“You all are extremely lucky, having been blessed with everything one needs to succeed and make an impact”

Dinesh Gupta graduated from the first batch of NSIT/DIT, in1987,and subsequently worked for Logitronics Pvt. Ltd. (LPL), shifted to Blue Star Ltd., and only then started on the journey called entrepreneurship, a journey he continues even after 18 years.

 1. What do you think are the qualities of a successful entrepreneur, and do you consider an MBA degree is necessary for becoming a leading entrepreneur?
In my opinion, the most important qualities of an entrepreneur are:
Ability to evaluate the resources at your disposal and setting the business goal accordingly.
Understanding of the needs of various stakeholders (Customers / Vendors / Employees).
Integrity.
Perseverance.
Courage.
Adaptability.

MBA Degree is not necessary but certainly helpful, especially when the business grows to a certain level. It provides you with a framework for doing business as well as equips you with tools, which are helpful in decision making. The need for such tools is felt more and more as the business grows, and you are constantly faced with situations where your instinct is not able to provide you a clear direction.

2. What embarked your interest towards starting up your own venture?
Family tradition - no one in the family is in service.
b) Opportunity of earning more than what I was earning or expected to earn in near future in job. In our times, the salary used to be quite low. My salary at that time, when I started this venture, was around Rs. 3,500 / month (in 1990).
3 younger brothers, who, I thought, would join me after completing their education and thus would help me scale up the business. It went on exactly like that.

 3. What were the problems you faced in this direction?
My definition of problem is a situation which threatens your existence. Anything less daunting should term a challenge on daily basis which are nothing but natural pointers to the direction we should spend more energy in. One should welcome such challenges so long as one wants to continue the journey called entrepreneurship (any field for that matter).

4. How do you justify the importance of networking by relating it to some anecdote of your life?
Networking has never been my strong area; hence I would not be able to give any example of how I have benefited from it. But, I admit that it is important and would come in very handy in certain situations. To put it succinctly, I feel that one’s destination is determined by one’s actions but, with the right contacts, the journey to the destination gets smoother and shorter.

5. What is your message to the young and creative students in campus?
You all are extremely lucky, having been blessed with everything one needs to succeed and make an impact – talent, attitude and education. But, don’t ever feel egoistic about it. These are the resources given to you by the founder & CEO of this world, called God. And, He now expects you to deliver. What & How? To make this world a better place to live, by giving your best in whatever you do.