At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. As part of this endeavour, we invited a seasoned entrepreneur and leader – Parag Shah for an exclusive interview with us. Parag is an Entrepreneur, Business Leader, Keynote Speaker, Business Coach, Mentor & Philanthropist. He is the Founder & Chairman at FLAME. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey, his background and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Parag:
We are aware of your passion for entrepreneurship; talk us through your background and your journey, please.
My childhood was quite ordinary. I was an average student and hardly excelled in academics.
I failed in my 12th science, but I repeated and passed with 75% in commerce. My father wanted me to be a doctor like he was, but I always wanted to do business.”
The initial phases of my professional life were full of ups and downs, more downs than ups. With no prior work experience and a new business to look after, it was challenging to survive in those days. But with perseverance and hard work, things took a turn for the better, and I met better people, better business partners.
And now, proudly, I am helping young entrepreneurs grow and make the best out of their business.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
At MIDAS, we do not believe in the concept of teaching. We believe that we must get people who have succeeded and, even more importantly, people who have failed to come and share their experiences with budding entrepreneurs.
It is like saying Shah Rukh Khan can coach the Indian Cricket Team and Dhoni can train actors. Just as this won’t work, we believe that Entrepreneurship must be taught by people who have been entrepreneurs and not Professors who have been teaching theoretical frameworks.”
As an entrepreneur and a passionate educationist, helping others is genuinely making me alive and happy.
So far, I have mentored over 400 students, and my goal is to create 10,000 successful entrepreneurs in India. I guide my students and clients to find success, happiness and live their life to the fullest.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Challenges are part of our lives, and sometimes these challenges and ups and downs make us grow or find our path.
At MIDAS, we believe that anyone and everyone can become an entrepreneur if they have the proper guidance, mentoring, and exposure.
We believe that to become an entrepreneur, it is not necessary to have a specific educational background. MIDAS is different from the current education system.
At MIDAS, our focus is on learning by doing.
Who do you believe has been the most significant source of motivation in your daily life?
My students have always been and are the first to motivate me not to give up and continue the journey I started.
On the other hand, I always said that the clients, especially your first client, are the most important people who can motivate you in terms of learning more and trying harder for what you want and for the service you are offering society and market.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are no strategies. It is just a function of your upbringing.
When I was a child, I was timid and introverted, then by observing people and wondering what they must be thinking about how they are living their lives. I developed as a more observant and empathetic person.”
I reshaped my thinking and became not a sociable one, so the observation helped me a lot. In addition, reading as a habit has always helped me to grow and know more. I also love watching team sports, and they teach you how to lead and how to be led.
You are always positive and motivated; what keeps you going?
Whenever things do not go my way, I ask myself three questions, whether I tried my best and if my conscience is clear.
If the answer is yes, then I ask myself, what did I learn from this experience? The other question I ask myself is, what is the worse that could happen? I have always believed that life is not one big climax.
You see, we have all been brought up with this overdose that life is one big climax. It is not true. Finding ambiguity and uncertainty enjoyable is what keeps me going.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
First of all, I would like to say that success is not a destination; it is a journey; no matter what happens at the end, the journey and whom you have with and around is more important than the journey itself. This is the vision statement I created when I began FLAME.
In life, you have to find your ways…
It need not be a shortcut always
In fact, the longer, the better
The more life you get to see and explore and experience…The Better…
All our lives Right from the day, we are born, We are programmed,
We live a programmed existence…Programmed to achieve
To excel And reach the destination
Faster… Now…Soon
Get ahead… Kill… Kick…Take a shortcut…but get ahead
All our lives
We are in a hurry
To reach someplace
That unknown place
And in the process
We forget the process
And also, forget that life is not a destination
But a journey…
My university should liberate you from your programming. It will not impose anything on you
It won’t promise you a rosy destination. Only a beautiful path towards that destination. The destination is for you to choose. A matter of individual choice.
I dream one day … from this University will come….Nobel Laureates, Prime Ministers, Booker Prize Nominees, Olympic Champions…
I dream of creating an environment where the young generation will be the change, they want to be…They will be winners…
But not just winners…Humble winners….Modest winners
What are the key elements and benefits that aspiring entrepreneurs can expect from your upcoming book Antar Prerna, An Entrepreneur’s Journey?
“Antar Prerna: An Entrepreneur’s Journey” is a book primarily meant for youngsters, budding entrepreneurs, and teachers of entrepreneurship. The book is written in a story format, with every chapter having some critical lessons at the end.
Youngsters seeking motivation in life will find this book interesting as I have described my travels in business life without any hang-ups.”
Aspiring entrepreneurs will find this book helpful in coming to terms with the fact that they are not the only ones struggling in their endeavours and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
I would advise entrepreneurs to surround themselves with people who are more competent than they are. There is always something or the other you can learn from such people.
And successful people like to share their experiences with young entrepreneurs. I see so many successful entrepreneurs who are surrounded by Yes men who feed into their egos. An entrepreneur must look for continuous growth.
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.
