The D-Day

And finally it happened. A small journey that started off on a dull afternoon culminated into my first ever meeting with the investors. I have no clue on what it took i-dream to be amongst the 1000 ideas from the total of 12000 which appeared in the first round. Very frankly, real work on the business plan had started only after I had cleared the first round. And then, i-dream managed to even clear the last hurdle and enter into the final round. May be it was the power of idea we had which was strong enough to be one amongst the 234 ideas which made it to the final round.

The final round involved a meeting with the potential investors. I have been preparing for this meeting since a very long time with innumerable days and hours going into it. On the D-day, Dad and me reached on time and we were asked to go into the meeting slightly before scheduled time of 11:45 AM. That the meeting lasted for more than 1.5 hours against the allotted time of 45 mins is a good enough indication of the fact that the things were all positive. The panel liked our idea, concept, marketing, sales strategy etc. However, the only point was that we are still a pre revenue company which therefore increases the risk from the investor's point of view. And very honestly, the point is fair as well. I mean why would someone want to invest money into an idea which is still at a very nascent stage. Secondly, we are trying to sell a concept and not really a product whose market exists already.

So, we may not get the immediate funding but the prospect of getting one is extremely high if we are able to prove our concept in the coming 5-6 months. Moreover, the entire exercise has also helped me give a definite shape to entire business plan which I feel is so critical for any new venture. It helps in more ways than one. Firstly, it sets the direction where you would see your venture shaping up in the years to come. And secondly, since you know your potential numbers much before, you also avoid a lot of frustration creeping into you during the early years when you may not be making all the profits.

As I have said before, " It may or may not, the dreamer will keep dreaming", and so it will be.

My i-pod somehow catches the mood of my guitar and keeps playing the same song, " Piyu bole..piya bole...kya ye bole...jaanu na". Enjoy!

Website Launch

And so i-dream goes online. After a lot of patience, lot of time and a lot of thought, we have finally launched our website. It was a very normal affair unlike doing it in a press conference as suggested to me by a friend. I just reached home from office, logged on and here it was, the website was finally up.

So, mark this date of 10 June, 2009 as the official launching day for i-dream website.

Please log on to http://www.simplygreens.com/ and let me know your feedback/comments.

My ipod meanwhile has picked up my new favourite song, " gulon mein rang bhare, badalon bahar chale". Enjoy!

i-dream makes the Final Cut

Some good news for i-dream. Out of 12, 000 ideas that were shortlisted in the first round at ET-Power of Ideas Contest, i-dream is among the 254 finally selected for the final round of presentation in front of the investors.

As for the final round, I have also been assigned a mentor who will review the B-Plan with me and help fine tune it before the final presentation. I have not met him yet but his profile as per his company's website looks very promising. I am sure it would be exciting to meet him and discuss about i-dream.

More than the selection in to the final round and the amount of money it might bring in, I am glad that the idea is finding some acceptability when it comes to making business sense out of the same. Also, making the business plan has given a lot more direction to the way we need to approach about i-dream irrespective of whether we get the money or not. All in all, the connection with the ET initiative has certainly been of some utility for me. Lets see how it goes on from here.

My i-pod is playing the same that I am currently playing onmy guitar, " Jab se tere naina..mere nainon se ..laage re...." Enjoy!

Competition is hotting up...

Just read about one of TERI's initiative in the field of environment education. What they are trying to do is very similar to our concept as well. In such a scenario, the odds are certainly stacked against us. And there are reasons as well.

TERI is ofcourse a very big and influential organization when it comes to anything to do with environment. And after Dr. Pachauri got the nobel prize, TERI has come under a lot more limelight. However, I must admit that they are doing fantastic job as well undertaking several very good research projects. Moreover, it is much easier for them to get any sort of tie-up whether in media or any sponsorship. Akshay Kumar infact endorses their Soldiers of the Earth comic series.

But, how well are they able to sustain their initiative on environment education is something that I would need to watch out for. Because if they do manage to do well, it will create some very stiff competition for us, atleast in the city of Delhi. Lets see how it goes on from here. Some highlights of TERI's initiative:

"The Soldiers of the Earth campaign, an all encompassing, environmental awareness generation programme launched by TERI Press, the publishing arm of TERI and India's first green publisher, in collaboration with the ONGC is all set to go to the grassroots with the start of their school awareness programme in early July this year.
The programme includes innovative components like books, workshops, educational learning material to educate, train and encourage children from all walks of life to learn more about the world they live in and encourage them to act towards saving their planet.
This phase aims to raise awareness among school children towards conservation of the environment in the school, at home and in the locality. Activities such as rainwater harvesting; vermi-composting; tree plantation, slogan-writing, and poster-painting competitions, as well as 'reduce, reuse, recycle' campaigns would be carried forward in schools across India"

My i-pod is reminding me of the Lagaan spirit,
" koi humse jeet na paave...chale chalo..chale chalo.." Enjoy!