Look for change to succeed, says Ashok Soota

KOZHIKODE: India was experiencing an entrepreneurship boom in recent years but many of those who start businesses also fail miserably, said noted IT entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of Happiest Mins Technologies Ashok Soota. He was addressing a gathering during an interaction programme organised by DC Books and Cyber Park, Kozhikode in the City on Monday. He added that those who were starting businesses should stick to fundamentals.

Mr Soota, who was the President of Wipro Infotech from 1984 till 1999, also launched his book ‘Entrepreneurship Simplified’, co-authored with S.R Gopalan on the occasion. He advised young aspiring entrepreneurs to first understand the changes in the field they were planning to start business in and also get a clear idea of the issues faced by the target customers at present. “To be truly successful, one should look for change. You should offer something different for the customers. Ola and Uber are some of the best examples of utilizing an unexplored area to start a successful business,” he added.

Ashok Soota, who co-founded Mindtree in 1999, said that there was no specific age for starting a business and added that ideally seven years of experience was good. However, more and more young blood coming into business also boosted the chances of success. They don’t worry about the risks, he said. “Such people will be able to change the world. However, one should be prepared for high highs as well as low lows. Go with an open eye but don’t view entrepreneurship from a glamorous view,” Mr Soota added.