Anirudh Challa

Blog Author

How to think like an entrepreneur? The ‘Entrepreneurial world’ could be a mind-boggling place for a first-time business owner. With the overwhelming volume of advice floating all over, “Where do I start?”, could be one of the most difficult questions left to answer. If you started to read every book out there on ‘Entrepreneurship’ tonight, it could be a lifetime before you would be ready to take the first step to be an entrepreneur! Developing an entrepreneur mindset is crucial for success in the dynamic and ever-changing business world. It requires a unique way of thinking and approaching challenges. What are the top 5 questions young entrepreneurs should be asking themselves? Here are 5 easy tips that could help you train your mind to think just like an entrepreneur: 1. According to one of Steve Jobs’ most popular quotes, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”  You’re the only one who can decide what work makes you happiest. This is important because you need to be the biggest fan of your product. Others will look to you when they want to know why they need to believe in your product too. If you’re not going to love what you do, no one else will either. Learn Top MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. 2. The only thing permanent in life is a failure. This is the hardest part because, in our entire lives, we are conditioned to be so terrified of failure that we avoid it at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing one of your biggest dreams… As Mark Zuckerberg will tell you, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” Be determined and prepare for the battle. 10 Startup Ideas for Techies To Become an Entrepreneur 3. As an entrepreneur, inventor or innovator, it is your right to demand the most & the best from your team, when it comes to your product.  Keep an eye open for inefficiencies in your company at all times & implement improvement plans for them. Don’t let the ‘blame-game’ come into the picture at all. Make the best of your resources & push them to do their best. Even India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru agreed when he said, “Obviously, the highest type of efficiency is that which can utilize existing material to the best advantage.” 4. William Pollard believed, “Without change, there is no innovation, creativity or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.” Where there is creativity, there is a change. Where there is change, there will be a disturbance. Your idea may not end up being what it was when you started, but if the change feels & sounds right, accept it. It might be for the best. How to Get Your Start-Up Idea Validated 5. Our world often subjects creativity to the most resistance. You may not find easy acceptance of your ideas all the time… But the most successful innovators will tell you that’s a good thing! “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them…”, said Walt Disney. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big. Don’t let a little criticism get you down. Embrace Uncertainty and Take Calculated Risks Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who thrive in ambiguous situations. Learn to embrace uncertainty as a chance for development and creativity rather than fear it. Recognize that taking chances is a necessary component of the entrepreneurial path. Before making decisions, weighing the prospective risks and benefits is crucial. Look for measured risks that fit your vision and could result in large profits. Foster a Growth Mindset Having a growth mindset is fundamental to think like an entrepreneur. Always believe that skills and abilities can be developed through effort and continuous learning. View failures and setbacks as valuable learning experiences rather than permanent roadblocks. Adopt a mindset that sees challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement. Embrace lifelong learning and constantly seek knowledge and new skills to adapt to the evolving business landscape. Think Outside the Box and Embrace Creativity Create an atmosphere that promotes brainstorming and original thought. Embrace people who may offer a whole new range of perspectives and ideas. Playing games that stretch your imagination is one approach to improving your creativity. Try reading diverse genres of literature, taking creative writing or visual arts classes, or engaging in exercises that challenge your preconceptions. Build Resilience and Perseverance A path in entrepreneurship frequently has its ups and downs. To overcome challenges and disappointments, resilience and perseverance must be developed. Become better at recovering from setbacks and keeping an optimistic outlook. Consider obstacles as chances for development and failures as stepping stones to success. Develop a strong work ethic and the willpower to persevere in the face of difficulty. Foster Effective Communication and Collaboration Successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of effective communication and collaboration. Develop strong communication skills to clearly articulate your ideas, vision, and goals. Listen actively to others and seek feedback to gain different perspectives. Embrace Continuous Improvement Entrepreneurs always seek ways to enhance their concepts, goods, and operations. Adopt a philosophy of continual improvement and actively solicit feedback from stakeholders, including consumers and staff. Adopt an experimental and iterative culture where you don’t hesitate to make essential adjustments and alter course when necessary. Develop a Customer-Centric Approach Understanding and meeting client needs is crucial for business success. Make decisions with your customers’ requirements, tastes, and experiences in mind by adopting a customer-centric strategy. To find chances for innovation and development, obtain customer input frequently, perform market research, and examine customer behavior. Gain a thorough grasp of your target market to better personalize your goods and services to their unique requirements and preferences. Thinking like an entrepreneur involves more than just having a great company idea; entrepreneurial mindset examples also entail developing a mindset that embraces uncertainty, takes measured chances, encourages innovation, and persists through difficulties. By developing an entrepreneurial mindset, you may manage the always-shifting business landscape with tenacity, innovation, and a customer-centric perspective. As you start your entrepreneurial journey, embrace these tactics and continue to learn, adapt, and grow. Keep dreaming and work towards the fruition of your ideas. If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

  In a start-up, absolutely nothing happens till you make it happen. – Marc Andreessen If you are a start-up or nursing the idea of starting one for a long time, you know this to be the absolute truth. But no matter how much you multitask or run around, the feeling of dissatisfaction catches on as you realize that you have so much more to achieve. That’s where productivity tools come in. Tools which take care of the nitty-gritty, giving you more time to chase your dream. What are the top 5 questions young entrepreneurs should be asking themselves? There is a whole repository of start-up tools for you to choose from depending on which stage of entrepreneurship you are in. The list below is just a drop from the ocean of start-up toolkit available out there. Top startup tools to make your startup smarter: This is the early entrepreneur stage when you are planning to launch your start-up. WordPress/GoDaddy: WordPress is the world’s most popular platform and GoDaddy is the world’s largest web host and domain provider. Together, they help you to create a beautiful website which will go on to become the face of your company when you are pitching for new businesses. CoFoundersLab: If you have a great start-up idea and are looking for like-minded co-founders to partner with, this online matchmaking service is the place to go. It helps you to find the right people online and in-person events. Learn Online MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. In this stage, when you have launched your company officially and are pitching for your first set of clients, these startup tools can help you understand your customers better – BetaList: This tool gives you your first hundred users and helps you to understand your start-up’s place in the market, enabling you to improvise on the product-market fit. Intercom: This application lets you interact with your customers/prospective customers on a one to one basis through live chats, targeted emails, specialised in-app messages which are triggered by behaviour and time to build your business. Doorbell: As a start-up, if there is one thing that you eagerly look forward to is genuine customer feedback. Doorbell helps you to gather them all and monitor them closely. The stage when your company has taken off and you are looking at building a team and getting the best out of them on a tight budget, these tools for startup might come in handy – Recruiterbox/Homerun: These productivity apps help you to create authentic job openings, receive genuine applications and review the candidates effectively. Termsfeed: This unique tool lets you create extensive legal documents within minutes and customize them as per your products and services. Slack/ Hipchat: These tools enable you to say to communicate with your team, manage them by allocating tasks and deadlines, follow their progress by sharing files and links and grouping your communications according to projects/teams. Asana/Trello: These are two of the most popular project management tools used by many start-ups. They help you to effectively manage your tasks and projects on one common platform with the whole team on the same page. io: Specially built for idea-led projects, this project management tool lets you record, manage and monitor every step of your journey from an idea to execution. Top 21 Tech Product Marketing Tools For Startups While the tools on this list are some of the most used out there, there are however a lot more where these come from. If you have used any other productivity tools that have transformed your life as an entrepreneur, tell us about it. We would love to hear about them. If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

We are thrilled to announce that our first batch of UpGrad Product Management Program launched on 30th July and is running houseful with students from top schools like IITs, IIMs, ISB, working at companies such as Practo, HP, Coca-Cola, Adobe, Intel, and others. The sheer diversity of the batch stands as a testament to the exponentially growing interest in the field of product management. 70% of the batch consists of students with over seven years of work experience. There is a healthy balance of professionals from technical and non-technical background, current and aspiring product managers and budding entrepreneurs. Our students hail from varied geographies such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Dubai and Germany. While the cohort has a mix of students with diverse backgrounds in terms of experience levels, geographies and work backgrounds, what binds them together is the common goal to start and successfully grow their career in product management. “Structured approach, live projects and mentorship from industry leaders are all which attract me to this program,” says Pulkit Jain, an IIM graduate currently working at Adobe. Kushagra Jaiswal, an IIT Delhi alumnus who is working on his own startup, feels this is a  “chance to learn something which is not frequently taught and the chance to network with the stalwarts of this line of job.” Explore our Popular Business Management Courses Leadership and Management in New-Age Business Post Graduate Certificate in Product Management Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Human Resource Management Professional Certificate Programme in HR Management and Analytics Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Healthcare Management Executive Management Programme in Strategic Innovation Digital Marketing and Business Analytics Certificate Programme in Finance for Non Finance Executives Certificate Programme in Operations Management and Analytics Global Master Certificate in Integrated Supply Chain Management upGrad's Job Linked Advanced General Management Program from IMT Ghaziabad Global Professional Certificate in Effective Leadership & Management Advanced General Management Program Strategic Human Resources Leadership Cornell Certificate Program Digital Transformation Cornell Certificate Program Executive Leadership Cornell Certificate Program Management Essentials Business Management Courses Read: Scope for Product management career and jobs Product management as a role has come to be one of the most critical ones in current times. There’s no better time to be a product manager in India than today given the booming Indian startup ecosystem.  With the growing number of startups and tech companies in India fighting neck-to-neck to have a competitive edge by launching a new product every year or by constantly improvising on the existing product, there is an increasing demand for PMs who understand the consumer behavior of Indian users. Product managers are the backbone of any product team who play an all-encompassing role of seeing the team through till the product launches in the most responsible and efficient way possible, no matter what they have to do. Neena Budhiraja, Director – Product Management at Ola, says that a product manager is the ‘CEO of his/her product’. Manish Jethani, Head Consumer Products at Grofers, who was the founder of food delivery startup Spoonjoy says “India is going online; even the older generation is rapidly adopting technologies like Facebook, Whatsapp, etc. Now that a lot of products are being made in India for Indian population, there is a gap in availability of people who understand the user behaviour and what needs to be built.” While the demand for this role is at an all time high, the skill-set required is scarce. This is largely because the product management is a nascent career option in India due to which a mentor ecosystem has not developed. Moreover, it is a role that needs one to have a deep understanding across diverse areas such as technology, design and business. To fill this huge demand and skill gap, UpGrad introduced an extensive five-month online Post Graduate Certificate in Product Management — a program that allows you to learn, develop and implement the necessary skills to be an ace product manager. It gives you a sneak peek into the experiences and anecdotes of leading product managers at Microsoft, Paytm, Practo, Myntra, Bookmyshow and other leading companies, inspiring you to hone your soft skills and understand the fundamentals of product management like user research, product design, product analytics and much more.   Top Essential Management Skills to Learn SL. No Top Management Skills to Learn 1 Consumer Behaviour Online Certification Financial Analysis Certification FinTech Certification Online 2 HR Analytics Certification Online Communication Courses Online Effective Communication Certification 3 Research Methodology Certification Mastering Sales Certification Business Communication Certification 4 Fundamentals of Journalism Certification Economics Masterclass Online Certification The UpGrad Product Management Program is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal to learn product management.  – Mangesh Dalvi, AVP – Products, Myntra This course gives you an opportunity to be mentored one-on-one by the product heads of leading technology companies such as Practo, Paytm, Microsoft, Goibibo, and Freshdesk, and learn through live Q&A with industry experts. It lets you get a hands-on experience by making you solve real product problems faced by the industry and thereby building your own product portfolio by the end of the program. Its special placement assistance program helps you showcase your product development knowledge to potential recruiters, thus helping you step into the shoes of a good product manager seamlessly. Here is what Punit Soni, ex-Chief Product Officer at Flipkart, has to say about product management in India: To know more about this program, take a look at the detailed syllabus here. And if you are floored by it, don’t be discouraged by the ‘bookings closed’ sign. The admissions for the next batch which starts on 15th October is already open. You can sign up for it at any time right here. upGrad’s Exclusive Product Management Webinar for you – How to craft GTM Strategy for a Product? document.createElement('video'); https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/panel-discussion-on-crafting-gtm-strategy-for-a-product.mp4 Our Top Management Articles Top 7 Career Options in Management To Choose [For Freshers & Experienced] Online Product Management Courses to Kickstart your Career Top 10 Career Options in Business Management in India 8 Crucial Business Management Skills Every Manager Should Have Future Scope of Management: Scope, Salary, Career Opportunities Career Options After MBA – Highest Paying Management Jobs 5 Key Skills Required for Successful Management Career & How To Achieve Those Skills? What is The Nature and Scope of Management? Importance of Management in Every Organisation – [A Complete Guide] Study Product Management Courses online from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. Featured Program for you: Design Thinking Certification Program from Duke CE

Market Research is one of the most used marketing jargons among start-ups and, sadly, the least used phenomenon. Start-ups use this phrase loosely right from the idea stage and continue to do so forever but very few companies have understood its importance and tapped into its true potential to direct their growth northwards. Importance of Market Research For Startup Businesses It is a technique of research analysis carried out in the form of surveys, interviews, questionnaires and focus groups to understand the market, target audience, the need for the business idea/product in the market and its sustenance. But it is often misunderstood as the endless contemplations and discussions between entrepreneurs and their friends/peers before starting a new venture. Learn Best MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career.   Idea Validation: When the seed of an idea starts growing in an aspirational entrepreneur’s mind, it is a natural tendency for them to discuss its credibility with their friends, peers, family, and mentors. And most of the times, entrepreneurs jump into the start-up arena purely on the conclusions drawn out of these discussions and out of sheer enthusiasm to begin their business journey. When they do so, they end up hitting a wall soon as they discover that neither was their idea as original as they thought it to be nor was its need felt in the market. Hence, before starting a new venture, it is very important to carry out objective market research to figure out its originality through competition analysis or find a genuine need-gap in the market and work towards fulfilling it. Also Read: Growth Hacking – The New Marketing Buzzword Product Development: Once the business idea has been established through market research, a start-up should ideally choose to challenge the results of their primary research in their product/service development stage. They can do this by conducting dipstick surveys or any other research marketing tools during different stages of product development and ensure that they are working towards meeting their prospective customers’ needs and demands through and through. Startup Launch: In the business world, a start-up is considered to be successful only when the idea is converted into sales and numbers. And to achieve this, start-ups have the option of using market research to build their idea marketability quotient right from the launch of their products/services. Identifying the right time to launch, targeting the right people at the right places is the key to a phenomenal launch which is possible only with the data collated through market research. Adding a strong marketing strategy to it will not only make way for product visibility but also help in combating any competition that might threaten its growth in the market. Sustenance Strategy: Once the start-up is up and about in the market, no matter how unique the idea or dire the need, the competition will exist. That’s where the age-old advice of ‘research your market’ comes handy for smart growth and sustenance hacks. Market research will definitely help in figuring out the needs and upgrades expected by the customer but how frequently start-ups conduct such analyses and reinvent themselves will determine their overall success. Planning to startup? Gain clarity for your entrepreneurial journey through structured frameworks and insights from India’s leading entrepreneurs and industry experts. Explore real-life case studies, group assignments and opportunities for networking and collaboration with UpGrad’s Leadership & Management program If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

With the first batch of Startup With UpGrad coming to an end, there is a need to look back and appreciate the efforts put in by all the students and laud many inspiring tales. One such example is of Romil Jain, winner of the Most Promising Entrepreneur Award of the November 2015 batch. Hailing from a business family, Romil Jain was always interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. However, he felt trapped in his family business due to lack of creative freedom and rigid, old school mindsets of his peers. That is when Romil decided to chart his own course by starting his own venture. “The first thought that came to my mind was to start my own clothing label since my family has been in the textile business for the past 30 years. But, I soon realized that there is no shortage of clothing label, but a shortage of clothing education. People don’t know what to wear for a particular occasion like while going out or while going to work.” 10 Startup Ideas for Techies to Become an Entrepreneur He believes that the feeling one gets on being complimented for good dressing style is amazing and an instant confidence booster. Having this thought in mind, Romil started GentClub, where they provide men with styling tips. Gentclub.in is a unique startup, where one can get personal styling tips. All a person has to do is answer a few questions regarding his age, body type, budget range etc. Then one has to list down his preferences as to what would he wear for work? What would he wear while going out for a party? Based on this, Gentclub assigns a person a stylist, who can help him select the right clothes for the occasion. Learn Best MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career.   Initially, Romil was very apprehensive of his idea. He was skeptical whether the idea would work or not. This is where UpGrad stepped in. “It was with UpGrad that I could refine my idea and execute it.” said the budding entrepreneur. Romil feels that the difference between UpGrad and other courses was that it succeeded in building a community of entrepreneurs. He feels that the community helped have healthy discussions and interactions on ideas formulated, problems faced and common replicable solutions found. He also enjoyed the weekly online discussions with domain experts which helped him solve many of his queries. It was in one such session, where Ronnie solved his doubts regarding financing his startup. What the founder of ThinQbate learned from StartUp with UpGrad? Taken the right step and confident of the new learning, Romil now has eyes set on his dream of reaching the sky by becoming a successful entrepreneur. Planning to startup? Gain clarity for your entrepreneurial journey through structured frameworks and insights from India’s leading entrepreneurs and industry experts. Explore real life case studies, group assignments and opportunities for networking and collaboration with UpGrad’s Leadership & Management program.   If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

The recently graduated batch of November 2015 of Startup With UpGrad had a lot of bright, aspiring entrepreneurs. Pranav Marwah was one such striking spark to join the UpGrad family. Pranav has started with ThinQbate, which is an incubator and accelerator for young startups. It aims to create a conveyor belt of scalable and growth-oriented businesses, by providing value to early stage entrepreneurs and investors alike. ThinQbate plans on using the existing space for creating something of long-term value. Having gone through a number of investor & business plans, Pranav has finalized on 4 – 5 entrepreneurs who will be working out of ThinQbate space. Pranav was highly impressed by the Startup With UpGrad program. Something that actually stood out for him was the massive network of entrepreneurs, which UpGrad as a platform was able to create for him. Observing fellow entrepreneurs’ success and failures helped him in finding replicable solutions, thus guiding him sail through his entrepreneurial journey. Learn Top MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. When asked which module did he enjoy the most, Pranav spontaneously responded, “The module of design thinking was something I enjoyed the most. It helped me structure the product that we planned on bringing to the market.” “The video bank created, helped me understand the success and failure stories of other entrepreneurs at an early stage. It helped me hone my skills.”  -Pranav Marwah The flexibility the course had to offer was one of the prime reasons of Pranav opting for it. He was able to cover the modules, do the assignments and watch the coursework whenever he got time from his busy schedule. While traveling, while in the elevator or post work, Pranav found the digital learning experience to suit his learning timings perfectly. When asked to summarise his learning from the course, Pranav said, “The course gave me structure, discipline and context to take my product to the market.” Finally, Pranav had a lot of words of praise for Ronnie. “I was able to attend a Google hangout session with Ronnie. He, directly and indirectly, gave me a direction as to how to approach investors, which was important for a relatively inexperienced entrepreneur like me to get a head start,” said Pranav. The ability to think and apply your own mind was something that Startup With UpGrad taught the students, making them confident enough to start their own entrepreneurial journey. How Romil Jain Set Out To Change The Way Indian Men Dress Planning to startup? Explore real-life case studies, group assignments and opportunities for networking and collaboration with UpGrad’s Leadership & Management program. If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.  

Given its ability to bring the world in your hands, it’s no wonder that mobile apps are such a rage. And of course, they are here to stay. But does this magic hold true for every single app that was ever been published so far? Sadly, the answer is no. There are millions of mobile apps being developed on a daily basis but very few manage to enter the top charts on the mobile app store. Then there are the ones who stay at the top, make it to the editor’s choice list, rule their respective categories for months together and remain the users’ favourites long after their launch. The only thing different about the owners/founders of these apps was their understanding of the mobile applications world. Here are a few tips on how to be a successful mobile app entrepreneur 1) Focus on your ‘Hero’ feature While you might have a great idea or might have found a solution to one of the most prevalent problems in our day-to-day life in the form of your mobile app, beware of offering too much through one single app. This is one of the foremost reasons why mobile apps fail to make a mark on its users. Too many features take away the simplicity of an app which otherwise could have been a user’s dream experience. Instead, focus all your efforts on developing one feature/solution and keep optimising it for a better experience. 2) Study the App Store rigorously Keep a keen eye on what’s happening on the App Store daily. While you might be downloading the best ones, make it a point to study the bad ones too. They tell you what ‘not’ to do. Benchmarking data and studying the trends regularly give you an idea about which apps work and which don’t through sheer observation. Use Google Analytics and listening tools for genuine reviews and feedbacks. Give special attention to the ratings and feedbacks as they are your clues on how best to improvise your app. Learn Top MBA Courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. 3) Invest well for great returns As any mobile development professional would tell you, developing an app is not the be-all and end-all for a mobile app entrepreneur. Having a strong marketing strategy to promote the app across all mediums decides the fate of the mobile app. Not to forget the monetizing planning you choose. Of app purchases, subscriptions, in-app purchases and freemiums, which kind of monetization plan you offer your user also decides whether your mobile app is worth a million downloads or not. Also Read – : What the founder of ThinQbate learned from StartUp with UpGrad? Offering a great feature/service will remain the key but if you do not offer it for free initially for the users to get a hang of it, your app has little chance of survival. So, it’s always advisable to keep the downloads free and charge for the more/enhanced access to the said feature. The trend of becoming a mobile app entrepreneur has seen a sharp spike in the last year. But it’s the ones who understood the mobile space, kept up with the ever-growing digital trends and were willing to explore the market ruthlessly who made it big – be it the founders of WhatsApp, Zomato, PayTM or any other popular app. So if you are an aspiring entrepreneur and mobile is your thing, you know what to do to make it big. Planning to startup? Gain clarity for your entrepreneurial journey through structured frameworks and insights from India’s leading entrepreneurs and industry experts. Explore real life case studies, group assignments and opportunities for networking and collaboration with UpGrad’s Leadership & Management program  If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

We are really excited about the students of our very first batch of Leadership & Management program graduating tomorrow, 5th of June. As we walk away from the experiences, teachings and moments which we’ve harnessed with the first batch of our entrepreneurship program, it truly feels like our entrepreneurial journey has begun. The journey has so far been infused with knowledge from various domains like marketing, finances, approaching investors, legal structures etc. On their graduation day, we asked a few of our students about their memories and experiences during and after the 4-month program. What is the best part of the program for you? When asked this question, the students had varied answers. “My favourite part of the program is case studies. It really clears your concepts and opens your mind.” said Tarun Mishra. There were some like Ruturaj Kohok, who was pleasantly taken aback by the fact that many entrepreneurs discussed their businesses so openly. For others, this served as an inspiration and filled them with positivity. Among the modules however, branding, marketing took the lead as favourites amongst the students. “I think my favourite part has been the branding and marketing module. I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur”  – Taher Patrawalla What sacrifices did you make? The old adage “the goal is worth the sacrifice” was taken up as a mantra by our soon-to-be entrepreneurs. Some adjusted their work schedule to fit around the StartUp with UpGrad program while some sacrificed time with their loved ones to watch their dreams preserve another day. Going to work early, multi-tasking, late nights, giving up their family time to chase down their goals, each one has a story unique to them. Get Online MBA Certifications from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. “I have a 12-year-old daughter and have to spend time with her over weekends. Many a time, I have skipped a social event or my daughter’s chores to get through some case study.” – Sudhendra Seshachala How did you manage time? The key to getting the most out of the course has been sticking to a schedule and prioritizing. Dedicating 1-2 hours to UpGrad daily has helped the students to cope with the course workload. “Every morning when I planned my daily schedule I planned 1 -2 hours for UpGrad on my list.” said Ruturaj Kohok The priority list approach helped give time to the learning modules. A lot of the students diligently prioritised their professional and personal life to suite UpGrad’s schedule. What did you learn? All in all, many students have already started applying what they’ve learnt, to their ventures. Different concepts like choosing a target segment, value proposition, differentiation, creating entry barriers, researching, preparing a business plan, implementing design thinking etc. are being successfully applied by many of the students.  “I have called my digital marketing team and taken them through my learning.” – Rahul Sirohia Networking opportunities have been the cherry on the cake. With such a diverse talent pool the opportunity to network to find solutions to one another’s problems were enormous. What needs to change? The students also gave their valuable pointers to make the course more effective. Including more modules, covering diverse topics could help make the course more exhaustive. Some of the students also made a special request to include more case studies of successful startups, giving the course a more positive tinge. “It would be helpful if we can have a session on managing finance and cash flow in a starting business.” – Taher Patrawalla Overall, the entire journey has been a great exchange of ideas and mindsets, we learnt almost as much from our batch of 2015 as they’ve from us. Now it is up to them to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired in their own Startups and become role models for the future generations. To the Alumni of 2015 we say ‘live long and prosper’. If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.

Crowdfunding as the name suggests is all about raising money from a large number of people to bring an idea or company to life. For start-ups, this is a boon as it’s a great alternative to approaching a venture capitalist or an angel investor. Start-up funding through crowdsourcing also broadens your avenues and increases your chances of launching your company/product sooner through well-defined financial goals. While crowd-funding as a concept might sound awe-inspiring, the process it demands to actually raise the money can be daunting. Today, there are two most popular crowdfunding sources available to every entrepreneur out there– reward-based crowdfunding and equity-based crowdfunding. Both have different approaches and objectives for the funders as well as the proposers of the start-up idea. Also Read – : What are the top 5 questions young entrepreneurs should be asking themselves? Reward-based crowdfunding A reward-based crowdfunding is a system where funders back up or support a project financially in return for great perks or incentives in the form of the final product itself. Kickstarter is a prime example of reward-based crowdfunding and Pebble watch is one of the companies which notably raised funds using this method. This kind of crowd-funding is the way to go if you have a great innovative idea and are looking at building a community of like-minded innovators & early backers to pre-sell your product while raising the money. Reward-based crowdfunding companies/websites are free and flexible and most importantly, have fewer rules and restrictions. This gives a free reign to create a great crowdfunding campaign for your idea. Basis that, if your idea/ product succeeds in raising the required money, it clearly means that your idea is incredible. This makes it easier for you to raise money even through traditional means as if a venture capitalist is considering two ideas to invest in and yours is backed by crowdfunding, the chances of him investing in your project are higher. Get Online MBA Certifications from the World’s top Universities. Earn Masters, Executive PGP, or Advanced Certificate Programs to fast-track your career. Also Read – : What skills do venture capitalists look for in early stage entrepreneurs? If you choose to go this way to raise money for your start-up, be wary of delivering what you promise. As an entrepreneur, if your product is not as great as you had projected it to be, you don’t just lose the money but also your reputation in the community which could be a larger setback in the long term. Equity-based crowdfunding Equity crowdfunding requires you to create a fundraising strategy for your company basis which investors can invest money in the form of securities (equity). While this is a more complicated process, the biggest advantage here is that all the money that comes in through the investors is considered as one single pool and no particular investor has the power to influence the company in future. Of course, this is governed by a known set of rules which allows the founders to run the company smoothly. Some of the most renowned financing platforms like FundersClub have been running on this protocol. Enviu, a sustainable business development company from Netherlands is a legendary example which raised 100,000 Euros through Symbid. Although equity-based crowdfunding platforms are well-versed in simplifying the fundraising process, the investors on these sites are as rigorous as the VCs and expect to see complete clarity and credibility in your start-up. So if you are planning to take this route to raise money, make sure you leave no stone unturned in letting them know why your start-up deserves their funding. Accelerate your entrepreneurial journey with Leadership & Management program If you want to learn more about marketing and entrepreneurship, Liverpool Business School & upGrad offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) Liverpool Business School which helps you to transform your career. The program provides 1-on-1 mentorship from industry leaders, 1-week immersion program at University campus, dual credentials (MBA from LBS & PGPM from IMT), network with peers at offline basecamps and more.