Entrepreneurship Lessons From Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the quintessence of hard work, dedication and honesty. Her entrepreneurial journey speaks of courage and perseverance. Her company Biocon Biologics recently got investment of over 1000 crore rupees from American investment bank Goldman Sachs. Shaw is considered one of India's foremost leaders in global circles. She speaks in favour of women pursuing their careers, building entrepreneurial ventures and doing business. She speaks about her entrepreneurial journey and encourages more and more women to contribute to the country's economy.

Her journey and challenges

Talking about the conception of Biocon, she explained that she was 25 when she started up. "My journey started 40 years ago because of gender bias. I call myself an accidental entrepreneur. I started my company out of a garage. I knew it was going to be a challenge but I had the determination to succeed. I was young, had no experience and no collateral. I faced problems in recruitment because people were not ready for women. I had a huge credibility challenge everywhere", she shared.

I faced problems in recruitment because people were not ready for women. I had a huge credibility challenge everywhere.

However, she was soon joined by people who trusted her mission and supported her in the same and made Biocon reach the position it is at today.

Political parties must encourage #entrepreneurship because entrepreneurship boosts job creation. I have created 20,000 jobs through @Bioconlimited - @kiranshaw #WomenAndTheVote #WednesdayMotivation pic.twitter.com/kSbpFswfxV

— SheThePeople (@SheThePeople) April 3, 2019

Entrepreneurial lessons

If you are determined, someone will help you

Kiran explained how when she started up, she faced a lot of difficulty in hiring people because she was young, had no experience and was not credible. With time, she managed to find the right  set of people who helped her build and scale her business.

Women are entrepreneurial by nature

Shaw emphasised on the fact that women have entrepreneurship in their DNA. They need to find courage to pursue it. She is a firm believer of the fact that women can double up the country's GDP if they materialise their entrepreneurial dreams.

"My journey has been of taking risks, leverage technical and innovative Indian talent base to make global impact."  she said.

Invent rules and tenets for yourself.

Have a mission with your business.

She takes a lot of pride in the fact that her business managed to create 10,000 jobs because she believes that job creation is an important part of entrepreneurship.

Women can double up the country's GDP if they materialise their entrepreneurial dreams - @kiranshaw #WomenAndTheVote #WednesdayMotivation pic.twitter.com/chL0AtunVx

— SheThePeople (@SheThePeople) April 3, 2019

Keep experimenting

She also opined that every entrepreneur should keep reinventing to stay relevant.

She said, "Ask yourself - What do I want to do with this business? What will I be remembered for? What is my mission?"

Ask yourself - "What do I want to do with this business? What will I be remembered for? What is my mission?"

Give back to the community

Kiran highlighted the fact that she always believed in giving back to communities by investing in them. "Your communities must enjoy the fruit of your prosperity", she believes.

Share knowledge and wealth with others.

Learn the art of endurance

She said that endurance is a big thing. It makes us less fickle. Learn endurance and scale up.

Don't forget to celebrate your milestones

Pinky Reddy, National President of FICCI Ladies Organisation spoke to SheThePeople.TV about women entrepreneurship and her advice to the aspiring entrepreneurs is, "Learn to believe in yourself. Come out of your comfort zones and don't depend on others. Go by your gut feeling."

Also: 8 Quotes by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw That Will Inspire You