Be Yourself

Be Yourself

"Dream big, struggle hard" says every entrepreneur. But Sriram went on to add "Be yourself, don’t bother about the people around you" and that's what differentiates him. Bold and determined, Sriram took the entrepreneurial plunge merely a year after his MBA from VVISM Hyderabad where he was Ghumakkad's student.

While at college, Sriram was adjudged Mr Perfect during the Freshers' Welcome. His participation in CSR Club gave him long lasting concern for society.

Sriram's story in his own words.

Can you share your journey after MBA?

I  I was an ordinary student in MBA(in academics). I enrolled in MBA course so that I could do corporate training programs. But as time passed, I got interested in marketing, advertising and entrepreneurship. Even though I was placed in the campus, my passion for teaching took me to the education industry.
I joined as an Aptitude and soft skills trainer in a company which provides placement training for engineering students. After a while, I left that job to start my own training organization with a focus on students rather than pure business. Thus started my entrepreneurial journey.

  Has your entrepreneurial journey been as exciting as you had expected it to ​be?

   Not really. I faced many ups and downs. Initially to get working experience and for networking, I worked for various vendors.  Working for as many as 18 different training organisations in 30 colleges across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu gave me rich experience. It was time to set off on my own. In August 2017 I started training students in fast changing information era i.e Digital Marketing with my own organisation named “Digi Freaks”

What are the key challenges in your venture and how do you plan to overcome it​?

  Now that I had good network and experience in teaching, I thought it would be a cakewalk for me to get more business. But that was not to be. Of course, training is not that difficult but getting contracts became very challenging. In the initial days I struggled a lot even to get a chance of giving seminars on the technology.  I met many college managements but almost everywhere I got red flag. One thing I knew very well that if I get one chance, I can prove what I am and it will increase my confidence.

  I recalled the 'Law of Average' and continued to meet more people. Finally, the wait was over when I got a chance of training 100 students in a women's engineering college. From then on I have conducted more than 25 seminars and workshops in a short span of two months. The real journey has now begun. I expect to face many more challenges in the future.

 

  

  What is your message for present students who want to take the entrepreneurial dive​?​

   Dream big. Struggle hard for it. Don’t bother about the people around you. Don’t worry even if you are struggling hard to achieve your goal. If you are confident enough, you will get it for sure. And remember the work that you are doing should benefit the society besides your own benefit.

    

   Sriram is all charged up and is ready to run, fall, arise and explore.

  Sriram recorded an exclusive video for this story. Click the link below.

   Sriram concludes by saying 'Be Yourself'! We wish him luck in his future endeavours.

Sriram's story is part of the series titled 'Proof of the Pudding'. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" goes the old proverb. For a teacher like Ghumakkad, what is the pudding? 'Pudding' for a teacher is his/her graduating students. Then how  is this 'pudding' in the form of former students, to be 'eaten'? 'Eating' can be symbolically equated with the placements or performance of former students in real life.
This series of stories is about Ghumakkad's former students who have become entrepreneurs. Most of the 2500 or so MBA, PGDM and BBA graduates taught by me have taken up a job. By embarking on the challenging path of entrepreneurship, few of these former students have proven the proverbial pudding beyond doubt! Who are these ten entrepreneurs? Are their business ventures diverse?

Their enterprises may not be huge, but they have followed their heart. They have pursued their passion. It was such a pleasure to reconnect with these former students and to learn their success stories. Thanks are due to each one of them for sharing their journey after graduation.

Name	MBA Graduation	Business Area	Venture Name & Location
Prabudha Saurabh	MBA(HR) IBS(2010)	Career Coaching	HRscope Consultants, Patna
Prashant Jadenavar	MBA(HR) IBS (2010)	Entertainment/ Theatre and Performing Arts	XpressionZ, Bangalore
Kirti Sharma	MBA(Mktg) IBS (2012)	Image Consultant, Corporate Trainer	Tualmagis, Mumbai
Aayushi Kasliwal	MBA(Fin) IBS (2012)	Designer Soaps- manufacture and supply	Soapatite, Indore
Preksha Jain	MBA(Mktg) IBS(2013)	Designer Apparels and Accessories	Preksha Jain – The Fashionate, Kolkata
Anjali Raj	BBA IBS(2013)	Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby	ILove9Months, Kochi
Ishita Raksha and Nidhi Upadhyay	BBA IBS(2013)	A Gourmet Dessert Studio	17 Sugar Street, Hyderabad
Sriram Gundepudi	MBA(HR) VVISM(2016)	Employability Skills Training, Digital Marketing	Digi Freaks,Hyderabad
Amruth Charan	PGDM(Fin) VVISM (2016)	Digital Marketing, Web/App Development	Aresol India, Visakhapatnam

Readers may also browse two related stories posted earlier:Can Startup Management be taught?
Social Entrepreneurship- Learnings

Thanks for browsing.
The last of the stories of these passionate entrepreneurs will follow. Stay connected.
     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with editorial support from Sharmi Banerjee/19th April 2018

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