Hisham Sarwar
If you want to learn any sports, say — Baseball, Cricket, Hockey or Football, you will go to the trainer who knows the game. The trainer would have probably spent their life mastering the game at one level or another. They know all the tricks and trade not many know out there because they had the practical experience of playing the sport.
Such trainers are known as “experts” of their fields. Their years of experience, knowledge and most importantly, practical exposure to the game has taught them valuable lessons in life.
Been there, done that is a notion that stands true for those who have the practical experience and knowledge of the game.
Their experience comes handy in critical, extreme tense situations in the game. They know what it takes to tackle tough situations, especially, when odds are against you and if you are on a verge of losing the game. They know how to recollect themselves from despair, rise up, lift the spirit and go all heart out at their opponent to give them a chance of making a comeback in the game.
Only, a champion knows how to get the best out of others. Yes, a seasoned, experienced champion who has a practical exposure to the skill.
Let me explain why did I give this example. The reigns of the startup, entrepreneurship in the country is mostly in the hands of those who have never experienced self-employment for a large part of their life. Working in high profile firms at a top-level, having traveled the world does not qualify one to hold the strings of what you call “Entrepreneurs of the future”.
This is similar to a sports coach who probably has watched a lot of game on the television set or perhaps sitting on the sidebar as a spectator. The passion and love for game is one thing but having played it, experienced it at a practical level is another.
Have we ever wondered, why the world’s best innovators were self-taught?. They did not go to school to learn the craft of entrepreneurship or how to initiate a startup? Instead, they had this utmost clarity in their mind about what they want to do, how they want to execute it, in order to pursue their career with extreme passion and chase their dreams.
If a startup can be trained, it needs to be done by someone who has done a few startups in their life. Preferably, failed too because learning from mistakes is real and the best knowledge can be shared so others can avoid the mistake.
What is the point of following the guidelines of someone who does not have an experience of picking an idea from a ground level, executing it offline and online?
It’s a digital era, online experience weighs in a long way over offline. Without a huge online experience of upscaling a business, irrespective how experienced you are, one would never be able to help a startup get to the next level.
Experience of living a number of years, travel and interacting with people all over the world is just one aspect, yes it is important too, but most importantly — your experience in doing a startup and coping with problems is what all new startups need to learn.
An experienced campaigner is better positioned to help a newcomer in identifying the Do’s and Don’ts of initiating a startup. Most importantly, someone with a huge, practical online experience.
At the end, when a startup fails. Startup founders are held responsible.
No, why blame them for not being able to execute something they were clueless about?. Were they given all the tools to execute their online presence, including knowledge? Bill Gates predicted in his book business@speed of thought in 1999 that in the future, if your business is not online, you will be thrown out of the business.
As a mentor, If you took the responsibility of putting a new startup under your wings, at least you should know, what to teach, protect them from the hostile competition and most importantly, show them how to take their first flight.
