I have been lucky that i know a friend Dr. Sushma who is a doctor and her medicine perspectives have really contributed and has made a significant difference in my life and my career as a entrepreneur.

She once shared about two approaches towards medical problems and how we handle it with problematic approach and solution based approach.

1. Problematic approach: is a approach to solve problem in which we find solution to a problem and we come across a problem to that solution, it is a chain of solutions and problems and we give up.

2. Solution based approach: is also a approach to solve problem, in this approach we are clear there are going to be chain of problems and solutions in this and we need to find a solution.

Here are some case studies of solution based approach -
1. Unfinished work of a client -
There was a situation when six projects of one of my client was blocked for production release because client was busy and he had no content for website and he didn’t had time to explain. I was finding a solution and he use to throw real and valid problems, it was really frustrating and upset situation and its hard to work with such clients.
After getting to know solution based approach, how can my client being a CEO of his company he his struggling, i educated him on some process like project management, CRM and ERP and how he could resolve his problems with proper process and structure. I not only found a solution to release 6 projects but also got one big project.

2. My staff -
Unproductive employee – I had colleague of mine she was very silent, shy and doesn’t communicate, whenever my colleagues find a flaw of her at work, she will cry. My senior engineers used to say, look she doesn’t fit this role and its a pain for all of us to co-ordinate with her. I said listen guys she badly needs the job, how can we resolve this, i am clear she will work in IdeaCarve. I had a serious discussion with her on how she being like this has a impact on all of us and she need to be responsible. She is one among the top performer in my company, she starting interacting well with team members and she now also interacts with USA clients.

3. At home -
My mother used to always blame me or my brother for uncompleted work, it was high time i had to communicate with her that i want you to be happy there are no human beings with 100% perfect quality lets accept each other and you being like this has a impact on your health and also impacts the peace in our home. Now she doesn’t look for gap, she communicates her expectation.

4. New projects -
Recently i got new project it was kind of complicated and there are so many technologies i didn’t know, i told my client listen there we need more resource and money to develop this and i blocked the client with problems. After a day i just remembered how much habitual i was living with problematic approach. I took the project and i am about to complete that project now.

Practising solution based approach, not only i am able to solve problems, i am also able to solve others problem. My view towards problem got transformed.

I acknowledge below people who have been a great support for me, without them i couldn’t have had amazing life.

My mom and brother – For believing in me during bad times in entrepreneurship.

My team Brother, Suchitra, Madhu M S – For staying with me and going through the pressures in IdeaCarve team member took away most of my responsibilities at work.

Landmark Education – Giving me access to what are my barriers in my life, and getting me present to anything is possible in life if we are committed.

All my clients – For having so much of patience when i was dealing with lot of breakdowns in life.

Jeff, Andrew, Don – For believing in me in tough times and supporting me in release of their projects.

Saran – A caring and great mentor, helped me by connecting me to key clients i have today and always guiding me

Pranab (Feedback on how to write a email, telling how to be smart, which market to focus)

Vijay (Gemnet Info Systems)- Vendors of laptops, for trusting me and supporting me in crucial times and accepting the part payments.

Allen, Vijay Raju, Raghu M, Sunil, Arun Tumati – Referring me more clients.

Sanjesh A (My buddy and always empowered and supporting me at bad times).

Vineet Sharma (my coach guiding me how to be someone unreasonable and play the games with rules and agreements)

Noor, Somashekar, Sunil, Sudheendra, Raghava Kottekar, Guruprasad – My classmates and batchmates who helped me in crucial times when i needed financial support.

Sudhakar Gunaseelan – First company team lead creating a context of earning money for next year, not for this year.

My buddy Shikha Kapoor – Always calling me dramebaz and been a great support morally, standing by me listening to my stories and blasting me to perform. Always empowered me to be in integrity and life a life with commitment.

Vidya MG, Vishwa Swamy, Sampath Kumar – Amazing commitmeint in standing and supporting for students in webaggregate

Pavan, Raju, Madhu MS, My brother, Navaneetha CM, Usha, Dr. Sushma, Soujanya – Helping me to find a venue and handling all responsibility themselves.

Dr Sushma – How to be passionate in reading and a demand for me produce results in company and guided me where are my gaps when things didn’t work in my life and taught what is left and right brain and how creative and unrealistic i was in most aspects of my life.

Kirti Hosmani -  Telling me repeatedly to watch kung fu panda movie and Teaching me lesson, believing myself is a key for breakthrough in life.Because of her i got to know Soujanya, Dr Sushma, and Navaneetha.  Believing i am someone special has helped me a lot.

Dr. Viji, Ashish – Landmark program Leaders who lead such a amazing classes.

All of my BDT’ians – Showing such a great love towards me.

Srikanth T S – Jk Travels CEO, he enrolled me into BNI entrepreneurs group. He has been a great mentor and buddy in my life.

Mayank S – For creating that i don’t believe myself that’s why i sold my services at lower cost. This was a extraordinary breakthrough of my life.

What is Passion ?
Wikipedia says “Passion is a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something”.

It was sometime in the evening around 4:30pm in november 2010 during a client visit, i happened to discuss about passions with one of my colleage Suchitra(She takes care of programming, designing, social media marketing at IdeaCarve). She was thinking very hard, kind of confused and she politely replied “Ganesh give me more time”. I said alright take your time and share with me while returning from the client place.

After a while she throwed a question on me, what are your passion’s Ganesh?
I said my passions are -
Teaching – I want to be a guest lecturer and share my knowledge to students
Farming – I want to be a farmer.
Research Engineer – I like to learn new technology, do product research.

It was difficult for me to acknowledge and confront i was not living the life i love. Being a CEO of a startup company, i worked on project management, market research, engineering, client interaction, product research, marketing, operations. Some of the unavoidable commitments in life puts us into a helpless situation, i would say it is a kind of trap.

For every single problem there is a way, what we need is a reliable structures and consistent actions to create what we want. After realizing i was not living my passions fully, and enquiring myself i found being independent, hard working and doing many things myself was the source of trouble.

I planned and took action and started  2nd branch of IdeaCarve in Davangere on Dec 2010. Now i am doing research work from here, planning to take some property for farming and also teach as a guest lecturer at engineering colleges here.

I joined engineering in 1999.

I was home sick(never stayed away from family) had to discontinued for a year in 2000. I was lucky i had 2 batch friends, 2003 and 2004.

2002, Developed a system editor project alone using unix ncurses.h library, this was my turning point in my life, which helped me to believe myself i had a talent to achieve.

I had 4 backlog subjects(Due to pressure dropped a Micro processor lab exam and a Data compression theory exam ) and wrote all the things in final year, cleared 2 subjects in final year and 2 after engineering.

Passed out in 2004 with aggregate of approximately 60%, took 5 and half years to complete my engineering. got job in 2005.

Started job with rs. 3,000/- in august 2005

Got job confirmation oct 2005 and hike to rs. 6500/-

Jan 2006, got salary hike rs. 10,000/-

Feb 2006, Changed job ( got joining hike rs. 15,000/- ) with the intention to learn how this entire website works. They put me into designing, i quit after 2 months.

Apr 2006, Changed the job ( same salary rs. 15,000/- and with the promise of hike ), company was near from my home.

June 2006, Changed the job ( salary was rs. 30,000/- ), learnt all latest technology (had referred job sites and learnt all technology about what is important in industry). Worked alone for a year many people joined and many quit for the pressure, i built up a team, now this company has 60+ employees.

11 months, salary grew from rs. 3,000 to rs. 30,000/-.

In march 2008, i did try to start a startup but not enough courage (fear of failure) had to drop the idea.

In April 2008, Joined Yahoo!. Telephonic round and cleared 6 interview rounds. Wow! it was my dream company, i always liked web application development.

In Dec 2009, i declared will start my company by dec 2010 in bangalore and in dec 2011 i will start in davangere. I want to be a research engineer, farmer and a guest lecturer.

In Jan 2010, founded a not for profit organization WebAggregate to create a support structure to empower students.

In Dec 2010, I quit Yahoo! and joined IdeaCarve , my dream startup, the context of this company is to create ideas.

In Sep 2011, After watching lot of entrepreneur videos, i declared i am going to create our college like standford education, create more entrepreneurs.

In Dec 2011, I started 2nd branch of  IdeaCarve in davangere.

When i look back what differs in past and now was, people give so much significance to money and first 1 year where i worked i was the same, now i live my life to fulfil what i love, to fulfil my passion.

In Dec 2011, I am empowering 2 of my juniors to start their own startup.

Below are people who inspired me towards technology and entrepreneurship -

Gujjar Vikas – 2003 batch classmate, he was expert in all programming language. Wrote a game using c++ programming in 4th semester

Pavan Gayakwad – 2004 classmate, Microsoft VB and .net expert, he was born with talent. He developed c++ project, perl project. I always wondered how did Vikas and Pavan develop this ability.

Sudheendra Shanbag – My room mate, core techie, who used to inspire me by his programming skills and creative ideas.

Shreedhara K S, UBDTCE – he said “Life is all about when and how you apply your mind, thats what it matters. ”

Veerappa B N, UBDTC – he said “Mind is like a bank, deposit good thoughts”

Landmark Education  – Transformative learning, got present to lot of my blind spots.

My coach in Landmark Education SELP – Vineet Sharma – To play the entrepreneurship game, with rules.

While working and being part of interview panel in previous organizations from start up to MNC learnt one thing. MNC company looks at perfect candidate with analytical, communication and technical skills and start up companies looks at hiring person who has good hands on technology.

At IdeaCarve interviews we focus on candidate attitude towards his future goals and passion on technology, and then we look at hands on technology.

This month i hired 2 people. It was my first time experience of fulfilment of hiring someone who needs job, after i hired they delivered new technology in a weeks time, WOW! was my experience,  and also got present to people who want and who needs job.

Why was it a great experience and fulfilment for me, people who needs job knows the value of job they have a kind of drive which is so powerful they complete much work in short time if they get it. I look at this as a critical prerequisite in hiring a person.

This separates them from people who want job they can wait, they just want the job that’s all. The y just want a job like others, there is no context for future what they want to do, what they want to be, they just want it.

How many of us always don’t enjoy this moment and wait for reaching 100% of what we think we should , and trust me when we reach that 100% most times we keep another goal, the journey with which we reach that matters not the results.

Running behind something and missing out what we got can screw up the present precious moments.

I am practicing Savor life’s joy, immediately i went to the sweet stall and purchased sweets to share to my elder sister’s family and my family and to all my colleagues at office.

I realized this milestone meant a lot to me, i shared about what i got a payment from my first client my mom and brother were so happy, i could now get the thing what it takes to embrace the present  and share the joy with everyone around us.

Mantra -

Transform the organization performance and productivity by enabling the organizations to meet their business strategy and help them in execution.

Measures  -

Performance Carve clients will sign a contract which gives them access -

• Software – A cloud based CRM, ERP, Project management tool which is specially designed based on industry best practices
• Effective human resource – Hire employees for Performance Carve client requirements and hire freshers and train them in house on best industry standards and place them to Client companies.
• Consultation – A engineer from IdeaCarve is going to work at client location in creating stratergy and executing the process and structure for organization performance.
• Fulfilling growing demand of organization and creating jobs for freshers – Performance Carve takes interviews and hires freshers and trains them and gives them away to client.
• Handle placement issue – Create jobs for freshers even before they get training. We take interview once shortlisted it is confirmed they have a job in hand, and we train them to best of our knowledge.

Outcomes -

Create job opportunities for freshers, train them to industry level.

Enable small and medium organizations.

We are kick starting this by hiring 3 freshers for 2 web technology companies.

Background of why Performance Carve ?

IdeaCarve was working with a client, and client has 10 employees and they are expenses are high and people are not productive and i met couple of my clients they are dealing with same thing. There is increase in the job request but clients are not able to meet it even if they are hiring more people. I was looking at myself dealing with those issues when i started the startup company.

Its a myth that hiring people helps to fulfill the growing demand of work.

All that we need is a effective utilization of existing resources.

It is disappointing to hear 80% of start up companies close down in the first year of starting.

Enabling Enterpreneurship, creating jobs is the main idea behind performance carve.

Future vision -

Expand this to mobile application development, later into marketing, HR.

Innovate Recruitment and  or Training & Development process

Enable each startup and mid scale business to be a successful companies

Expanding this process to other business categories – I am in discussion with 2 security surveillance  and one computer sales and service company.

What was wrong?

Entrepreneur quits full time job and starts a company and create lot of jobs in the journey, somewhere i realised i was not playing entrepreneur role, my role was focussed and derived from previous roles like software programming, managing team like my ex-managers.

Initial days my company failed miserably to deliver projects on time, even hard work with lot of planning didn’t work, financial results were bad. I started to ask what has happened? Why are my actions failing repeatedly.

Entrepreneur is a vision of the company, he should spend more time in research, learning new things, understanding the existing problems in the industries, coming up with new services, products or technologies which could solve those problems, creating structures to run his organization and reviewing it, create more leaders who would align with his vision and enable the companies growth.

I started to do that, i freed couple of my employees from their day to day jobs, i started to replicate my strengths in them and they showed up as leaders and manage things, which gave lot of freedom for me to take up bigger games.

Entrepreneur role starts with vision, creativity(creating ideas/thoughts), innovation(conversion of thoughts) and prototype business models which enables organizations.

step1: Decide the paths which you want to protect

- Path: /var/www/html/,
Path to .htaccess : /var/www/html/.htaccess,
Path to password file : /var/www/my_password_file,

step2: Create a .htaccessfile

AuthType Basic
AuthName “Authentification required”
AuthUserFile /var/www/my_password_file
Require user admin_user

step3: create a password file

htpasswd -cb /var/www/html/my_password_file admin_user password

Explaination:

In step1,

• - /var/www/html/ is a path which has to be protected from outside users,
• - and so we have to keep .htaccess file right in that directory level,
• - path to the Password file ‘my_password_file’ is /var/www/my_password_file,

In step2,

• AuthType Basic – Suggests that we are choosing the Basic authentification type.
• AuthName “Authentification required” – prompts for user name password and with the pop up title ‘Authemtification required’.
• AuthUserFile – Specifies the path to the password file.
• Require user – We are mentioning which is the user name that should be used.

In step3,
using htpasswd we are creating the password file ‘my_password_file’ for user ‘admin_user’ and we are specifying password as ‘password’

Reference Links:
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/1.3/programs/htpasswd.html

Lets write a configuration file( config.ini ) which consists of all the environment settings -

[localhost]
application_path  =  c:/php/htdocs/myproject/
db_host           =  localhost
db_user           =  my_db_user
db_password       =  my_db_password
db_name           =  my_database

[staging]
application_path  = /development/html/myproject/
db_host           = server.com
db_username       = my_devel_db_user
db_password       = my_devel_db_password
db_name           = my_devel_db_name

[production]
application_path  = /production/html/myproject/
db_host           = server.com
db_username       = my_prod_db_user
db_password       = my_prod_db_password
db_name           = my_prod_db_name

Now lets write a Bootstrap file( index.php) which uses the configuration,

<?php

define("OPEARTING_MODE",  "localhost");
// For development,  define("OPEARTING_MODE",  "staging");
// For production, define("OPEARTING_MODE",  "production");

// Parse the ini file by blocks
$configData = parse_ini_file("config.ini",  true);

require_once $configData[OPERATING_MODE]["application_path"] . "file.php";

define(DB_USER,         $configData[OPERATING_MODE]["db_user"])

define(DB_HOST,         $configData[OPERATING_MODE]["db_host"]);

define(DB_PASSWORD,	$configData[OPERATING_MODE]["db_password"]);

define(DB_NAME,         $configData[OPERATING_MODE]["db_name"]);

mysql_connect(DB_HOST, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD);
?>

Just by changing the operating mode, we can easily configure the environment. Tedious process of manually editing each and every environment settings after the file is uploaded/checked out to development/production can be avoided by this approach.