Every single disruption started with the belief of the founder and the early scepticism in the ecosystem . The founder refused to take the ‘No’ .. and gradually the ‘No’ became a big ‘Yes’.
The other part is about contrarian thinking and/or out-of-the-box thinking!
Why go far… I have always shared that the best time to drive in a Tier-I city in India, is when there is a long weekend . The weekend and a day period is where there are no traffic snarls and you can drive in peace and get what you want to do. Take today for instance, the 1st day of the year, it was a zip-zap -zoom ride, though it was not a weekend .
The best time to enter into a sector is when the sector is beaten down or when there has been enough early traction in the space. Getting this right is important for capital raise , translating into growth and also creating wealth for the investors and promoters alike.
Over the past decade, we have experienced this at close quarters both in person and also for the funds we lead and manage.
We are inclined to refuse to follow the herd. This can lead to lesser conflicts or lower tension, but it cannot deliver outsized returns.
We believe to look at emerging megatrends, and take a bite of it, before taking a larger byte and go ahead with it. The disruption is executed by those who are obsessive (passionate has been given more than enough weightage) and want to get it done.
The basics remain constant .
Again today, a family was in office to discuss the portfolio of investments . Along with them, was their 12 year young kid, studying in Class 7. And the kid was observant. The wall in the office has logos of the portfolio companies. And he was observant and was discussing with me about one of the portfolio companies, which he was conversant with. And I was impressed with his feedback. So today, the world of information and feedback is all across. What was pertinent about this interaction was the use case, challenges being faced and how the kid had used this .
As a promoter raising capital, one should not raise capital from all and sundries. Do understand that as a founder, you are going to be interacting with the said investor(s), on a regular basis, over the period of investment. On a conservative basis, at least a dozen times in the first year and basis the growth of the organisation, the interactions may increase and decrease. In the war at Kurukshetra, the Saarthi of both Arjuna and Karna, were experienced. The difference was the communication and approach. The Saarthi of Arjuna was positively influencing him and it was the exact opposite in the case of Karna .
So similarly, today from whom the capital comes, it matters and matters big time.
So, here too, need to distinguish between a ‘No’ and a ‘Yes’.
Look at the latest blockbuster from India – Dhurandhar. The movie did not have any massive PR initiative, before the release of the movie. The team, chose its actors, some of them – out of the box. Crafted a well knit tight storyline. Had a different approach. The founder (in this case – the Director), believed in himself and the casting …and behold, this movie is today in the TOP 10 list of blockbusters and still going strong in the box office .
As a founder, one has to believe in self. Many a times, a ‘No’ can be the starting point for a successful journey ahead.
Author,
Brijesh Damodaran
