A Challenge to Jatland Youth - Time for Action

[anilkc]

sorry..could not figure out how to attach document...will try later

[anilkc]

Could not attach the complete document, so i am writting it in brief down here.
Stage 1:
Idea Generation Process (Pre-Concept)
Goal:
•Prepare a preliminary business case, product description, and recommendation whether to proceed with the Feasibility and Planning Stage
•To provide an estimate of the resources and costs required during the next stage

Anyone who is interested can individually or collectively in a grp can come up with an idea with the above goals in focus.
Stage 1 will be a 3 step process:
1) Presention
2) Discussion
3) Decision

I have a more detailed 4 pg document, if anyone is ineterested pls email me. Ur comments and corrections are welcome.

[anilkc]

We, and I'm being pejorative about us here, tend to have hazaar good ideas, but few implementation plans.

The other part is a complete lack of will to put our money where our mouth is. Everytime I write one of these strategy papers, some industry consortium-wallahs will salivate and write back: 'We must do something immediately, saar -- tomorrow morning, if possible.' And then deathly silence follows for months on end.

You see, it turns out that some glittering India-terrorist trade exhibition in Lahore, offers a lot more free beer and adda sessions, than any real initiative could promise.

read on:
http://us.rediff.com/money/2004/aug/13ariban.htm?headline=Column:~The~path~to~'super~i nnovation'

[birbal]

Very good article indeed. One of my Polish friend used to tell me "Polish people have done some great work but unfortunately, after leaving Poland." It seems it is true for India too.

[ajmer]

Very interesting and relevant article indeed.

Silverlining is that at least we are talking about it.

I really like the idea of some meaningful partnerships between the businesses and research institutes or universities. If there is too much bureaucracy even there then some of the private engineering colleges can make good partners.

-ajmer

anil chaudhary (Aug 13, 2004 12:27 p.m.):
We, and I'm being pejorative about us here, tend to have hazaar good ideas, but few implementation plans.

The other part is a complete lack of will to put our money where our mouth is. Everytime I write one of these strategy papers, some industry consortium-wallahs will salivate and write back: 'We must do something immediately, saar -- tomorrow morning, if possible.' And then deathly silence follows for months on end.

You see, it turns out that some glittering India-terrorist trade exhibition in Lahore, offers a lot more free beer and adda sessions, than any real initiative could promise.

read on:
http://us.rediff.com/money/2004/aug/13ariban.htm?headline=Column:~The~path~to~'super~i nnovation'

[anilkc]

The rewards that come from doing "the impossible" are greater than those associated with merely doing the expected.

-Bruce Claflin, Bruce Claflin , 3Com's current President and Chief Executive Officer.

[rkumar]

Dear Friends,

After going through most of the posts, my suggestion would be that Jatland group can make the best impact in pooling its resources to set up teaching/ training institutions to begin with. Education is a big market in itself. We can set up specialised teaching institutions in the same spirit as our fore fathers did to start jat colleges and DAV colleges with the difference that new institutions can be at par with the best in the world. Education is the key to everything else and its benifits will perculate all the way down to our community. Let us aim at starting just one model institution first. No one will have to leave the comforts of their present job to run such enterprises.

Rajendra

[tajveer]

Thanks Birbalji for initiating this topic.

Here is a brief introduction about myself:

Professional Information:

Name: Tajveer Solanki
Education: B.E, Poona University, Electronics and Telecomm. Engineering & MBA (Marketing & IT).

Work Experience:
HCL Technologies Ltd., Chennai: 1 year
working as a Business Analyst in the Online Financial Services (Transaction Management) Domain.

Vedaris Technologies Ltd., Delhi: 2 ½ years
worked as a Business Analyst in the Financial Domain- for Derivatives & Fixed Income securities market.

Dansel System Ltd., Delhi: 2 years
Worked as a Sales engineer, selling computer systems and structured cabling.

Skill Set:
Business Analyses, Business Plans, White papers, Research papers, Account Maps, Functional specs, Project Management & UML Tools etc.
Soft skills: Negotiation skills

Regards,
Tajveer

[anilkc]

Good to see u here, Tajveer.
I beleive, everyone had enuf time to think abt something and go beyong 1 liners and its time to start documenting the thoughts. I have found this to be very useful in bringing clarity and comparing 2 ideas.

[sonalisingh]

What's going on with this effort ? This
thread seems to be getting quieter. Or are
the people involved busy in discussions/plans
outside ?

Have any concrete ideas materialized ?

[birbal]

Sonali,

Nice of you to keep a tab on this thread. However, if you look at the first posting, the time frame was 5 years, not 5 weeks.

One of my colleague has a very interesting poster. It shows a man sitting comfortably in his chair with his feet on the desk. The caption reads "They said it can't be done. So, I did'nt do it." If every one took that attitude it will be a different world.

Sonali Singh (Aug 21, 2004 11:31 a.m.):
What's going on with this effort ? This
thread seems to be getting quieter. Or are
the people involved busy in discussions/plans
outside ?

Have any concrete ideas materialized ?

[sonalisingh]

Of course Dr. Birbal. Absolutely. I think the most important thing is to keep taking those first steps. One thing I have seen here in the Bay area is that it is not coming up with the best/ideal idea that makes things happen, but it is actually doing something with the ideas that one does have.

A lot of very successful people are the ones that just dived in and started to make things happen. In some cases, the idea/business models were not that great. But once these people dive in with the "can do it/did try it/learnt a lot from it" they come out a lot experienced and are then better able to taken on newer idea/projects.

In case you felt that I was being cynical, please don't. I am very eager to see something happen with this. I'm just afraid that this effort might just wither away after the initial excitement and energy. But I am sure you'll keep tabs on this and keep guiding the members here.

But if there is anything of use I might say is that don't wait around for that ONE idea that is sure to succeed, but find some decent ideas and embark on "getting something going". Trust me when I say that a lot of the CEOs/Exec that have been catapulted to their current positions are there because they were among those who just ventured out and tried something...in many cases with very lousy ideas.

Dr. Birbal Singh (Aug 21, 2004 12:37 p.m.):
Sonali,

Nice of you to keep a tab on this thread. However, if you look at the first posting, the time frame was 5 years, not 5 weeks.

One of my colleague has a very interesting poster. It shows a man sitting comfortably in his chair with his feet on the desk. The caption reads "They said it can't be done. So, I did'nt do it." If every one took that attitude it will be a different world.

Sonali Singh (Aug 21, 2004 11:31 a.m.):
What's going on with this effort ? This
thread seems to be getting quieter. Or are
the people involved busy in discussions/plans
outside ?

Have any concrete ideas materialized ?

[anilkc]

Hi Sonali,
Thanks for sharing ur concerns. I dont know what everyone else is doing, but there is at least one team which is doing some serious thinking. To give a name and shape to this team, its being considered to get a company registered. Since, everyone on this team is a teachie, its been difficult to understand the pros and cons of each approcach. We are having a discussion on a couple of product ideas and trying to figure out the basic stuffs on the business front, like:
1) Name of the company
Since we dont know what product we will work on or we may actually try a couple of different ideas before we hit the jackpot, my suggestion is to have a generic name, like "Bangaya Systems".
2) Should it be LLC or Inc
LLC was pretty simple to understand, INc seemed a bit more complex to get the actual picture.
3) Which state should it be registered in
The first impulse is to register it in ur own state. Some online readings suggested to consider the state for registration carefully, but other than some differences in state fees, could not understand much. There are lots of other Qs too, like, If i register in state x, but the business has workforce (sales/support/developer) in other states, do i have to register in all states? How is it taxed?
Also, need to understand the shape of office in India.

Any suggestions/help from members is welcome. Any member is welcome to join this team, but u have to take the initiative. Live Idea discussion is not taking place in this forum, bcos not everyone is comfortable in sharing it openly with people whom they dont know. I will try to update on our status, at regular intervals or if a significant event take place.
Good luck and cheers to all.

[sonalisingh]

Thanks Anil for the update. Its great to see that some activity is going on here. I guess your initial efforts will be focussed in refining your ideas for the product/service and coming up with a detailed business plan. I guess you'll need a thorough biz plan to pitch to
potential VCs.

And don't forget about the NDAs (Non disclosure agreements if you feel these are warranted).

Do keep us updated on your efforts and how things are shaping up.

[anilkc]

You wanna quit your job but...
http://live.indiatimes.com/ppt/230804/index.html

[sanjeevmalik]

A good source to help define the entrepreneurial capabilities of an individual at no cost.

http://www.eauth.com/
(The Entrepreneur Authority )

[anilkc]

Must read for small businesses:
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/
To buy or sell an existing business, search for business broker on web.

[anilkc]

Update:
So far: There is at least 1 "great" idea. Its related to automating testing of wireless gears (802.11/wi-fi stuff).
Currently: Working on finalising the "wish list" of product features.
Next Step: Technical feasability study, resources requirement (staffing/timming/MONEY) planning.

[shamsher]

Hi,
And Amit, there is another category....although insignificant! Medicine! I am sure Dr. birbal is far more experienced in the ways of the world here and also given the benifit of age and experience to him. I personally believe this is too important field to be ignored( ignoring my opening quote)

[raj2rif]

Dear Dr. Birbal Ji,
Thanks a lot for the idea and the discussion it has generated. I am impressed with the response from younger generation. Anil is doing a good job and so are others. Sonali gave a good point that merits attention.

Anil raised a question about registering a company. Well that can be done easily. From the taxation point of view I guess "Delaware" State is the best to register. To start with LLC may be a better proposition. All depends on the number of members.

Business plan is a must and we must not forget the SBA. The capital for the company to be raised by taking maximum loan from the SBA. We also need to have a well thought out marketing plan and I am sure some one in the team will be expert in that.

What we need to do is to start working on any idea for the time being. Apart from getting a company registered, we will also need a merchant account set up.

Then there will be a requirement to built a powerfull website and host it in a way to draw maximum traffic to it.

The organizational set up of the company would be another aspect and an administrator will be necessary to keep every thing coordinated. The HR laws of the state and federal govt would have to be followed.

I would be too happy to join the young team and contribute in whatever capacity I can contribute to their success.

There need to be two organizational set up. One in US and one in India to start with. We can start with a call center in India, that will give us a start to create a database and customer relationship. As the new products and services are developed by the team, that can be added.

What we must do is to start some thing ASAP, so that ball gets rolling and while other products are being developed the business venture starts seeing some cash flow to sustain itself.

Anil Chaudhary Only: Kindly keep me updated through email. I will be very happy to join the chat sessions if in the evening and contribute to this mission's success.