The basic steps to becoming a successful entrepreneur lies not in aiming at billions but in getting satisfaction from the work, Vipul Kocher told students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur.

Kocher, a prominent entrepreneur, author, consultant and speaker, was addressing a lecture organised by Business Line Club in association with Cairn India.

As a person who had himself marched to his own drum and achieved success as an entrepreneur after many ups and downs, Kocher told the students that to be successful in entrepreneurship, a word that is seen as synonymous with business, one needs to be able to think in a way no one has ever thought before.

Busting the myth that entrepreneurship is only about business, he compared successful entrepreneurs such as J.R.D. Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, N.R. Narayana Murthy and others, with Mother Teresa, who made a mark with her charitable work spread across the country.

He said of the many lessons that he had learnt, one of the most important was the need to be hands-on.

“To be creative and learning to work on your own are the primitive necessities,” he said, adding that an understanding of economics, different business agreements, accounting, company types and agreements are also essential.

“An entrepreneur always needs to focus on building his network and expanding his social circle, develop knowledge about a wide range of subjects and know the world around himself,” he said.

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