6 Ideas to Ace the Entrepreneur Game

5 min readJan 14, 2022

The guest we had on this podcast is someone I have been following for a long time. He has inspired me, and many others like me in more than one way. From being the Country-head of Google India to starting his own companies, his journey is a rather interesting one.

I am talking about Mr. Ashish Kashyap, Founder & CEO of IndWealth, an AI-based Wealth tech platform. He is also the Founder & x-CEO of the ‘Ibibo Group’ (Goibibo, redBus & PayU India). On my podcast, Figuring out with Raj Shamani, he answers several questions, from what he wants to do at this stage of his life to questions regarding the future of Entrepreneurs. It was a fun chat with him.

Here are some excerpts from my podcast with Mr. Ashish Kashyap:

1. Focus more on asking the Right Question

Asking the right questions is always more important than having the correct answers. Because when you ask the right questions, that implies you understand the concept and are curious to know more.
When you’re moving in the right direction, when you are curious about new things, you will learn a lot more than someone who just relies on someone or something to tell them things as they are. Staying curious is the key to always remain well aware of things around you.

2. Be Prompt

You have a plan, an idea, and you want to put it on paper. What is stopping you? There is no right time to begin or let me rephrase it and say that every moment is the right one to start.
This is something that anyone who has achieved great success always suggests. They don’t recommend waiting for the right time; they want you to just dive in.

3. Dream Higher but Stay Grounded

Your dreams should be limitless. There is nothing a determined person cannot do. But there is one catch, you have to stay patient. Patience is the key to success. I know this is a very old saying, but it cannot be any more true. Success is not an overnight process. It is a culmination of a lot of things — Hard work, determination, and, of course, patience. You will have to wait for the fruits of your hard work to ripen. And that can be a test!
There is no shortcut to success. You cannot just sit and dream of being a successful person without actually getting out there.
Patience is a value that you need to develop in order to achieve what you have dreamt of.

4. Do not Equivocate

Your approach towards people matters a lot when you go to them with your idea or with your plan. As they say, ‘the first impression is the last.’ And you have to make sure that your first impression lasts for a long time.
While explaining yourself, you need to be precise. You cannot run in circles. If you want to explain Z, do not start from A. Get to the point as quickly as you can. When you do this, you make sure that the person gets your agenda and isn’t bored because you are not beating around the bush and getting to the point straight.

5. Learn from Your Failures

Failure does not symbolise defeat. It is just a part of our journey. And an important one. Sure, failures can discourage you from going further. But sticking to your goals and moving on is the only step that you should be taking. Failures are inevitable. No one who has been successful has reached that spot without a few failures in their journey. Even the mightiest of people have faced the most brutal failures. The key is to get up and get going.
When you do not succeed at something, you don’t lose. You learn. Learning has no limits, and one can never stop learning. So even when you fail, you actually gain something. You gain knowledge and intelligence. You become a bit more mature. With every bit of hurdle that you face, you are growing.
Don’t be afraid to fail. As all the learned men have said, ‘failure is the best teacher.’

6. Share your Knowledge

Once you gain the knowledge, learn from failures. Then, you have to share it with people who are still figuring it out.
As Gandhi Ji’s Trusteeship principle stated :

An individual possessing wealth, in excess of his needs, acts as a trustee for the larger benefit of society.

Knowledge is the new capital, would sound clichéd, but it is still true.
This moral imperative of sharing, when fulfilled, results in — social recognition, goodwill, and above all, a sense of leadership.
This creates an ecosystem for growth, which is not only sustainable but also equitable.
This relationship is beneficial not only for the mentee but also for the mentors, which can create new opportunities for the latter to invest and grow. It is not only them. It is you who learn too. This exchange of knowledge becomes valuable for both parties.
Your experiences, your success, and even your failures should be inspiring people and budding entrepreneurs. In fact, it is your failure that teaches more than your success. So learn from your mistakes.

As I said, it was an interesting session that I had, and I learned many things. I realised that I have a lot of improvement to make in my work, and in my opinion, there is always room for improvement.

I had this wonderful chance of meeting someone who has built his success from scratch and has inspired many people, including me, to never stop dreaming and be determined to achieve our set goals. Know the importance of learning and how failures are equally important. I really enjoyed the session. I hope you will too.

Listen to the podcast here.