StartupTalky

Tag: ✍️ Opinions

  • Misbah Quadri on How to Build a Community for Your StartUp in 2022

    This article has been contributed By Misbah Quadri, Founder and CEO, Monofys Media.

    I remember the day when I was selected from school, as part of the Gifted and Talented program to attend ‘smart classes’ at Oxford University. I was apprehensive, my mind refusing to emerge from its hibernation mode, my eyes peeping from behind my woolen hat from time to time, like a turtle swinging its neck out from under its shell, trying my best to avoid all eye contact. Seated in the large sessions hall, I was unsure of what to expect next, unaware of who the others around me would be and unwilling to let my vulnerability show, by communicating with anyone around or asking for help. Slowly, the room began filling up and by the time it was time for the lecture to commence, the room was neatly packed with 50 odd students, hailing from different parts of the United Kingdom, all chosen for their exceptional work and more importantly, for their obsessive devotion towards the subject – English Literature. By the end of the first day, I was more at ease with this new bunch of students than I had ever before been in life. And just like that, by the end of the one month program, we had become a community! The one thing that had brought us close together seamlessly was our joint fondness for the subject as well as our combined efforts, teamwork, intention of learning, unlearning and making the most of the opportunity at hand. At the risk of sounding too poetic… our common interest and like mindedness bound us like the pearls of a necklace. I felt like I was home.

    That was one of the first few chapters of my life when I was introduced to the feeling of being part of a community. Ofcourse, we are all parts of different communities in our own ways – be it by being born in to a particular religion, sect, nationality, race, political group or even that of growing up to opposing all of these. There are endless categories upon which communities are built. And they are all woven together by the foundation of a shared interest, collective efforts, sense of being rewarded, appreciated and acknowledged. I, as the founder of a startup am in the process of building a community around the shared interests of professionals seeking to engage and build with as a team in the corporate fraternity.

    There are a few points I have kept in mind to ensure that I am able to create something substantial which adds value to the lives of those that are choosing to be a part of this circle of trust.

    Tips for Building a Community for Startup

    Be clear about the intrinsic aim and overarching objective of the community
    Don’t plan too far ahead
    Humans require appreciation and acknowledgement to flourish
    Consistency is queen
    Identify torchbearers of the community and delegate duties

    Be clear about the intrinsic aim and overarching objective of the community

    First things first – it is crucial to know exactly why is the community being formed. Running around in circles, aimlessly, without a set objective will not only not serveany purpose but will also result in a waste of time, resources and energy into building something which will invariably fizzle out. A common destination warrants the construction of a road ahead for all those who are part of the journey. Think of plugging in the core offering or the end goal of your startup in order to build a conducive ecosystem for all team members.

    Don’t plan too far ahead

    While a lot of successful people will advise you to have a solid plan in hand before you build an entity, I am of the belief that planning too far ahead in life personally or professionally results in artificial glory which lacks the charm of a raw, natural, neutral backdrop. No matter how well prepared you are in life, you can never really anticipate the upheavels that are bound to cross your path. It’s great to have the basics in place, but let the rest flow naturally – at its own rhythm. A thriving community formed by a startup demands embodying originality, freshness and ingenuity.

    Humans require appreciation and acknowledgement to flourish

    Any community can best operate only when its members feel appreciated for their efforts and for their loyalty. Arranging regular award programs for those contributing on a steady beat and publicly earmarking milestone events in the progress of the community members will ensure that the group feels positively charged, energized and excited while feeling valued for adding value. Keep in mind that particularly in the post Covid era, we are looking at digital platforms (like Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype, Telegram, Clubhouse, etc) serving as the community binders. This makes your job equally easy and tough – balance is key.

    Consistency is queen

    You can offer priceless resources to the community members but if it is done only at intervals and not on a daily or timed basis, then your efforts are as good as (or as inadequate as) an umbrella during a tsunami. Being looked upon as dependable and inventive are key pillars of a well-functioning community.

    Identify torchbearers of the community and delegate duties

    No one person can ever achieve the collective goal of a community. One of the most underrated features of putting together a community is delegation of duties. Bifurcate roles and identify key participants of the community and hand over some of the critical roles to these members in order to encourage participation from the others as well as to ensure smooth operations of the group.

    Conclusion

    The last two years have been nothing less than a learning curve. It is quite sublime to recount how each one of us managed to evolve to take on roles and responsibilities in our individual capacities in ways, unimaginable in the pre-2020 era. There were tears, there was joy – there were mostly tears. But knowing that we were all in this together, somehow kept us going, despite the odds stacked against us. Covid has been a spectacular reminder of how a community can help us cross even the most agonizing tightropes of life.

  • Siddharth Chaturvedi on How Not to Lose Your Patience While Building a Startup

    An opinion shared by Siddharth Chaturvedi, Founder and MD, Boys and Machines.

    Buckle up to start your journey in building a business from scratch. The culture of start-ups is very central and flows directly from the founder. A comparatively smaller team set to achieve the same goals and align to make a difference in a sector of their choice. The startup trend in India is not a new thing. The purpose has diverted but the business values and beliefs remains the same. Corporate practice in India grew after the dotcom years at the turn of the century.

    Coming specific to the automotive sector, the pre-owned car market has been unorganized for decades. Cars used to sell through word of mouth and the buyer was about 50% unsure of quality or value he is getting out of the deal. We all relied on the known mechanic to check out the car before nodding on the deal. It was high time to organize this gold mine of a market to cut down middleman and provide value to customers with the right quality at the right price.

    Having the right state of mind and believing in yourself are the pillars to make big things come alive. Patience is one of the strong foundations that propels the power of compounding in action. Sometimes, you become overwhelmed when things may not work out at the start.

    While starting Boys and Machines, it was always a challenge to strike a fine balance between keeping your expenses low for longer sustainability and to hire the best possible team to ensure the back bone of the organisation is solid. At the end of the day the biggest reason for failure of an organisation is either higher expenses or a weak team to deliver steady results and manage the load. As our business model uses rented properties, it was painstaking to figure out the right showroom locations at reasonable prices. The process of choosing the right locations for your business can become lengthy and you have to make many decisions along the way that can either make or break the new organization tight on cash. Hiring the right people for different departments is even tougher. Because you have limited resources and the decisions become heavy. It is the team that builds the organization and the strain to get the team right needs patience and determination.

    At the beginning days, we were into a lot of planning. We gave impeccable attention to detail on every little task and that gave us the confidence that things might work out. The planning phase is very important to gain confidence. When you put your thoughts on paper and do research, confidence flows! A team that understands your vision and are ready to give the sweat to make to convert that vision into a mission and materialize it, confidence builds up. These two aspects can help you not to lose patience while starting up your organization.

    Now, it can happen that the results you are actually getting is away from projected expectations. And believe me, you will never be satisfied as your hunger to grow also increases with rising sales. We strive to grow every day as a team and the only game plan that we have is to give our 100% as a team every day and face, tackle, and over-come challenges that show up. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

    When running a competitive high-stake business like luxury pre-owned cars, keeping patience is of prime importance. Losing patience just results in narrowing your mind which makes it difficult to find solution. The higher the stakes the more patience you need to have as it gives you a stable mind to assess the situations and come out of them.

    Business is all about keeping an open mindset and work with your eyes and ears open. Grab opportunities and tackle difficult situations. One tip is to don’t get overwhelmed on either sides of the spectrum. When the business is not materializing as expected, put down your head, figure out what is going wrong and work out solutions. When the business is booming, keeping your heads straight focus on maintaining the momentum. Let the power of compounding do its work. You just need to ensure you are doing the right things at the right time.

    To all the newbie entrepreneurs who are ready to take the challenge of starting-up and making a difference, be patient your time has come. You are already set out to achieve great things when you made the decision of starting-up. Get your home-work done by doing a thorough research on the business you are planning to scale. A very good practice that gives you good knowledge is to work under someone who is into same industry to understand the things which you would have to face once you start your own venture. The work will help you understand the business better and you can learn things that can multiply results.

    Secondly, keep your expenses minimal. You may churn out some cash right from the start but the cash outflow should be minimum to maximize re-investment opportunity. Again, the compound effect works well! Let it do the hard work for you. You just want to ensure that the business has enough cash when required.

    And last but not the least, give your 100% to the venture you are set out to start-up. Hard work is a necessary and everyone should go through the struggle phase. This will make you strong and give confidence to make better decisions when the time comes and huge resources are at stake. All the very best!

  • What to Look for in a Startup Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    The journey of entrepreneurship is long and tiring, somehow or the other you may find a need to look for a mentor, who can play a vital role in the success of your business. They will help you in facing the different challenges, that will come forward in the entire process.  There are many successful entrepreneurs who actually mentor aspiring entrepreneurs but not everyone can be your mentor. So while looking for one, entrepreneurs must understand what they actually need.

    In this article, we will find out what to look for in a startup mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    I would personally tell everyone who is looking for a mentor to network. Keep networking and building your connections. On the contrary, I would recommend young individuals to start building their connections from a very early age. The thing with networking is that you never really know who you would end up meeting. I would advise all young entrepreneurs to keep exploring and meeting different people from all walks of life. Not necessary you will find your mentor from the same industry or similar surroundings.

    Besides networking entrepreneurs should look for individuals who love taking up challenging tasks and overcoming those challenges. When you are picking your mentor also try evaluating what leadership skills you want to set in your organization. Accordingly, find a mentor who has been successful in creating a similar leadership skill set in their lives. Another suggestion I would like to give is to find a mentor who helps you build your network. Therefore in all when someone is looking for a mentor they need to evaluate how the mentor will advance their overall career.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    The most important quality in any mentor is availability and desire to help. I would recommend that anyone looking for mentorship needs to find people that invest in their growth journey both personally and professionally.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    A mentor is not someone who has experiences and degrees medaled on their profile, or how much engagement or following they have on social media. For me, a mentor is someone that I can speak to for direction and decision-making when fear, uncertainty, and doubt looms.
    If you are looking for a mentor, do not start by keeping the cost of engagement in mind because ‘the best from the rest’ does not come cheap. What you should look for are:

    • How well your mentor understands your need and how well he summarizes it; it means they heard you well.
    • Look for energy, positivity, and the spark that clicks a chord with you. These are effects that bring positivity to an equation.
    • Pick a mentor who shares your values and ethics of business and a similar understanding of business success.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    You need to ask 4 questions when looking at someone to be your mentor :

    • Do you trust this person?
    • Will they be accessible to you?
    • Do they bring a new perspective to the table?
    • Are they addressing a specific gap with their knowledge?

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    • Have mentors across age groups and walks of life.
    • Communicate clearly that you are seeking mentorship. Sometimes people
      tend to idolise someone from a distance and don’t muster the courage to let
      the person knows that they are seeking mentorship.
    • Have a professional mentor, who is outside of your organisation for
      complete objectivity.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    I feel, in the Indian context, mentorship is still largely under leveraged which may be due to cultural reasons. I would strongly recommend for everyone to seek mentors from their immediate circle or extended circle, to begin with if you’ve not yet got one. Once, you’ve been nurtured by the initial set of mentors during the initial part of your career, then you should up the game by seeking mentors who have gone through the journey earlier.

    Conclusion

    While looking for the ideal mentor for you and your business, you need to first decipher what you qualities you actually need in your mentor, then only you can find the perfect one for yourself. Amidst thousands of people, they will not only help you in developing your skills but also provide the support and confidence, when you need some.

  • When Should you Look for a Startup Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    The journey of an entrepreneur is filled with excitement, hard work, and a great lot of patience. In this journey, while building up your dream from the scratch, can sometimes feel exhausting. At this point, you need someone who you can look up to when there is a necessity. Those people not only have more experience than you, but they will also advise you and teach you new strategies and tactics to handle your business. These are the people who will give you ideas regarding your current situation and they are called Mentors.

    In this article, we will find out, when an aspiring entrepreneur should look for a mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs presented their take on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    For me, a mentor is someone who I can look up to as a role model. I wanted to always find a mentor with whom I could discuss, share and debate about the obstacles, I am facing in my startup. When I started building Eduvacancy, I realized in the preliminary months that I needed a role model or mentor to guide me and prepare me for the various difficult decisions I’d have to make. When we began working on building the platform and implementation of the technical aspects, I thought of finding an ideal mentor who would be a strong guiding force and pillar of strength for me. Therefore, before I began full-fledged platform operations, I felt the need of finding the right mentor who would guide, hear and teach me to sail through the difficult phases of building a startup.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    Mentorship is an integral part of the entrepreneurial community. For the Earnvestt team, the biggest reason we needed mentors was when we were running our first beta test and we were not getting sufficient sign-ups from the users that we had personally spoken to, which indicated that our product and user flow was not good enough.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    It was an organic process that originated from us trying to find answers to problems that presented themselves as we tried to navigate the process of setting up a business by ourselves. Some advise seemed needless and, in some cases, the insights made us re-think our strategy entirely, and slowly we were able to identify the areas in which we will need continued guidance.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    When I was pondering over a business idea, which finally culminated in the formation of Ramagya Mart, I wasn’t very sure if I should rely on the mentoring acumen prevalent in abundance in my family, or should I seek professional mentoring. As destiny would have it, I was at this crucial stage when I decided to look for a mentor who could professionally guide and personally navigate me to take the right direction.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    There was never a defining moment in my life when I felt like I needed a mentor.
    It just happened organically through inspiring people who came into my life
    through my student and professional life. No one really wakes one day and
    says, ‘hey, I need a mentor’. You just feel the impact and connection with someone
    and reach out to them from time to time.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    As Sir Isaac Newton famously said in his 1675 letter, “If I have seen further, it is by
    standing on the shoulders of Giants”, in my opinion, most of us need guidance for clarity of thoughts/ directions through individuals who have chartered similar paths earlier or for a fresh perspective. Thankfully, I realized the value of mentors right during my engineering days and I was fortunate enough to be able to find amazing folks across academic, industry leaders as well as a couple of batchmates in front of whom I could be absolutely transparent and leverage their insights. I have been continuing the same ever since and the ‘mentors’ circle has expanded with amazing new folks from different spectrums of life especially during the last 3 years of building Kofluence.

    Conclusion

    The need for a mentor can arise anytime. Maybe, at a time when just an idea for a startup is peeking inside your head or in the middle of launching a new product for your startup. You should definitely go for a mentor whenever you feel for one.

  • How to Find a Perfect Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    Most of the time having a mentor really is a benefit for many entrepreneurs. the main job of a mentor is to guide, motivate and inspire you and will you out to find a way from any kind of challenging situation. Amongst millions of people, it can be a challenge to find the perfect mentor for yourself.

    In this article, we will find out how to find a perfect mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    We needed someone with experience and expertise and hence we decided to go through an incubation program. We found great mentors like Tanul, Kruti, and others along our journey through Afthonia.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    This was a challenging task indeed! My office was given the task to identify a mentor for me who could assist me in taking the right decisions.
    After engaging with professional mentors, management gurus, and consulting organizations that were either recommended by references or identified by research, I finally found a perfect mentor that followed his organization’s philosophy to the tee- “I know that I don’t know”!  I loved the philosophy the second I heard it!

    The trait I liked the best about this mentor was that in our initial engagements, there was no mention about his 25 years of cross-industry experience, never failing to achieve a target ever, 100% success as a brand strategy consultant and in fact, I never got a feeling that he was a know-it-all guy!  His confidence, his energy, and the way he emulates his consulting practice were just unconventional and incomparable to the rest, like a doctor that never prescribes a treatment unless the symptoms are thoroughly analyzed.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    A perfect mentor doesn’t exist. Just like a perfect business doesn’t. We essentially earmarked the areas where we needed help and identified 2-3 people we could trust to get advice from. Slowly this network of individuals helped us create a veritable sounding board for our areas of concern.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    I am an avid networker and I love meeting new people. The sole idea behind meeting new people is to learn about their life stories, habits, and personality. I found my perfect mentor by continuously networking and meeting different people from various walks of life. I would go into detail and understand the life learnings of the people I met. This helped me in understanding the characteristics and leadership styles of people with who I interacted. I would also chalk down my future plans and try to understand from different people’s experiences if anyone would add substantial value in my growth journey. However, it was a continuous process of networking at events, conferences, social media platforms that led me to find the right mentor for myself.

    I wanted a mentor who was extremely disciplined and focused in their life journey. Besides that, I wanted someone who has experience in building/scaling and investing in different startup ventures. When one invests in different ventures, they start evaluating companies extremely critically. For me, it was necessary to focus on every small problem in the business and do anything to fix it. I wanted a mentor who personally had faced a lot of challenges in their phase of building up. This would really help me in evaluating and overcoming the challenges and mistakes that would come my way. More importantly, I wanted a mentor who would also sharpen my leadership skills and make me more efficient to scale my startup.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    There was no wishlist, as such. But some of the most inspiring mentors have been the ones who have helped me see the bigger picture, have faith in myself, and call a spade, a spade. Professionally, most founders also seek out the investor community, including myself. I don’t come from a business family, I just had a vision for SuperBottoms. It was Kunal (Bahl) who was the north star in terms of bringing the vision alive and breathing life into SuperBottoms.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    Mentor mentee relationship is extremely important and it needs to be nurtured over time to understand each other’s and corresponding personality traits and thought processes. While nurturing this relationship is mostly conscious and the way is largely defined wherein you understand the strengths and weaknesses, one can also find a mentor in a serendipitous manner. In my case, it has been a mix of academic as well as professional life.

    Conclusion

    Mentors are the guide that will give you a clear picture of your situation and will be beside you when you need them. One needs to be careful while looking for a perfect mentor because in the long they are going to be your trusted confidante.

  • How Startup Founders can Keep themselves Distraction-Free?

    The article is contributed By Sonica Aron, Founder and managing Partner, Marching Sheep.

    Laying the foundation stone of your business, running it well, and ensuring that it succeeds requires hard work, patience, and perseverance. Being a Founder, it becomes imperative and a prerequisite that you possess have a variety of skills, including leadership, managerial, financial planning, creativity, innovation, as well as resilience. However, you would often come across a lot of distractions in today’s digital-driven and unpredictable times in the form of social media or the disruptions induced by the pandemic. This is what your real test is- staying distraction-free and focusing on your work! Cutting through the clutter and steering your firm through crises to a brighter tomorrow is indeed possible if you have tenacity, well-defined goals, and a vision for the future. Let’s take a closer look at a few tips on how to avoid distractions and stay focused.

    Tips to Avoid Distraction and Stay Focused

    Training Your Brain
    Prioritizing Self-Care
    Staying Focused on The Core Values
    Taking on More Complex Tasks
    Monitoring Your Distractions

    Training Your Brain

    Distractions are goal-killers, and they sneak into your working hours unknowingly. Smartphones, social media, and continuous notifications disrupt your workflow and divert your focus away from the important tasks at hand. When you throw in a situation like COVID-19, these distractions multiply. For instance, the sudden transition to work from home was accompanied with a slew of unexpected distractions, including children, dogs, spouses, OTT platforms, and so on. Eliminating the external distractions isn’t possible. But you can focus on the ones that you can control. One easy way could be turning off email notifications and checking your inbox at fixed times every day. Keeping your phone on mute, putting it away for a while, or even setting a timer for taking breaks could also help you maintain distance from the distractions. The best approach however is to concentrate completely on your work when you’re performing office tasks. Focusing on developing your time management skills and practicing mindfulness will definitely reap benefits not only during crisis but in the long run as well.

    Prioritizing Self-Care

    According to many recent pieces of research, a majority of corporate executives struggled with mental health issues during the pandemic. Yet several of those who needed treatment did not seek it. What needs to be understood is that neglecting your physical and mental health can lead to a cascade of additional issues, such as medical visits, insomnia, poor nutrition, and unstable relations, to mention a few. These are all attention-getters and can further become distractions in the long run. The bottom line is that you cannot afford to overlook your physical or emotional health. Prioritizing yourself and incorporating self-love and self-care activities in your routine will rejuvenate you and empower you to divert all your attention to your work.

    Staying Focused on The Core Values

    It goes without saying that you would have set clear values to drive your actions and establish exactly what your firm stands for when you were just starting out. These core values help build the strong foundation of your business and contribute in its success as well. In such unprecedented times, it’s easy to lose sight of your guiding values, especially when your company’s survival is on the line. However, you need to stay firm on your beliefs as they will guide you on the right path ahead.

    Taking on More Complex Tasks

    If you’re facing difficulty while concentrating, then it’s likely that your work isn’t engaging or challenging enough. For instance, routine data input for long hours can lead to boredom and tend to make us feel unproductive. You may end up feeling as if you’ve been working hard all day, but it’s possible that your mind is combating monotony and searching for ways to kill time. This is your clue to step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at something new or complex!

    Our brains are wired in such a way that we tend to pay attention to anything new, enjoyable, or alarming. This is the reason why we should take up complicated projects as they require attention and make use of our cognitive memory, leaving us with minimal or no time to be lured by distractions. When our skills are tested, we are more prone to reach a state of total job immersion. We become captivated and hyper-focused on the job when we take on sophisticated tasks that test our ability and cerebral limits. Completing these responsibilities eventually makes us feel accomplished and worthy of having contributed our best!

    Monitoring Your Distractions

    According to one of the studies by Harvard, we spend over half of our waking time thinking about something other than what we’re meant to be doing. We are on autopilot, and our minds are drifting, partly to avoid having to concentrate. The key to efficient working is to recognize when your mind starts wandering and redirect your focus to the activity at hand. Being aware of your thoughts will help you control them and divert your mind in the right direction. The idea is that you consciously put the brakes on the distractions rather than allowing yourself to continue strolling over to social media to check out your newsfeed. When you’re tempted to give in to a distraction, take a deep breath, and choose not to engage.

    It’s more difficult to refocus and restore your attention to the task at hand once you’ve fallen into the trap and have permitted yourself to emphasize something else. In simple words, instead of letting yourself jumping from one project to another, be attentive to your thoughts.

    Conclusion

    Being the Founder, you would often face to various challenges and they would usually end up distracting you from your goals. But you have to make sure that you stay focused, so that your business attains success. With just minor modifications in your style of working and dealing with challenges along with being mindful, you can easily surpass the roadblocks and mental blocks. The idea is to free yourself from the cage of distractions and focus on strengthening your concentration. Doing so will help you in spearheading your business efficiently and will ensure that it reaches the zenith!

  • Work-life Balance is The Key to Corporate Survival in New Hybrid Work Culture

    Saransh Garg, CEO  & Co-Founder, Nova Benefits on revolutionizing employee wellness, and how employers can challenge stereotypes.

    In a hybrid era, perfecting work-life balance is key to corporate survival!!

    2021 has been a turbulent and testing time for organizations and employees alike, with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis hitting companies differently. The need of the hour is work-life balance, and it is crucial for organisations to understand employee pain points.

    Reports reveal a tectonic shift in the approach to employee wellness. There’s no doubt anymore that employee delight and overall company performance are closely interdependent and gravely impact work-life stability. Workforces, particularly those driven by Millennials and Gen Z, staunchly expect businesses to value their time, well-being, and intellectual fitness.

    There are several simple methods to support employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance – all you need is willingness! Let’s take a look:

    Keeping your ear to the ground: Providing counseling and physical health support to employees free of cost

    Both mental and physical health have been greatly impacted during the pandemic. Apart from offering employees the required support through counseling and health check-ups, it is important to create awareness on where employees can access these services. Employees should be encouraged to share how they are feeling, and feel safe to do so. It is important for organisations to listen and react. A central contact point should be created for employees, where they can expect quick responses to questions and concerns. Employers must also partner with online counseling services to help people with their mental health, and interpersonal relationships.

    Challenges in Scaling Mental Health Startups [Experts View]
    Read the views & opinions of Industry experts on the challenges faced in scaling mental health startups in India.
    StartupTalkyJeenal Jain

    Inclusivity 24×7: Having an open-door policy, regular check-ins, and anonymous reviews within the workplace

    Clear and open communication channels are key to creating a healthy workplace environment, which uplifts employee morale. In traditional organizations, communication is a one-way stream that flows from top-down, making employees feel like they don’t have a voice. Engaging in open and honest conversations with employees can make them feel comfortable, and encourage them to address and speak about issues at work. There are simple ways to implement this using a feedback structure and regular reviews where everyone can present their opinion with the option of staying anonymous.

    Empathy always wins! Social and Community Outreach Programs

    Every organisation has several stakeholders who form a part of the larger community and workspace ecosystem. Building and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the community is what defines ‘Community Relations’. The start point for ‘Community Relations’ is to identify the needs and pain points of the community, and offer solutions to address the same. Community outreach programs like fundraising, setting up vaccination camps for employees and their families, offering tiffin or creche services may contribute to happier and satisfied employees, boost employee morale, and foster a sense of “community” that is critical to long-term success and employee retention.

    Fostering wellness: Digital partnerships for employee well-being

    Employee wellness initiatives are a much-needed component to create a good and healthy work culture. Wellness is a balance of both mental and physical well-being. To address the same, companies can look at organising group activities like online workout sessions or virtual marathons which will help in employee engagement and keeping staff motivated. To ensure mental wellness, it is a great idea for organisations to avail corporate memberships with wellness apps, which offer a full range of services.

    Be resourceful: Get your employees the mental, physical and structural resources they need

    During the first and second waves of the pandemic, isolation and burnout were reportedly two of the most popular employee issues discovered. Isolation was comprehensible, but ‘employee burnout’ posed brand new challenges, creating barriers in personal and professional lives.

    Mental health assistance, along with new methods to develop organizational frameworks for a post-pandemic future. For instance, it’s mandatory to take a two-day break once every 45 days at Nova Benefits – this ensures that employees are getting the rest they deserve. Organisations also need to identify what employees might need – infrastructure, flexibility, professional help to deal with stress, anxiety, burnout, or lack of sleep – in order to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, with limited resources in a WFH set up.

    At Nova Benefits, we offer an unlimited leave policy, which also includes wellness leaves. Employees can take time off for their physical and mental health, and are also encouraged to express if and when they are feeling burnt out.

    We also advise our employees to try and clock in seven to eight hours of sleep every day. Keeping the current WFH scenario in place, our team strives to keep the workforce healthy and active, while at home.

    Feedback is fab! Make wellness surveys and feedback regular routine

    A feedback review isn’t always only for managers to give personalized feedback; it’s also an opportunity to examine employers, workplace culture, and leadership. Timely surveys demonstrate to workers that employers care for them, in addition to enabling the employer to enhance and elevate successful well-being benefits in the future.

    Conclusion

    The above cultural and process-driven changes aren’t complex but must be prioritized to ensure an organization’s rapid growth. Companies who have their work culture right, can see higher financial returns and outperform their rivals. How else are “Best Places to work at” built?

  • How Technology Can Revolutionize Blue-collar Workforce Management?

    The article is Contributed by Shalin Maheshwari – Co-founder of Meraqui.

    Automation, digital platforms, numerous innovations, and technological advancements are all transforming the fundamental essence of employment in the corporate sector. Although these digital transformations were designed with white-collar labor in mind, they are also being developed for the blue-collar workforce.

    Undoubtedly, the internet, wireless networks, e-commerce, and social media have drastically altered how we interact, live, and work today, especially since the outbreak of the pandemic. Software and algorithms have advanced to the point that they can execute complicated, cognitive, and repetitive functions across numerous commercial applications. The automation provided by technology such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning promises enhanced productivity, efficiency, safety, and, most importantly, convenience. However, concerns evaluating the impact of machines on work and people have existed since the very invention of machines.

    Thus, let’s take a closer look at how technology can revolutionize blue-collar workforce management:

    Technology Will Not Take Up Employment
    How Can Firms Upskill Blue-Collar Workers?

    Technology Will Not Take Up Employment

    According to a recent PwC global survey, 37 per cent of workers are anxious about the possibility of losing their employment due to automation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), for example, are making enormous gains toward developing cutting-edge products that can directly replace blue-collar labor. This is because these positions typically require labor-intensive tasks that intelligent machines can easily complete. Self-driving cars, automated cleaning gadgets, and food delivery drones are just a few instances of how technology can replace employees in their current professions. But this does not automatically imply that blue-collar employees will lose their jobs.

    According to a World Economic Forum report, automation would certainly provide millions of new job possibilities in the future. However, even in blue-collar jobs, professionals will be required to have a working grasp of novel technology such as AI, ML, and data analytics. Professionals will need to undertake major and ongoing upskilling as the nature of occupations changes and become more tech-driven.

    The growing influence of automation, technologies, as well as the accelerated pace of change in employee responsibilities and competencies, make a major shift in the workplace imperative. Many companies have recognized the need to upskill their workers and have already begun training personnel at higher levels of the business. But there are still a few.

    More companies should strive to match staff at all levels with future technology, changing customer needs, and market movements. Companies can make all of their employees capable of adapting to tech-driven disruption within the firm and across the industry by doing so. It also assists blue-collar workers in gaining the knowledge and skills they need to face disruption head-on.

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    How Can Firms Upskill Blue-Collar Workers?

    Companies must explain continuous changes to their workers in order to promote efficient learning and provide a smooth transition for the workforce. Leaders may see training blue-collar workers as a greater problem because they may not be familiar with or even aware of many of the cutting-edge technologies. However, if executives keep the following in mind, they can still carve out an enhanced workforce:

    Map the Skills Gap

    To find out where their blue-collar talent stands in terms of industry-specific skill sets and what competencies are necessary for the market for a successful transition, firms must construct a map of skill gaps. The data and advanced insights about skill gaps will essentially establish the groundwork for building a future road map for establishing development programs and mitigating the effects of the skill gap.

    Engaging Modules

    Organizations must provide compelling learning modules that are easy to understand for employees, especially in the form of videos and audio. They can also be translated into local languages to engage personnel in different parts of the world and make the content easier to understand. The course should introduce employees to the fundamentals and then build on that knowledge to expand their understanding of additional industry-specific principles.

    Customized Learning

    Customization of learning can help accomplish the objective of making modules more understandable for workers in a number of different ways. It’s crucial to remember that every employee is unique in terms of their skills, educational background, and even learning style. Since leaders and managers know their team’s problems and strengths better than anyone else, they can be involved in the formulation of training programs. Companies can use the buddy shadowing approach to get the best outcomes and foster an agile culture by encouraging peer-to-peer learning. They can use gratitude and recognition to empower employees while also guaranteeing nobody is left behind.

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    Conclusion

    It’s simple – technological advancements don’t have to frighten the blue-collar workforce; instead, they should encourage them to master essential skills that will keep them equipped for the future.

  • Enhance Work-life Balance: A Guide for Employers by Divay Chadha, COO of Growup Group

    The Article is contributed By Divay Chadha, COO, Growup Group.

    The desire to achieve the perfect work-life balance is not new. But with the growth of remote working and flexible working hours, the lines between work and life are continuously blurring. So presently the need for a better work-life balance is more than ever.

    Undoubtedly, time management and work optimization by the employee plays a crucial role here. But what about the role of the employers? How can employers help their employees achieve a work-life balance? Surely 100% balance cannot be guaranteed. But with small changes in attitude towards work, it can be achieved to a great extent.

    Here we have listed down some ways in which employers can help achieve the much-needed work-life balance for their employees.

    Offer Flexible and Remote Working Hours
    Focus on Productivity rather than hours
    Review Workloads
    Increased Flexibility for Parents
    Trust your employees

    Offer Flexible and Remote Working Hours

    Employees prefer to choose how they are spending their time. So it comes as no surprise that the employee will perform better when the working hours suit his lifestyle and efficiency. Allowing the workers the work at hours as per their convenience will help them to achieve maximum productivity in a limited time. They can plan their day better, stay focused and get the work done much quicker.

    Focus on Productivity rather than hours

    There is no point in staring at the clock from morning till evening when the job can easily be done in a couple of hours. Instead of keeping a track of the number of hours the employee worked, focus if the tasks for the day were accomplished.

    Review Workloads

    Make sure you regularly review the work allocated to individual employees. Keep achievable targets to avoid burnout. It would be helpful if the employer is aware of the efficiency of each team so the distribution of work can be done accordingly. It’s also necessary to create a friendly work environment where the employee can speak up if they feel any kind of stress or work pressure.

    Increased Flexibility for Parents

    We all know how tedious your day can be when you have kids around. Parents need a better work-life balance more than anyone since they not only need time to relax but also time to cater to their kid’s needs. Corporates often end up losing talented employees because they cannot offer flexibility to the mothers. Help your employees split their time effectively between work and family so that your organization doesn’t suffer from the loss of skilled workers.

    Trust your employees

    Need to leave early? Make sure the targets for the day are achieved. Need to work from home? It’s played as long as the job is done efficiently.

    If you are offering your employees the flexibility for time or space for their job, it’s become indispensable to trust your employees. You won’t be able to keep a check on your employees the entire time, which makes the role of trust even more important.

    People are the most valuable asset of any organization. Offering them a better work-life balance will lead to happier and more productive employees, ultimately benefiting your company’s productivity. Besides, it helps improve your company’s image, attracting a pool of talented workforce.

  • 7 Tips for Crushing Your First Design Startup by Ink n Bliss Founder – Pooja Bhagwat

    The article is contributed by Pooja Bhagwat, Founder of Ink n Bliss.

    Starting a new business is so overwhelming. You need to have a solid plan to build a reputation & to take your company to the next level. Here are 7 tips to help you become an effective start up right from the beginning.

    Tips for Setting Effective Startup

    1. Being Passionate
    2. Setting Goals
    3. Creating Content
    4. Creating Great Customer Experience
    5. Networking Skills
    6. Community Over Competition
    7. Taking Care of Yourself

    Tips for Setting Effective Startup

    Being Passionate

    “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excite you” – Oprah Winfrey

    If you really are willing to start & sustain your start up, being passionate about what you do is the key. You are more likely to sustain if you love what you do. You will face sacrifices, failures & low moments along the way but your zeal & your passion will keep you going. You will have the motivation & you will work tirelessly to make it happen. Without passion success in impossible.

    Setting Goals

    Goals help you create a clear path & it will make or break your business success. Of course people with goals are more likely to succeed. So setting goals & achieving them is a must.

    Spend more time visualizing your goals so that you will be more specific about what you want to accomplish. Try to define each step of your roadmap & remember it’s not just about a big picture but having some short term, small goals are also important. Commit to your goals, track them & don’t forget to reward yourself after completing the goals. Stay motivated throughout the process.

    Creating Content

    Creating new content frequently is necessary for any business industry. It reflects your areas of expertise & makes you look like an expert. It will help establish your brand & will also attract new viewers necessary for business growth.

    Though its overwhelming to choose from many different social media channels available today from Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn etc. It’s best to start with just one that you like the most & then slowly going over other social platforms. Also, planning your monthly content helps more than planning a single post. You can quickly overview all the important dates, festivals & events happening in a particular month & can plan your content accordingly. Once your plan is ready, you will be able to create creative content that will delight your audience & hence will help you grow.

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    Creating Great Customer Experience

    How customers feel about you & your brand is extremely important. Attracting new customers & retaining the old ones is essential for a brand’s success & that is possible only through effective customer experience.

    How do you interact with your customers? How well you behave with them? What do you do if something goes wrong? How do you handle crisis? How do you manage to give your best work within deadline? How do you implement your skills effectively? Every step of the communication is a key to creating a good customer experience.

    Always go extra mile while delivering your products or services to your clients. Stay in touch with them right from the beginning conversations till the final delivery. Your logo, packaging, professional email ID, your language, your appearance everything matters & it silently reflects on the minds of your customers & helps build brand loyalty.

    Networking Skills

    The importance of networking is obvious. A strong professional network is definitely needed for any business success. The more you network, the more you will grow & you will build long lasting connections. Networking gives you access to more people & hence more opportunities. The referrals & resources you get through networking works like magic.

    Even if you are an introvert & you don’t like to go out & talk with others, you need to do this somehow. Begin with going to small networking events happening in your area. Try starting a few conversations or just listen to others. Put yourself out there & eventually you will feel more comfortable meeting new people & staying longer at the networking event.

    Community Over Competition

    It’s easy to get caught up in the fear of ‘losing’ customers over competition but life is not a competition. In fact it’s all about relationships. Our lives are enriched by strong bonds & friendships & so does our businesses. Businesses are built on how to best serve your customers & not on how to steal your competitor’s customers. If you are not skilled enough in a particular area, pass on that work to someone else. The more you give the more will come back to you in different forms.

    I firmly believe in community over competition. Coming together & collaborating within your industry is tremendously helpful. Together we feel protected, we understand each other better & when we help each other & cheer each other on, we accomplish things on a different level. After all no one can take away your ‘YOU’ factor & that’s what sets your business apart.

    Taking Care of Yourself

    Though your business is like your baby & you want to work on new ideas 24×7, nothing is as precious as your health. It’s non-negotiable. Eating unhealthy, losing sleeps, working extra hours every day will drain you & you won’t feel energized enough to work on your goals.

    So invest good amount of time in yourself & ultimately in your business. Sleep more, eat healthy & exercise regularly.