Ranked as one of the best undergraduate B-schools in Delhi NCR and an integral part of Asian Education Group – Asian School of Business welcomed its new batch of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) by launching a grand week-long Orientation Programme scheduled from Monday, 19th October 2020 to Saturday, 31st October 2020. However, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and keeping in mind the social distancing norms, this programme was conducted virtually to benefit the students who were about to begin a new phase in their academic life.
Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani – Founder of Info Edge which runs portals like Naukri.com, India’s leading job site besides other web sites like Jeevansathi.com, 99acres.com, Brijj.com, Allcheckdeals.com, Naukrigulf.com, Shiksha.com, and Firstnaukri.com – was an Eminent Guest at this ASB Orientation 2020 who offered a highly motivating LEAD Lecture session for the new batch of BBA & BCA students on Friday, 23rd October 2020 as part of the week-long Asian School of Business BBA & BCA Orientation Programme 2020.
A well-known Indian businessman, Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani is the founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge which owns Naukri.com, a job portal, as well as the co-founder of Ashoka University. Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani won the “Ernst and Young – Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 2008 for Business Transformation and is recognized as “India’s Fifty Greatest CEOs ever” by Outlook Magazine. He was given the Padma Shri Award, the fourth Highest civilian award in India, in January 2020.
Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani attended St. Columba’s School, Delhi and finished schooling from there in 1981. Thereafter, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi in 1984 and completed his MBA from IIMA in 1989. He is ranked #68 in Forbes India Rich List 2020 with a net worth of US$2.1 Billion.
Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani’s LEAD Lecture session on Friday, 23rd October 2020 at Asian School of Business – conducted as a part of the week-long BBA & BCA Orientation Programme 2020 – was a completely interactive Q & A session that turned out to be not only highly informative but also hugely motivating for all who participated.
The session started with the question, “How did you start your entrepreneurial journey?” Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani answered this question by stating that it was only after working for 5 years in the corporate world that he decided that he will be his own boss. He confided that he started in a small way from his father’s garage with a second-hand computer and a seed capital of just Rs. 2000/- Working without any salary, in the year 1997, he launched Naukri.com as the “21st idea” that finally struck success for him! Answering a question regarding the lessons that he learnt as a student of IIM, Ahmedabad, the eminent alumni of the hallowed institute said, “I learnt a lot from my classmates … especially the value of hard work and working with people in a team.”
The next question was, “What one should if they had a good business idea but no money to fuel the same?” Here, Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani advised the students, “If you decide to go with your business idea, you will need to explain the same at various forums and if you are able to convince at most of these forums, then you will find your investors for sure. But, understand the risk, only then jump into it. In any case, you should also a Plan B ready for yourself, just in case it doesn’t click. And, don’t leave your job until you have done your basic groundwork!”
Then, there was another question that asked whether he believed that “an idea can change your life”? Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani said that it is only possible “if you execute it well”. “Alone, idea is not important. Keep trying. Persistence is important.” Here, he quoted his own example of Naukri.com coming out as the 21st idea!
When requested to share his advice to all budding entrepreneurs, Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani said, “Dream Big but start small. Be frugal with your expenses and learn to do it all yourself, until you have struck deeper roots of success.”
Providing his answer to a question on the changes in hiring trends due to the ongoing pandemic, Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani said, “Not many people are hiring, and it’s quite hard unless you have particular skillsets; hence, work well on your skill set.”
As the session progressed, the stream of questions looked unending, but the highly accomplished entrepreneur answered them all to the utmost satisfaction of the inquisitive ASB students.
Reaching the end of his session, and talking in reference to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani had a small but pertinent message for the students. He said, “Don’t panic. Everything will be alright. Keep going strong with your dreams and ambitions. And, always remember, Persistence Pays!”
