Entrepreneurs must embrace change to flourish: GB Academy Founder

During this pandemic, we have seen new businesses birthed with success and others thriving amid chaos. We have seen neighborhood classics tragically lost and others that struggle to survive day-to-day. It is a year that blindsided numerous small-business owners. The hazardous pandemic covid-19 have been the root cause of destruction happened in all the fields. Gaurav Bhagat, Founder, Gaurav Bhagat Academy, in an exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz, said: "Change is constant for businesses. By handling the situation, you employ revolution to work with you, not against you." He also elaborates as how entrepreneurs can scale up their skills to face challenges in doing business

Mobile companies in today's time have been booming. Experts estimate the market size of the food trucks industry alone to be $1.3 billion in 2021, with a growth rate of 2.4% (IBIS World, 2020). Hence, mobile business has a high scope in coming future. What's great about these businesses is that you don't have to put up a front office, and you can just advertise on social platforms and via word of mouth

What is your advice to scale one's skills as an entrepreneur in 2022?

The last two years have been very hard and challenging for all of us due to the pandemic. The impression of Covid-19 will stay with us for the rest of our lives. During this pandemic, we have seen new businesses birthed with success and others thriving amid chaos. We have seen neighborhood classics tragically lost and others that struggle to survive day-to-day. It is a year that blindsided numerous small-business owners. The hazardous pandemic covid-19 have been the root cause of destruction happened in all the fields. The sales and business industry was impacted 95 per cent by the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19.

Here's what you must consider for scaling your skills as an Entrepreneur in 2022:

Embrace the change: "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." Change is constant for businesses. If change is already taking in your business, why not get ahead of it? If you are responding to these ups and downs, you treat the symptoms. The better approach is to embrace change to treat the problem. By handling the situation, you employ revolution to work with you, not against you.

A globalized business powered by remote work- globalism is the practice of working with international teams to build, support and expand their businesses. The fact is that globalism has been a general trend for many years already. But, it was always misunderstood to be just an option for more prominent companies. However, many entrepreneurs started their businesses with globalism already entrenched in their genes. 29 per cent of start-up employees are foreign on average. With remote work consistently growing, especially as around 65 per cent of employees would want to work remotely full-time post-pandemic (Flex Jobs), expanding business globally becomes a more viable option.

Prioritized customer needs: Fluctuating client necessities and social distancing have left downturn-proof businesses struggling. Service-based companies are finding that their services are no longer crucial or needed. No business or business model has been safe. Pretentious strategy is engaging in a conversation with your clients to identify opportunities. The process could be as simple as asking a probing question at the end of every client interaction. Staying in tune with the customers' needs and the problems you can solve is imperative, and it is the gateway for future growth and innovation.

Work smarter, not harder: Though we have always been taught to work harder to achieve success, the rise of intellectual capital as a commodity says that the ability to be successful is less about our ability to work hard. Success demands focus, determination and resilience and clever work sometimes. Working smarter is about holding the talents of people and collaboration. When you remove hurdles in your processes, you promote ease, which will produce more income with the resources you have.

A mobile business will adapt and evolve: Mobile companies in today's time have been booming. Experts estimate the market size of the food trucks industry alone to be $1.3 billion in 2021, with a growth rate of 2.4 per cent (IBIS World, 2020). Hence, mobile business has a high scope in coming future. What's great about these businesses is that you don't have to put up a front office, and you can just advertise on social platforms and via word of mouth.

Be an influential leader who empowers others: A leader should be visionary and have more foresight than an employee. The entrepreneurial trials of the economic crisis have shaken the confidence of even the most experienced entrepreneurs. Leaders are uniquely positioned to empower others because they can equip their teams with skills and provide a platform to exercise them. Thus, to be a successful entrepreneur, one needs to be a confident leader.

What is your educational qualification and are you from a family of entrepreneurs?

I studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar and my tryst with entrepreneurship started early. In fact, my first entrepreneurial venture was making the stock market game at the age of 16. While initially marketed myself, the rights for this game were bought by Leo Toys and they sold 50,000 units and paid me a royalty on every piece sold. Good money for someone just out of school. I also made 8 other board games for Leo Toys in the years that followed. I did come from a family of entrepreneurs; my grandfather had built a ceramic factory from scratch on the outskirts of Calcutta and went from one employee to over 1000 at its peak.

What is your mission and vision?

The gap in world class training being delivered to Indian businesses was very evident, while some of the larger companies had some established names helping them, many smaller companies especially in the turnover range of Rs 25-500 crores really struggled to find quality training and handholding solutions. Sales were considered a taboo word and I knew the mindset had to change. Basic concepts of fact finding, follow up, prospecting and closing were alien to many and it was more by chance then by systems that many of these companies were getting sales. To bring easily implementable training and coaching became our core focus at the GBA and we are really happy with the traction we have received and the results we have delivered in the last 3 years.

What products/services are you offering, and how are they niche?

At the GBA we primarily have the following programs:

1. The 10X saless program: This is a proprietary Grant Cardone methodology, and we are the company in India that is allowed to deliver this. The GBA was in fact the first GC licensee in all of Asia and has been voted as the best in the world on more than one occasion.

2. The tiny to 10X program: Also certified by B.J. Fogg, the best-selling author of Tiny Habits and a Stanford professor. I also run the Tiny to 10X course, which helps companies and individuals incorporate tiny habits that can be scaled for breakthrough success. This is winning accolades across India and around the world.

3. The SWGB goal planner: Goal setting is such an integral part of everyone's success but mostly everyone falters because of not having a structured system and tools to use. The SWGB goal planner has become the preferred tool for thousands across the country and the system and accompanying planner is being used by several corporate heads and entrepreneurs.

4. We also have an educational board game division that is soon launching "Lakshya" the goal setting game, there is also the stock market game and other games in the pipeline on sales, entrepreneurship and more.

5. The GBA also runs custom programs for several Billion dollar companies in India and abroad.

6. Gaurav as a speaker travels around the world and the country and addresses paid gatherings from Boston, Miami, Malaysia, Mumbai, Goa and more.

How does your product or service work?

Our marketing efforts and our referral systems bring in a lot of prospects and these are handled and converted by the sales team.

We also have a very loyal base of followers and existing clients that are always at our sessions and programs. The customer support team helps the prospects from understanding our offerings and its benefits. Large corporate mandates are handled by us directly and that includes a strategy sessions, accompanied by diagnostic surveys and tools that help the prospects get more clarity.