Life at IMDR

Samruddhi Kulkarni, Owner - Sam’s Boulangerie

PGDM 2020-22

Owner - Sam’s Boulangerie

Entrepreneur- Samruddhi Kulkarni

Prepared By - Shivani Bapat

Alma maters always play a huge role in an entrepreneur’s life, Ms. Samruddhi says. A student of DY Patil College, she is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Management at IMDR. According to her, both play a very important role because of their unique culture. Overall, culture of any educational institute has a significant impact on the thought processes, personality and quite evidently one’s academic upbringing. She is blessed to have an environment where entrepreneurship is encouraged. Both institutes encourage everyone to be free, to have their own ideas, think out of the box and be on their own. Such an environment opens new doors for a student or a budding entrepreneur.

According to Ms. Samruddhi, a great idea for a business can strike you at any point in your life; whether you’re 13, 30 or 83! As far as you have the capability to do something about it, pursue it with determination and execute it properly, the business will definitely grow at any age.

During the conversation, Ms. Samruddhi also shared her views on the long-running hot debate in entrepreneurship;‘What is more important- an idea, resource or funds?’ She believes that this can be a never-ending loop which keeps refuting any definite answer you think you have. However, in her perspective the ‘idea’ is what matters, in the bigger picture. The initial idea is what will make or break your business approach. She says,“These are competing times today. You might have a great idea but it’s quite possible that there is a business model already present for the same. In the end, what matters is how different your idea is. That is what will help you sustain in the market. However, resource and funds are also non-negotiable, since what comes after the idea, is the execution. It becomes crucial to carry out the execution of a particular idea successfully too.”

Another advice she gave which will prove to be valuable to those with the right ideas but not the resources to pursue it is confidence. She thinks that once you have an idea, one should have the guts to pursue it and actually invest in it before even thinking about the execution. Here, investing means understanding all the business aspects of it and thinking about how it will pan out in the future. One also needs to have a clear picture of how that idea will bring profit in the future. If there is clarity in this thought, she claims that there will be a lot of people who will be ready to provide one with the necessary funds and resources to execute the idea.

Though her business is in its infancy and just 1-year-old, she will give a note to her younger self to have a holistic view of the business. She now realizes that there is a lot of mental, emotional as well as financial involvement that a new business demands. So, it is crucial to understand all aspects of the journey you’re about to embark upon.

She occasionally regrets being an entrepreneur - not because it was a wrong choice but because the timing wasn’t right. She thinks that she should’ve waited some more time before pursuing her part time hobby in the form a business. She talks about how she has to forego opportunities because of other commitments. She says that it is best to take a breath & think about timing before jumping into the idea full-time. However, when you feel down, it is always good to have unconditional support from your family or loved ones.

Discipline is a vital element of entrepreneur’s life, especially when one is starting out.One ought to start small, go step-by-step and be patient. In times like this, when you know your family has your back, you’re less likely to second guess yourself or be afraid to pursue your dream systematically. With a sound support system, one can definitely give more to his/her entrepreneurial journey. At the same time, having a strong social circle will benefit one in ways one can’t even begin to fathom. She gives credit to word-of-mouth publicity for most orders she gets. If it wasn’t for such great friends and family, her business wouldn’t have grown beyond a certain point.

On a final note, she extends her support to all entrepreneurs and appreciates their efforts entirely. Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is- ‘learn as much as you can about your prospective ventures and make sure you get the timing right!’