"Prioritization is the Foundational Skill for Startup Founders"

In the inaugural edition of its Podcast series, Accel India's Enterprise Technology focused partner Shekhar Kirani provides interesting insights on the patterns & dynamics he has observed among both successful (including, of course, Freshworks) and failed startup founding teams.

Especially interesting is Shekhar's emphasis on the discernment that founders need to have on what to focus on and when (~minute 25.51 in the audio).

Everyday there will be 100s of things you want to do. (Startup CEOs/Founders) need to prioritize which of the problems they need to solve This Quarter, This Month, Today and Now.

Also, to break a large problem into smaller problems and set up experimentation to validate whether it is a problem worth solving and/or how to go about it.

Other highlights:

• Importance of "Learn-ability" for founders" (~23.15 minutes)
• Why "Story Telling" is a key attribute that a Startup CEO should have (to attract employees, investors and customers) 

Link to Audio: Here via SoundCloud

"Avoid Mind Blocks & Artificial Boundaries" - K. Pandia Rajan & Latha Rajan of Ma Foi

Latha Rajan & K. Pandia Rajan of Ma Foi ( B i o s)

In conversation with K. Satyanarayan, Co-founder of regional language publishing firm New Horizon Media. (Recorded on August 15, 2012 in Chennai.)

Highlights:

Takeaways for Other Entrepreneurs: (Click on the links for the video segments)

• Don't add artificial constraints when it comes to entrepreneurship

KPR: Separating home and work, politics & business - we tend to have many boundaries where none need to exist. These are  Western notions and mind blocks that we can revisit.

Being a Husband-Wife Entrepreneur Combination was never a major hassle for us. In fact, as Latha says often, we would have probably fallen apart but for Ma Foi!

Latha Rajan: In the early days, he used to travel 25 days a month and I used to travel 10 days a month. But since I was there within the system, I could understand (the pressures and issues). Both of us knew what we were working towards.

Entrepreneurship has given me a lot of flexibility mentally. I used to take my daughter and son to office if it was required. In fact, the 30th day after my son was born, I was in the office and I took him along.

• Employees as Members: Everyone who joins Ma Foi is referred to as a "member" (as against an employee). 

Latha Rajan: "Employee sounds so transient".

Even if someone leaves the organization (as an employee), he/she still remains a Ma Foi member (and hence an ambassador for the firm).

• Innovation in funding: Converted the company into a public limited one very early and raised small amounts from over 275 well wishers, employees & ex-employees and clients. Made sure to pay the shareholders a decent dividend each year. (Ma Foi paid 20% "religiously".)

• Vision and Values; Transparent Measurement

Growth, Diversity, Transparency and Integrity
Everyone knew how much everyone else was producing

• Role of Scale, Scope & Depth

• Decision making structure

Management through "Operating Board, Management Council and Institutional Member" meetings

• Don't seek valuation ahead of value creation

Other Highlights (The Journey & Lighter Moments)

• The Early Days: "Our Aspirations always exceeded our resources"
  
• Ma Foi the name 
  
• Struggle for Early Stage & Bank Funding
  Banks would fund someone with 20 Buffaloes rather than a business like HR Services with 20 MBAs. "Buffaloes won't run away, but your people might. Then what happens to the collateral?" 

• Early Employees: They joined us to co-create Ma Foi; not to earn a living
• Defining the Roles: "I earned and she spent"
• VC Funding, online dreams & dotcom crash
• Sale to Vedior
• Vision for Ma Foi Strategy ("Ma Foi Version 6")
  Leveraging the Triad of Consulting, Research & Education to Create a "Big 5" League Consulting firm out of India
  

The Full Length Interview Video

Video Of The Q&A Session 

Click Here to Download The Full Interview Audio Podcast - 69 minutes, 32 MB
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Click Here to Download the Audio of the Q&A session - 8.54 minutes, 4 MB
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For more pictures from the recording event, Click Here