All Posts by Himanshu Sheth

|In: OpenCoffeeClub|Last Updated: | 8 Comments

India is truly revolutionizing and so are the guys in the Silicon Valley of India.Two of the major advantages of the Unconferences are “Knowledge Sharing” and “Networking“.How does it feel to learn & network,every 2 weeks? Lot’s of learning and this is where I would like to start my article on “The first meetup of the Open Coffee Club,Bangalore” which was held at BrewHaha on 19th August,2007(11:00 AM).Let’s do a quick recap of the meet in a Q&A style:

What is Open Coffee Club (OCC) ?
The OpenCoffee Club was started to encourage entrepreneurs, developers and investors to organise real-world informal meetups to chat, network and grow.This is the online complement to that offline network. Meet people, find out what’s going on nearby you and then go and take part. More about OCC here

What exactly happened at the event?
Since, this was the opening chapter of OCC, the expectation was around 20+ people but thanks to the power of “Word of Mouth marketing (WOM)” and “Blogging” , the turnout was surprising and was close to around 50+ surprised The event started exactly on time at 11:00 AM and than started a brief round of introduction, which lasted for around an hour.Being the first meet, it was quite expected that there would be a mismatch in the expectations and hence, it was very important to decide the agenda for the next meet.There were a couple of suggestions:

  1. What strategies startups should follow to compete with some of the big guns in the IT industry?
  2. Apart from an excellent idea, there should be a market feasibility(and scalability) and hence,How do we bridge the gap between Technology and Marketing?
  3. How does an entrepreneur share ideas with other people in the group and how can (s)he get an HONEST feedback about the same?
  4. How much should be the VC involvement in OCC ?
  5. Discussions as to whether any particular venture requires VC funding? ie Some insights into VC funding?
  6. Some of the mistakes that Entrepreneurs should avoid.

[If I may have missed out some of the things discussed at OCC , than kindly leave a comment and I would add it to this list :)]

Phew,after lot of discussions now was the time to network and I also shared my part-time, partly Non-technical idea with a quite a few people and was appreciated by some of them.This was a quick check as to whether I am headed in the right direction? lol

Some of the key highlights of the event:
Apart from the discussions, the other key highlights of the event were “Startup Funding” and “Mentorship for Entrepreneurs“.These key issues were addressed by people from National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) – Laura Parkin(Executive Director, NEN & Wadhwani Foundation) & Sameer Kanth(Consultant, NEN Bangalore). Another notable attendee at the event was Yiting Shen from MIT Sloan school of Management. This is just a small example of a new and changed “Globalizing India” !!!

What exactly happened after the event (a Buffet Lunch Club) !!! smile?
Had a good lunch with Prateek & Nithya Dayal;the husband-wife team working on their startup Muziboo, Saurabh, Ramjee, Siva, Vaibhav.There were some interesting discussions about Business Blogging, Legal ways to increase traffic to your blog, WordPress, UI Development, Unconferences, Networking …. After the talk, I thought that I should also start “Blog Consulting” wink

Crowd present at the OCC:
[Attendees who haven’t provided information about their blogs are tagged with their email id’s. Also,if I have missed out your name,kindly add it in the comment section…]

  1. K. Aditya
  2. Saurabh Singh
  3. Kaushik Gala
  4. Deepak Shenoy, founder of MoneYoga
  5. Pooran Prasad, co-founder of Zealous Solutions
  6. Vaibhav Pandey
  7. Harish Kumar, founder of OneBigWeb
  8. Sandeep C Senan
  9. Kiran Jonnalagadda aka Jace
  10. Manasi Baranwal
  11. Shivakumar Ganesan
  12. Prashant Acharya
  13. Gunasekaran S
  14. Sameerkanth , ConsultantNEN Bangalore
  15. Venkat Ramana
  16. Anand
  17. Piyush Gupta, Co-founder of RouteGuru
  18. R. Senthil
  19. Kiran Kadekoppa
  20. Parvez Ahmed
  21. Ajit
  22. Rohit Bansal
  23. Prateek & Nithya Dayal, Co-founders of Muziboo
  24. Karthik Jain, Co-founder of PicSquare
  25. Satish TJ
  26. Anshul Gupta
  27. Meera K , Community & News media
  28. Rajan, Co-founder of Motvik
  29. PV Sundaram
  30. Vipul Gupta
  31. Bhasker Kode,Co-founder of “The Returnable Project”
  32. Laura Parkin, Executive Director, NEN & Wadhwani Foundation
  33. Yiting Shen
  34. Saurabh
  35. Paveen Kumar
  36. Parineeth Reddy
  37. Harinath Pudipeddi
  38. Siva – now an Entrepreneur
  39. Akshat Choudary, Co-founder ActivMobs
  40. Amit Singh, Co-organizer of BCB4
  41. Ashish Solanki, Co-founder Yulop
  42. Puneeth Prasad
[Photo Courtesy : Jace]

Time to wrap up the coverage of “First OCC meetup”.Last but not the least, thumbs up to the organizers of OCC – Ramjee Ganti and Vaibhav Pandey for taking this initiative and making this possible !!!

When does the next OCC happen?
OCC would be held once in 15 days and hence, the next OCC is on 2nd September,2007.For more updates , join the ‘OCC Community Group’

What other bloggers are saying about OCC?
[If you have already blogged about OCC , than kindly add your link in the comments section…]

Ramjee Ganti – Bangalore Open Coffee Kick Starts with Bang

Hope to catch you all at the next “Open Coffee Club” in Bangalore !!!

|In: Books|Last Updated: | 26 Comments
Dhirubhai Ambani is an example of one of the greatest Indian Entrepreneurs,who was responsible for a “NEW & CHANGED INDIA”.I think we can write one entire blog on Dhirubhai and still we could get new articles , day after day exclaim however, this article is about a book “Dhirubhaism by A G Krishnamurthy” , which is a must read for every Indian Entrepreneur.The book lists the 15 lessons from Dhirubhai’s life and straight from the author’s desk:”Dhirubhaism is an attempt to capture those unique insights that Dhirubhai shared with him in several interactions during their long association“

Note:
The lessons listed below are taken from the book itself and the credit goes to the author and hence, “I” in the article refers to Dhirubhai Ambani.

Dhirubhaism 1 – Roll up your sleeves and help.You and your team share the same DNA
I believe that the success of Reliance cannot be attributed to the qualities and achievements of one individual , or even a group of individuals, but has to be viewed as a triumph of a process, and a spirit that binds the entire Reliance family together – Dhirubhai Ambani.

Dhirubhaism 2 – Be a safety net for your team and they will perform wonders
Reliance’s success is a reflection of India’s capabilities,the talent of her people and the potential of her entrepreneurs, engineers, managers and workers.

Dhirubhaism 3 – Be a silent benefactor
I live the Gita – Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhaism 4 – DREAM BIG BUT DREAM WITH YOUR EYES OPEN
A vision has to be within reach not in the air. It has to be achievable

Dhirubhaism 5 – The arm-around-the shoulder leader
We must learn to trust. For several centuries,Indians have been brainwashed to distrust other Indians. This saps national energy. Distrust kills initiative. Distrust compels people to maneuver and manipulate.Trust and transparency stimulates entrepreneurship.

Dhirubhaism 6 – Supply creates demand
Think big, think fast and think ahead.Idea’s are no one’s monopoly.

Dhirubhaism 7 – Money is not product by itself.It is a by-product, so don’t chase it
If you work with determination and with perfection, success will follow.

Dhirubhaism 8 – Leave the professional alone
Give (your people) the youth a proper environment. Motivate them.Extend them the support they need. Each one of them has infinite source of energy. They will deliver.

Dhirubhaism 9 – Change your orbit , constantly
Growth has no limit at Reliance.I keep revising my vision.Only when you dream it you can do it.

Dhirubhaism 10 – OPTIMISM, THE CORE OF DHIRUBHAISM
Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities.

Dhirubhaism 11 – You can find a friend in every human being
I have trusted people and they have put the trust in me – Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhaism 12 – Think Big
For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win….Dream and dare

Dhirubhaism 13 – Hold on to your dreams
Don’t give up, courage is my conviction – Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhaism 14 – Bet on your people
People in Reliance are our core strength and it is very important to bet on them.

Dhirubhaism 15 – BE POSITIVE
My advice to the young Entrepreneurs is not to accept defeat in the face of the odds, and challenge negative forces with hope, self-confidence and conviction.I believe that ambition and initiative will ultimately triumph.The success of the young entrepreneur will be the key to India’s transformation in the new millennium – Dhirubhai Ambani.

My target is to complete this 100 page book by 21st August,2007(Tuesday) end of the day and put a review of the book on 22nd August,2007 (Wednesday)…Time now to take a small step to achieve this small milestone biggrin

|In: DCampBangalore|Last Updated:
After a series of unconferences like BarCamp, BlogCamp, PodWorks, Proto ; now comes another unconference.This time, the unconference targets two major things : “Design” and “User Experience“.

Who can attend:
It should have been “Who cannot attend?”. Since it is an unconference, it is open to each and everyone who has the urge to share & learn…In fact, I don’t have much insights into Agile Methodology and this is a nice place to learn about new things……So it is all about Collaborative effort !!!

When and where is it held:
Though the dates have been finalized , the tentative time frame for this unconference is September,2007 (10 AM-2 PM).Venue is yet to be decided.

For registration and more information , visit DCampBangalore

Next to be featured on my blog:
Second most controversial topic in the blogosphere : How do blogger’s fight plagiarism?

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated:
The first thought that comes to mind when you think of a starting up “Cutting (unwanted) Costs”

When you think about it on every small thing, you are an ideal startup material wink

Eat and Drink Startup:
In the interesting podcast,you find an delicious recipe to a Startup.They deal with cutting costs on Food & Drink in a startup where they talk about “Ideal(and economical) food for startups“.This podcast would definitely bring you smile as well as makes us understand “Every penny is important in a startup“


[More about the podcast here ]
[More about the Book “Eat,Drink,Breathe like a Startup” here]

On a lighter note, wonder if some Indian entrepreneur has also cooked the recipe of his own startup wink

|In: Books|Last Updated: | 5 Comments

“Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston” was one of the book’s that was highly appreciated(and recommended) by the startup guru – Guy Kawasaki.The book focusses on the Entrepreneurial journey of 32 Entrepreneurs listed below:

1. Max Levchin, Cofounder PayPal
2. Sabeer Bhatia, Cofounder Hotmail
3. Steve Wozniak , Cofounder Apple Computers
4. Joe Kraus , Cofounder Excite
5. Dan Bricklin , Cofounder Software Arts
6. Mitchell Kapor , Cofounder Lotus Development
7. Ray Ozzie ,Founder Iris Associates
8. Evan Williams ,Cofounder Pyra Labs(Blogger)
9. Tim Brady ,First Non-Founding Employee Yahoo
10. Mike Lazaridis ,Cofounder Research In Motion
11. Arthur van Hoff ,Cofounder Marimba
12. Paul Buchheit ,Creator Gmail
13. Steve Perlman ,Cofounder WebTV
14. Mike Ramsay ,Cofounder TiVo
15. Paul Graham ,Cofounder Viaweb
16. Joshua Schachter ,Founder del.icio.us
17. Mark Fletcher ,Founder Bloglines
18. Craig Newmark ,Founder craigslist
19. Caterina Fake ,Cofounder Flickr
20. Brewster Kahle ,Founder Internet Archive, Alexa Internet
21. Charles Geschke ,Cofounder Adobe Systems
22. Ann Winblad ,Cofounder Hummer Winblad
23. David Heinemeier Hansson ,Partner 37signals
24. Philip Greenspun ,Cofounder ArsDigita
25. Joel Spolsky ,Cofounder Fog Creek Software
26. Stephen Kaufer ,Cofounder TripAdvisor
27. James Hong ,Cofounder HOT or NOT
28. James Currier ,Founder Tickle
29. Blake Ross ,Creator Firefox
30. Mena Trott ,Cofounder Six Apart
31. Bob Davis ,Founder Lycos
32. Ron Gruner ,Cofounder Alliant Computer Systems

You can take a sneak peak into the book here.I managed to find a soft copy of the book and the same can be downloaded from my esnips collection, given below lol

Founders At Work
Founders At Work.z…
Hosted by eSnips

|In: Blogging|Last Updated:
Every morning as soon as you enter your workplace, you need to get an update from the world of Business , Startups ,Technology(or any topic of your liking).Now than, you have updates from a log of blogs and cannot complete most of them.I always find this strange problem and most of us who are habituated to reading face the same problem.

So, how do you manage to complete reading feeds in a manageable amount of time? Check out the video which demonstrates “Scoble way of reading 622 feeds every morning !!!“

Video Courtesy : Tim Ferriss

If you found the video interesting, than check the complete coverage here

Related Article : How Scoble absorbs 1000+ Emails

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated: | 1 Comment
How many times in a day , do you listen to the words “No,it won’t or No,you cannot” sad Yes , be it anywhere but this is one of the most simplest things to tell anyone and the most surprising part is that “Most of them who say a No, themselves don’t know why they are saying a NO” biggrin
For instance,when I shared my blog with a couple of known people, I was given a comment “Your blog is very much like an ……. blog” and this could/can be true since, there being around 70 million blogs all over, there is a high level of possibility that Blog ‘A’ could be somewhat similar to Blog ‘B’ (in terms of style , not content).This brings some level of dejection but is also a learning for all the guys who want to go an extra mile exclaim Similar is the case when you have an idea and try to seek the first level of feedback, there could be mostly one of the reactions, listed below(from the book ‘Myths of Innovation’) :
  • This well never work.
  • No one will want this.
  • It can’t work in practice.
  • People won’t understand it.
  • This isn’t a problem.
  • This is a problem, but no one cares.
  • This is a problem and people care, but it’s already solved.
  • This is a problem, and people care, but it will never make money.
  • This is a solution in search of a problem.
  • Get out of my office/cave now.
As stated in “The Myths of Innovation” , it is not only ordinary people who give vague comments ; Sometimes very smart people say these things. Ken Olsen, founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation, said in 1977, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” The leading art critics in France, in response to the opening of the Eiffel Tower, made comments like, “That tragic lamppost springing up from its bowels…is like a beacon of disaster and despair.”

Innovator and Spectator Gap:
The gap—the difference between how an innovator sees his work from how it’s seen by others—is the most frustrating challenge innovators face. Creators expect to be well received. They look at accepted innovations and the heroes who delivered them and assume their new innovations will be treated the same way.

Notice, there is a 180% difference of view between the innovator(ideator) and the viewer(listener of the idea).

Bottom Line:
Sometimes from the negative feedback, you may germinate another idea !!! but no matter how brilliant an idea is, the gap exists. Until the innovation is accepted, it will be questioned relentlessly question