How to survive the pandemic and startup?

The most common posts these days are internship and job offer getting cancelled after passing out from B-School due to the pandemic. I understand the pain that students go through as education is an expensive proposition and most of them are already in the debt trap of education loans.

In such situation, what should one do ? Yes definitely we should keep trying to get another offer. However a B-School degree offers you a platform not a guarantee for success. Neither does it imply that being a passout from a top B-School makes you the best talent in the market. Performance in a 3 hour entrance is not the best parameter to judge anyone’s potential.

One should instead look at solving real life problems using the skills that have been acquired. A simple example can be launching a job portal dedicated for those who have lost jobs and offering them to work with NGOs for the time being. Another example can be a logistics company focused on bringing farm produce directly to housing societies. One more idea can be creating a dedicated social network for senior citizens to chat and discuss their issues. The ideas are simple and doable.

Someone with no formal education can also have equally brilliant ideas and ability to execute. Your initial placement is not your final destination. If you are talented enough, you will still make it through. Those who pass out from premier B-Schools and colleges do have a higher chance of success, however it does not mean others are meant to always lose. If you believe in your own abilities and willing to work hard, do you think circumstances will get the better of you ? If percentiles and scores define potential, then every top ranker would have built a business empire. Our education system right from school level is too much based on memorizing.

In fact, this is the perfect time to start your own venture. It may  seem a bit ironic, but the Covid-19 pandemic has also presented new set of opportunities such as supply chain optimization of almost any commodity in the country. The on-going focus on reducing imports will also help in promoting manufacturing in the country and thereby leading to economic growth. It may finally usher in the next wave of startups in the country. Considering the current economic scenario, it is quite likely that this situation will continue till middle of FY 22. This in turn creates the possibility of higher growth rates in the second half of FY 22 and FY 23 being the year to watch out for. In such a scenario, all of us will need to remain patient and not give up. It is also the time to pickup a hobby and learn new skills.

Indian Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani had once said that India is a land of billion opportunities. However in order to grab those, one should also be willing to take the risk. Are you willing ?

Tags: covid jobs pandemic Startups