Entrepreneurship Reborn

It’s true that young children can be very innovative and enterprising. Just the other day, I saw my 5-year-old grandson pushing a huge mango seed (guthli) into a tiny pot full of mud – after enjoying the juicy fruit to the hilt!

“What are you up to?” I inquired.

“I am planting a mango tree so that we can all have mangoes whenever we want,” he replied gleefully, his bright eyes shining with delight.

I was just going to enlighten him and explain that trees cannot grow in flats, when I checked myself. Well, they can, can’t they?

The truth is that trees can be grown in apartments – one of the numerous examples of what entrepreneurship can achieve.

The Spirit of Entrepreneurship

The spirit of entrepreneurship is all about having an attitude that proactively looks for change for progress and betterment rather than meekly accepting and adjusting to the status quo.

The COVID-19 pandemic – the single-most disruptive event of its scale and kind – has brought out the ‘innovative entrepreneur’ in many of us. It has most visibly ushered in an entrepreneurial transformation in society.

Let’s take a look at some types of entrepreneurial ventures that were launched and thrived during the pandemic:

1. Cloud kitchens

• A cloud kitchen, unlike restaurants, does not cater to dine-in or takeaway.
• Instead, orders are taken via calls or online ordering websites and the food prepared is delivered at the doorsteps of customers.

2. Staycations

• Many tourism companies, which were the hardest hit by the pandemic, found some relief in the concept of ‘staycation’.
• This involves staying in your home country or at home and exploring local tourism attractions in the form of short trips.

3. Food designed for COVID patients

• Several food start-ups have been offering affordable and nutritious meal packages for COVID patients.
• A good business idea, it also proved to be very helpful to those who were home quarantined and unable to move out, or those who were battling the illness and were too weak to cook.

4. Private vehicles converted to ambulances

• As the second wave raged in the country, getting a timely ambulance service became a ‘luxury’.
• In these times, many socially conscious, entrepreneurial individuals came forward and converted their private cars into ambulances to meet the shortfall.

5. Intermediaries facilitating smooth supply of COVID-related medical materials to the needy

• With people struggling to procure certain necessary medicines, oxygen cylinders, etc., there were individuals and organisations that rose up to the occasion and facilitated a smooth supply of these – not just to hospitals but also to those who were under treatment at home.
• Unfortunately, it’s also true that some anti-social elements disguised themselves as ‘do-gooders’ during these times and fleeced vulnerable people.

6. Terrace Gardening

This is what my grandson was initiating in his own small way. People have been growing not only flowers and vegetables but also entire ‘orchards’ on their balconies and terraces – planting Papaya, Banana, Lemon, Pomegranate and many more trees!

Joseph Francis of Kerala took this several steps further when he grew over 50 Mango varieties on the terrace! Interestingly, he named one of his trees ‘Patricia’ after his wife.

Having a passion for terrace gardening has many advantages too:

• It’s a great hobby
• You get to eat organic fruits and vegetables
• The abundant greenery and colourful flowers are therapeutic – they help you relax
• The oxygen generated is very good for your health
• It’s a constructive and creative way to make use of your time during the lockdown

So, if you have an entrepreneurial streak, go right ahead. This may just be the best time to put your outside-the-box ideas into practice. Remember, the world is eager for new, sustainable solutions.

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