Friday, May 17, 2013

ENTREPRENEUR / STARTUP SPECIAL....... Stress in Starting Up


 Stress in Starting Up 

As numerous Indian entrepreneurs fall prey to the stress of running young ventures in a competitive marketplace, health issues are emerging as a significant business risk


    It had been a normal day at office for Vishal Pal Chaudhary, until his hands began trembling and pain seared through his body. He was rushed to a New Delhi hospital where, after a barrage of tests, it was discovered that he had severe Vitamin D deficiency. Months of hectic work and a poor lifestyle had taken its toll on the 30-year-old founder of test preparatory company Topchalks. “Luckily I had two co-founders to take care of things in my absence; if it was a startup with only one founder, things would have gone haywire,” says the Delhi-based entrepreneur who was forced to take a month off from work. Startups depend on their founders to survive in the ruthless world of modern business. So, in many ways, the health of its founders directly impacts the health of the enterprise.
As numerous Indian entrepreneurs like Chau-dhury fall prey to the stress of running young ventures in a competitive marketplace, health issues are emerging as a significant business risk. Heavy workloads, sleep deprivation, pressure from investors and even family strife are affecting the health of these young founders, many of whom now suffer from chronic ailments.
Experts say this could be one of the reasons for the high rate of failure among startup ventures in India — 81% of new ventures die out in the first four years in India, compared to 70% in the United States, according to research firm Zinnov Consulting. “Health and the age of a founder-CEO is a key business risk. It is directly related to his ability to raise funds or get a good valuation for the company,” says Manoj Gupta, a former venture capital investor and the founder of handicrafts retailer Craftsvilla. com.
The founder’s inability to manage stress turns a new venture into a rudderless ship. The possible threats range from loss of customers, disillusionment among team members and a dilution of the company’s brand in the market.
Unlike a large corporate, which may have others ready to step in, at a young startup everything from customer service, payments, marketing, recruitment and logistics is dependent on a single leader. “People switching from a corporate job to entrepreneurship often face enormous stress as they find themselves in the driver’s seat and responsible for the livelihood of others,” says Dr Samir Parikh, director of mental health at Fortis Healthcare who has treated several entrepreneur-patients. In the first few years of launching a startup, most entrepreneurs are fired by adrenaline and often don’t realise that their bodies are wearing out faster than they can sense.
“An entrepreneur’s body is on a natural dosage of steroids each day as she is passionate about her work,” says Mohammed Hussain Naseem, founder-CEO of 2Mpower Health Management Services, a wellness firm that works with many young companies to provide stress management programmes. The natural steroids maintain the ordinary state of the body referred to as homeostasis, with a normal pH level and temperature even in the midst of high activity. But as small failures and dejections—an inalienable part of building a young company—pile up they deplete the level of natural steroids and the harmful effects start showing up.
Common stress-induced issues range from anxiety, mood disorders, and low immunity to heart ailments. “I have seen excessive greying in my hair since the time I took to entrepreneurship three years ago,” says Ankur Singla, 29, and CEO of Akosha. com, a consumer grievance redressal portal, referring to one of the signs of severe stress. Many entrepreneurs helming young ventures have also realised that fatigued and unfit employees actually lead to declining sales. Bangalorebased online commerce startup Myntra.com has established a gym and a room each for yoga, aerobics and table tennis with a health instructor coming in every day.
Even investors are becoming conscious of the risk associated with poor health of founder-entrepreneurs. Mumbai-based Vishal Gondal, who sold his company Indiagames to Disney in 2011 for about $100 million ( 542 crore), asks entrepreneurs who are seeking his advice or money to meet him for a morning run.
 “Many young entrepreneurs don’t turn up just because of the fear of an 8-kilometre run,” says Gondal, who has completed six half-marathons in the past two years. He is also an investor in startups such as DocSuggest and MeraCareerGuide. “All of my review meetings with startups happen on a 10-kilometre walk or jog in or around Mumbai.
The walking meetings have no laptops or presentations.” Shantanu Jha, who cofounded DocSuggest.com in 2009, admits that the reviews have improved his health and that of the startup. DocSuggest now books 10,000 doctor appointments a month, across four cities of Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Many entrepreneurs say unrealistic expectations from investors are a primary cause of stress.
A Bangalorebased entrepreneur said he suffers from chronic mood disorder and hypertension due to extraordinary pressure from an investor who asks for daily reporting of orders booked on his website. “It often spills over to my team, or the family.” Seasoned investors, however, say the onus to not cow down to such pressure rests with the entrepreneur. “Daily or even forthnightly reviews means killing a startup even before it is born,” says Raman Roy, founder of Quattro. Founders must create a strong team and learn the art of delegation, instead of absorbing the stress alone, believes Roy, who has invested in a dozen startups. “The pangs of childbirth have to be borne to make a successful startup emerge.”

CASES

Yogesh Bansal 37 Founder CEO ApnaCircle
FOUNDED: 2006 Acquired by European Social Network Viadeo in 2009
STRESS FACTOR:
Poor business in the initial days had led him to the verge of bankruptcy, affecting his health. REACTION: Bansal suffered from sleep disorders, hypertension anxiety and all.
HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH: A former sailor, Bansal has learnt to how to remain afloat in rough seas. He tries to bust stress by talking to other budding entrepreneurs, and listening about their problems. He likes to party, watch cricket and movies to switch off from work.

Sandeep Aggarwal, 40 Founder CEO Shopclues
Founded: 2011
INVESTORS: Helion and Nexus Venture Partners
STRESS FACTOR:
A Wall Street analyst, Aggarwal, packed his house, and moved to India with his wife and kids, after living for 15 years in the United States. Moving the house, besides setting up his startup, was stressful. REACTION: In early days, his kids threw a fit, as they were unable to adjust to the Indian way of life. Also, the more than 15-16 hours he put in every day took a toll on his body and he often suffers from sleep deprivation.
HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH: While the family has adjusted to life in India, Aggarwal tries to switch off from work by playing squash. His advice to other entrepreneurs is to do at least one thing they are passionate about daily, besides work.

Ankur Singla, 29 Founder CEO Akosha
FOUNDED: 2011
INVESTORS: TheMorpheus
STRESS FACTOR:
Singla was unable to switch off from work even on short holidays.
REACTION: He often suffered from bad headaches and fever. He takes a pain killer or paracetamol to keep him going at work even through high fever.
HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH: More delegation to others and trusting the team. Switching off from work and decision making once back home. Also trying to take long holidays.

Gourav Aggarwal 36 Founder CEO Savaari Cabs
FOUNDED: 2006
INVESTORS: Inventus Capital Partners
STRESS FACTOR:
It’s the emotional extremes—with good and bad news sometimes coming in quick succession—that troubled Aggarwal, chief executive of Savaari Cabs, who quit his job in Cisco in Silicon Valley to move back to India in 2006. Family life also suffered, as he couldn’t spend time with wife and child
REACTION: Often he would get excited by a new success but very disappointed by a loss, resulting in mood swings early on.
HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH:
He has now learnt to maintain calm and not get too excited by a win or a loss. He is also trying to devote more time with family, especially on weekends.

Harsimran JulkaET130510

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