Startup ideas in India, STFUtheBook, Startups, Book on Startups

Startup ideas In India – 3 ways to kick start your entrepreneurial journey

A few days back I was wondering why most of us don’t start our entrepreneurial journey. What makes us wait for months or years to take the plunge? Well, there are quite a few factors; lack of funds, experience, guts, mentor, co-founder, et al. But after talking to some individuals, I realized that most of them are awaiting a breakthrough; a life-changing idea. My question, however, is do we lack good startup ideas in India? No. We don’t. Then why are people still awaiting an idea to kick-start their entrepreneurial journey? Here’s why.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, it’s difficult to crack the most unique idea. And a unique idea is no more a guarantee for a successful startup. The real reason is that the word “Idea” is highly over-rated. People think that one great idea will change their life. It does happen, but to a limited few. For everyone else, awaiting an idea is just a way to convince themselves that they are actually working on something worthwhile, and this wait is justified. In simple words, it’s a big plain lie that we surround ourselves with. And this blog is specifically for those who are still waiting…

Startup ideas in India, STFUtheBook, Startups, Book on Startups
Here are a few ideas you can use to kick start your entrepreneurial journey. At the end of the day idea is important… but without execution, nothing moves.

I’m going to share 3 decently unique ideas. These can be termed as startup ideas in India. Am sure this might ring some bells in your head. And you’d have questions. Why am I sharing these ideas? What if someone steals them? If these startup ideas in India are really good, why am I not using them? Well, I’ll answer all these questions. But before that let’s look at these three ideas:

Gifting Portal:

Technology startups in India are the flavor of the season. This one would be technology meets logistics. But I know that your first reaction to this idea would be, “Bullshit! There are already so many gifting websites that are the perfect startup ideas in India. So, this one’s crap.” I do agree with this thought but partially. Yes there are a lot of gifting websites. But I’ve not come across a website that’s only for Men! And why would I want to cut down my customers and target only men, despite the fact that women do a lot more online shopping? It’s simple. The website will cater to men. But the gifts will be for women. We all men have a bad habit of forgetting some important dates. And we mess up gifts on anniversary, birthdays, et al. So on this portal, you can choose one of the three packages depending on your budget. The payment would be made in advance. The next step would be to fill up a simple questionnaire that would help the gifting team choose a gift that suits your lady love’s personality & taste. And you can pre-select dates of your marriage, wife’s birthday, etc., and the portal will make sure that a good gift, as per your chosen package, is delivered to your lady love. There will be no branding of the boys who deliver. So, you’ll not even be termed lazy, unromantic, or disinterested. In fact, you’ll be appreciated. And this is the biggest appreciation a man would want. You’ll obviously have to do more research to understand how you can make this idea a lot more interesting.

Junk Collection:

Some startups ideas in India are pretty interesting. We’ve streamlined a lot of unorganized sectors. And it’s been doing great. From laundry to domestic help, everything is slowly becoming a lot more professional. In fact, some such startups have managed to earn the “Social Startup” tag as well. So, you’re not just making money and solving a problem, you’re also making a very positive impact on the society. Isn’t that a great thing to do? So, here’s another option to create an interesting startup idea in India. We are all aware of the good old Raddi-Walas. Aren’t we? But over the years, we’ve not been seeing them much. Our parent’s were fans of the traditional Raddi-Walas. They would not just collect all the waste they’d even pay us in return. What if we organize this sector? How about waste collection on call? Apparently, Raddi-Walas make decent money by selling all the waste papers, books, magazines, etc., back to the paper industries. So, there’s certainly a revenue-model there. And all this is not just limited to paper, you can move ahead to metal and other products too. With the size of apartments decreasing with time, would be ready to even pay a nominal fee to clear the junk off their house. So, you can certainly work around a model. Start small, get some experience, and slowly scale up. Connect this with technology and get a website in place. You can even get innovative with this, and add more services as well.

App Teacher:

With the rapid technological advancement, a generation has been unable to catch up with things. There are those who admire the fact that so many things can be done with a click today. They also want to be a part of this revolution, and integrate technology in their lives. But somehow, there’s this fear of going wrong. This is specifically the previous generation. Can we not have an app that just brings all their answers in one single place? It can have categories ranging from Banking & Groceries to Entertainment & General, from Tourism to Cabs. This will give step-by-step information on how to make basic use of various apps and website used for Ticketing, Food ordering, etc. It could sound strange that in today’s world why would someone need this assistance. But if we talk to some people from the previous generation, they’d be ready to pay for this service. A multi-lingual call-center support will be the icing on the cake. So, there are problem areas that we can look for in our day-to-day lives. So, of the biggest companies have come into existence to solve these basic day-to-day problems.

Is there a lack of startup ideas in India?

Well, these are just some broad startup ideas in India. I have not executed any of these because I’ve got enough on my plate already. I run three companies. And all my time goes in that. I can’t possibly execute all the ideas in the world. But I can at least use a few of them to ring a loud alarm in the ears of those who think that their wait is justified because they don’t have the “Perfect” idea. Most importantly, I think that it’s not the idea that should take the centre stage; it’s the execution. An idea is just a part of business. How you execute the idea is what differentiates you from others. There are so many examples of great businesses that are not unique in terms of broad ideas. But it’s the execution that has made them a brand to reckon with. Unfortunately, execution is a very under-rated term. The game is all about execution, and we end up investing all our time awaiting one “so-called” brilliant idea.

My goal with this blog is just to help you understand whether awaiting good startup ideas in India is a genuine reason for you to not take the plunge into the world of entrepreneurship. Or is it a way to justify your endless wait? Whatever your reason, I think it’s time to read my book, STFU-Start the F Up!


About The Author:


Rajive Dhavan
is a serial entrepreneur, and the author of the book STFU – Start The F Up, for present & future leaders of startups. He’s got a collective work experience of over 10 years. Having launched his first startup at the age of 22, today he heads three successful companies – What’s In a Name Creatives, Namesake Productions & Just Flaunt Salon. He launched his first startup with an investment of Rs. 40,000 and (Read More…)

Rajive Dhavan

Hi! I'm an Entrepreneur, Digital Marketer, Podcaster & Author. He's got 18+ years of experience in Branding, Digital Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. 12+ years as Founder & CEO of South India's Leading Integrated Branding & Digital Marketing Agency, a Video Production Company & a Hair Salon. Before my entrepreneurial journey, I had the opportunity to work in various capacities like Process Trainer, Sub-editor & Columnist in companies like HSBC Bank Plc, GE Capital & Deccan Chronicle. Official Mentor (Digital Marketing & Branding) of T-Hub (India's Largest Business Incubator), Hyderabad; IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) - Bombay, and Osmania - Technology & Business Incubator (O-TBI), Hyderabad.

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