From Punjab to Paris, Tarun Nanda believes you need to be yourself to succeed

Tarun Nanda's life in Punjab was limited to class 12th until he moved to France. "I had the typical Punjabi boy's life - roaming around, playing with friends, eating my favourite Amritsari fish. It was perfect," he says.

Growing up, he wanted to be an engineer, but that passion drifted away as he got older. He always had the urge to do something of his own, and after living the atypical '9-5' corporate life as well as the startup life, he realised that running a business is what best suits him. He started Nio United five years ago, and although his product doesn't solve a specific problem, he's made a conscious effort to grow and evolve through the entrepreneurship phase. He says Xcelerator Ludhiana is the perfect opportunity to help him do that. He's had a couple of achievements, but the biggest one he says was graduating and getting his first job in France.

He's a night owl, but work is what motivates him to get out of his bed in the morning. "The best part about my job is that I'm in a position to interact with people who I can learn from, and share my knowledge with them as well. And unlike others who can't wait for the weekend, he looks forward to Wednesdays because on Sundays, he's usually caught up with house and office work. If he had the chance to go anywhere in the world, he would go back to France, as he spent most of his adult life in Paris.

If he got the chance, he wishes to have dinner with Muhammad Ali, Amitabh Bachchan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Amitabh Bachchan is my role model. I'm inspired by his success story of how he started from the bottom, struggled and made his way to the top," says Tarun.

If his house was on fire, and he had to grab three things, he says he would just grab his newborn baby and wife - the rest doesn't matter. If there's a movie that describes his life right now, it would be 'Dil Chahta Hai' and if he could teach one subject in school, it would be Mathematics. In his free time, he binges on a Netflix series with a 'cup of Joe' on the side. A firm believer in the benefits of discipline, he's currently reading Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win. Although he's not an avid music listener, he enjoys hip-hop music.

Success, according to Tarun, is satisfaction from overall elements of life. "Satisfaction is what I have, where I am and what I can have," he says. This year, he looks forward to more happiness in his personal life and success in his work. His advice for budding entrepreneurs is to just be yourself. "Don't follow or copy anyone, everyone has their own value."