First ever Business Magazine from any of the IIMs

I did it!!! My long cherished dream has at last come true!! Few days back we launched the first ever business magazine from any of the IIMs – ‘ I ’ The Business Magazine.

I had been working on this project for more than a year. Had sacrificed a lot for it...studies, freaking around with friends etc, etc. But it was worth it. Receiving raving reviews from everybody...batch mates, juniors, faculty, friends, alumni etc. (the best one -"...its inspiring even for us..."-A faculty member)But above all it’s the satisfaction of being able to achieve something which everybody discounted as an impossible dream.

In the end, this project gave the same feeling as the CA final exams. A great milestone to achieve…will exchange nothing for it….but will never like to do it again for anything. One of the most prized achievements but at the same time effort required was something too much to do very often.(and then law of marginal utility also applies) But then first time is the difficult part…now it will be easy. You learn a lot in the first time itself. I already feel I am high on the learning curve.

Another major reason for this great feeling (I fell like on top of the world) is that I had been able to publish the Reliance Infocomm & Energy Synergy story which I had been trying to get published for more than 2 years now. I always knew it was a big idea and had a feeling that it would be my “big break” (if I use the term I used in the article – Defining Moment). In the past I had showed around the story to many people, I was also able to sell the story to Tony Joseph and Prosenjit of Business World…worked with them for months on the story but could not publish it only because I were not able to convince them that something so big is happening and a novice like me is breaking the story to them…they thought its too good to believe…. there must be a catch. When I used to mail this article to editors, industry people etc..I always had a fear that someone will steal the idea and publish the article in his own name…there I was wrong …I feel like quoting a quote I read somewhere few days back

“Don’t worry about people stealing your Ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.”
-Attributed to Howard Aiken

This magazine publication project was a major learning for me. Few of the things worth mentioning are:

1. Never compromise on quality…if the quality is not good its not even worth the effort, time and money you put into it

2. Donot waste too much time planning…just do it…planning can be done on the move too…but basic planning is very important

3. ‘You need not be a GENIUS to achieve your dreams, you need to be a MANIAC’

4. Its better to pay and get work done….but pay doesnot guarantee quality and timely work….you need to be know the art of getting work done from others….and neeraj you need to work a lot on that….you are too soft. Here I would like to mention once my friend Bimal told me “Art of negotiations and art of getting work done from others…these are the two most important virtues one need to have in corporate world”…I need to say that day I thought otherwise but today I admit he was dead right.

5. Love Kills…if you don’t enjoy the pain dont get into it. (Love for anything work…dream…)

6. Another skill I need to work a lot on is related to computers. I am still not great with computers

7. Another thing I lack is the ‘polish’ that others have. The way to talk sweetly…which gives a better impression….helps in negotiations and selling ideas(no matter how crap they are). But then this project would not have been successful if it was not for my aggression and result oriented attitude. I still donot have respect for process oriented approach….I feel they are good for repeat works…but for something new you need to roll up your sleeves and dirty your hand…you cant look good and do a good job at the same time.

8. Carrying on from the last point…for most people its only the looks that matters….I have been getting great reviews for the magazine, but I know most of them is due to the great looks of the magazine….most of them have not read the articles…and have no idea how big is the cover story or any other article.

9. Another major learning is ‘we tend to overestimate the demand of product we consume’…because I read a lot of magazine I thought other also like to read good magazine…I intentionally opted for magazine rather than journal because I wanted to make it interesting for the reader. Although I will be able to beat the best journal from the IIMs in readership with this magazine …still the readership is not satisfactory. Now I know why Harvard decided to launch a pornographic magazine.

Founders - Prashant, myself and Stephen

10. It feels great to be the FOUNDER EDITOR of a business magazine at the age of 25. The day we launched the magazine I was wondering why I had been able to achieve this success although there are better people around. I think it was due to my habit of dreaming different dream…When the most talented people were wasting time formatting & decorating project reports which had added like value to them, decorating ppts, reading senseless textbooks just to get marks, I was working on something which has not been done before at any of the IIMs.

“WHY TO FIGHT FOR EVERY INCH OF EARTH
WHEN THE WHOLE SKY IS THERE TO CONQUER”
- Neeraj Gutgutia

Dream Next - Book on Reliance Business Strategy