Street Food in style (Part of our Rs. 100 idea series)

THE 100 RUPEES IDEA- ONE JOURNEY OF LEARNING AND THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME…

WE WERE TOLD TO START UP A BUSINESS VENTURE WITH AN INITIAL CAPITAL OF RS. 100. IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE BUT IT WASN’T.

THE IDEA OF OUR GROUP OR COMPANY WAS VERY SIMPLE. WE PLANNED TO SELL AMERICAN SWEET CORNS AT RATE LOWER THAN THE OTHER VENDORS.

OUR METHOD OF GOING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THE IDEA WAS SIMPLE ‘BUY THE CHEAPEST AND SELL AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATE THE PUBLIC IS WILLING TO PAY.’ SO WE DID THAT AND WE BOUGHT OUR RAW CORNS FROM A WHOLESALE VEGETABLE MARKET. THE OTHER NECESSARY THINGS SUCH AS LEMON, BUTTER, CUPS, SPOONS, AND NAPKINS ETC. WERE ALSO BOUGHT FROM WHOLESALERS. WE HAD TO START UP OUR BUSINESS IN UNDER RS.100, WHICH WAS QUITE A CHALLENGING TASK, BUT AFTER PLANNING AND COST CUTTING WE WERE ABLE TO START UP OUR BUSINESS IN RS.85.

WE CHOSE TO SET UP OUR CORN STALL OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR SCHOOL IN ORDER TO GET A REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE WHICH WE GOT IN ABUNDANCE .THE LOCATION WHICH WE HAD CHOSEN WAS A VERY POPULOUS AREA NEAR BATRA CINEMA IN MUKHERJEE NAGAR .WE SOLD THJE CORNS IN 4 FLAVOURS-CLASSIC SALTED, CLASSIC CHILLI.OREGANO ITALIANO AND PUNJABI PATAKA.WE SOLD ONE CUP OF CORN FOR RS.20. WE HAD ALSO KEPT AN INTERSESTING SCHEME (WE ALLOWED THE CUSTOMERS WHO BOUGHT 2 CUPS TO ROLL 2 DIE AND IF THEY GOT A TOTAL SUM OF 2 OR 12 WE GAVE THEM A CUP OF CORN FOR FREE!!!) THIS ADDED AN ELEMENT OF A GAME IN OUR BUSINESS AND WE GOT AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FROM OUR CUSTOMERS AS WE HAD TO GET EXTRA CORNS TWICE BECAUSE THE STOCK JUST GOT SOLD OFF IN AN HOUR OR SO.

THE EXPERIENCE WHICH WE GOT THROUGH THIS PROJECT WAS PRICELESS .WE GOT TO KNOW HOW TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS TOWARDS US, TO BE PATIENT WITH THE CUSTOMERS (WE GOT MANY CUSTOMERS WHO WOULD LISTEN TO WHAT WE TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PRODUCT AND THEN THEY REFUSED TO BUY AND MANY CUSTOMERS JUST DID NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION TO US.), WE UNDERSTOOD HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO SELL ANYTHING AND ALSO TO EARN MONEY.

MANY OF THE ASSUMPTIONS WHICH WE HAD MADE ON PAPER PROVED TO BE CORRECT AND EVEN BETTER THAN OUR EXPECTATIONS.WE HAD PLANNED OF TRYING TO SELL ABOUT 25 CUPS OF CORN BUT ENDED UP SELLING 42! OUR STRATEGY OF MARKETING WAS TO GO TO PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY AND TELL THEM ABOUT THE PRODUCT AND WHY THEY SHOULD BUY IT.WE SOON LEARNT THAT IT WAS THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WAY TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS TO BUY OUR PRODUCT.

THE FIRST BIG PROBLEM WHICH WE FACED WAS THE CONSTRAINT OF DISTANCE. ALL OUR GROUP MEMBERS LIVE QUITE FAR OFF FROM EACH OTHER AND IT WASN’T POSSIBLE FOR US TO CONTINUE OUR BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN A DAY.AND ALSO WE HAD TO WIND UP OUR STALL BY 7P.M. THE OTHER PROBLEM WAS IN INFLUENCING PEOPLE BIT ONCE WE GOT STARTED WE WERE ABLE TO BRING IN CUSTOMERS EASILY.THERE WAS NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WHICH WE HAD TO FACE.

WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE A NET PROFIT OF RS.540.

WE ARE THANKFUL TO DISCOVER LIFE TO HAVE GIVEN US AN OPPURTUNITY AND A CHANCE TO GAIN AN EXPERIENCE, WHICH UNDOUBTEDLY WOULD LAST FOR A LIFETIME, AND WE WOULD CHERISH EACH AND EVERY MOMENT WE HAD SPENT ON WORKING FOR THIS PROJECT.

(Ishan, Siddhant, Rahul, Shreyans, Aakash are students of class XI at DPS Rohini as part of Discover Life's Entrepreneurship Development Program. Further in the program they are working on an interesting idea. To know more check : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washroom-Stickers/117611434972645?v=wall or their blog at http://washroomstickers.blogspot.com)

Trash can make you earn!! (Part of our Rs. 100 idea series)

The greatest art in this world is to convince your customer to make him buy your product. We "Laben" decided to start business from scrap items. The final idea formulated was to first ask for used pens and then sell the same by putting refiles in them. Pen is an item used by everyone around the globe. Most of the people throw it after use. According to a study, 30 - 40 lakh pen are thrown away everyday. So, we thought that we would "reuse" the same scrap pens and sell them bringing us profit.Our business is also working for the cause "Environment Conservation" hence we decided to REUSE. Our price quotations were

Market Price-----------Our Price

Rs35------------------- Rs30

Rs20------------------- Rs15

Rs15------------------- Rs13

Rs10------------------- Rs7

In our pamphlet, we also quoted that we would replace the pen in one day if the pen sold by Laben gives any problem.

On 4th of December, we made our first business deal.We had gone to 14 houses where we sold roughly 17 pens. The profit on first day of sale was around RS100. This is the first time in my life when i have worked hard and earned money.I'll remember this date throughout my life. The next day, I started advertising my product.I made a Facebook page; I also had sent bulk messages to my friends. Many people reverted back by giving oders of 6 to 7 pens. The best response was from the school students.In school I sold around 27 pens.

My personal views about this business idea are that this is a very stable business as it can be performed at a large scale as the market is very big, this covers up the disadvantage that the margins are less.Our total profit was Rs400.

The experience of working with LABEN was great. I think now I know how tough is the work of a salesman who goes door to door convincing people to buy his product.

I believe that this venture marks the start of my professional life.

(Pallav Bhagat is a Class XI student at DPS Rohini who is a part of Discover Life's Entrepreneurship Development Program. Now further in the program Pallav and his team are working on an interesting idea. To know more about it you can check: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laben-Paintball-War/183613558317156?v=wall)

A Poem Written By One of Our Students :)

The discover Life wrkshp

Made me skip n hop

With its outstanding topics

v were forced 2 punch n hit kicks

2 r weaknesses n fears
which we'll cherish thru all dese years

what 2 say bout d short movies

well sum f us watched dem while havin r dairy milk wovies

dese after skul wrkshps were really gr8 fun
4 d nxt set f wrkshps i m really ready 2 run............

Student at DPS Rohini shares her experience :)

Frankly speaking, I wasn’t really interested in attending any of the workshops held in our school. On receiving the forms for attending the Discover Life, my friends and I decided to join it just to enjoy, sitting in some corner of the room. On the first day itself we were told about self worth and self reflection which, according to me, was really very interesting and really eye-opening. The activities that were conducted were presented in a very different and unique way. They were all very interesting. We had a session on controlling anger, the only reason why I was asked to join the session. After the sessions and even till date, my dad asks me that what has happened to me and my anger……in a positive way, of course.

This workshop really was a boon in disguise for me as there were so many hidden talents in me which I never knew and would have not known if I wouldn’t have attended the Discover Life Modules. At last I would just like thank all the discover life mentors especially Chaitanya sir for his guidance and support and for clearing all our queries however stupid they may be. To sum it all I would just say DISCOVER LIFE ROXXX N RULLZZ.

(Mahima Kaushik is a Class VIII student who was a part of Discover Life series of workshops on Life Skills at DPS Rohini)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Starting Early!

I still remember as a 8 year old kid, I used to go along with my Dadaji to market to shop for bread and vegetables. After a couple of years, my Dadaji gave me an incentive of earning Rs.2/- daily if I bought the stuff independently going to the market each evening. I was proud to earn my Rs.2/- daily and used to keep them in a small piggy bank. This was my first lesson in life. Lesson in taking initiative, working independently, earning by effort and most importantly savings and money management.

There were frequent power cuts in those days and during summers it used to get really hot sitting in candle light inside my home. After few days of saving money, one evening when there was a power cut, I took money out of my piggy bank and bought ice creams for my family. Everyone was smiling :). I was proud. This was my first lesson in creating value. The value was happiness :)

Over a period of time, I have developed money management skills and applied them in the organizations that I created along with my partners. When I look back, those Rs.2/- lessons are one of the biggest lessons I have learned in life.

Discover Life's EDEP(Entrepreneurship Development Program) is an initiative at Starting Early.

The Entrepreneurs of tomorrow are in schools today :)

- Chaitanya Jha

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Be your own Jamvant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4Zz-shBac&feature=PlayList&p=1D0B599C262A725A&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=31

Watching the above video, my mind got filled with so many memories of watching Ramayan in my childhood days. The above video is describing a particular scene:

The search party lead by Jamvant, the strong and bravest person of the bear race, reached on the seashore. Jamvant encouraged Hanuman Ji to give the Jump on to Lanka. Hanuman Ji, when being encouraged as such, filled with the lost powers, which were snatched from him, when he was a child, by the curse of a Rishi (SAINT), but he was also booned by the same RISHI, that he would get all the lost powers, when he would be encouraged by anybody reminding him about his powers. He crossed the vast sea taking a long great jump and met Sita Ji and gave her the message of Shri Ram.

When I think of it, it happens to all of us in life. There are times when we become much smaller and much less important in our own eyes than we actually are. We are afraid to take 'the leap'. Our self confidence takes a beating and we get used to performing much below our own capacity. And all this happens without notice. We get stuck in a cycle of life which is really difficult to get out of.

In all those moments of life, no Jamvant would come to remind us of our powers. Rather we have to be our own Jamvant and remind ourselves of the times we did really well in life. It may be in simple small things. But those are the things that remind us of who we truly are. Thus, time and again in life, we need to stop for a moment and reflect whether we are playing our best game in life.

Be your own Jamvant. You get this life only once. Take the big leap.Discover Life.

(Smart Indian Value System is a program by Discover Life which is an effort to bring back the Strong Indian values and make it relevant for children of today)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Try selling a bottle of vomit! Our kids can do it :)

This Tuesday, we had a session on creative thought process with our students at our Rohini center. It was mix of learning and a lot of fun. In one of the session activities, we divided students in two groups and each group had to give the other group a product that was impossible to sell in real world. Thus one group gave the product 'a bottle of vomit' to the other group. After a brief brainstorming of about 5 minutes the other group presented the product in the following manner.

'We are from xyz company and we are here to sell a special drink. Its a fresh natural juice. 100% human. It comes in 4 flavors: Mohak flavor, Sajal Flavor, Arun Flavor, Rajat Flavor (each pointing to self while saying this)'. Then one of the students goes behind another hits him from behind and the other student acts like throwing up in a glass. They called it 'live demonstration' of their product.

They did all this in just 5 minutes of brainstorming. These were kids of classes 7 to 10th.

We were surprised by their spontaneity and creativity with which they tried selling us a 'bottle of vomit'.

Any advertising agencies listening? We have a lot of talent with us :)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Our student at Rohini Center shares his experience :)

A few months back my life was awful. But then one day I joined this course parichay and it has enormously affected my life. Firstly I used to think that I am a common man as everyone is, I have nothing special in me but it has helped me find out the hidden diamond in myself. I have started liking and respecting myself. It has changed the way I think. I now take things positively. Earlier I used to think that its really hard to get into the IIT ‘s and its just the few brainy people or extraordinary minds that are able to make out there but now I know everything depends on what is your goal and how hard are you working to achieve it. We all have to face failures in our lives in one or the other way but it is only few people who get up again and fight back. We have got one life and we have to make the best out of it so why give up. That’s what Parichay has taught me. Failures are like hurdles in the race to success so its better learn from them. One of the biggest problems in our societies is that we people do not accept changes. And it‘s really important to accept them because everything is changing nothing is constant in our lives. A change in ones life can change his destiny. And the best thing I learned is the topic of Wish list. Its sounds a bit unbelievable but it happens. It’s a fact that writing the things you want, increases its possibility to happen by 70%. And the last thing I would like to share is the fear of speaking in front of the audience. All I can write to summarize this is:-

“Do what you want, Say what you want

Becoz those who mind don’t matter

And those who matter won’t mind”

(Mohak Gupta is a class 10 student at Ryan International School and is currently a participant of Discover Life's center based program called 'Parichay' at Rohini Center)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Race for Superhuman?

It makes for an amazing story. Everyone is shocked and amazed at how Sahal Kaushik at age 14 become the IIT entrance topper from Delhi region. Calling him a child prodigy, everyone is amazed at his abilities and the way he has been brought up getting educated at home rather than going to school.

I was watching his interview on TV and rather than marveling at his achievements, i felt sad looking at the poor kid. He could barely speak when asked questions. His mom decided to be the key spokesperson for him. The child showed no emotions when being told that he had topped IIT Delhi rankings. There was a little smile on his face but just a little. Maybe his mom taught him mental calculations but the child failed to learn to smile. The kid hardly had any friends of his age. Watching the interview further, the mentor of the child at his coaching academy Naraina said that he was disappointed at Sahal's 33 All India Rank!! With a heavy power specs on, poor Sahal looked like a mini computer rather than a 14 year old kid.

This makes my mind wonder.

Is it beginning of a race of creating superhuman? Would it have made a difference if Sahal had been IIT topper at age 18 rather than 14? Aren't social skills of any value? Will kids pressurized to become super achievers ever get to live their childhood? Isn't playing in mud water with childhood friends a greater memory and gift for life than cracking an academic examination?

It good to be ambitious, it keeps the world progressing. But is it worth the cost of killing somebody's childhood? Will be keep burdening the shoulders of our youth with expectation till they break down? Will one Sahal's achievement lead to pressure on many other young kids to an extent that many of them gain suicidal tendencies? It makes me wonder..

(The opinions expressed are personal viewpoints of author Chaitanya Jha)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Education Revolution is in Motion

Babysitting has it's joys. I've been around my 5 and 7 year old niece and nephew lately. It's interesting to see how children learn how to socially interact and associate cultural inferences to what they learn in classrooms and from peers. The important topic of the 'kind of education' comes to mind when evaluating well-roundedness and social intelligence.

Being brought up in both India and the States has brought to my attention the significance of academic versus social intelligence. There is a thorough and distinct difference that exists in ways how children are exposed to new ideas and topics. Granted it is next to impossible to beat years of solid academic foundation, but it is also crucial to note that a well-rounded and multifaceted training technique has its perks and advantages than to just having a sound academic background.

Because the academic base in Western school systems is weak, there are plenty of third party services available to weaker students for help with basic schoolwork and comprehension (i.e. Kumon, Sylvan) . The American education system, however, does an excellent job in providing students the opportunity to excel at sports, music, school government, hobby and social clubs, etc. which in turn leads to creating more opportunities for pupils to grow socially and pursue passionate arenas for expertise.

The Indian school of thought is a little reverse in this aspect. No doubt that the Eastern culture focuses more on the mathematics and sciences, sometimes mixed with rote learning techniques, but in turn the overall populace is much more sound in solid academic principles. However, students lose out on social and passion driven activities that eventually lead to more rounded individuals overall.

With the reverse of the American case in play, third party institutions that provide such skills within the Indian education system are the pillars needed to fill this gap for young students. One such institution is Discover Life based in New Delhi. Working with private as well as public schools, they seek to provide the training and skill set that can be of great asset to youth in today's highly competitive and fast paced industries.

The answer to a perfect education is a complex one and requires restructuring and reprioritizing on several levels of the education sector, but perhaps the first step towards acheiving this ultimate goal is to address the weakest links of the system. A confident and goal-oriented group of young individuals have the power to focus their energy and interest given the right direction through an organized learning experience like Discover Life.

The extra effort that will be required to fulfill the program successfully will in turn be an asset to the participants involved and pave the path for a well prioritized and real world applicable education system in the future.

Having been lucky to experience both, I truly believe that these types of goal-driven and leadership programs are the answer to India's intelligent yet confused student base. Do you get it? A revolution is in motion.

About The Author:

Nidhi Sharma is an active part of team Discover Life.

She is an Electrical Engineer from Michigan, USA and has 3 years of combined corporate experience as Test Engineer for Underwriters Laboratories and a year as National Sales Director for a small company in Chicago. She has corporate experience with General Motors and she has been actively involved in community awareness and social programs within her community at schools and educational centers.

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Play Hard or Go Home!!!

I can’t stand it when people apply the least amount of effort to their lives only to cry and complain that nothing ever works out for them. One need to make sure that, whatever you decide to start, you are prepared for a long haul. Nothing comes easy for anyone. If one is not ready to go hard and put in that extra effort, then my advice to him is don’t even bother starting. All you will do is frustrate yourself down the track and blame everyone around you for your failures.

Whatever you set your mind to, whether it is personal or a professional goal, make sure you attempt it with total focus and an understanding that it requires 100% effort.

P.S: If you put all your effort and stay totally focused on your desired goal, your dreams will come true

By Amit Gupta

Change-Maker :-)

To know more about Discover Life visit : www.discoverlife.co.in

Discover Life- An Introduction

Every 24 hours this world around us takes a full circle. There is a lot of activity, a lot of buzz, things that keep happening and things that keep changing. If you stop and stay for a while to look at the world around, you will find people running around, trying to catch up with time, trying to catch up with life. If you look at people more closely and you will find them behaving strangely, they are running but they do not know where they are running or why they are running, they do not know about what and why things are happening around them and the strangest thing is that they do not know themselves.

When we are young kids, we dream, we learn, we are open to new experiences, we have an amazing zest for life but as we reach our teenage and beyond we start getting into a trap. We become a part of the rat race and the systems around us continously try to make us better rats to run in the race. We start doing things that the world around us expects to do rather than what we really want to do. Our dreams are no longer ours; we end up living under the pressure of fulfilling dreams of others around us. During this process we lose track, we lose ourselves and we lose our lives.

With the objective of finding solutions to above problems, we have launched a startup in the field of education called Discover Life. We the believers at Discover Life help you to discover your true self, bring back passion in your life, help you deal with complexities and confusions, equip you so that you can guide yourself on a path created by you in life. We are here so that you can Discover Life.

By Chaitanya Jha

Co-Founder