Man or woman, here’s what every tech entrepreneur needs to know: Manisha Raisinghani, LogiNext
This week, in FeelGoodFriday with Manisha Raisinghani, we list down her top 10 tips on what tech entrepreneurs should keep in mind.
“It’s not a man’s world if you don’t make it that.” Wise words from Manisha Raisinghani, the CTO of LogiNext. Having followed Manisha’s journey closely since LogiNext started, I know what she says comes from her own experience, experiments, and learning.
When she says that things should not be different for a man or a woman, we dig deeper to find out more. Manisha strongly believes and emphasises that we don’t need to “keep talking about what special instructions do women entrepreneurs need”. “Women have taken long strides to get to somewhat of an equal footing and there’s a long way to go. We haven’t been given the right to be equal, it was always ours. It’s just about time we got here. So, we should talk more about how women play in the same field as men, and not one with easier standards or special instructions.”
Manisha lists down 10 things every man and woman should know about being a tech entrepreneur.
Be bold. Assess your talent and strength and then back them up with determined action. Put courage above risk and it will, more often than not, work out well for you.
Always put the customer first. Right at the start or even when you establish a brand, always keep the customer first. Put yourself in their shoes and understand why and how they would use your product. This will help you hit the sweet spot with your product-market fit, which is the ultimate end goal.
Be data driven. Make data-driven decisions. If you intend to be a successful tech entrepreneur, you need to structure the data-driven validation for all decisions, whether it is to create a healthy road map, or driving higher adoption and engagement rates for your product.
Know your competitors. Other than knowing your customers and your product, you should always be on top of what your competitors and peers are doing. What are the recent developments in and around the landscape of your business? How are the needs and expectations shaping up? It’s necessary to be on the pulse of these things.
Learn from your surroundings. Always keep learning. It’s critical as a tech entrepreneur that you don’t stifle your need to learn new things. Learn from your surroundings, be it your team, your clients, your product users, or your competitors. It’s also important to know what innovations have already been achieved. Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to but just learn from these past innovations.
Lead uninterrupted. Build a great team. A self-driven, talented, and focused team can be your best asset. After a point, you must learn the art of expert delegation so as to empower your team and build “intrapreneurs” who align themselves with the product goals.
Network with fellow entrepreneurs and mentors. Keep networking and engaging with your peers and mentors. It’s a great knowledge base to tap or add on to. It is equally important to engage with young entrepreneurs and mentor them to eventual success.
Prioritise all your tasks. One core area of focus must be perfect prioritisation. Don’t get overwhelmed, as you would have a mountain of tasks. Just prioritise based on simple impact versus effort calculation. Know which task would have a greater impact, based on the timeline and effort involved, and then direct your energy in that order.
Persevere. Go beyond challenges to consistent brilliance. Always persevere with the same energy you started off with. Consistently deliver great solutions for clients. It’s not just great for your company but also establishes your brand as a leader.
Double down on your strengths. The last thing you should remember is to double down on your strengths as you grow. Expand your horizon and range, but always hone your core competency, as an individual, as a tech entrepreneur, and as a company.