Black Book Project. 2.1pdf
Black Book Project. 2.1pdf
Black Book Project. 2.1pdf
In INDIA.
SUBMITTED BY
Roll No.:28
M.COM PART-2
SEMESTER – III
PROJECT GUIDE
SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
This is to certify that Mr. Anas Akil Kaunchale, Roll no: 28, has worked and
duly completed his Project Work for the degree of Masters of Management
Studies under the Faculty of Commerce in the subject of Management
Studies and his project is entitled, “Study On Challenges Encountered By
The Start-Ups In INDIA “under my supervision.
I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my
guidance and that no part of it has been submitted previously for any Degree
or Diploma of any University.
It is his own work and facts reported by his personal findings and
investigations
Date:
Date:
DECLARATION
I, the undersigned, Mr. Anas Akil Kaunchale a student of Akbar Peerbhoy
College of Commerce & Economics , M.COM. SEMESTER – III hereby declare
that the work embodied in this project work titled Study On Challenges
Encountered By The Start-Ups In INDIA “, forms my own contribution to the
research work carried out under the guidance of Prof Kirti Hemant Menghani
is a result of my own research work and has not been previously submitted to
any otherUniversity for any other Degree/Diploma to this or any other
University.
Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it has been
clearlyindicated as such and included in the bibliography.
I, hereby further declare that all information of this document has been
obtained andpresented in accordance with academic rules and ethical
conduct.
Certified by
I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and fresh
dimensions in the completion of this project.
I would like to thank my Principal Dr. Shaukat Ali for providing the necessaryfacilities
required for completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank our Chief Coordinator Dr. Shaukat Ali and
Course Coordinator Prof. Samir Naik for their moral support and guidance.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my guide Prof Kiti
Hemant Menghani whose guidance and care made the project successful.
I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various referencebooks
and magazines related to my project.
Lastly, I would like to thank each and every person who directly or indirectly helped me
in the completion of the project especially my Parents and Peers who supported me
throughout my project.
Table Of Contents
Sr. No. Topic Page Number
• Executive Summary
1. Introduction to the Industry
1.1 Definition of Start-up 1-2
1.2 Start-up India 2-6
1.3 Start-up Company 6-7
1.4 Here are the 19 plans given by Government 7-9
1.5 Entrepreneurship 10-11
2. Literature review
2.1 Imperfect education system & conservativelifestyle 12
2.2 Lack of support system & entrepreneurship
Ecosystem. 12-13
2.3 India lacks enough angel investors
2.4 Human Talent
13-14
2.5 Women Entrepreneur
14
14-15
3. Research Methodology
3.1 Objectives of the study 17-18
3.2 Data Collection Method 19-20
3.3 Women Entrepreneur in India 20-28
3.4 Reasons for limited start-up in India 29-32
3.5 Importance of Finance Agency’s in India 32-39
3.6 Entrepreneurial Development Plan 39-64
4. General Analysis
• PESTLE analysis 65-66
• Challenges and Opportunities 67-71
• Challenges faced by women entrepreneur 72-74
5. 5.1 Findings 75
5.2 Suggestions 75-77
5.3 Conclusions 78
6. 6.1 Article 79-80
6.2 Case Studies 81-84
• Bibliography & Webliography 85
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
India is a country of many great legends that were famous all over the world because
of their work, sharp mind & high skill. Youths in India are very talented, high skilled
& full of innovative ideas. But they don't get opportunity due to lack of solid support
& proper guidance in right direction. In this way, BJP government launched “START
UP INDIA STAND UP INDIA” scheme on 16 January 2016 to help the youth of India
to go in right direction using their new & innovative ideas. This scheme was launched
to motivate & promote new comers towards business & grow their career as well as
economy of the country. This programme is a big start to enable Start-ups through
financial support so that they can use their innovative ideas in right direction. There are
tremendous opportunities for Start-up entrepreneurs in India. The key areas are Like
Textile, Media, Health Sector, Event Planner, Tourism, Automobile etc. So, there are
various opportunities where entrepreneurs can start their Start-ups. But along with
opportunities there are some challenges also that Start up entrepreneurs may have to
face like Infrastructure Deficit in India, Risk Factor and Right Talent Acquisition etc.
Despite of these challenges, Government as well Start up entrepreneurs should have to
work together to face these challenges & make this programme effective. The study
will focus on Start-up India scheme, opportunities available under this scheme as well
as challenges may have to be faced & suggestions to overcome the challenges soas
to make the Start-up India programme successful.
Skill India Programme, Start-up India and Stand Up India programme are the buzz
words of today in manufacturing, Production and Services sectors. As present
government has taken the oath to inculcate skills in every youth and help them towards
start-ups and establish their own enterprise and become owner of theirown rather
doing job with some other and intern help in employment and GDP development. It is
also observed that SC/ST/Women categories are marginalized in this area since
inception and it was the dream of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar that equal opportunities to be
given to them also to grow and showcase their talents, ideas and ability to prove-
themselves as a successful entrepreneur, a person and citizenof India. The present
study is to understand the progress of this program and its success. The results of the
study state that nearly 70% of the units expressed positive growth and expressed that if
financial support would have not been availed through this platform, it would be a
dream to start-up their own industries and women entrepreneurs also feel that they
are more empowered and able to establish their identity.
1.INTRODUCTION TO THE
COMPANY.
1.1 Definition of Start-up:
Paul Graham says that "A start-up is a company designed to grow fast. Being newly
founded does not in itself make a company a start-up. Nor is it necessary for-
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a start-up to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of
"exit". The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with start-
ups follows from growth."
The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi
during his 15 August 2015 address from the Red Fort, in New Delhi. The action
plan of this initiative, is based on the following three pillars:
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The start-up scenario in India has gone a huge makeover, now people are not alien
with the concept of start-ups. Earlier people had no idea what this concept is all
about, thanks to the rise in media’s encouraging coverage towards start-ups
recently. The concept of start-up is somehow different for Indians and not so
different for people of developed economies. Start-ups are something to do with
new product/process for the entire market or fraction of the market. Start-ups must
not be confused with small business, as the biggest difference being is
INNOVATION. Recently government of India has launched “Start-up India”
initiative to foster/support and encourage start up efforts in India. The results are
very satisfactory with initiative being accepted with open arms in country, various
state governments have also started the similar efforts. India stand at a very
important cross road, India stood at number three in overall technology driven stat
ups in the world (Top two positions are held by USA and UK respectively). The
very nature of start-ups in India is technology based which is fuelled by young IIT’s
graduates as the patterns of start-ups in India further suggests, they are undertaken
in very unconventional terrain like medical etc. The important question remains is,
how start-ups are shaping the very structure of economy in India or elsewhere (In
similar economies). The overall impact of start-ups is very visible initially then,
only those ideas persist which are smartly implemented. In India government is
constantly trying to create an environment which is both conducive and optimum
for stat ups.
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The reason is very simple, start-ups are necessary for the entrepreneurial and
innovative growth of any nation. There are nations which are smaller than ours and
less naturally equipped than ours, but made tremendous growth and advancements in
the field of economy and overall development. The secret of their success is nothing
but an appetite for innovation. If India wants to bein the front lines with developed
nations in the world, innovation is the key to become so. Fortunately, India is endowed
with youngest population which isprimarily required for setting up start-ups. With the
growing inclination towards “Having something of my own” attitude is also helping
in bringing new ideas into successful implementation. India has produced some of the
leading start-ups in the world, which are working as the lighthouse for the rest. The
prominent example being OYO Rooms and Zomato (both catering to a very different
market segment and objectives). In short, the start-up scenario is looking very
convincing andbright as the investments is growing in India start-ups from worldwide
investing bodies both organized and individuals. The recent example of such
investment being the huge multibillion-dollar investments in various start-ups
functioning in India like Ola and Flipkart. In a way start up era has started in India and
it is the time to give its due push.
As it is a known fact that when someone starts a new enterprise or tries to get into
entrepreneurship, they face many problems like finance, land permissions,
environmental clearance, foreign investment proposals, family support etc. It is one
of the much-needed initiative plans of Govt of India. This initiative focuses onfilling
the gap in the economy and its development and has the objective to fire the
entrepreneurial blood at the bottom level. It has brought lot of positivity and
confidence among the entrepreneurs of India. According to PM Narender Modi the
start-ups, its technology and innovation is exciting and effective instruments for
India’s transformation. An idea can be converted into a start-up. Even sometimes the
crisis becomes the opportunity and it gives birth to the start-ups. Many times, we have
seen that we have an idea but we do not dare to initiate it or we do not find it
worthy. On the other hand, other people take that idea as an opportunity and mobilise-
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into reality. The main objective of the govt is to reduce the load on the start-ups hence
allowing them to concentrate fully on their business and keeping the low cost of
adherence.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Department of Science and
Technology have agreed to partner in an initiative to set up over 75 such startup support
hubs in the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), the Indian Institutes of Information
Technology (IIITs), the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)
and National Institutes of PharmaceuticalEducation and Research (NIPERs).
The Reserve Bank of India said it will take steps to help improve the ‘ease of
doing business’ in the country and contribute to an ecosystem that is conducive forthe
growth of start-up businesses.
SoftBank, which is headquartered in Japan, has invested US$2 billion into Indian
startups. The Japanese firm has pledged to investment US$10
billion. Google declared to launch a startup, based on the highest votes in which the
top three startups will be allowed to join the next Google Launchpad Week, and the
final winner could win an amount of US$100,000in Google cloud
credits. Oracle on 12 February 2016 announced that it will establish nine
incubation centers. In Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai,
Noida, Pune, Trivandrum and Vijayawada.
The result of first ever startup state ranking were announced in December 2018 by the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) based on the criteria of policy,
incubation hubs, seeding innovation, scaling innovation, regulatory change,
procurement, communication, North-Eastern states, and hill states.
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• Aspiring leaders: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh, and West Bengal
• Emerging states: Assam, Delhi, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand
• Beginners: Chandigarh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry,
Sikkim, and Tripura
Kerala has initiated a government start-up policy called "Kerala IT Mission" which
focuses on fetching ₹50 billion (US$700 million) in investments for the state's start-up
ecosystem. It also founded India's first telecom incubator Start-up village in 2012. The
state also matches the funding raised by its incubator from Central government with 1:1.
Telangana has launched the largest incubation centre in Indiaas "T-Hub". Andhra
Pradesh has allocated a 17,000-sq.ft. Technological Research and Innovation Park as a
Research and Development laboratory. It has also createda fund called "Initial
Innovation Fund" of ₹100 crore (US$14 million) for entrepreneurs. The government
of Madhya Pradesh has collaborated with the Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI) to create a fund of ₹200 crore (US$28 million). Rajasthan has also
launched a "Start-up Oasis" scheme. In order to promote start-ups in Odisha, the state
government organised a two-day Start-up Conclave in Bhubaneswar on November 28,
2016.
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Start-upsface high uncertainty and do have high rates of failure, but the minority that
go on to be successful companies have the potential to become large and
influential. Some start-ups become unicorns, i.e. privately held start-up companies
valued at over $1 billion. According to TechCrunch, there were 279 unicorns as of
March 2018, with most of the unicorns located in China, followedby the United
States. The largest unicorns founded as of October 2018 included Ant Financial,
Byte Dance, Uber, Xiaomi, and Airbnb.
1. Self-certification:
The start-ups will adopt self-certification to reduce the regulatory liabilities. The self-
certification will apply to laws including payment of gratuity, labor contract, provident
fund management, water and air pollution acts.
2. Start-up India hub:
An all-India hub will be created as a single contact point for start-up foundations in
India, which will help the entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and access financial
aid.
3. Register through app:
An online portal, in the shape of a mobile application, will be launched to help start-
up founders to easily register. The app is scheduled to be launched on April 1.
4. Patent protection:
A fast-track system for patent examination at lower costs is being conceptualized by
the central government. The system will promote awareness and adoption of the
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) by the start-up foundations.
5. Rs 10,000 crore fund: The government will develop a fund with an initial corpus of Rs
2,500 crore and a total corpus of Rs 10,000 crore over four years, to support upcoming
start-up enterprises. The Life Insurance Corporation of India will play a major role in
developing this corpus. A committee of private professionals selected from the start-up
industry will manage the fund.
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6. National Credit Guarantee Trust Company:
A National Credit Guarantee Trust Company (NCGTC) is being conceptualized with
a budget of Rs 500 crore per year for the next four years to support the flowof funds
to start-ups.
7. No Capital Gains Tax:
At present, investments by venture capital funds are exempt from the Capital
Gains Tax. The same policy is being implemented on primary-level investments in
Start-ups.
8. No Income Tax for three years:
Start-ups would not pay Income Tax for three years. This policy would revolutionize
the pace with which start-ups would grow in the future.
9. Tax exemption for investments of higher value:
In case of an investment of higher value than the market price, it will be exempt from
paying tax
10. Building entrepreneurs:
Innovation-related study plans for students in over 5 lakh schools. Besides, there will
also be an annual incubator grand challenge to develop world class incubators.
11. Atal Innovation Mission:
The Atal Innovation Mission will be launched to boost innovation and encourage
talented youths.
12.Setting up incubators:
A private-public partnership model is being considered for 35 new incubators and 31
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14. Entrepreneurship in biotechnology:
The government will further establish five new biotech clusters, 50 new bio
incubators, 150 technology transfer offices and 20 bio-connect offices in the country.
1.4 Entrepreneurship:
Entrepreneurship is the process of designing, launching and running a new business,
which is often initially a small business. The people who create these businesses are
called entrepreneurs.
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a significant proportion of start-up businesses have to close due to "lack of funding,
bad business decisions, an economic crisis, lack of market demand—ora combination
of all of these.
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The entrepreneur is a factor in and the study of entrepreneurship reaches back tothe
work of Richard Cantillon and Adam Smith in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
However, entrepreneurship was largely ignored theoretically until the late 19th and
early 20th centuries and empirically until a profound resurgence in business and
economics since the late 1970s. In the 20th century, the understanding of
entrepreneurship owes much to the work of economist Joseph Schumpeter in the
1930s and other Austrian economists such as Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises
and Friedrich von Hayek. According to Schumpeter,an entrepreneur is a person who
is willing and able to convert a new idea or invention into a successful innovation.
Entrepreneurship employs what Schumpeter called "the gale of creative destruction"
to replace in whole or in part inferior innovations across markets and industries,
simultaneously creating new products including new business models. In this way,
creative destruction is largelyresponsible for the dynamism of industries and long-run
economic growth. The supposition that entrepreneurship leads to economic growth is
an interpretation of the residual in endogenous growth theory and as such is hotly
debated in academic economics. An alternative description posited by Israel Kerzner
suggests that the majority of innovations may be much more incremental
improvements such as the replacement of paper with plastic in the making of drinking
straws.
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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The education system is one of hindrance for start-ups. In college, students are usually trained
with advanced techniques but lack of marketing, sales and operational ability and leadership
skills needed to advance their own enterprises. Inaddition, conservative lifestyle also contributes
as one of obstacles. As a culture of family remains, family remains sceptical to change and
prefer options that are ableto provide a steady income rather than engaging risk. This places
pressure on the budding entrepreneur who fall victim to the dichotomy of providing for the
family instead of following some “whimsical” dream (Au & Kwan, 2009).
One of the major challenges is that there is severe shortage of start-up support networks
and entrepreneurship ecosystems. In many western countries, there are special institutions
serve as incubators, start-up accelerators, start-up competitions for entrepreneurs to put
their ideas to test and obtain necessary guidance. In India, incubators, start-up accelerators,
and start-up competitions are slowly making theirway into the first-tier cities, but there
truly are not enough to go around. As a resultof this shortage, many start-ups fail at the
“idea” stage of their business. The ecosystem usually does not directly provide funding to
start-ups; they just serve as platforms that link investors and entrepreneurs so that
entrepreneurs can obtain necessary funding to test out their ideas. The lack of these
facilities makes it more difficult for entrepreneurs to find investors. In return, investors
are more difficult to find entrepreneurs as well. Even if entrepreneurs are able to find
investors, they will face an entirely different set of challenges. Indian culture inherently
does not promote entrepreneurship. Conversely, it encourages stability, employment at
largestate-owned or private organizations and, above all, teaches people to be risk averse.
Even if young Indian individuals have intention to start their own business,their family
usually places a considerable amount of negative pressure on them to forget
entrepreneurship and look for a “stable job” instead.
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2.3India lacks enough angel investors to fund start-ups:
Unlike the West, India does not have an adequate number of angel investors who can fuel the
growth of the country’s thriving start-up ecosystem, industry body NASSCOM has said. “For a
successful start-up ecosystem there is a need for enough angel investors who can support
budding entrepreneurs from an earlystage. But this is not happening in India and there is a
serious lack of it,” NASSCOM Vice-President Rajat Tandon told PTI. “High net-worth
individuals and corporate executives, among others, should come forward and participate in this
growth story,” he said. A recent report by NASSCOM had said India ranks third among global
start-up ecosystems, with more than 4,200 new-age companies.Tandon said, “The case is very
different in countries like the US. People are just waiting to invest in good companies. We
should also have something like that.” “Mainly, investors (in India) are afraid because there is a
high risk of failure in these investments and also there is a lack of policy on such
investments,” headded. “Why will investors put money in such companies? They need tax
benefits and a number of other things to put in their money. We have already written about these
things to the Government and I am sure we can expect something by the year-end,” he said. In
his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a new campaign
„Start-up India; Stand up India‟ to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to
boost entrepreneurship and job creation in the country. “At NASSCOM, we are not only
encouraging investors butalso asking people to mentor start-ups. Like someone has a design
business, they can help start-ups develop UIs and guide them in the process. In return they take
some equity,” he said. “And there are people like Ratan Tata and Azim Premji, who are making
a slew of investments and helping these young entrepreneurs. They are the inspiration,” he said.
Ratan Tata has invested in a number of companies including Ola, Snapdeal, Paytm, Urban
Ladder, and Bluestone. Wipro boss Azim Premji has funded companies such as Myntra and
Amagi, among others, through his investment arm Premji Invest.
2.4Human Talent:
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What is worse is that working for a start-up in China is far less glamorous than working
for a start-up in the west due to culture differences. It is a disaster for a company who needs
to execute on their business plan with minimal errors to just survive the month.
2.5Women Entrepreneur:
Melanne Verveerin, Women entrepreneurs are a vital source of growth that can power our
economies for decades, yet they face tremendous challenges to their full economic
participation.The GEM Women ‘s Report provides important datawhich is critical to our
understanding of women-run SMEs. V Krishnamurthy andR Balasubramaniam, identified
the important women entrepreneurial motivation factors and its impact on entrepreneurial
success. The study identified ambition, skills and knowledge, family support, market
opportunities, independence, government subsidy and satisfaction are the important
entrepreneurial motivationalfactors. The study also concluded that ambition knowledge
and skill independence dimensions of entrepreneurial motivational has significant impact
on entrepreneurial success. Jalbert, (2000) performed a study to explore the role of women
entrepreneurs in a global economy. It also examined how women ‘s business associations
can strengthen women ‘s position in business and international trade. The analysis is
performed on the basis of facts and data collected through field work (surveys, focus
groups and interviews) and through examining the existing published research. The study
has shown that the women business owners are making significant contributions to global
economic health, national competitiveness and community commerce by bringing many
assets to the global market. Bowen & Hirsch, (1986), compared & evaluated various
research studies done on entrepreneurship including women entrepreneurship. Its
summaries various studies in this way that female entrepreneurs are relatively well
educated in general but perhaps not in management skills, high in internal locus of control,
more masculine, or instrumental than other women in their values likely to have had
entrepreneurial fathers, relatively likely to have first born or only children, to start business
in traditionally male dominated industries & experiencing a need of additional
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managerial training. Singh, (2008), identifies the reasons & influencing factors behind
entry of women in entrepreneurship. He explained the characteristics of their
businesses in Indian context and also obstacles & challenges. He mentioned the
obstacles in the growth of women entrepreneurship are mainly lack of interaction with
successful entrepreneurs, social un-acceptance as women entrepreneurs, family
responsibility, gender discrimination, missingnetwork, low priority given by bankers
to provide loan to women entrepreneurs.He suggested the remedial measures like
promoting micro enterprises, unlocking institutional frame work, projecting & pulling
to grow & support the winners etc. The study advocates for ensuring synergy among
women related ministry, economic ministry & social & welfare development ministry
of the Government ofIndia.
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3. RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY
3.1 Objectives:
(A) Meaning:
(B) Characteristics:
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(C) Objectives of the study are as follows:
Entrepreneurial
Development Plan
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3.2Data Collection Method:
The data collected in this research project is totally based on secondary data.The facts and
figures are taken by the different resources.
(A) Meaning:
Secondary data means data that are already available i.e., they refer to the data which
have already been collected and analyzed by someone else. When theresearcher utilizes
secondary data, then he has to look into various sources from where he can obtain them.
In this case he is certainly not confronted with the problems that are usually associated
with the collection of original data. Secondary data may either be published data or
unpublished data. Usually published data are available in: (a) various publications of the
central, state are local governments; (b)various publications of foreign governments or of
international bodies and their subsidiary organizations; (c) technical and trade journals;
(d) books, magazines andnewspapers; (e) reports and publications of various associations
connected with business and industry, banks, stock exchanges, etc.; (f) reports prepared
by research scholars, universities, economists, etc. in different fields; and (g) public
records and statistics, historical documents, and other sources of published information.
The sources of unpublished data are many; they may be found in diaries, letters,
unpublished biographies and autobiographies and also may beavailable with scholars and
research workers, trade associations, labour bureaus and other public/ private individuals
and organizations.
Secondary data is available from other sources and may already have been used in
previous research, making it easier to carry out further research. It is time-saving and
cost-efficient: the data was collected by someone other than the researcher.
Administrative data and census data may cover both larger and much smaller samples
of the population in detail. Information collected by the government will also cover
parts of the population that may be less likely to respond to the census. 18
A clear benefit of using secondary data is that much of the background work needed has
already been carried out, such as literature reviews or case studies. The data may have been
used in published texts and statistics elsewhere, and the data could already be promoted
in the media or bring in useful personal contacts. Secondary data generally have a pre-
established degree of validity and reliability which need not be re-examined by the
researcher who is re-using such data.
Secondary data can provide a baseline for primary research to compare the collected
primary data results to and it can also be helpful in research design.
However, secondary data can present problems, too. The data may be out of date or
inaccurate. If using data collected for different research purposes, it may not cover those
samples of the population researchers want to examine, or not in sufficient detail.
Administrative data, which is not originally collected for research, may not be available in
the usual research formats or may be difficult to get access to.
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3.3Women Entrepreneurs in India:
Women Entrepreneurs may be defined as the women or a group of women who initiate,
organize and operate a business enterprise. The Government of India has defined women
entrepreneurs as an enterprise owned and controlled by women having a minimum
financial interest of 51 per cent of the capital and giving at least 51 per cent of the
employment generated in the enterprise to women‖. Women entrepreneurs engaged in
business due to push and pull factors which encourage women to have an independent
occupation and stands on their own legs. A sense towards independent decision-making
on their life and career is the motivational factor behind this urge. With the change of time
there is tremendous upliftment in the status of Indian women entrepreneur. Women
entrepreneurs are gaining a strong hold in most of the developing countries including India,
Brazil etc. Another recent trend is women are increasingly coming on the fore front in
private and government business organizations and occupying the top positions
everywhere- like Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochhar, Shikha Sharma, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw,
NainaLal Kidwai, etc. Again, there is increased awareness and women entrepreneurs are
increasingly finding easy to finance their business. Women entrepreneurs are also taking up
issues of environmental changes too.
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(B)Reasons for becoming Women Entrepreneurs:
The glass ceilings are shattered and women are found indulged in every line of business. The
entry of women into business in India is traced out as an extensionof their kitchen activities,
mainly 3P ‘s, Pickle, Powder and Pappas. But with the spread of education and passage of
time women started shifting from 3P ‘s to modern 3E ‘s i.e., Energy, Electronics and
Engineering. Skill, knowledge and adaptability in business are the main reasons for women to
emerge into business ventures. Women Entrepreneur is a person who accepts challenging role
to meet her personal needs and become economically independent. A strong desire to do
something positive is an inbuilt quality of entrepreneurial women, who is capable of
contributing values in both family and social life. With the advent of media, women are aware
of their own traits, rights and also the work situations. The challenges and opportunities
provided to the women of digital era are growing rapidly that the job seekers are turning into
job creators. Many women start a business due to some traumatic event, such as divorce,
discrimination due topregnancy or the corporate glass ceiling, the health of a family member,
or economic reasons such as a layoff. But a new talent pool of women entrepreneurs is forming
today, as more women opt to leave corporate world to chart their own destinies. They are
flourishing as designers, interior decorators, exporters, publishers, garment manufacturers and
still exploring new avenues of economic participation.
The First Five-Year Plan (1951-56) envisaged a number of welfare measures forwomen.
Establishment of the Central Social Welfare Board, organization of Mahala Mandal’s and
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The Community Development Programmes were a few steps in this direction.
In the second Five-Year Plan (1956-61), the empowerment of women was closelylinked
with the overall approach of intensive agricultural development programmes.
The Third and Fourth Five-Year Plans (1961- 66 and 1969-74) supported female
education as a major welfare measure.
The Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-79) emphasized training of women, who were in need of income
and protection. This plan coincided with International Women‘s Decade and the
submission of Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India. In1976,
Women‘s welfare and Development Bureau was set up under the Ministry of Social
Welfare.
The Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-85) saw a definite shift from welfare to development.
It recognized women‘s lack of access to resources as a critical factor impending their
growth.
Steps taken in Seventh Five-Year Plan:
In the seventh five-year plan, a special chapter on the “Integration of women in
development” was introduced by Government with following suggestion.
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Steps taken by Government during Ninth Five-Year Plan:
Economic development and growth are not achieved fully without the development of women
entrepreneurs. The Government of India has introduced the following schemes for promoting
women entrepreneurship because the future of small-scale industries depends upon the
women-entrepreneurs:
There are different bodies such as NGOs, voluntary organizations, Self-help groups,
institutions and individual enterprises from rural and urban areas which collectively help
the women entrepreneurs in their activities.
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5. Training Programmes:
The following training schemes specially for the self-employment of women are
introduced by government:
SIDBI has developed this fund for the entrepreneurial development of women especially in rural
areas. Under Mahila Vikas Nidhi grants loan to women are given to start their venture in the
field like spinning, weaving, knitting, embroideryproducts, block printing, handlooms
handicrafts, bamboo products etc.
In 1993, Rastriya Mahila Kosh was set up to grant micro credit to pore women at reasonable
rates of interest with very low transaction costs and simple procedures
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States No of Units No. of Women Percentage
Registered Entrepreneurs
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Promotional Organizations to help Women Entrepreneur:
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3.4Reasons behind limited start-ups in India:
The failing-start-up problem in India has become a big issue in the start-up ecosystem.
As per statistics, majority of entrepreneurs fail while trying to establish their business.
After studying failed start-ups in India, I have compiled a list of several major
reasons behind their failure. From the lack oftalent to changing market dynamics,
these top reasons can become a nightmarefor any entrepreneur who wants to start a
new venture in the ever-changing Indian Market.
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Lack of fresh and Innovative Ideas:
Almost every niche market in India is suffocated with multiple startups tryingto
provide solutions to the same problem. This calls for entrepreneurs to be inventive
and push the boundaries using innovation to stand out. Due to competition, the urge
to grab market share makes an entrepreneur vulnerable to mistakes by producing the
wrong product.
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Offering very High Salaries:
Startups in India face a serious shortage of talent pool. To bring experienced professionals
on board, they offer high salaries to keep the startup in safe hands. However, offering
high salaries to employees makes the startup eat intoits resources. The shortage of funds
leads to instability within the startup, which leads to bad decisions.
Lack of Interpersonal and Soft Skills
Most entrepreneurs in India are found to lack interpersonal and soft skills. Dueto poor
communication skills, an entrepreneur increases the failure rate of his/her startup. The
lack of such essential skills makes a startup not able tocompete in international market.
Also, entrepreneurs face a lot of difficulty in pitching their business ideas to a venture
capitalist with poor communication.
Not Able to Address the Issue of Scalability
Over one-third of Indian population is on the internet. Startups that have successfully built
a product based on the needs of the society and are running profitably, will face the issue
of scalability. In such cases, lack of awareness orno mentor-ship becomes the deciding
factors behind a startup’s failure. Due to inexperience, entrepreneurs fail to understand the
changing needs of their product’s growing consumer base.
Unaware of Changing Market Dynamics:
Market dynamics keep changing with new trends becoming outdated in no time. Before
a startup knows what hit them, it is often too late to react and change the strategy. Such
scenarios arise when a startup’s core team is unableto make timely decisions due to
lack of industry insight, not conducting thorough research about the niche market,
targeting a wide market segment, and more.
Every founder cannot be the CEO:
There can be only one CEO, even if there are many founders. Only one person sets the
vision, and the others execute after there is broad agreement over what needs tobe done.
Too many people trying to display the big picture is a waste of time and shows role
ambiguity. “Too many cooks spoil the broth” comes in when everybody is the boss.
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Direction comes from a single person and that position must be stable, secure, and given
space to experiment, with a reasonable error margin.
Meritocracy:
This should be ruthlessly executed from the top down. The agenda is to build a business
and not protect anyone. Right people doing the right task is the only way to build a
business. With a well-laid appraisal mechanism, talent must be timely rewarded and given
a greater platform so that they feel as much as a part of the venture as the founders. It takes
8-10 years to build a good/great business, and without a performing team which sticks
around, it is simply not possible.
3.5To highlight the importance of financing agency’s in India:
A start-up is a reflection of an out of the box idea which is put into execution for the
generation of revenues through the sale of products and services that are uniqueand fills
the gap of the consumer needs that are in the market. India is fifth in the world in the aspect
of the startups with 3100 startups functioning since the last 3-4 years. India has been seeing
a trend of risk-taking entrepreneurs who are willing tosacrifice huge opportunity costs for
startups. But, according to a study, more than 94% of the business leads to the falling
scenario due to the lack of sufficient funds.Lack of funding is a common barrier seen in
the startup world. The known example of the Saurav Karukar’s startup SASLAB
technologies in 2014 was dueto the lack of funding. The generation of revenue is not a
piece of cake without the constant fuel of funding to the business. So, most of the times
this inquisitive question hits the mind of every other entrepreneur: How my startup should
be funded?
The funding of the business also depends on the nature of the business and the typeof the
business. Some startups that are unique but the idea holds a lot of risk for thebusiness the
funding becomes tough. The business can be funded through various means and ways in
India. Here, is a guide that can make you startup grow by leapsand bounds through the
proper source of funding.
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(A) Venture Capital:
Venture Capital is money provided by professionals who invest and manage young
rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significanteconomic
contributors. According to SEBI regulations, venture capital fund means a fund
established in the form of a company or trust, which raises money through loans,
donations, issue of securities or units and makes or proposes, to make investments in
accordance with these regulations. The funds so collected areavailable for investment
in potentially highly profitable enterprises at a high risk ofloss. A Venture Capitalist
is an individual or a company who provides. Investment Capital, Management
Expertise, Networking & marketing support while funding and running highly
innovative & prospective areas of products as well as services. In India, the Venture
Capital Funds can be categorized into the following groups:
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Overseas Venture Capital Funds: This group comprises of Venture Capital funds from
outside India. Like: BTS India Private Equity Fund Ltd., WaldenInternational Investment
Group, SEAF India Investment and Growth Fund.
Promoted by Private Sector Companies: This category consists of Venture Capital funds
promoted by private Sector Companies. Like: Infinity Venture India Fund, IL&FS Trust
Company Limited (ITCL).
Your pitch is crucial to obtaining funding. Sequoia, one of the most successful VC firms
on the planet, stresses, “you need to convey the main reasons why aninvestor should love
your business in the first 5 minutes.” Sequoia partners state you can do this in three simple
steps, which are:
• Explain what’s changed. Detail the innovation, industry shift, or problem that
presents substantial opportunity for your company.
• Explain what you do. In one sentence, show how your company can capitalize on
this opportunity.
• Explain the facts. Get to your company’s story and financials quickly. Lay out the
opportunity with numbers. Discuss the team and their abilities and experience.
(B) Bootstrapping:
One of the developing sources of finance for your start-up is to avail the finance from the
public. The process works in an interactive way wherein an entrepreneur pitches his
business idea in front of the layman on a platform where he orientsthem about his
business, the process and how revenues would be generated along with the seed capital
amount and where would the amount be invested into. The crowd then reverts the pitch in
the form of donation or form of pre-buying orders for the entrepreneur. This type of
sourcing not only full-fills the need of the entrepreneur but also generates an audience for
him who are willing to fund his idea as well as support it giving a boost for the business in
the initial years. This also grabs the attention of the venture capitalists few years down the
timeline and would be interested in funding your business by looking at the success of your
campaign and your risk.
(D)Angel Investors:
Angels are generally wealthy individuals or retired company executives who investdirectly
in small firms owned by others. They are often leaders in their own field who not only
contribute their experience and network of contacts but also their technical and/or
management knowledge. Angels tend to finance the early stages of the business with
investments in the order of $25,000 to $100,000. Institutional venture capitalists prefer
larger investments, in the order of $1,000,000. In exchange for risking their money, they
reserve the right to supervise the company's management practices. In concrete terms, this
often involves a seat on the board of directors and an assurance of transparency.
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Angels tend to keep a low profile. To meet them, you have to contact specialized
associations or search websites on angels. The National Angel Capital Organization
(NACO) is an umbrella organization that helps build capacity for Canadian angel investors.
You can check out their member’s directory for ideas about who to contact in your region.
(F)Government Programs:
The government is also providing incentives for the startups and to promote them. The
government of India passed the startup fund in the union budget of 2014-15 which is valued
at 10,000 crores for Indian startups. There are more programs launched by the government
to take the benefit such as the Bank of Ideas and Innovations by the program that will
support the new product ideas. There are also government programs wherein you need no
collateral security against the loan youborrow for your startup under the name of Credit
Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. The government also started with
MUDRA with an amountof 20,000 crores to sanction loans to startup once you clear the
criteria. There are also institutions who take lower interest rates as compared to the market.
The awareness is a parameter if you are applying for loan through the government
programs.
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(G)High Net-Individuals:
Lastly, our final source of funding is the High Net-worth individuals who are individuals with
ample amount of financial resources for your startup. These individuals are having their
existing business and are looking for opportunities to invest into your business with their
resources for the time span of 1-3. After this time span, they expect the amount of the
investment to be twice or thrice during this period. They mainly invest in those businesses
which are having the highest caliber level to sustain in the market and generate good revenue
streams in short span of time. The first advantage of this type of funding that you can design
a custom investment based on the funds you need which give you an edge. Lastly, the high
net-worth individuals charge you lower fees.
(I)Bank Loans:
This might probably be the first option when you have an idea of your own start- up. Banks
offer loans to the entrepreneurs who are eligible and capable of carryingout a sustainable
and stable business project. For the sanction of the loan, the bank takes into consideration
the business model, the valuation of various inventories and the project report along with
other documentation. But now the process is hassle free and without any collateral. Under
all the banks there are 7-8 different types of loans for the SME Business. But the only thing
that needs to be taken careof is the timely repayment of the amount. The funding done by
the bank has got benefits such as the profit or loss remains with you along with the proper
procedure and framework of the banks. Also, they are available every and charge less as
compared to venture capitals i.e. 13-17%.
This may be a good way for you to raise money as they love and care for you but it is
not fun when you lose it as it may affect your relationship with that person forever. A
good way of raising funds from your family may be if you choose thosewho have the
knowledge of business and its risks while investing.
Regardless of this fact, it is important to behave like a professional with them, and while
they are considering to invest, you should lay out all the risks involved in theinvestment
so they can decide at first.
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3.6Entrepreneurship Development Plan:
Entrepreneurship is the process of setting up one’s own business as distinct from pursuing
any other economic activity, be it employment or practising some profession. The person
who set-up his business is called an entrepreneur. The output of the process, that is, the
business unit is called an enterprise. It is interesting to note that entrepreneurship besides
providing self-employment tothe entrepreneur is responsible to a great extent for creation
and expansion of opportunities for the other two economic activities, that is, employment
and profession. (Can you think why and how?) Further, each business gives rise to other
businesses– the suppliers of raw materials and components, service providers (be it
transport, courier, telecom, distributor middlemen and advertising firms, accounting firms
and advocates etc. And, in the process, entrepreneurship becomes crucial for overall
economic development of a nation. Given its important role in the overall scheme of
economic development, it is interesting to note that not many persons opt for a career in
entrepreneurship. Traditionally, it was believed that entrepreneurs are born. No society can
wait for the chance of ‘birth’ of entrepreneurs to pursue its developmental plans. In fact,
plans for economic development would bear little fruit unless entrepreneurship
development is regarded as a deliberate process of making people aware of
entrepreneurship as a career at an early age and creating situations where they may actually
make a choice to become entrepreneurs. When you make this choice, you become a job-
provider rather than a job-seeker, besides enjoying a host of other financial and
psychological rewards. Taking to entrepreneurship is surely more a matter of aspiring to
become an entrepreneur rather as being born as one.
Concept of Entrepreneurship:
You are aware that entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the four major factors of
production, the other three being land, labour and capital. However, it should surprise you
that as regards its French origin, the term ‘entrepreneurship’ (derived from the verb
‘entreprende’ meaning ‘to undertake’) pertained not to economics but to undertaking of
military expeditions. So is true of many terms in management such as strategy (a course
of action to beat the competition, the ‘enemy’) and logistics (movement of men and
machines for timely availability),
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etc. Historically, as wars are followed by economic reconstruction, it should be no surprise
that military concepts are used in economics and management. It may be pointed out that
whereas the wars are rare and far between, in today’s competitive world, entrepreneurs
wage wars every day. There is a tremendous pressure to continually develop new products,
explore new markets, update technology and devise innovative ways of marketing and so
on. The term ‘entrepreneur’ was first introduced in economics by the early 18th century
French economist Richard Cantillon. In his writings, he formally defined the entrepreneur
as the “agent who buys means of production at certain prices in order to sell the produce
at uncertain prices in the future”. Since then a perusal of the usage of the term in economics
shows that entrepreneurship implies risk/uncertainty bearing; coordination of productive
resources; introduction of innovations; and the provision of capital.
Characteristics of Entrepreneurship:
In the SVO formulation of the concepts of entrepreneur, entrepreneurship and enterprise,
we saw that entrepreneurship is about the process of setting up abusiness. One cannot help
but marvel at the beauty of the process: how does one first of all decide to choose own
business as a career; how does one sense a marketopportunity; how does one muster up
courage to embark upon it, and mobilise the requisite resources, etc.; so much so that
recourse to entrepreneurship, in common parlance, is considered as an exclusive preserve
of a few gifted individuals. In the following paragraphs, our effort would be to establish
entrepreneurship as a career that you should aspire for. Remember, resources may be
limited, aspiration need not be. So, you can aspire for something greater, bigger than your
present status and resources. And start today. Remember, aspiration means desire
multiplied by action.
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1) Systematic Activity: Entrepreneurship is not a mysterious gift or charm and something that
happens by chance! It is a systematic, step-by step and purposeful activity. It has certain
temperamental, skill and other knowledge and competency requirements that can be acquired,
learnt and developed, both by formal educational and vocational training as well as by observation
and work experience.Such an understanding of the process of entrepreneurship is crucial for
dispelling the myth that entrepreneurs are born rather than made.
3) Innovation: From the point of view of the firm, innovation may be cost saving or revenue-
enhancing. If it does both it is more than welcome. Even if it does none, it is still welcome
as innovation must become a habit! Entrepreneurship is creative in the sense that it involves
creation of value. You must appreciate that in the absence of entrepreneurship ‘matter’ does
not become a “resource.” By combining the various factors of production, entrepreneurs
produce goods and services that meet the needs and wants of the society. Every
entrepreneurial act result in income and wealth generation. Even when innovations destroy
the existing industries, for example, Xerox machines destroyed carbon paper industry,
mobile telephony threatens landline/ basic telephony, and net gains accruing to the
economy lend such entrepreneurial actions as commendable as the acts of creative
destruction. Entrepreneurship is creative also in the sense that it involves innovation-
introduction of new products, discovery of new markets and sources of supply of inputs,
technological breakthroughs as well as introduction of newer organisational forms for doing
things better, cheaper, and faster and, in the present context, in a manner that causes the
least harm to the ecology/environment. It is possible that entrepreneurs in developing
countries may not be pioneering/ innovative in introducing path breaking, radical
innovations. They may be the first or second adopters of technologies developed elsewhere.
That does not make their achievement small.
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For imitating technologies from developed world to the indigenous setting is quite
challenging. A lady entrepreneur wanting to introduce thermal pads for industrial heating
faced tremendous reluctance form the owners of chemical and sugar mills despite the
established superiority of her products over the conventional heating of the vessels by burning
of wood/coke or using LPG. Moreover, there is no need to suffer from “it was not invented
here” complex– there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The global electronics major, Sony did
not invent the transistor! It used the transistor to build entertainment products that are world
leaders.
5) Risk Taking: As the entrepreneur contracts for an assured supply of the variousinputs for
his project, he incurs the risk of paying them off whether or not the venture succeeds. Thus,
landowner gets the contracted rent, capital providers gets the contracted interest, and the
workforce gets the contracted wages and salaries.
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However, there is no assurance of profit to the entrepreneur. It may be pointed out that the
possibility of absolute ruin may be rare as the entrepreneur does everything within his control
to de-risk the business. For example, he may enter into prior contract with the customers of
his production. So much so that he may just be contract manufacturer or marketer of someone
else’s products! What is generally implied by risk taking is that realized profit may be less
than the expected profit. It is generally believed that entrepreneurs take high risks. Yes,
individuals opting for a career in entrepreneurship take a bigger risk that involved in a career
in employment or practice of a profession as there is no “assured” payoff. (See Box above) In
practice, for example, when a person quits a job to starton his own, he tries to calculate whether
he or she would be able to earn the same level of income or not. To an observer, the risk of
quitting a well-entrenched and promising career seems a “high” risk, but what the person has
taken is a calculatedrisk. The situation is similarly to a motorcyclist in the ‘ring of death’ or a
trapeze artist in circus. While the spectators are in the awe of the high-risk, the artists have
taken a calculated risk given their training, skills, and of course, confidence and daring. It is
said that the entrepreneurs thrive on circumstances where odds favoring and against success
area even, that is 50:50 situations. They are so sure of their capabilities that they convert 50%
chances into 100% success. They avoid situations with higher risks as they hate failure as
anyone would do; they dislike lower risk situations as business ceases to be a game/fun! Risk
as such more than a financial stake, becomes a matter of personal stake, where less than
expected performance causes displeasure and distress. The characteristics of entrepreneurship
discussed as above apply in diverse contexts, so does the usage of the term, viz.,
Agricultural/Rural Entrepreneurship, Industrial entrepreneurship, Techno-preneurship, Net
preneurship, Green/Environmental or Eco-preneurship, Intra-corporate/firm or Intra-
preneusrhip and Social entrepreneurship. In fact, entrepreneurship has come to be regarded
as a ‘type of behaviors’, whereby one, (i) rather than becoming a part of the problem,
proactively tries to solve it; (ii) usespersonal creativity and intellect to develop innovative
solutions; (iii) thinks beyond resources presently controlled in exploiting the emerging
opportunities or attending to the impending problems; (iv) has the conviction to convince
others of one’s ideas and seek their commitment towards the project; and (v) has the courage
of heart to withstand adversities, persist despite setbacks and be generally optimistic.
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Relations between Entrepreneurship and Management:
Entrepreneurship is about business start-ups and renewals. That is, it appears at thetime of
starting a new business, disappears for some time in the course of stabilizing the venture
as an on-going business and reappears in case there is aneed for introducing changes
in product, market, technology, structure and so on. In fact, it is said that everyone is an
entrepreneur when he actually ‘carries out newcombinations,’ and loses that character as
soon as he has built up his business, when he settles down to running it as other people run
their businesses. In developed countries, the distinction between the entrepreneurial focus
on start-ups and managerial focus on routine is so sharp that it is argued that once the
project has reached a level of maturity, the entrepreneurs must move out and the managers
must come in.
In developing countries, however, the concept of owner-manager seems more apt for
entrepreneurship as the entrepreneur remains attached even to the day-to-day operations
of the venture. In fact, their lacking in managerial skills is often forwarded as the cause of
business failures. Just as managers are expected to play entrepreneurial roles in the times
of need, likewise the entrepreneurs must also demonstrate managerial abilities for the
success of their ventures. Irrespective of whether the entrepreneurs pave way for the
managers or they themselves assume the managerial responsibilities, it is possible to
distinguish between the term’s entrepreneurship and management.
5. Improvement in Economic Efficiency: You are aware that efficiency means to have
greater output from the same input. Entrepreneurs improve economic efficiency by, a.
Improving processes, reducing wastes, increasing yield, and, b. Bringing about technical
progress, that is, by altering labour-capital ratios. You areaware that if labour is provided
with good implements (capital), its productivity increases.
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6.Increasing the Spectrum and Scope of Economic Activities: Development does not
merely mean ‘more’ and ‘better’ of the existing, it also and more crucially means
diversification of economic activities– across the geographic, sectoral and technological
scope. You are aware that underdeveloped countries are caught in thevicious cycles on the
demand as well as supply side. Entrepreneurs penetrate into and break these cycles, for
example, by organizing and orienting domestic production for exports. Thus, production (and
thereby generation of income) is not constrained by the inadequacy of domestic demand.
(Demand-side Vicious Cycle).In today’s context, you are aware that India is poised to become
a manufacturing hub for the global markets for diverse products. Economic development is
also constrained by the supply-side pressures resulting into absence of capacity to meet the
demand whether domestic or overseas. Entrepreneurs mobilise local and even overseas
resources to augment the productive capacity of a country. Indian Multinational Giants is fast
becoming a reality. Entrepreneurs lead the process of economic development via bringing
about sectoral change. You must be aware thatas the economies grow, percentage of GDP
originating from agriculture decreases and that originating in industry and services sectors
goes up. Entrepreneurs through their decisions to divest from the stale sectors and invest in
green-field sectors bring about a virtual transformation of the economy from ‘underdeveloped’
to an ‘emerging’ and ‘developed’ status.
7. Impact on Local Communities: Entrepreneurship, in its natural habitat, that is, small
business is at a great level. You may see from table on marginalised groups. That small-scale
entrepreneurship enables such marginalised groups as women, SC, ST and OBC to pursue
their economic dreams. As there are no entry barriers interms of educational qualifications,
entrepreneurship is an even more attractive career option for such marginalised groups. Agro
based rural industries and craft- based cottage industries can really catapult local communities
to socio-economic success stories. Local governments do their bit in developing these
entrepreneurship clusters with a view to encouraging inter-firm collaboration and
development of common facilities. Entitled, ‘Entrepreneurship Clusters in India.’In regard
to the development of entrepreneurship for impacting local communities, some corporate-
sector initiatives also deserve a mention. ITC through their ‘e- Chau pal’ and HLL through
their ‘Shakti’ initiatives have sought to mobilise native entrepreneurs for improving a lot of -
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those lying at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
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For example, technicians tend to be over obsessed with the production aspect; those with
marketing background may over emphasize creation of market. Investor type entrepreneurs
may be over concerned with the returns from the project. One should resist the temptation of
looking at the business only from one’s own narrow perspective. Having said this, it is apt that
we provide a brief description of the various issues that may be relevant at each stage.
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If we see any object of desire, may be a pen, laptop, latest model of the mobile phone or
somebody eating pizza or burger, we crave to have the same thing for ourselves. The
entrepreneurial mind, on the other hand starts working out, what would be the market size,
where to procure it from and at what price, will I able to woo the customers from the
existing players and how– by selling it cheaper, by providing more value or by better
service and so on.
Identification of Specific Product Offering: While the environment scan leads to the
discovery of more generalized business opportunities, there is a need to zero in on to a
specific product or service idea. For example, trade liberalization since WTOs has
resulted in export opportunities, but the question is what to export and where? You may
be required to compile a country-product matrix to be able to decide. This way you may
arrive at the product-market combination showing the fastest growing import and from
your point of view export potential. Deciding on the product offering makes the highest
demand on the entrepreneur’s creativity and innovativeness. Yet, in a competitive
environment, it is possible to differentiate your product offering even if the generic
product is the same and serves the same need. Clearly decision on specific product
offering necessitates decisions on who is buying, why, and what are the value
expectations. You will be able to succeed when the value delivered not only meets but
also exceeds customers’ expectations and create a ‘Vow!’ impact. While the
environment inspects leads to the innovation of more comprehensive business –
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opportunities, there is a need to zero in on to a specific product or service idea. For
example, trade liberalization since WTOs has resulted in export opportunities, but the
question is what to export and where? You may be required to compile a country-
product matrix to be able to decide. New products and services are the lifeblood of all
businesses. Investing in their development isn’t an optional extra – it is crucial to
business growth and profitability. But embarking on the development process is risky.
It needs considerable planning and organization.
This way you may arrive at the product-market combination showing the fastest
growing import and from your point of view export potential. Deciding on the product
offering makes the highest demand on the entrepreneur’s creativity and innovativeness.
Yet, in a competitive environment, it is possible to differentiate your product offering
even if the generic product is the same and serves the same need. To thoroughly
understand what you’re getting into, perform an extensive market research project to
determine the feasibility of your business. In addition to gleaning statistics of trends
and current customer buying patterns, you need to know who your customers are, where
they are located and what kind of competition exists in your area.
You can extend the lifecycle of a product or service by investing in an “extension strategy”.
You could:
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Feasibility Analysis: The product offering idea must be technically feasible, that isit should
be possible with the available technology to convert the idea into a reality. And this should
be possible at a cost that can be covered by the price it willfetch; in other words, the idea must
be economically feasible too. The project cost should be within the resources available and
the resource providers should be reasonably sure of an appropriate return on (profit) and
return of (safety and liquidity) of their investments. That is, the idea must be financially viable
as well. There should be enough sales in the immediate and the prospect of growth in the
foreseeable future; there should be adequate assurance on the commercial viability of the
chosen product offering. Now a day, it is also important to be sure that there aren’t any
environmental and other legal restrictions/necessity of prior approvals for setting up the
business. It is also to be decided as to whether the business will be organised as a proprietary
concern/partnership firm/ company or cooperative entity. Clearly the chosen product offering
must be feasible from the diverseperspectives. You must compile these findings in the form
of a business plan that would have to be submitted to the funding authorities, in the Indian
context, the State Finance Corporation of your area. They may be having a prescribed
proformain which the details of the business plan are required to be furnished and, as such
there may a need to adapt the contents accordingly. An idea about the generic contents of a
business plan may be had from. The business plan may be appraised by the funding institution,
and upon satisfying itself about the desirability of assisting your project and upon the
furnishing of some margin money it may sanction the loan amount. Recall, Narayan Reddy
and his two other associates provided Rs. 8 lakhs and the APSFC contributed Rs. 20 lakhs
toward the overall project cost of Rs. 28 lakhs. Upon the project approval, the entrepreneur
can proceed for project commissioning, that is putting up the factory premises, installing the
equipment, obtaining the supplies of the input materials with a view to starting the
manufacture and marketing the product. As noted earlier too, entrepreneurial functions do not
come to an end with the business start-up. He often looks after its day-to-day operations and
strives for its stability and growth. Entrepreneurial roles and functions clearly seem onerous.
Perhaps that is why many shy away to simpler, softer and safer options of employment and
practice of profession. Entrepreneurial going may be tough; but then that is where the tough
get going! Do not worry if presently you may find yourself short on those competencies,
values and attitudes.
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It is just a matter of making up your mind for a career in entrepreneurship and grooming
yourselves for it. This takes us to the discussion of the process of entrepreneurship
development. A feasibility study allows a business to address where and how it will
operate, its competition, possible hurdles, and the funding needed to begin. The business
plan then provides a framework that sets out a map for following through and executing on
the entrepreneurial vision. By evaluating your management team, assessing the market for
your concept, estimating financial viability, and identifying potential pitfalls, you can make
an informed choice about the achievability of your entrepreneurial endeavor. A feasibility
analysis is largely numbers driven and can be far more in depth than a business plan (discussed
in The Business Plan).
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The process of Entrepreneurship Development:
Entrepreneurship does not emerge spontaneously. Rather it is the outcome of a dynamic
process of interaction between the person and the environment. Ultimately the choice of
entrepreneurship as a career lies with the individual, yethe must see it as a desirable as well
as a feasible option. In this regard, it becomes imperative to look at both the factors in the
environment as well as the factors in the individual as having a nearing on the perception of
desirability and feasibility and thereby entrepreneurship development. One may, therefore,
model the process of entrepreneurship development in terms. In general, capitalist economy
with its emphasis on individual achievement is more suitable for entrepreneurship. Lower
rates of taxation on personal income, lower rates of interest and moderate inflation stimulate
entrepreneurial activity. (Can you think why it is so?) Moderately low external value of
domestic currency or in other words, moderately lower exchange rates, stimulate import
substituting and export promoting entrepreneurship. (Can you rationalise why?). Well-
developed financial system, good infrastructure, helpful bureaucracy all these have a favorable
impact on entrepreneurship. Specially designed and dedicated institutions such as National
Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (visit, niesbud.nic.in),
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (visit, www.ediindia.org) that conduct
entrepreneurship awareness and entrepreneurship development programmes (EAPs and
EDPs) a further fillip to this activity.
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It is useful to break the entrepreneurial process into five phases: idea generation,
opportunity evaluation, planning, company formation/launch and growth. These
phases are summarized in this table, and the Opportunity Evaluation and
Planning steps are expanded in greater detail below.
1.Idea Generation: every new venture begins with an idea. In our context,
we take an idea to be a description of a need or problem of some
constituency coupled with a concept of a possible solution. (A
characterization of this phase is still work in process on this site.
2. Opportunity Evaluation: this is the step where you ask the question of whether
there is an opportunity worth investing in. Investment is principally capital, whether
from individuals in the company or from outside investors, and the time and energy of a
set of people. But you should also consider other assets such as intellectual property,
personal relationships, physical property, etc.
3. Planning: Once you have decided that an opportunity, you need a plan for how to
capitalize on that opportunity. A plan begins as a fairly simple set of ideas, and then
becomes more complex as the business takes shape. In the planning phase you will
need to create two things: strategy and operating plan.
5. Growth: After launch, the company works toward creating its product or service,
generating revenue and moving toward sustainable performance. The emphasis shifts
from planning to execution. At this point, you continue to ask questions but spend more
of your time carrying out your plans.
Although it is natural to think of the early steps as occurring sequentially, they are
actually proceeding in parallel. Even as you begin your evaluation, you are forming at
least a hypothesis of a business strategy. As you test the hypothesis, you are beginning
to execute the first steps of your marketing plan (and possibly also your sales plan).
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The role of the individual in Entrepreneurship Development:
Mr. Narayan Reddy was desirous of starting a small-scale industry and also had a sense of
efficacy or readiness to pursue it given his qualifications, experience and the necessary values,
attitudes and motivation (the opening case does not elaboratethis. We will discuss these at
suitable places). Even you may like to see as to wheredo you find yourself on the desirability
(willingness)-efficacy (ability) matrix, won’t you? As you may see from the matrix figure able
and willing men and women are a “ready” source of entrepreneurship. Such persons leap up
the first opportunity comes their way to be on their own. Recall, Narayan Reddy leapt up the
opportunity as he met the two medicos who had returned from the Gulf. At anypoint of time,
there are many men and women who “want” to set up a business of their own but experience
self-perceived barriers to entrepreneurship. They could behaving a low perception of self-
efficacy either on account of lack of resources (or to be more correct, resourcefulness),
knowledge or know-how, and the skills. Collectively, these are referred to as competencies,
which now we turn our attention to.
Entrepreneurial Competencies:
Every opportunity and successful performance of every role and function has a competence
requirement. It’s true of entrepreneurship as well. Entitled ‘Cash OR KASH?’ The term
‘competence’ refers to a composite of knowledge, skills and a host of psychosocial attributes
(including Attitudes and Motivation that we will be discussing separately) in a person that
mark his/her effectiveness for a task. The phrase ‘composite’ is crucial. For example, the
competence “ability to communicate vision” is much more than proficiency in writing/
speaking skills. It would involve, just to illustrate, vision clarity, understanding the audience
background, interest and readiness, knowledge about the media and choosing the most
appropriate one, attracting attention, delivery, leaving not merely an impression but also an
impact and, assessing effectiveness. So, when the entrepreneur in the television interview
pointed out KASH as the determinants of successful entrepreneurship, he was indeed referring
to the competencies. Competency approach to human resource development in general and
entrepreneurship development in particular was pioneered by David McClelland, a—
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Harvard University psychologist in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. (You will be learning
more on McClelland’s work when we discuss entrepreneurial motivation.)McClelland set out
to define competency variables that could be used in predictingjob performance and that were
not biased by race, gender, or socio-economic factors. As a result, it becomes more important
to learn what a person does rather than who he/she is. That is why management and also
entrepreneurship is better defined as what a manager or an entrepreneur does. Because
competencies can be built via a process of education and development, we may say that
entrepreneurs are made. What are the distinct competencies for entrepreneurship? In this
regard one may refer to the efforts of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI),
a national resource institution in the area of entrepreneurship education research and
development EDI has identified a set of 15 competencies that contribute toward
entrepreneurial performance and success. These are briefly stated hereunder.
Initiative: Acting out of choice rather than compulsion, taking the lead rather thanwaiting
for others to start. Sees and Acts on Opportunities: A mindset where one istrained to look for
business opportunities from everyday experiences. Recall ‘oranges’ example.
Systematic Planning: Breaking up the complex whole into parts, closeexamination of the
parts and inferring about the whole; e.g. simultaneously.
Persistence: A ‘never say die’ attitude, not giving up easily, striving continuously until
success is achieved. Information seeking: Knowing and knowing who knows, consulting
experts, reading relevant material and an overall openness to ideas and information.
Concern for High Quality of Work: Attention to details and observance of established
standards and norms. Commitment to Work Contract: Taking personal pains to complete
a task as scheduled. Attending to production, marketing and financial aspects (parts) of the
overall business strategy (the whole).
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Problem-solving: Observing the symptoms, diagnosing and curing. Self- confidence: Not
being afraid of the risks associated with business and relying on one’s capabilities to
successfully manage these.
Assertiveness: Conveying emphatically one’s vision and convincing others of its value.
Entrepreneurial Motivation:
Men and women who have a perception of self-efficacy and are yet to feel interested in or
motivated by the idea of being on their own comprise a potential, future source of
entrepreneurship. What motivates a person is a question easier asked than answered. Mr.
Narayan Reddy was driven by the desire to utilise his discovery of the molecule as a business
opportunity. In terms of Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, one may say that Mr. Narayan
Reddy was driven by the need for self-actualisation. Since entrepreneurial situation is
characterised by personal accomplishment in competitive situations and involving higher-
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standards of excellence, one often come across reference to ‘need for achievement’ or N-ach
for short as the primary driver of entrepreneurial behavior. See Box entitled ‘How NAch.
Drives Entrepreneurship and Economic Development’.
Need for Achievement (N-Ach.): Need for achievement implies a desire to accomplish
something difficult. To master, manipulate, or organize physical objects, human beings or
ideas. To do this as rapidly and as independently as possible. To overcome obstacles and attain
a high standard. To excel one’s self. Torival and surpass others. To increase self–regard by
successful exercise of talent. Yes, entrepreneurship provides you with the best opportunity for
making the best use of your talents as in employment the 9-5 routine, pressure to adhere to
rulesand regulations, preference for compliance of boss’s instructions over the use of personal
creativity and innovativeness stifles your progress and self-development. You can create a
work environment that suits your abilities and interests. Need for Power (N-Pow): Need for
Power is the concern for influencing people orthe behaviour of others for moving in the chosen
direction and attaining theenvisioned objectives. In common perception, politicians, social
religious leaders Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Government Bureaucrats/Civil Servants
typify the need for power. Such a perception seems more based on the belief that the source
of power lies in the “position” a person occupies in organisational/societal context. In the same
vein, business ownership too may imply a need for power. Moreover, you would appreciate
that the process of founding a business, one has towin the commitment of capital providers,
suppliers of equipment and materials, theemployees and that of the customers. Power may not
be used to further one’s self- interests alone, it may be also be used to touch the lives of others,
to make a difference. Entrepreneurs driven by this socialised face of the need for power. They
found organisations that are a source of sustenance and self- respect for many. needs.
Entrepreneurs are believed to be low on affiliation, as they are and expectedto be, innovative,
trendsetters and tradition breakers. However, it is not necessary that affiliation should only
interfere with achievement. In certain cultures, family comprises the bedrock on which the
successful careers are built. One works, as if, not for personal gratification but for family.
Desire to Need for Affiliation (N-Aff.): Often you must have heard your parents saying that
whatever they do they do it for their children. If a man thinks about interpersonal relationships,
he has a concern for affiliation.
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It implies, among other things a tendency of the people to conform to the wishes and norms
of those whom they value. Apparently, social activists, environmentalists, teachers, and
doctors and nurses may seem as predominantly driven by these carries on the tradition of
business in the family and the community to which one belongs, may be interpreted as
reflecting need for affiliation as well. In the countries with the colonial past, such as ours, the
first generation of entrepreneurs in Independent India was driven by patriotic fervor and the
desire to rebuild the economy left stagnated by the alien rulers. One can certainly trace some
elements of affiliation motivation in such instances.
Need for Autonomy (N-Aut.): The need for autonomy is a desire for independence and being
responsible and accountable to oneself rather than some external authority for performance. It
is the desire for an opportunity for the fullest expression of one’s abilities. In the context of
entrepreneurship, it is usuallyinterpreted as the determination not to work for someone else.
In most job situations, employees are given little freedom to exercise their discretion in taking
decisions and choosing a course of action so much so that absence of it drivesthem into
starting their own ventures. As such n-pow. becomes more a desire for preserving one’s ethos
rather than the freedom from the boss. Take the example of another Hyderabad based
entrepreneur entitled Entrepreneurship for Preserving Personal Work Ethos). What does the
above discussion mean for entrepreneurship development? It means that for promoting
entrepreneurship it is important tokindle and arouse the right motivation. In the absence
of motivation, even ablemen and women may not take to entrepreneurship. Hence. In every
Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) or Entrepreneurship Development
Programme (EDP), there are special sessions on entrepreneurial motivation, besides sessions
on entrepreneurial competencies. You may note that motivation and ability can positively
reinforce each other. Persons having abilities search for the avenues for their expression and
hence are drawn to entrepreneurship. Persons eager to be on their own may strive hard to
acquire the necessary competencies to realise their dreams. How truly one has said that
entrepreneurs are the dreamers who do! In explaining and developing entrepreneurial
motivation, it is important tolearn that different individuals are motivated differently, and
that one may be trying to satisfy more than one need through one’s pursuit. This is an
important observation as economic theory very simply says that the objective of the firm or
that of the entrepreneur is profit maximization.
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Entrepreneurial Values and Attitudes:
While explaining human behavior, one often comes across the terms’ values and attitudes.
Rather than attempting to distinguish between these two terms, it would be sufficient to say
here that taken together, entrepreneurial values and attitudes refer to the behavioral choices’
individuals make for success in entrepreneurship. The word ‘choice’ is important, as there are
alternative ways of behaving too. In entrepreneurship, a host of behavioral tendencies or
orientations have been reported as having a bearing on success. The entrepreneur in ‘Cash or
KASH’ labelled these as ‘Habits’, some researches have called these as policies or strategies.
Be it the decision to make a choice about entrepreneurship as a career, be it the decision to
choose the product line, growth strategy, profit making and social responsibility you would
be required to make choices. The choice that you make may have a tremendous impact on
your performance. What we do here is to profile some of the dimensions relating to starting
and managing a business andthe associated behavioral alternatives, we have considered here
two to keep the things simple. We have highlighted those alternatives that have been generally
observed to be associated with superior performance.
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whether they focused on personal accomplishment, triumph of human courage and effort
over the circumstances and so on. McClelland’s research upheld the proposition that
differences in the levels of achievement motivation as revealedby the analysis of the stories
and the readers accounted for the differences in the level of economic development. How?
What would be the process? McClelland observed that entrepreneurship becomes the
medium through which the achievement motivation manifests the best and through which
the development takes off.
Entrepreneurs bring about economic growth and development, and the latter in turn
provides a fertile soil for the flourishing of entrepreneurship. There certainlyis a mutually
facilitating reciprocity between economic growth and entrepreneurship development.
Business Plan
1. ExecutiveBusiness
Summary Plan
2. Business/industry
1. Executive Summary background
2. Business/industry
3. Product/service background
to be offered
3. Product/service to be offered
4. Market analysis
4. Market analysis
5. Sales and marketing strategy
5. Sales and marketing strategy
6.
6. Production/operations strategy
7. Production/operations
7. Management strategy
8. Management
8. Risk factors
9. Risk
9. Funds factors
required
10. Funds required
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