Mavrix

Category: Startups

  • Jugaad vs Dishonesty

    Jugaad is a vital element of Indian entrepreneurship. Depending on whom you ask, you get different definitions of jugaad. Improvisation. Making do. Resourcefulness. I like Ratan Tata’s definition of “frugal innovation” because jugaad arises from constraints, scarcity and competition. Tata Nano might be tacky to some but there is no denying the ingenuity involved in…

  • We will not touch your junk

    Indians aren’t private people. We are conditioned by years of living in joint families or crowded communities, a throng of relatives visiting us or calling us over, and lots and lots of people all around us everywhere we go. So while, Americans demonstrate outrage at being patted down (and by the way, not even the…

  • What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

    I saw The Social Network recently. It’s sharp, smart, funny and very entertaining. One fascinating scene in the movie got me thinking about what it means to be an entrepreneur. The scene involves Sean Parker, who is like the sidekick in this movie but could easily be the hero in another movie. Sean Parker is…

  • 6 questions for NRIs considering returning to India – The Decision

    [Part 3 of a 3 part post. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.] It’s not as if you call a family meeting and start discussing if returning to India is right for you. These questions need to be part of ongoing conversations in your family, regardless of how far out the eventual decision…

  • 6 questions for NRIs considering returning to India – The Questions

    [Part 2 of a 3 part post. Part 1 is here.] While the choice of returning to India or staying is personal and depends on each family’s unique circumstances, the answers to the following questions lead us to a decision we can live with. How important are your Indian roots to you? How important is…

  • 6 questions for NRIs considering returning to India – The Dilemma

    [This is first part of a 3-part post – The Dilemma, The Questions, The Decision.] It is a well-known fact that all Indians in the US consider moving back to India at one point of time or the other. We discuss and debate about it, all the while putting off the final decision. The reason…

  • The Big Leap

    Till December 2009, I had a nice job in a big company. I had a beautiful home in a quiet Chicago suburb, two cars and was living the American dream. And one fine day I lost my head – I quit my job, sold my house, returned to India and bootstrapped a startup. Or so…