Goans should take risks to create a business enterprise, says Manish Gosalia

 I Create has more than 20 centres in different parts of India in Kolkata, Jaipur, Baroda, Hubli, Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa etc). Regional Director of Goa and Master Trainer Manish Gosalia speaks to VIKANT SAHAY on how the Goans are benefitting by their presence. 

HERALD: How has ‘I Create’ been helping the Goans?

MANISH GOSALIA: I Create Goa, has been successfully running its programmes since October 2011 and my role as the Regional Coordinator has been both challenging and rewarding. The challenge in Goa is that Goans are generally not inclined towards taking up entrepreneurial activities as there isn’t a well developed eco-system for entrepreneurial activity. Goans are also inclined towards applying for Government jobs and are sometimes willing to wait years to gain employment. I Create’s interest is that Goans become risk takers and take the plunge in using their skills and hobbies to create a business enterprise.  

HERALD: What are the recent measures you have undertaken to pursue your plans?

MG: We have taken up several measures to build and nurture an entrepreneurial eco-system in Goa. I Create prefers partnering with organisatons to both train and assist budding entrepreneurs to give shape to their business idea. We have tied-up with the Goa Chamber of Commerce (GCCI), GEMS, Smartlink (Goa), Human Touch and other relevant stakeholders to raise the awareness of entrepreneurial activity in Goa.

The program has immensely benefited the Goan community as we now see a marked change in the mindset of Goans especially towards entrepreneurial activity. In our journey in Goa so far, we have trained over 1500 students across 12 colleges with whom we have an exclusive MOU.  We have conducted the Creating Job Creator’s programs for close to 350 beneficiaries across Goa and have been able to successfully create close to 10 entrepreneurs across Goa whose business encompass a range of activities including handicrafts, travel and tourism, IT Training, etc. We have also worked with existing businesses owners and their employees to upgrade their business skills.

HERALD: Was it difficult to start this venture? How did this idea generate?

MG: The idea of creating a vibrant and inclusive entrepreneurial programme for Goa was generated when I when I attended an I Create workshop and felt that it would benefit the Goan community. The venture was initially difficult to convince the Goan business community as they did not see much value in creating a strong entrepreneurship culture in Goa. We were fortunate to get the initial support from the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) who took up the challenge of giving us a platform by offering their resources and valued networks to roll out the programmes.

HERALD: What benefit do your ‘students’ draw after you train them?

MG: Students in India as well as Goa have been traditionally discouraged from exploring or starting a business enterprise and parents, teachers, peers and friends generally encourage students to take the traditional route of seeking a job either in the corporate domain or in the Government. They feel that a business is a ‘risky’ proposition. They believe that business failure could lead to an embarrassment in the community. We do however see a marked change in the community towards start ups in the last 4-5 years especially in the cities like Bengaluru, NCR, Pune, Mumbai, etc. 

HERALD: What are the new initiatives you will be taking and what help do you need from the government?

MG: I Create (I) is constantly involved in upgrading and enhancing the training content and delivery methods while working with beneficiaries and students. I Create (I) now offers its training program through an online platform through www.classle.net. Recently, I Create launched a mentoring program to individuals who have an interest in mentoring individuals who are interested in starting their business venture.

I also believe that the Government should have a dedicated one stop information kiosk modelled on Maiti Ghar where information regarding businesses and requirements for setting up a business, information on schemes by both state and central Government, lodging of applications (incl online), access and training to online platforms for online applications for registration, etc should be available at some of the key locations in Goa.