As part of our quest to identify and share some of the meaningful stories from India and around the world, this week we invited Kishan Shah for an interview with us to learn more about his inspiring journey. He is the Co-Founder At ZenOnco.io And Love Heals Cancer. Kishan did his MBA from IIM Calcutta and worked with Major Investment Banks and Private Equity Firms such as JP Morgan, GIC and Ernst & Young. Let’s read how he quit his high paying job to do something which is very close to his heart!
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with Kishan:
Tell us a little bit about your background;
I serve cancer patients. Though I initially started my journey in the field of finance, I eventually moved to serve cancer patients after looking at the pain and suffering most cancer patients go through. I thought if I could make a difference in people’s lives by dedicating myself to it, why not. That’s how I founded the organizations ZenOnco.io and Love Heals Cancer along with my partner, Dimple Parmar.
Prior to serving cancer patients, I previously worked at J.P. Morgan as an investment banker, GIC (Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund) as an investment associate, and Ernst & Young as a tax advisor. By education, I’m an MBA from IIM Calcutta, Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, Financial Risk Manager, and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.
What made you quit your high paying job and choose social entrepreneurship?
I was well-settled at my previous job and happy with monthly cheques, eating at favourite restaurants, partying with friends. But it all changed when I witnessed the journey of a few cancer patients. We didn’t have anything in common, except the fact that they were cancer patients and that I was volunteering to support cancer patients. Quality of life for them could be greatly improved by making certain lifestyle changes. Few ate things that weren’t supposed to that was aggravating their condition. They could improve their quality of life significantly if they had proper access to information. That was when I noticed the huge lack of information on Integrative Oncology in India – Integrative Oncology basically integrates medical treatment with complementary therapies that aim to strengthen the body to enhance the clinical efficacy of ongoing treatment and reduce its side effects. Such a gap doesn’t exist in developed countries.
I was and I am determined to fill this gap. Me and my partner Dimple successfully launched India’s first Integrative Oncology centre under ZenOnco.io. We are equally focusing on preventive therapies (to prevent cancer from coming at the first place), recurrence prevention therapies (so that cancer doesn’t recur once cured), and palliative care (to improve quality of life) along with the curative therapies (for those undergoing treatment).”
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Each night I go to sleep, I remember the conversations during the day where many cancer patients tell us how helpful it would have been if they had counselled from us earlier. How much their health could have improved if they had known and followed the right things initially. It is this that keeps me motivated. If I can make such a positive difference to someone’s life just by sharing what is right and what should be done in cancer, how good it would be if I could share this with everyone going through this journey. I’ve discovered my purpose to serve, and this is what motivates me.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
We started with the NGO Love Heals Cancer around 2 years ago to spread awareness on cancer and counsel patients on available healing choices. We conducted multiple awareness workshops and counselled thousands of cancer patients. However, one thing was lacking: We could not provide the services that we were guiding cancer patients too. For eg, while we advised cancer patients to improve their lifestyle by say improving their diet, exercising and remaining calm, we could not guide them to anybody who specialized in lifestyle management for cancer patients.
While there are a few companies today that provide such services, they are very expensive for an average person. Being an NGO, we were heavily dependent on donations and were unable to provide such services on our own.
Hence, we have now started a corporate with funding from self, family and friends, so that we can provide these services on our own. We have onboarded healthcare professionals, trained them in integrative oncology based on US protocols under the mentorship of international advisors who are pioneers in this field. While there have been multiple challenges in this journey so far, and we know this is just the tip of an iceberg, we are giving all that we can so that we can serve the greater community.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I’d have never left my high-paying career if money were so important to me. Also, emotions are equally placed since they are only temporary and tend to change. However, what is really important to me and what comes firstmost is our Karma: Our actions or work. If our karma is good, and if we can create even a little bit of an impact on society, I see that as an achievement for a lifetime. What good is my existence if my karma is not for the greater good.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress and what advice would you give to others?
I’d say that pressure and stress are all created by ourselves. There should never be the need to handle stress, for there should never be stress itself. It’s up to us whether we want to take stress or not. I’d advise in situations that you consider are stressful, look at the bigger picture. If something bad has happened, don’t ask “Why me?” or “Why this?”. Don’t focus on the problem, but focus on the solution. Ask yourself, “Would this be important 1 month from now? 1 year? 10 years?”. While you are working towards the end goal, also focus on the journey and enjoy it while you are on it. Ask yourself “Would taking stress help the situation?”. If the answer is no, don’t take the stress. If the answer is yes, rethink whether you are approaching the problem correctly or not.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
“Kaizen”: I believe this has continuously helped me grow as a person. This is a Japanese philosophy that literally means “change for better”. While it is mostly used in business to refer to “continuous improvement”, I personally feel that it is equally apt for personal life as well. If we can do one change, howsoever small it may be, that improves our life, we can create a much better version of ourselves for a bright today and a brighter tomorrow.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, success is something that we ourselves determine. For eg, passing with 60% grade might be a success for someone, while it might be a failure for someone else. Hence, in my opinion, the ultimate key to success is to keep on moving ahead (while giving our best) without expecting any results. At the same time, we need to continuously improve ourselves. I personally feel that if we set a goal, we get limited by it. By giving our best, and continuously improving our best, we can achieve what we never thought that we would be able to achieve.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an entrepreneur?
Be open to feedback. Be ready to change your business model if your customers require you to or would be more benefitted by it. Never compromise on quality.
Be ready for surprises-both good and bad. It’s ok to have negative thoughts, but always have a positive attitude. No matter what happens, never ever take the stress.
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.
