them, look at Churchill, Thatcher, Jobs, Lincoln, Grant, et, al. I am looking for a PM not a for Dharm guru.

India's growth story, started in 2000's has probably another 10 years to play over, after which, we may loose the demographic dividend of a 60%+ young population. I do not want to experiment now, as we have lost 5+ yrs with congress. We need manufacturing, jobs, wealth creation, then only the Aam Aadmi will rise. No body just wants to remain an Aam Aadmi forever. So I support 'NaMo'.

After all, Its the economy, stupid!!

2013: Very Satisfying Year!!

The great things happened to me this year:

• I became a father this year. The feeling is just great, when i look at my daughter - Advika. She is so cute & adorable. I just feeling like cuddling her and kissing her all the time. She has brought lots of happiness and good luck for the family.

• My brother also became a father, on the day of his 5th anniversary. This was very special and we could not be more delighted. 2 and 1/2 months after Advika was born, Aaryav arrived and completed our family.

• We grew wealthy and blessed it seems, as family bought another home in Zirakpur, Panchkula. 

• I could not been happier with my parents.

• I love my wife more and more :) Enjoyed lots of dates with her, mostly stolen and in coffee shops ;)

• We moved to our own house in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad and that brought a lot of stability to our being. :)

• I started earning more, both from my business and from freelancing gigs. Intend to continue doing the same in the coming year.

• EnNatura grew 250% in this year. Though still losing money, but the business is getting stabler. Hope to be profitable and cash flow positive soon.

• Travelled to a lot of places in and around Delhi. Kasauli, Pataudi Palace, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Akshardham, most of Lutyens Delhi, Hauz Khas Village to name a few.

• Met most of my friends - Khera, Sharma, GG, Mangal, Mastram, DJ, Mihsra, Don, Bhatia. Stayed connected and in touch with others.

• Started doing philanthropy like Rockefeller. 1-2 % of monthly income going to charity. As will earn more, will give away more. Just feels good.

Thanks god for being so kind to us. For a good collection of all the great things that I thought about or happened to me this year, here is my year in Facebook Statuses

2012: Learnings, Facing Fears, Peak Experiences & Marriage

Things I learned and loved in 2012:

• Live in day tight compartments, be with family, work hard, enjoy life and not focus on past or future.
• I am building a $100 B company, because I want to have that 'experience'. I want greatness and so I have to face the struggle.
• All rich experiences/ideal lifestyle can be had in $ 100 k a year max. Dont run after an arbitrary number in bank to start living your dreams. Cost it, make it and live it.
• Always play to your strengths, think big and let the weaknesses remain.
• Being rich is all about discretionary time, money, attention and mobility. 
• For me, richness is all about your time and cashflow to do exciting things, have memorable experiences and sharing them with friends & family.
• I love my wife: Priyanka
• Marriage has been the most peak experience of my life :)
• Practice misfortune: face your fears regularly.
• Be full of gratitude for being wealthy, amazing wife, great parents, brothers & bhabhis, friends, relatives, employees, directors, company.
• Never let your insecurities hurt the business: health, cash-flow, self-esteem. Don't be emotional about separating Cash-flow & self-esteem from contribution
• Practice Dying.
• You don't have to make the money the same way as you have lost it.
• Accept weaknesses and mistakes. Saying sorry requires a lot of courage.
• I am judgemental, argumentative and negative, even when I am left alone.
• Cost of a thing is equal to the amount of the thing called 'Life' you are willing to give up for it
• Startup = Growth. Revenue is the only indicator.
• Follow revenue growth rate just like truth in science and you will reach someplace cooler.
• Work hard, take regular breaks: daily reflection, weekly relaxation, week long vacation every half year.
• Interest and energy are cyclical.
• Don't worry and be emotional about things which are not in your control: other's perceptions, ownership etc.
• Tell it as it is and saying that you cannot do it: effective and liberating.
• If you really want to do something, you will find a way of doing it.
• Stress is the difference between our expectations and reality. Co-operate with reality.
• Simplest (not the easiest) way to practice patience: Be silent.
• Sunday afternoons I am very unhappy & anxious: Work or go out.
• I have zero possessions: No car, No house, No smart phone, No laptop.
• Always trade material wants for experiences. Interesting experiences = Life. Record experiences.
• Your success in life depends on the number of difficult conversations you are willing to have.
• Beware of vanity, judgements, feeling holier than thou.
• Always remember that you will miss out on things, experiences. So be cool with it.

Fears I faced in 2012 and survived:

• Running a bankrupt company: facing and deferring creditors.
• Hearing criticism, facing heat and accepting that I cannot be the CEO of EnNatura.
• Undergoing heart scan and realizing that I do not have any heart condition
• Telling Priyanka that I am broke, cannot make enough money to take her on a Honeymoon.
• Asking dad for money to fund company.
• Working on the side, being answerable to someone (boss), to earn money while running the company.
• Riding a bike down the snowy, slippery slopes from Chang La to Pangong Lake in Ladakkh.

Peak Experiences in 2012:

• Marriage
• Trip to Ladakh
• Honeymoon
• Getting featured in India Today
• Meeting friends often

The Peak after the peak

Why does everything have to keep moving and progressing towards a finite objective? What if there is nothing to move forward to but a struggle to stay where you are.

I once told my friend that I'm scared to move forward as I've achieved A high in life and want to cherish the moment before descending down for my next climb. I'm scared of leaving what I've achieved for the unknown. I'm confused because if I don't start now, I may lag behind in the path called life. But I don't know where my next High would be. I have to start and explore all over.

I realize now that life is a constant movement from one peak to the other. The travel starts with a caravan of people with a race to each one's peak; where there is a place for only one per peak. Moreover, it becomes lonely up there. 
But, the Life never ends there, more journeys awaits you. Let's put this in an example, you produced a successful venture and as soon as you were done, it is already preparation time for the next one. You don't even know whether the next one will be as successful or more than the last one. So what should you do?

Move on and keep moving until you stop breathing. Don't ever stop because this is not the end yet. Don't worry whether you'll succeed or not. It is important to tread this journey. And wait for the life to take its course.

So let the Times fill our lives with interesting journeys and memories. Because these journeys can never reduce your worth or experience; they know only one way and that is forward looking. Always expanding like our universe.