Vijay Anand, RTBI, IIT Madras

Twitter: vijayanands

Entrepreneur. Founder (Proto.in). Currently with RTBI

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Key Stages of a Company.

Every Stage requires certain niche skills to bring it to scale

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Being an Entrepreneur.

Being an Entrepreneur/CEO is a lonely path.

Its both a lifestyle and a professional choice.

Can only afford to be great in few skills – not mediocre in all.

Has the challenge in working with people s(he) can envision the company with.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

The Biggest Mistake.

The two people you need to stay away from (as a startup) are MBAs and Consultants – Guy Kawasaki.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

The Coach.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Terminologies

Common Mistake to Grade them all together.

Mentor/Coach – grow acumen (personal)

Advisor – guide/strategic thinking Consultant – hands-on deliverables Directors/Stakeholders –

monitoring/wealth creation

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Relevance.

Lots of Examples:32 Million SMEs in the Country.Founders Syndrome kicks in as company

expands.The Need to evolve in thinking – detached

perspective.Spurt vs Sustained Innovation/Growth

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

How to Engage an Advisor Rule: The First four hours are free. Dedicate a specific timeslot in regular

intervals to update, and get feedback. Get him/her involved – compensate. Chemistry is very important – trust. The Ability to think in the same lines, but

in different wavelengths. Longterm: Look at some equity – 1-2%

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

What Could Go Wrong

Lack of Time and cant keep commitment.

Closed Minded Advisor. The falling off of trust – Cant take the

NO of an Advisor with trust. Motives and Intentions Change Execution of the Company doesn’t span

out.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Where to Start?

Start with Clarity on the past. The vision, the Product, the Market, the Goal.

Look into your own networks to see if you find someone whom you admire, and is a few steps ahead of you.

Tap into networks like TiE, NASSCOM etc.

Linkedin?

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Summary

A partner in Visioning/strategy To extend Networks beyond what you

have. The Ability to bring a disjoint opinion and

perpective of an idea/strategy Two heads are better than one. The right advisors can increase the

board valuation for an entity.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Organization Viewpoint

The Advisor doesn’t “Report” to the entrepreneur. But works with the Entrepreneur.

VIJAYANANDwww.twitter.com/vijayanands

Summary

Bold Statement:Advisors are probably the only people that

you should consult for strategic level thinking. For the very simple reason that there is accountability.

I’m also on Twitter @vijayanands