Project Parivartan- Enactus MNC

Women at Sanjay Gandhi Centre not only help themselves but Also Help Mars, Zara, Chui Mui and many others…

While the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated, the development of the nation would be judged by the way its women are treated. Animal cruelty and Discrimination against women are two most prime factors of worry in our country. Troubled and sensitive towards these issues, Enactus students of Motilal Nehru College of Delhi University became the pioneers of a remarkable social initiative project Parivartan, which lays its focus on not only the women they empower but also the stray dogs in their campus.

A group of underprivileged women who live at Sanjay Gandhi Centre,  Chankyapuri,  New Delhi are all unemployed and poor. Students have taken up the task to bring Parivartan (change) in their lives. They are trying to make them financially independent and eventually make them entrepreneurs , by teaching them the art of making dog collars , leashes and cookies. The dog collars and leashes are sold in the market by the name Be Desi. E commerce portals and NGOs aiming to eradicate animal cruelty are their preferred platforms for selling the products. These products would also be displayed at NGOs pet shops. The profits generated from their sale will primarily go to the women and a small proportion would be shared by the NGOs focusing on animal welfare, which are often in need of money as they are largely dependent on donations and charities. The ultimate aim of the students is to teach the women a particular skill set, that would  empower them to have a sustainable life in the future, and  to get the dogs the safety and acceptance they deserve as our fellow creatures.

The stray dogs in India live in the most inhospitable conditions. They are considered a menace and are often shooed and beaten for no reason. The dogs have to hunt for their food and water. Similar, was the fate of Mars, Zara , ChuMui  and 17 more dogs in the college campus.

The students took the ownership of the Sterilization and vaccination of these dogs. While Sterilization  only controls the growing population of stray dogs it does not change  the mind set of people who are quite hostile and unfriendly. To add to their woes there were regular incidents  of people pelting stones at them and driving them away. Very attached to the dogs in their campus, the students of Motilal have taken up the task of giving the Indian (Desi) breed the respect and honour which it rightfully deserves.From feeding the dogs to getting them sterilized and vaccinated, the students did it all. With support extended from PAWS and People For Animals they have been able to accomplish the task of providing these dogs a home (shelters within the campus are constructed) and a healthy nutrition. 

The walk to this road has not been easy. The students have faced many obstacles. The students faced quite a lot of resistance from the college staff at feeding the dogs in the college. They had to convince them that taking care of dogs is making the environment rabies free and healthy. On the other hand , unavailability of clean of water, sanitation problems and lack of awareness on cleanliness and hygiene  are some of the harsh realities of the community at Sanjay Gandhi Centre . Awareness campaigns , regular meetups with these women are some strategies that students will apply to make their lives better.

“Perhaps a perfect attempt to kill two words with one stone” , Project Partivartan deserves support from all. To be a part of the intiative , write to anupandey@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

3 Steps To Personal Branding With LinkedIn

If someone asked you to define LinkedIn, what would you say? You would probably say it’s like Facebook, only professional. Well, you’re not the only one. LinkedIn has been known by many as “Facebook in a Suit” but those who actually understand LinkedIn and the power it possesses in shaping your personal brand, your business strategy, your network and your clients would never utter these four words.

LinkedIn’s logo is “Relationships Matter” and in the simplest of terms, it can be defined as a social networking platform that allows you to leverage your network and the relationship you share for your professional or your business’ development. LinkedIn is also considered the biggest contributor to creating a personal brand. A sound profile speaks volumes about the person’s professional ethics and career ambitions. To the person viewing the profile, it simply means that “He/She means business.” Let’s be clear that LinkedIn is NOT your online résumé, so please do not showcase a tailored side of you. LinkedIn acts as a résumé, cover letter, reference document, database of your contacts , and a place where you can learn, share knowledge and interact in a professional manner.  In the following three steps you will learn how you can build a powerful personal brand allowing you to show potential recruiters, collaborators and clients – that you are a versatile, multitalented individual and a thought leader in your niche, worthy of being invested in.

Step 1: Branding Your Profile

This is the point where you start Branding yourself. Your profile is a reflection of you or who you want to be. Don’t be modest. Be real. The person viewing your profile knows nothing about you and would be judging you. Might as well give them something to judge.

• Ensure that your profile is flawless in terms of grammatical errors. Fill it in completely, leaving out no experiences, volunteer work, courses, skills, etc. Use a professional profile picture, rather than a cropped one. Avoid clichés and just be authentic, simple!
• Use a custom URL. This means your LinkedIn URL should appear as “http://linkedin.com/in/yourfullname.” This allows Google to rank you higher and makes it easier for people to find you.
• Create a distinctive profile headline. Your LinkedIn headline is the first description that people see of you. So, make that first impression last. The default headline would be the current post you have and you would have to change it manually. A good headline is clear, confident and uses terms that people search for.
• A summary is very important. It allows you to, well, tell your story. Some of the elements to feature in your summary are – Differentiating factors (Why You?), The What’s In It For Me? (WIIFM) factor, your USP, your Mission Statement, your Professional Journey, your Assets & Skills, and How to Connect With You.
• When it comes to experience, don’t just list the past few jobs you’ve had. List all your jobs and internships. Describe them and your achievements, in an organised manner. (I would suggest doing this in Microsoft Word, in bullet form, and then doing a simple copy-paste!)
• Ensure that you fill your profile with keywords, get recommendations, and make it as visibly attractive (with certificates, presentations, etc) as possible!

Step 2: Developing Your Network

Before I go any further, I would like to explain to you that there are two approaches to networking on LinkedIn. The first is called Strategic Networking, in which the focus is on the quality of connections not quantity. This is used by most LinkedIn users who prefer to have deeper relationships with their connections. The other, called Open Networking or LION, is used mostly by sales representatives and recruiters, is about quantity. LIONs would have over thousands of connections. I advocate for Strategic Networking as my belief is that if you cannot “pick up the phone and call somebody” and know that they would help you, then what’s the point of being connected with them? Hence, going forth – I would provide you tips on building your network, strategically.

• The first step towards building a strategic network is importing your contacts. LinkedIn allows you to select and import your contacts from your mail. I suggest that you be extremely harsh on yourself when you do this and select only those after asking yourself, “Can I call him/her?”
• While it’s important to keep your circle tight, it is equally important to be open and available to accepting contact requests and continuing conversations through LinkedIn’s messaging facilities. This allows you to build new, deep relationships with those who would like to invest in you and vice versa.
• As mentioned above, ensure that you leave your contact details at the end of your summary as people cannot connect with without your email id. If not there, then make sure that it is present in your Contact field and is public.
• Promote your Custom URL. Simply put your custom URL in your email signature, your traditional résumé, your blog/website, your presentations, and if possible your business cards.
• Stand out by Updating Your Status. Yes, updating your LinkedIn status is an important process of developing your network as this allows you to be visible to your extended network. Talk about projects you’re working on, stuff you’re reading (with your opinion) and events you’re attending. If your status is liked, commented upon or shared, your second and third degree connections have the chance of seeing you. Hence, making it easier to find you. Of course, keep the tone professional. Remember your brand is not just who you are, but what you do!

Step 3: Become A Thought Leader

The third and final step of Personal Branding with LinkedIn is simply the most rewarding, and my personal favourite. LinkedIn provides you with the facility to become a Thought Leader in your niche.  This professional networking platform will help you gain attention, followers (not official connections), clients and maybe even a new job!

• LinkedIn Groups provide an amazing opportunity for you to share your opinions and views regarding a topic of your interest. You can help people by answering queries there or simply just contribute and learn from them. You can also create a LinkedIn Group around a topic that you want to “own” rather than one based on your Company. By starting a group, you’re already portraying yourself as a Leader. Invite your connections and promote your Group on other Social Media platforms. But don’t forget to deliver valuable content consistently otherwise it could work against you.
• Make full use of the LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform. The Publishing Platform allows you to write long-form posts regarding any subject of your choice. It permits you to follow other publishers and gain a following of your own in the process. These posts show up on your LinkedIn Pulse and your LinkedIn profile. This means that when someone views your profile, your thought leadership is also showcased.
• Start a LinkedIn Event. LinkedIn Events are strictly for professional interests or for conferences. By starting your own networking event, you can easily promote among your LinkedIn connections, as well as your second and third degree networks. It’s a great way to become known as a connecter and a leader.
• Always remember to participate and engage in conversations and discussions. If someone asks a question pertaining to a topic that you have knowledge about, you must take this opportunity to answer it. This way you would be perceived as a valuable contributor and a go-to person for help in a particular subject.

While the above three steps are fundamental to personal branding with LinkedIn, it’s necessary to understand that LinkedIn is only a part of Personal Branding. It must be consistent with the rest of your online presence as well. This means you should be using the same avatar, your full name and your personal branding statement on all your social media platforms, your blog/website and industry specific social networks. Also, decide how much time you would like to invest in LinkedIn as opposed to other platforms. Keep in mind that by building your personal brand on LinkedIn, you’ll be where people are searching for you and you’ll have access to those people who can help you build your brand now, and in the future.

A final piece of advice to those who plan to build their personal brand with LinkedIn – be consistent, be personal and be generous. You never know what great wonders consistently creating value for people can do for you!

 

Gurnoor Behl

Social Media Consultant

For more inquiries on Social Media Branding, connect with Gurnoor at: gurnoor.behl@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/gurnoorbehl

Twitter: @GurnoorKBehl

 

 

India, a chosen destination for Foreign Investors

The Right Time is Now!!

With big players like Foxconn setting up specialised incubation centres for Indian Startups and constructive venture capital funds, the time for investment in India can never be better. With an improvement in our Global Fitch Rating, figuratively giving a stable outlook, the economic and political factors in the country are most conducive for venture capital investment, then it was ever before.

Global Recognition and a national commitment is an evidence that we are consciously aware of the start-up explosion in India and the increasing start up flow only seconds that opinion. A rich talent base has enabled people to create new business ideas and innovation specifically in relation to technical and technological expertise, this startup community in India needs to continue to be supported to enable it to grow further and hence a sustainable venture capital flow is essential.

In recent developments ‘The Indus Entreprenurs (Tie’) of the Silicon Valley were quite enriched by the Prime Ministers recent visit there , whose prima facie objective was to create an environment of investment ease and confidence . Market Experts thinking on similar lines agree in unison that India has recognised that start-ups are the way to generate employment and jobs, and has raised this into the national consciousness as a national priority.

Indo-U.S. bilateral trade is already on the onset of growing from the current $100 billion to $500 billion, as vast investment opportunities in India await for American companies, especially in the infrastructure sector like roads, ports, railways and clean energy.

Also any ongoing international economic uproar least affects India as the savings on account of weakening oil prices have aided the government to earmark greater funds for the infrastructure sector and social sector schemes. Efforts are in place to put in place a predictable and fair tax regime, and invited greater capital to help raise multilateral trade between India and the World.

The economy is focussing in prompt decision making policies and transparent tax structure so as to improve the ease of doing business simultaneously encountering multiple legacy issues which have earlier tarnished the purview of the Indian Tax regime.

More importantly trade policy forums are working towards improving trade relations and break down unnecessary barriers , and such endeavours are being mutually taken by Indian as well as international companies . Also trade figures of the last quarter clearly reflect scale the increasing economy and relative stability. When talking in more statistical terms, the existing Venture capital investors have already realised profits of almost Rs 40.000 crores so far in 2015 from various investments, with Private Equity investors also gaining a fair share . Keeping that in mind 2015 so far has been the best year for ‘exits’ by the PE and VC investors.

When venturing into more specific aspects; Media and Entertainment industries and IT have spearheaded the list of successful exits this year with collectively returning 2.7 Billion to US investors alone. Returns from e-commerce investments have been the highest. They have been significantly higher than returns in the rest of the sectors. Early stage investments have yielded a return of 35.64 per cent. Which in essence reflects that the stages of funding are relatively more secure.

The Y-O-Y growth since 2014 touched a whopping 260% according to then research firm Privco , touching almost $3.86 billion, however it still has a long way to go in order to achieve its 2006 VC investment trends.

For starters Japanese investment giant Softbank has openly expressed its inclination towards SnapDeal , and huge investments have been received by Ola and Housing.com from the colossus investment firm.

Besides Softbank, American VC firms Silicon Valley based Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners who respectively funded Google and  Facebook, also see great opportunities in the India Start-up Market.

Right from seed funding, may it be from angle investors or equity crowd funders, the start-up success rate is categorically improving.  Statistics show that second Round funding have reaped greater benefits in the Indian scenario, further also giving foundation for expansion.

In entirety all major factors to this questions are in compliance to each other creating an environment of greater benefits . May it be political or financial , all major stakeholders have made it priority to improve the ease of investment is the country and hence there is nothing wrong to say that , yes now the time is right .

Top Investors based in India	Start-ups Funded
Helion Venture Partners	NetAmbit, TAXI For Sure, PubMatic. Komli, MakemyTrip, Yepme,
Inventus Capital Partners	CBazaar Poshmark, Savaari, Farfaria, Policy Bazaar.com,.
Zodius	BigBasket, Culture Machine
Bain Capital Private Equity	ASIMCO, Biglobe, Atento, BPL BMC Software,
Lok Capital Group	Everest Edusys And Solutions
Accel Partners	Myntra Flipkart, , Freshdesk, Book My Show, Zansaar, Probe, , CommonFloor BabyOye
Blume Ventures	Printo , EKI Communications, Audio Compass, Exotel,

 

 

Analysis by Additya Sharma

Student at Enactus -SSCBS

 

 

 

The Journey Itself is my Home

My favourite aphorism goes “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”. Life is short. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion, that moment is now, because in the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination. Don’t fret because everything once started at nothing. You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are certainly doomed if you don’t try.

Entrepreneurship is not a part time job, and it’s not even a full time job. It’s a lifestyle. The thing most people don’t pick up when they become an entrepreneur is that it ever ends. It’s 24/7. So basically, as an entrepreneur you keep trying things, and you try everything from business ideas, to events. The journey is an ongoing process and one can never stop learning. Your work is never complete. No task is ever accomplished. There is always something new to do.

The way ‘Entrepreneurship’ as a concept works for me is, an entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it. That is exactly how you form a bigger risk appetite. At the same time, you must learn to walk before you run. Hastening would only push you off a cliff without any sort of preparation, and at that time, not even your deepest leap of faith would come at your rescue.

Soon after my reign of being an entrepreneur and having ventured into everything that I needed to, at that standpoint, I switched to a social entrepreneurship platform, my journey at ‘Enactus’ kickstarted. The motto I switched to then, was to go out into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do ‘good’. The life purpose of the true social entrepreneur is to change the world.

“If you don’t know what to do with your life, do something that saves lives. The world is full of people in need, be the part of their life that fills that need, and that is exactly what we do at Enactus.”  Founded in 1975, originally as SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial action. We at Enactus, effectively provide a platform for teams of outstanding university students to create community development projects that put people’s own ingenuity and talents at the center for improving their livelihoods. Guided by educators and supported by business leaders, students take the kind of entrepreneurial approach that empowers people that goes a long way in their success.

Like in business, we believe that competition encourages creativity and rewards results. For Enactus, it means more lives impacted and with that approach, we rule over the concept of social entrepreneurship.

The meaning of ‘Enactus’ is quite profound. It stresses on 3 major aspects:

1. Entrepreneurial—initiating business ideas and solutions with passion and innovation.
2. Action—the experience of sustainable impact, activated with integrity.
3. Us—student, academic and business leaders collaborating to create a better world.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve. If you believe that you have the inner will to change or help the world as per your best understanding, either do it yourself, or approach an organisation like ‘Enactus’. We would definitely give a great impetus to your belief and help make it happen in whatever best way we can.

My takeaway on becoming an entrepreneur is very clear. For me, being an entrepreneur is a mind-set. You have to see things as opportunities all the time. I like to do interviews. I like to push people on certain topics. I like to dig into the stories where there’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer.

I also strongly believe that, the fastest way you can change yourself is by hanging out with people who are already the way you want to be.

To conclude, I’d like to stress on an essential thought effectively put forth by the great Henry Ford, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” So be prepared for all the challenges that come your way. Do not be afraid to take a stand in life. You only live once, so create, innovate, iterate, implement, just do not cease to formulate.

Signing off ,

Farhan Pettiwala

President Enactus India

To know more about him , you may visit http://pfarhan.com/?page=introduction