Student employee of year chosen

Hyderabad Times December 7 2007

Image by Gauravonomics
Profit from PASSION
Lifestyle entrepreneurship is the latest buzz in the business world.
Hyderabad Times
traces the trend
MADHURI KALYAN Times News Network

All work and no play makes life a dull show…. well that’s probably the mantra that a new crop of entrepreneurs swear by. They refuse to be tempted by the perks and security of a well-paid job that usually involves slogging for an MNC. Instead, these young professionals have launched themselves into an occupation where boundaries between work and play have been reduced to precious little.

They work in pursuit of leading a lifestyle that is a perfect balance of health, wealth and relationships. Is such a balance possible? "Yes," says Susan Keane Baker who is an author of a book on lifestyle entrepreneurs, "The biggest motivation for all lifestyle entrepreneurs is an overwhelming desire for independence. They dream of working for themselves, and running a business that is in tune with their lifestyle."

A psychologist who is sceptical about the concept is not to sure if this fits in the Indian scenario, "This is more of a western concept as people in the West already have reached the stage where they invest, and have gained financial maturity to a certain extent. In India, settling down and raising a family is more important, so a consistent cash flow is important, things like ‘lifestyle’ still don’t figure in our list of top priorities."

While Gaurav Mishra, a marketer and a prominent blogger partly agrees, "I think entrepreneurship itself is nebulous in India, given our ‘good boys get a good job’ mindset, ‘lifestyle entrepreneurship’ will be even more rare. At the same time, profit is only part of the reason people become entrepreneurs. This is just taking it a bit further and deciding to be the master of one’s own destiny and one’s own time."

They say life is all about compromises and sacrifices, but looks like there are alternatives! Also known as ‘alterpreneur’ these work-savvy businessmen put in restricted work and vie to achieve a desirable income level, and voila – You have a successful business and a meaningful personal life.

Have you always dreamt about going trekking in Himalayas, to travel the world, or, to go on a cruise with the family? Well, these youngsters have done it.

Says Rohit Nalwade, an IIT graduate, now CEO of his own real-time service personalisation technology company, and one of the five Indians among the top 25 Asian entrepreneurs, who sold his first startup while still in college, "There were a lot of tough times we had to face, even times when there was no roof over my head, I could have easily got a high paying job with an MNC, but I wanted to follow my dreams, so I stayed put. Starting an enterprise, you go through many ups and downs, and that makes you a stronger individual. In a job you only develop skills in the field you work in, but this way you are groomed in sales, marketing, and management. This is the best time to start an entrepreneurial venture, and being a college student, it’s the easier as the pressure of bearing expenses is lesser.

Another entrepreneur, Prateek Dayal, recently traded his full time job for his passion for music. "I was an amateur guitarist, and I though it would be cool to have a website where we could help others learn and have fun in creating and discovering new music. It started out as a weekend venture and has grown to be a fulltime activity now. We have grown to about 700 members in just four months."

Obviously all this is not an easy road to walk down, but the focus here is not so much on the hard work but a powerful mindset, leading you to discover your passion, and making the business a reflection of who you are.

Student employee of year chosen
BYU’s student employee of the year, awarded Monday, was also recognized as a statewide student employee of the year. The winner is Brady Sanders, an accounting student and employee of two years as an accountant clerk in the Design and Production Department.  He does the payroll for many of the music, dance and theater shows, as well as general accounting for the department. Multiple managers in …
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