Think Big! Start Small! is all about inspiring, enabling and empowering youngsters to believe in themselves, to have high self-esteem, to push boundaries and to realize their potential. They may end up being entrepreneurs, change-makers, performers, reformers, whatever they dream of.

The endeavour here is to catalogue exciting and inspiring features / stories / channels / videos that can stimulate each one of us and lead us to introspect on what more can we do to make things happen. What can we do to really change the world for better. I am just building it, kindly bear with me. Happy reading and viewing.

INDIA : CHALLENGES OR OPPORTUNITIES?!

• Almost 88% of Indian Economy is unorganized
• The companies, big or small, that we want to work for constitute only 12% of the economy
• Over 70% of Indian population is non-urban and reasonable chunk is well-off
• Majority is still looking for basic amenities and services
• In 2009, The number of work Visas issued to foreigners to work in India is more than number of Visas Indians applied for, to work abroad!!
• Over 30,000 Korean children are studying in Indian Schools under South Korean Government’s Focused program –> to conquer the 88% of the economy!!

So what are the implications?

• India is a vast nation with immense possibilities
• High potential to organize the unorganized
• The world is heading to India to take advantage of this vast potential
• Mukesh Ambani recently said, “There will be over a dozen companies as big as Reliance in 2025, many of those are yet to start their entrepreneurial journey!”; “India will create 20million jobs every year”;

STORIES OF INSPIRING ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

I have aggregated quite a few videos that figure in the presentation here and much more…

Dheeraj Jumbo Gupta (IIMA) – One who worked for multinationals for a couple of years, thought of making his future in Vadapav business that is a 70 crore empire in the name of Jumboking with outlets in abroad too..

Tannery, Food and Internet gaming

Sarath Babu (IIMA) brought up and educated by mother who sold idlis at the street corner, goes on to create FOODKING, as a tribute to his mother and to help scores to be employed.. A 20 crore enterprise..

Ishita Khanna (TISS) and her friends started Ecosphere in Spiti to create ecology sensitive enterprise, with villagers – juices and jams, eco-sensitive tourism, solar technology houses… A 4.2 crore enterprise in June 2010

Rajeev Kher (Symbi)’s Shramik Sanitation system, an endeavour to reach out to 600 million Indians who do not have access to toilets…. An 18 crore Enterprise in Dec 2010

Kaushalendra (IIMA) – who went back to Patna to create a vegetable vending empire. The aim was to create cooperatives that will eliminate middle men and brings producers and vendors closer and also takes care of their welfare. Samridhi, the enterprise and also cooperative with same name is going to be a 100Crore endeavour.

Shweta Chari (Engineer) – Shweta quit her engineering career to spearhead a movement for emotional development of children through TOYBANK, the largest toy bank in the world now..

D-Light Design – Five graduate students from abroad, none without any exposure to India, set out to understand India. There emerges a business idea of solar powered lamps to replace dangerous and not so efficient Kerosene lamps. In a matter of couple of years the company turns out to be a Rs200 crore enterprise..

D.Light design Videos

Prahsant and Aruna, botony students, who were looking for green furniture stumble into the world of Bamboo furniture, that is 26,000Crore industry that does not have any brands. They create Bamboohouse India, a 12crore enterprise, and support hundreds of tribals who are bamboo artisans.

Saloni Malhotra’s Desi Crew, a rural BPO that gives employment to educated rural youth, by being the backroom processing outfit to many a large BPOs and also frontending unique outsourcing projects. It is about a five crore enterprise..