This
is the age of the entrepreneur. Scholarship and erudition have taken a
back seat and initiative and enterprise have surged ahead. Tales of
individuals journeying from rags to riches, on the strength of their
business acumen, are dime a dozen. You must have heard the names of
Dhirubhai ‘Reliance’ Ambani and Karsanbhai ‘Nirma’ Patel. But I’m sure the
name of Roshan Lal is unfamiliar to you.
To enlighten you, let me then, sketch the ‘Portrait of an Entrepreneur as
a Young Man’! (With apologies to James Joyce).
Roshan Lal is an acquaintance of mine. He has only one ambition in
life-‘to make it big, real quick’. He wants to compensate the disadvantage
of being born with a wooden spoon in his mouth, by cashing in on his
ideas. Entrepreneurial initiative is his substitute for the silver spoon.
One evening, as I was sitting at home brooding on the infinite (my
favorite avocation), in strode Roshan Lal. His face was aglow and seeing
him, I could imagine what Archimedes must have looked like during his
Eureka phase.
“Ramen, I’ve got the most awesome idea imaginable. It’s a real winner. I’m
going to start a reusable toothpick industry,” he said, and paused for
effect. Addressing my raised eyebrows, he continued, “I know you are
surprised, but just for a moment reflect. There are about hundred top
restaurants in this city. At a hundred customers a day and one toothpick a
piece, the number of toothpicks consumed comes to thirty six lakhs, fifity
thousand a year.
At a modest ten paisa a toothpick, it means a cool Rs. 3.65 lakhs.
‘But…..I interjected.
“There is no room for buts in my life, Ramen. ‘Nothing in the world’,
wrote the great poet Ovid, ‘is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.
And Ramen, this idea of mine is timely and hence powerful. To translate
this idea into action, I have done a lot of ground work. I’ve even thought
of a marketing strategy to launch the product. The brand name will be
‘Titan’.”
“That sure sounds impressive,” I mumbled, hoping he would leave my space
ASAP.
He took a bow and continued, “The launch will be accompanied by an
advertising blitz. Even the subtle nuances of the advertising strategy
have not escaped my mind. I firmly believe in the power of celebrity
endorsements. I’ll get Sachin Tendulkar to model for my product. The
visual will depict Sachin facing a doosra and cleaning his teeth with
Titan. The voice over will declare – ‘clash of the Titans.’
“Fantastic idea, isn’t it” he asked. And without waiting for my reply, (as
was his habit), he continued. “Another ad will have a macho man with a
couple of attractive females, in various stages of undress, clinging to
him.
The caption - “Titan Toothpick …the mark of a Man” will flash on the TV
screen.
“I’ve also thought of an ad, especially targeted at the female segment of
the market, which will create the ambience of a candle-lit dinner. The
visual will show a man presenting a gift-wrapped set of Titan toothpick to
the woman sitting opposite him.
The voice over will proclaim… “Titan Toothpick…A gift for someone you
love.”
“What about the moolah”?
I managed to ask.
“Yes, I‘ve thought about that too. I’ve made a project report and right
now I’m going to various financial institutions to invite them to
participate in my venture. I’m going to make them an offer they just can’t
refuse,” said Roshan Lal, doing a Marlon Brando.
“And Ramen, this is just the beginning,” he continued, “once I capture the
indigenous market I’ll be spreading my tentacles overseas. You have heard
of textile tycoons. In the near future you’ll be hearing about the
Toothpick Titan….Roshan Lal”
And on this profound note he strode off to capture the market.
I saw him a month later. He looked dejected.
“What happened?” I asked.
“This world is full of myopic morons,” he muttered.
“Nobody was even willing to give my gilt-edged scheme a thought. One joker
had the impudence to call it hare-brained. He suggested that I burn the
project report and go to a shrink to have my head examined.”
I murmured my sympathies.
“Never mind. I’m down but not out. Already another scheme is taking shape
inside my head. This project is about shoe-laces…….,” he began.
I muttered an excuse and beat a hasty retreat. I knew what was coming
next. Out of the ashes of the 'Toothpick Titan' was rising, phoenix like,
the 'Shoe-lace Sultan'.
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