Shree Arvind Kejriwal – a successful entrepreneur?

I always wanted to write about ‘Sri Sri 1008 Yugpurush Baba’ since long. But due to paucity of time, I couldn’t gather much information. It so occurred to me that though he is a ‘nautanki’ and the U turn specialist, what is in him that makes him visible, non ignorable. The MBA lecture on ‘Creating New Ventures’ by Prof. M Suresh Rao came for my rescue and inputs on being entrepreneur, penning down for Him. 

Walter Kuemmerle, Professor of Harvard Business School analyzed over 50 start-ups in twenty countries and across industries. His analysis brought following characteristics to be a successful entrepreneurs:

1.       Are you comfortable stretching rules? : Kejriwal makes rules, Kejriwal break rules. He does what 'he thinks' best for common man (Aam aadmi!). He is least worried of what actually a common man thinks.

2.       Are you prepared to make powerful enemies? : Clashing directly with powerful enemies, like Chief Minister and her cabinet in Delhi, the ruling Government (initially Congress, later BJP, and eventually Narendra Modi) made him popular in short run. He dared to show them eyes when it was desired. They also successfully managed to change his enemy and make frenimies.

3.       Do you have patience to start small? : His target remaining fixed, he started with missionaries, social services, India against Corruption, sleeping with homeless, poor and farmers made him do his ground work, and test the patience to wait for right time.

4.       Are you willing to change strategy quickly? : I call him chameleon for obvious reasons. The same rule has different meaning for him, when it comes to different people. Take extensive support of media when desired. Throw them out of office, when they are not desired. Cry foul and bring some paid media to show to the world that they are not heard when media doesn’t give due footage to his tantrums. Set up 'Throwing Chappal on self", Wearing bathroom slippers in public events, crumbled shirts when delivering speeches (where media is!), other wise remain in best of attires with family.

5.       Do you know how to close a deal? : An expert is finding a middle path, which gains him better profit. He has taken no action against anyone he was firing canon while starting his party. Make noise so high that the whole world listens. Re-direct the discussion to other topics to avoid mis-actions, non-actions to some other tangent. It’s my way or highway for him.

This brings to further analyzing the Muffler man on the 10 principles of setting-up a start-up, which are:

1.            Come to work each day willing to be fired
2.            Circumvent any orders aimed at stopping your dream
3.            Do any job needed to make your project work, regardless of Job Description
4.            Find People to help you
5.            Follow your intuition about people you choose, and work only with the best.
6.           Work underground, as long as you can, publicity triggers the corporate immune mechanism
7.           Never bet on race, unless you are running in it
8.           Remember, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission
9.          Be true to your goals, but be realistic about the ways to achieve them.
10.          Honor your sponsors.

Think of his actions and initiatives, he'll give sufficient examples of above 10 points.

Passion-Conviction-Tenacity – without these three traits only few entrepreneurs could endure the challenges, the setbacks, the twists in the road that lie between their often path-breaking ideas – opportunities, as they call them – and the fulfillment of their entrepreneurial dream. Muffler man has all these three traits making him a successful entrepreneur and his start-up “India Against Corruption” to culminate into full grown organization “Aam Aadmi Party”.

I’ll close the discussion with these lines of William P Egan-II: You may have capital and a talented management team, but if you are fundamentally in a lousy business, you won’t get the kind of results you would in a good business. All businesses aren’t created equal. 

He started his organization with A-grade team, but the desire to remain the 'only powerful man', only king and king-maker made him kill his opponents and rivals who were part of A-team, including Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, made him create and run the show with B-team.

He has proven himself as a successful entrepreneur but his mettle to be a successful leader and new generation Politician is it to be proven. Only time shall tell if he shall become another common cadre people in the list of CM’s/PM’s or shall emerge out a true nationalist, shaping country in a forward direction. Currently, he seems to be lost in the hunger of Power and Political ambitions.

With all craps in his cabinet, and ample blots on his career, it looks very likely that he'll revive. But let's see.