Gaurav Marya, chairman, Franchise India speaks with SHAlINI SAKSENA about the problems that emerging entreprenuers are facing today
Problems that emerging entrepreneurs face todayIJ
The biggest problem for entrepreneurs in the country is the lack of proper structure to support entrepreneurship. There are very few places where first-time entrepreneurs can go to seek help. There are hardly any places where they can go and talk with industry experts. There are hardly any places where networking can happen. To address this issue, we have come up with a concept which will enable young businessmen in interacting with seniors in the industry.
What is Franchise IndiaIJ
Franchise India is Asia’s largest integrated franchise solution company with an absolute authority on franchising, licensing, retailing, real estate and marketing. The company has also onsulted with several major brands over these years. With its strategically formed divisions, we have created a niche as the pioneers of franchise industry and a small business authority.
How will it work (fee etc) and what kind of help will these cafes give to young entrepreneursIJ
The cafe will provide young entrepreneurs with an environment to help cultivate entrepreneurship. It will provide services on five categories. The first one is opportunity sessions for start ups, which will help aspiring businessmen think of ideas which have the potential to grow into big business.
Second, it will help start ups in the process of inception of their company. In India, the process is not so smooth, so we will assist them in this process.
Third, they can avail advisory services such as making a business plan. The fourth service will be linked to the process of raising funds. The cafe will also hold events related to entrepreneurship, where young entrepreneurs will get an opportunity to interact with experienced entrepreneurs.
Why is the existing infrastructure not start-up friendlyIJ
Since there is lack of infrastructure, the Entrepreneur Café, will help entrepreneurs achieve more money, more time, more control, and more happiness from their small business endeavors!
Tell us about the cities where you plan to open these cafesIJ
The first outlet is going to be set up in Gurgaon and we are further planning to launch 50 such cafes across India, primarily across tier I & II cities. Any city with a million plus population will be a target. We are targeting mostly young entrepreneurs, people in the age group of 23 to 30 years. This is the age group which had seen an explosion in the area of entrepreneurship.
Why call it Entrepreneur CafeIJ
It is named so as it will be a place where business ideas can get nurtured and incubated, strategies chalked out, and entrepreneurs can get services that help in incorporating their businesses like company registration, account opening, trademark registration and addressing of various legal modalities.
How and why did you come up with an idea to start this initiativeIJ
Entrepreneurship is one of the favourite career choices for the youth in India today. However, the infrastructure and ecosystem have been found to be not so start-up friendly. Most of the experienced entrepreneurs and other consultants have found opportunity around this gap and helping fresher, so we came up with the idea of these cafes for college pass out freshers who are looking for business opportunities and consultancy.
Is there a target audienceIJ
This café is a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs who are aiming to meet industry experts or prospective businesses for investment in order to tap business opportunities.