1. What have you found most challenging as a leader of a small or medium enterprise?

To raise awareness about technology about how difficult it is to come up with a novel idea and to actually make people aware of the huge potential even a simple business idea carries that could bring change to the lives of people if they help making the idea to realization by simply spreading the word and helping the innovator to connect to like minded people who can make the idea happen by company formation.

2. How did you become a leader of an SME? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I worked for some big corporates in US after my masters in CS from 2005 to 2010 and then with my last job the economy is US was on a downturn in 2010 and i thought if i want to go to india and do something on my own this is the right time so i went to india in 2010. i had some ideas in mind but i had to make it concrete and put on paper so it took me sometime to put it on paper and i was ready with my ideas in 2012. From 2012 to roughly around 2017 I tried to bring awareness of technology by talking roughly to 100 of investors basically everyone but then I realized then we don't have the market of technology in india at this point and decided to pursue something else after 5 years. In 2019 my dad told me to go back to US and pursue higher studies one more time and I decided to do masters in financial engineering and then when I came to US in 2020 I decided to give the company I created in 2012 one more shot and I relaunched it in 2020. I hope to get funding for my projects soon in 2021.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

As i am a full time student in financial engineering and also pursuing my company work along-with it i have to split my time between college work like assignments and exam and also focus on the company formation process by talking to all stakeholders who are mainly people with whom i would probably work for website development and potential financiers of the company. I would get more involved with the company work once it's funded and I can start talking to clients and focus on hiring later. So i get up around 8 am in the morning and sleep around 1 am at night and split my time between the two currently.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

You have to believe in the work you are doing and only then at some point will people get along-with you to understand the vision and far sightedness of the work you are doing. People will never follow a thought leader from the beginning but with time when everybody realizes that it's the common dream that everyone shares will they understand the values, spirit and will of the thought leader and what it took him to make people realize his vision of mutual well being and cooperation that will strengthen the bond between us and everyone continues on the path of prosperity towards a bright future!!

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I read many books while i went back to india and when i was forming the company and also after i formed the company. to be honest i don't remember all the books now but 2 books i remember are "History of the World's largest Democracy" and "Architects of modern India". In this i found how only a handful of leaders with their ideas for a just and pluralistic society were able to come up with slogans and political ideas and parties that has shaped the way India we see today and how some of the ideas and leaders had such a far reaching effect that we see democracy in india still functional while some leaders although democratic had such different ideology for its implementation that politics got fractured in india because of those events. Those 2 books give me the account of how leaders can shape the fabric of the society we live in.

6. How do you build leadership capacity in an SME?

I want to give full control to the people i trust with their abilities and skill and only have review sessions as to why particular approach was followed for solving any particular problem domain and don't bother about all the details and only know a little bit as to how and what was the implementation path and framework so that i am aware of a just process and also working of the company products.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader of an SME so far?

I have read the book of Steve Jobs and lately I saw the movie on Mark Zuckerberg "The Social Network". I believe every life is unique and each and everyone of us striving to be a better professional, human being has a story to tell..