Yesterday, I met Pradeep Chopra of the PS Group at the TiE Kolkata Story Session. He is an established real estate guy with a fantastic vision and entrepreneurial temperament. The talk was thoroughly enjoyed by all the attendees. Here are some interesting tid-bits from his talk:
1. What kind of entrepreneur is one who cannot take risk?
2. Opportunities are everywhere. You have to be able to see an opportunity in everything.
3. Selling is the biggest skill an entrepreneur should have. Rest follows.
4. If you can sell something even if you don’t have it ready, go ahead. You will get thousands of people who will be happy to provide or build it for you. Selling is the most difficult part and you have cracked that.
5. An office can earn the money for a new house – a new house cannot earn money for a new office. Buy that office first, if you can only afford one.
6. Invest liberally in technology if you do not want to work with a major handicap.
7. You have to get up and go out to spot those fantastic opportunities. Attractive deals don’t walk in to your office
(well mostly).
8. There is no replacement for quality. If your quality is not great, you are bound to lose out – sooner or later.
9. Don’t advertise directly. Invest in advertorials or PR. An endorsement by a real user or a known face beats an
endorsement by a celebrity, hands down.
10. A good partner is a valuable asset. If you hold the same views, one is reduntant. You must agree to disagree. If you hold opposite views, you get the holistic picture.
So what do you say? Agree or disagree? Your comments are vital – please let me know what you feel about his ideology.
I have known Mr. Pradeep Chopra for about six months but in this short time he has been able to instill a lot of admiration and appreciation. He is a philanthropist, has an insatiable amount of energy.
I particularly like his comments #1, #2 and #10 and I have conversed with him and have experienced first hand how he sees that opportunities are everywhere. He sees things from an entrepreneur’s eyes and just opens your vision into things which had eluded us.But his talent is not just looking at the opportunities but to proactively transfer the opportunities into action.
The one thing that prevents young people from exploiting their entrepreneurial talents in India (specially in West Bengal) is the overall of inhibition on the part of the Government. The government is still ‘viewed’ as inhibitive and reticent by many young people and Bengal is viewed as totally averse in encouraging new innovative ventures.
Maybe some light can be shed in how the Bengal government is shedding barriers of entry for younger entrepreneurs who probably are not well connected as established businesses in the area.
Roshan
While it has been very bad, things are really improving. For example, you get a trade license renewal letter in your office and you do not need to pay grease money to get the renewal done. You can reasonably estimate time taken for reaching somewhere from somewhere. Your staff will get at least something done.
Way to go but things are not at a standstill.
As others have already pointed out, Pradip’da is an extremely humble and down-to-earth person with a warm and charismatic personality. He is not only a successful entrepreneur, but a great educator, and an overall nice person. I feel privileged to have him as a friend.
Some very impressive pearls of wisdom have already been posted above. I’ll add a few small nuggets of wisdom to that list.
Getting out of your comfort zone:
Anyone who wants to be successful in life (as an entrepreneur or in any other capacity) needs to get out of their “comfort” zone and venture into new (and possibly unknown) territories.
A dream that gets you going day after day:
Successful people tend to be driven and motivated by a dream, which can be in the form of ideas/goals. One should have idea(s)/goal(s) that motivate them to get up in the morning (every day) and work towards those ideas/goals.
Setting Realistic but Hard to Reach Goals:
One needs to have a delicate balance in setting goals that are both realistic but at the same time also quite difficult to reach. If the goals are too easy to reach, there won’t be much motivational boost in trying to reach those goals. On the other hand, if the goals are impossible to reach, one might totally give up (and not have any motivational boost at all).
Use both your heart as well as your head:
One needs to complement analytical skills with gut feelings. While some of us tend to rely more on one of these versus the other, usually the combination of the two leads to the most prudent judgments.
Dr. Dipayan Biswas
Bentley University (Massachusetts, USA)
Firstly i would like to relate how working with Sir (Mr. Chopra) is an extremely enriching and humbling experience by itself.He comes across as someone who is not only knowledgeable but also cares to inform and make a difference.
points 5 and 8 are the most attractive ones for me. I would always keep them in mind.
If i ever think of becoming an entrepreneur i would distinctly keep in mind never to compromise on quality since it is the only thing that lasts longer than even the entrepreneur himself. Easier said than done, but it should be the benchmark for all.
As they say ” A fish grows only as big as the bowl it stays in “.
First of all i would like to thank Pradeep sir for giving his valuable time to us for enriching our personality.Frankly speaking I have never come across such a person in my life.He is truly amazing with such a great persona.We learnt to see life in a different perspective.Thank u sir!
The compilation is really good and inspiring for the young and budding entrepreneurs.I liked point no 2,as i too believe that there are lots of opportunities available everywhere.Its just that we have to scan it and even in problems there lies an oppurtunity for success.IT
For Sir ( as I designate him)-
I have not come across someone who is so wildy human and heavenly down to earth!( my choice of words are weird and strange when it comes to Sir) I could not ever have realised his professional achievements; had I not been said. He is so simple and the way he thinks is as simple.After meeting him the first thing that came to my mind was “Great People indeed do things differently.”
He has been an inner strength to himself. His belief in himself; his confidence in self; and trust on his thinking power are somethings which makes him different.I am sure these are the main course ingridents for making an Entrepreneur!!!! His practical mind and child like simple thinking power is what makes him different from the cattle.I have always wondered if one could possess these two qualities at the same time. And Look, here we have an example.
His risk taking apetite and ability to learn always makes him unique. This is indeed contagious and he has spread this people around him.I had infact imbibed this from him more.
1,2,5 and 7 are the ones which I have been able to identify myself with. He has been so much of inspiration always! Please let flow this enthusiasm more. I am myself a budding Entrepreneur and wish to fly with wings he sells;his words for dreams,aspiration and goals.
Thanks from all of us. Not just that you do make your presence felt but you see to it that it lingers via your words and books. We all are looking forward for many more.
I have yet to come across a person as wise as Mr. Chopra. Having known him for over a decade, I feel he has an insight to almost everything. His thoughts are so inspiring and make one see both sides of the coin, at the same time. I congragulate Mr. Agarwal for puting some of Mr. Chopra’s thoughts together. Good job!!
I recently had the opportunity of interacting with Pradip Ji and I have found in him a friend and a guide who is not hesitant in sharing. He is a person who has successfully walked the talk and words from him have a profound meaning
He has successfully shown that everything is possible if there is strong will. He has truly given back to the society by giving what is precious – his time
Anun ji, a great initiative at your end. Keep up the good work
Sir,all the points are amazing and as always shows us a better path for future.As I have been already doing a job from past 1 yr,i would say that almost a hundred times i was complemented for some of my good work and wisdom which i have acquired from you and your lovely books.You have always been my Ideal and an inspiring person.There is still much more to learn from you.Great thoughts!!
I have never met Mr Pradip Chopra. I have come across many of his books through one of my colleague, Chayan. I have found many solutions to my work related problems from his book on time management. My colleague praises him a lot and I am also becoming one of his admirer. Waiting for an oppurtunity for meeting him.
I am honored to get this opportunity to comment on Pradip sir’s ideologies. He is very experienced and he is contributing to the society not just by way of his amazing work in real estate but also otherwise. These key points are definitely going to show the upcoming entrepreneurs a new insight in making dreams a reality and reach the peak in a short time. The most inspiring point of all the 10 points was:
7. You have to get up and go out to spot those fantastic opportunities. Attractive deals don’t walk in to your office.
I completely agree with this. Opportunities don’t find you, you have to find them. You have to keep looking for the better. There’s always something better than the best.
I am just a student and hardly know anything about business and its success secret and have learned a lot from him. Sir has the power to convince, infuse energy and I think through his books he is spreading his never say die attitude. Like every book of yours this also is going to be a huge success sir.
Thank you
i m truly inspired by his lectures…sir will change your attitude towards things in life,,, wateva field you are,you’ll surely succeed if you follow him…. proud to have him in our college…
the above compilations are jus excellent..each point being more interesting than the other…
great work sir…
Sir,
i myself don’t know what do i say about him. He is a person who has helped us in all respects he could. P.D classes had been a great help to me. It has changed my way of talkng n communicating to the outside world. His thoughts were really inspiring to us. Thankyou so much sir, for giving us your valuable time. We love you sir!!!!!!!!
The compilation is really good and inspiring for the young and budding entrepreneurs.i basically liked point nos.2,5,7 and 10. There are always lots of oppurtunities lying behind us, its just that we have to find out what is that oppurtunity and which partner is the best to work with. Its great sir.
First of all I would like to say that it was a wonderful opportunity to attend PD Class organised bt Pradip Sir. Sir have changed my way of thinking in more than one ways. I have been the fan of Sir from day one. Thanks Sir for doing so much for our Society.
I think the compilation are really very good. I cannot find any flaw in any of the points. I can’t say which point is better than the other as I think all are very important to become a successful entrepreneur.
What Pradipji says about partnership is interesting. I am a firm believer that with partnership you can leverage. When partners offer contradictory views on an issue they are able to have a better perspective of things. His own firm is a shining example of how partnership helps one make geometric progression.
First of all i would like to thank sir for taking those PD classes in our college. It was a wonderful experience sir and my life changed after those classes.His lectures are so inspiring that your attitude towards life changes for the better.He has changed my way of thinkning in a lot of ways.
Thank u sir…thank u very much for your valuable time.
Ithink the compilation is excellent. Its really helpful for the budding entreprenuers.
Sri Pradipji Chopra is my 1st cousion and I had the oppurtunity to interact with him since our childhood.Simple nature is his asset, an excellent motivator the best example is the students he is training in soft skills. Speaking more on his qualities is showing a lucifer match to the sun.
One thing which I have learnt from him recently is as a buisnessman you should be nice. Over the years I have read many Management books where emphasis is given on smartness but no book talks of being nice as a buisnessman
I have heard of Pradip Sir from a friend of mine who is doing PD classes in St. Xaviers College. From whatever I could garner from those little bits information about him from my friend I could understand that he is a great motivator. His classes have changed my friend’s views of life transforming her to a born optimist. I am outside Kolkata now but once I return to Kolkata, I wish to enroll my self for the soft skill classes so that i could also be a part of his learnings and I could be a good huuman being !!
Hi,
Pradip Sir is a wonderful person and very down to earth.He is full of optimistism.I always believed that ” there’s benefit hidden behind every event in life..”..n just look p.d. classes gave me an oppurtunity to have him as my mentor..His lectures were very valuable…
He always says one thing n that is “DREAM BIG..”..In order to avhieve something in life we must have clear vision, high thoughts n last but not the least put our heart n soul to achieve this..This is what sir have always taught us..
Its true oppurtunities are everywhere..we just require an eagle eye to discover benefits out of it….
I totally agree with pt. 8..There’s no replacement for quality…There should be consistency for increasing results…
The compilation is fantastic n is really helpful for budding entrepreneurs..
Wish u keep on writing n come up with such valuable books…
GOD BLESS U!!!!.
These are really good points…nice gathering Mr. Arun… Well it’s a contentment to know Pradip Sir… He is a wonderful soul…and deserves to be loved… He has always inspired me. Thank u sir for all your support…
All the points are great but point no. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are my favourites…I’ll always keep them in mind.
Once said, in which I completely believe and is experienced by me too
“it’s better to be exhausted with success than to be relaxed with failure…”
keep smiling… all the best…!!!