At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited seasoned tech entrepreneur Huzefa Bandookwala to know more about his inspiring journey and the way forward. He is a Tech Leader, Mentor, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CTO at InventersCorp, Founder and CEO of MyDigiSpace, CEO at SoftScribble. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey, way forward and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Huzefa:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I did my schooling from All Saints High School, Bhiwandi School and further pursued engineering from prestigious Mumbai University. I was a passionate individual from the beginning and always aspired to be one of the youngest achievers by delivering high performance in all walks of life. To add to my skills and knowledge, I have always given priority to increasing my knowledge. During my college days, I took part in major contests and technical competitions. I have also got the opportunity to represent and share the stage with Bollywood actor Mr Boman Irani.
I have always been very passionate about building something new that could solve major problems
I am in recent days I have been awarded as top 50 tech leader in the world by Intercon 2019.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
I learned a lot of practical skills to do the work I did. How to work with different types of people. How to handle the workload and difficult people within organizations and their customers. But the feeling that I got stuck in a corporate environment, a “box”, never left me alone. I felt like I was “just a number”. This feeling magnifies when you know that you could do a better job than the management does.
Most importantly, I have realized over time that a corporate career will not make me happy. I did not see myself working for a corporation, climbing the corporate ladder and hoping to reach the top by my 40s. I was following the show called “Bloomberg TechStars” and I was inspired to see my contemporaries coming up from nowhere, with no name and no title, and eventually killing it in the world of business. I wanted to be like that. And even before the show, I knew I would become an entrepreneur one day.”
Yet, I needed more confidence. And the idea I would really believe in to make this first step. Now the time has finally come!
No, I am not urging everyone to jump-start their own companies.
Entrepreneurship is definitely not for everyone. I think that entrepreneurship is a mindset. Sure, you can learn a set of practical skills and acquire some knowledge on how to do it. But it takes lots of personal traits and character to execute business ideas in challenging environments.
Nevertheless, having some work experience first would definitely help, and you will barely find well-known and successful entrepreneurs who started their companies without working for someone.
During college, I chose Computer Engineering intentionally because I was very passionate about the environment. I always wanted to make such a product which is eco friendly and could be helpful in the field of engineering and help the clients with easy, economical and speedy construction.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I would say Discipline and Ethics do come first for me. A lot of people get into the business line in order to make money where emotions turn meaningless. But if you do what your heart wants with integrity and dedication money will follow
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
When you do what you really love, the pressure and the stress are not felt. As an entrepreneur, pain is a part of the journey that has to be experienced and enjoyed and suffering is only one’s choice so you have to embrace it.
Stress, excitement and nervousness are all part of an entrepreneur’s journey. I still remember the excitement and the stress, in particular, that occurred when the first employee was hired for the firm, it was absolutely chaotic! Sleepless nights! but it was fun. You learn a lot every day.”
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
I believe no matter how rapid the change is, just stay positive and be ready to change according to the market needs…
What has worked well for you so far?
With zero background from the family and being the first child to be educated as to the computer engineer in my family, one of the smartest moves I made was to test out the acceptance of our product in the industry. I am fortunate the journey has been incredibly rewarding, challenging and at the same time exciting.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
As I am still too young to define success, I am learning a lot on this beautiful journey, the only motto I live with is “Do what you Love success always follows you. Don’t run behind success.”
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
There is no age to be an entrepreneur. There is no too old or no too young. All you have to believe in the dream you dreamt off and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Believing in yourself when everybody thinks what we dream of is a fairy tale is the most important thing. This is what exactly I believe in.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
