The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Once Ignited, Forever Alive


Entrepreneurship is a way of life, not just a profession. It is a mindset that enables individuals to identify and pursue opportunities, create value, and take calculated risks. While some people may choose to start their own businesses only once, for others, entrepreneurship becomes a lifelong pursuit. The phrase “Once an entrepreneur always an entrepreneur” reflects this reality, and in this blog post, we will explore why this is the case.

  1. Entrepreneurship is a mindset

Entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business; it’s about the mindset that drives individuals to pursue their goals and create value. Entrepreneurs are inherently curious and creative. They are always on the lookout for new opportunities and ways to improve existing systems. This mindset doesn’t just disappear once an entrepreneur has sold their business or retired from the startup world.

  1. Entrepreneurs thrive on challenge

Entrepreneurs are often attracted to the challenge of starting a business. They relish the opportunity to create something new and solve problems that others have overlooked. This drive doesn’t disappear once a business is up and running. Many entrepreneurs continue to seek out new challenges, whether that means starting a new business or pursuing other endeavors that require creativity and problem-solving skills.

  1. Entrepreneurs are passionate

Entrepreneurs are often driven by a deep passion for what they do. Whether they are creating a new product or service, solving a problem, or serving a specific market, entrepreneurs are committed to their vision. This passion doesn’t simply disappear once a business is sold or retired from. Many entrepreneurs continue to be passionate about the same issues that drove them to start their business in the first place, and they may pursue other avenues for expressing that passion.

  1. Entrepreneurs are resilient

Starting a business is not easy, and entrepreneurs often face setbacks, failures, and unexpected challenges along the way. However, successful entrepreneurs learn from their experiences and use them to build resilience. This resilience doesn’t disappear once a business is sold or retired from. Many entrepreneurs continue to be resilient in other areas of their lives and pursue new challenges with the same level of determination.

  1. Entrepreneurship is a community

Entrepreneurship is not just about the individual; it’s about the community of like-minded individuals who support each other and share a common vision. Once an entrepreneur has entered this community, they are unlikely to leave it entirely. Many entrepreneurs continue to be involved in the startup world, even if they are no longer running their own business. They may mentor new entrepreneurs, invest in startups, or simply attend events and stay connected with others in the community.


In conclusion, the phrase “Once an entrepreneur always an entrepreneur” reflects the reality that entrepreneurship is a way of life, not just a profession. The mindset, drive, passion, resilience, and community that define entrepreneurship are unlikely to disappear once a business is sold or retired from. For many entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship becomes a lifelong pursuit, and they continue to seek out new challenges and opportunities to create value long after they have left the startup world

Rebuilding a Business from Scratch at 43: Overcoming Adversity


I’m sorry to hear that you’ve experienced such a setback in your business. However, it’s important to remember that failure is a part of the entrepreneurial journey, and many successful entrepreneurs have faced similar challenges and gone on to build even stronger businesses.

Here are some steps you can take to rebuild your business from scratch:

  1. Take some time to reflect and learn from your experience: Reflect on what went wrong with your previous business and what you could have done differently. This will help you avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
  2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses: Understanding your strengths and weaknesses will help you identify the areas where you need to improve or seek help. You may want to consider working with a business coach or mentor to help you with this.
  3. Develop a new business plan: Create a new business plan based on what you have learned from your previous experience. This should include a clear mission statement, a target market, a marketing strategy, and financial projections.
  4. Secure funding: Determine how much funding you need to get your business off the ground and explore funding options such as loans, grants, or investors. You may also want to consider crowdfunding or launching a presale campaign to generate early revenue.
  5. Build a new team: Start building a new team by hiring employees or contractors who have the skills and experience you need. Be sure to vet potential candidates thoroughly and consider their fit with your company culture.
  6. Launch your business: Once you have everything in place, launch your new business. Be sure to promote it through marketing channels that reach your target audience, such as social media, email marketing, and advertising.

Remember that rebuilding a business from scratch is not an easy task, but with determination, hard work, and a solid plan, it is possible to achieve success. Good luck!

Transit at London Heathrow!!


Landed at London Heathrow airport for transit!!! Next is another 12 hour flight to SFO!!!

Got a new address


Starting up is always fun!!! You are always left with limited resources and you keep coming up with ways to counter limitations!!!

One such situation is setting up a corporate office for Temple Town Coffee!!! Though we are fortunate enough to have the support group companies (Cogzidel Technologies Pvt & Cogzidel Consultancy Services) to bootstrap us with required resources and infrastructure, we didn’t want to bother them too much with our request.

Also we didn’t want to disturb the professional culture of those entities with would unruly startup work culture!!

Also we spend most of the time on driving in search of locations and meeting people. So, we found it unnecessary on investing for a office and was working out ways!!!

That is when my co-founder Balki, came with the recommendation of setting up a SOCO(Small Office Car Office). 

Our SOCO includes;

  • Swift Dzire car!!
  • Reliance 4G WIPOD!!
  • 2 Laptops!!
  • One official mobile!!
  • Power Bank!!
  • Portable Power Inverter Adapter!!

A look at our powerful gadgets;

That’s my Laptop!!!
Small Office Car Office Phone
SOCO Phone
Balki’s Laptop

So, mostly we use Truck Bay Lane’s as our office.

This is our new Madurai office address;

Truck Bay Lane
NH7, Nilakottai.

Small Office Car Office
Balki working at T2C’s Small Office Car Office at NH7, Nilakottai.
 

Since we are not a Technology company, Balki and me decided not to invest on Gadgets. So, we got contentented with gadgets which are not being used by our friends.

I got this broken Laptop of my wife, which is damaged but with small tweaks, uninstalling unnecessary applications and downgraded version of Linux, I’m able to get a good performing system.
This is our customer support phone which was given to Balki by his aunt. 

Also this is Balki’s old Laptop which he uses to work and do some weight lifting exercise ;)!!

I’m fortunate enough to get back to startup life and by comfort zone of breaking and fixing this!!

For now heading to my kitchen to explore the recipe of Karupatti Kaapi!!!

World Entrepreneurship Day



My Festivuswould be World Entrepreneurship Day and I want to celebrate it 24tn February of every year… Yes that happens to be the birth date of Legendary Steve Jobs who taught the world how to dream and how to make dreams come true!!!

How all the day can be celebrated??

  • One entrepreneur all over the world can be awarded World Entrepreneur Award, something on the lines of Nobel or Oscar!!
  • There can be Startup Battlefield and Pitches, conducted for funding!!!
  • Entrepreneur Clubs can be formed, make entrepreneurs as members and raise donations from successful entrepreneur… Those funds can be used for Entrepreneurship Development, something like Rotary Club for social Service!!!
  • Day can be developed like Black Friday & Cyber Monday!!! It should be crazy deals all over the world!!

Why it has to be celebrated??

  • Entrepreneurs help build a nations economy!!
  • Entrepreneurs help in Job Creation!!!
  • Entrepreneurs bring best products and services to the end users!!
  • Entrepreneurs successful or failed add value to society!!! Successful ones become role-models and failed ones becomes mentors!!!

Thanks to WordPress “The Daily Post” for this wonderful topic!!! It made me think of such a day!!! I wish someday 24th February would be celebrated as a grand festival!!! 

Let me try to start it with a small group from this year!!

Business Meeting at The Brew Room


Had a wonderful business meeting with buddies Bala & Mishra!!

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Looking to Invest & Partner in a Manpower Services Staryup


Looking to partner with a ManPower Consultancy as an investor / mentor / working partner.

These are the specifications for the type of company I’m looking at;

1.) Core competency should be on recruitment services. Preferably a Training and placement company.

2.) Must be a less than a year old startup.

3.) Preferably a sole proprietor company. However, not more than 2 partners.

4.) Must be headquartered in Chennai.

If you are one such startup or you have any reference kindly send an email to anand@cogzidel.com

Playing Mentorship


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Caught up with Syed & Roshan of ataWAB… It is always more of taking than giving to these kids…

Nice to see enterprising kids from Madurai and that too at the age of 13 & 14…

I didn’t know anything more than Movies, Cricket & Football at that age…

I wish these kids achieve more success…

Good Luck KIDDIES…

Help select a Logo for Startup Coffee Lounge


Startup Coffee Lounge Logo
Startup Coffee Lounge Logo Contest

Dear Friends,

Opened a contest to design Logo for my Coffee Shop… Created poll to get choose from the 8 logos from 120+ entries… Pls VOTE and help me choose the best one…

Thank You,

Regards,
Anand Nataraj

Tried TicketGoose & Impressed


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Just tried TicketGoose & booking was Simple & Easy compared with already Simple, Easy & Market leader RedBUS… At last there is a competitor for redbus & it is going to be aggressive battle…

I’d give a (y) to TicketGoose… Though I didn’t have any negative experience with redBUS… I just wanted to support a competitor… Thanks for breaking a monopoly Arun Athiappan

Wish good luck to you & your team…