One of the inherent risks of starting a business is the possibility that it might fail. And that is what makes an entrepreneur stand apart from the rest of the world! True entrepreneurs are artists driven by the passion and love for the work they do. At every step of their journey, they envision the positive change they will to bring to the world and are not deterred by thoughts of failure.

We asked some of our members to share the most courageous decision they took in their business journey. Find out what they had to say:

Its ok to make mistakes. Its not okay to give up.

Ripple Nagpal, co-founder of Zergon Bizsupport Private Limited shares. "The journey of an entrepreneur is never smooth sailing. When I started Zergon with Priyash, I was prepared to burn the midnight oil, all set to work hard and deliver till our potential clients were satisfied. But what I failed to forecast was, that during the journey, we might commit mistakes. The bravest thing I did during my business journey was to admit, acknowledge, accept and apologise for the mistakes I committed while working on an assignment with a high value ticket client. I call it the bravest thing to do because it took a lot of courage to do what I did and that actually resulted in retaining that client."

The bravest thing I did during my business journey was to admit, acknowledge, accept and apologise for the mistakes I committed while working on an assignment with a high value ticket client.  - Ripple Nagpal

Taking the leap of faith – What if this actually works!

Sridharan Mahadevan, Director of MantHRas Consultants says, “We all know that risk and reward go hand in hand. But how much risk can you take in a life? Is there any measure? How long can you sustain if you completely fail? I was exactly in the middle of the road, when I had to take ‘that decision’ of my life. I was 40 and resigning from a leading public sector bank to get into the private sector that too in an industry which I was not familiar with. With little introspection, I realised if I failed, I can survive only for a year. I had a huge commitment towards my children’s education and their marriage. Added to that, I did not have my own roof over my head in Mumbai. But the silver lining was my passion for HR & Training and my inner mind told me to take that leap of faith.” 

I was exactly in the middle of the road, when I had to take ‘that decision’ of my life. I was 40 and resigning from a leading public sector bank to get into the private sector, that too in an industry which I was not familiar with. - Sridharan Mahadevan

Quitters never win, winners never quit

Vivek Beria, Director of OptiTrans Solutions Private Limited shares his mantra of ‘perseverance’. He says, “The bravest thing that an entrepreneur can do is to ‘never give up’. Businesses continue to face near-death experiences several times and the only brave thing one can do at that time is to persevere. We have been through similar situations when we lost our major clients to competition, faced adverse changes in the market and our product became obsolete much faster than expected. We struggled to keep pace with the dynamic nature of the technical business environment which led us to traverse the risky path every time. However, we never lost hope!"

We lost our major clients to competition, faced adverse changes in the market and our product became obsolete much faster than expected. However, we never lost hope! - Vivek Beria

People will always talk, so let’s give them something to talk about

Yuktie Jhangiani Verma, Director of Higher Highs Retail Pvt. Ltd who founded the winter wear brand Kosha recalls, “My family has been in the clothing business since 1947. I completed my CA and joined the business. The aunties at social gatherings felt bad knowing that I sit at the ‘shop’ even after having completed my CA. But that didn’t deter my ambition to create something valuable for the people of this country and abroad.

The aunties at social gatherings felt bad knowing that I sit at the ‘shop’ even after having completed my CA. It has been 10 years since and the ‘shop’ now has its own brand named 'Kosha'. - Yuktie Jhangiani Verma

It has been 10 years since and the ‘shop’ now has its own brand named Kosha. Our products have been worn by the Indian Air Force and the best mountaineers in the country. We are growing between 20% to 50% online month on month. There is crazy innovation introduced in the category. Kosha is the only brand in India to develop and sell thermals that double up as a t-shirt.”

One can never truly savour success until first tasting adversity

Sridharan reminisces, "When I decided to take the plunge into the private sector, my family members were anxious as their future depended on me. They were kind enough to help me in my passionate pursuit. Friends were in double minds whether to support this risky journey or not. Some of them later confessed to being a little afraid that I might ask them for help if I fail and therefore wanted me to succeed. Relatives were waiting to laugh at me. But my passion urged me to take the decision. I plunged into the private sector and tasted successful tenures in three organisations as the Head of HR. The last stint as Senior Vice President – HR of a water treatment company gave me immense satisfaction and also the courage to try my hand in the field of soft skill training. I am very happy to announce that I am very successful as a training consultant with 850+ soft skill training programs to 40+ organisations in India and the Middle East."

Yuktie shares, “All our practices have been against the tide. Long before the ban on plastic, we were giving our customers jute bags. The plastic e-commerce packaging is easily available off the shelf. We chose to innovate and develop re-usable cloth bags in which we ship online orders. One the other hand, demonetization was announced at the start of our season. It impacted our business adversely since people lost their savings with which they could travel. To pick up from there and take the market head on, to choose to continue in the face of so many odds is the bravest and best decision I have taken.”

No matter how tough the tide might have been, these entrepreneurs have proven that their dreams and passion are worth every risk there is to take. So, what is holding you back from taking that leap of faith? Go ahead, give it a try! After all, as Osho said, "Courage is a love affair with the unknown." Make your entrepreneurial journey an affair to remember and cherish it for the rest of your life.

Have you taken any courageous decision in your business journey? Share with us in the comments section below.

Interested in reading more Inspirational articles? Check out our other articles here:

Should you pursue your passion?
The Secret Saboteur

Emptying your cup: Unlearning & its importance

Image courtesy: www.pixabay.com

Network with SMEs mentioned in this article by clicking on the 'Connect' button on their profile. Ripple Nagpal, Sridharan Mahadevan, Vivek Beria, Yuktie Jhangiani Verma

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured members. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the member.