At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, investors, management students and aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we invited Rahul Sebastian for an interview with us to know more about his startup and the way forward. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and a proven business leader. He is the Co-Founder of Lesson 21. His startup Lesson 21 is an online education platform which aims at enhancing the complete learning and teaching experience for tutors, students and parents. Let’s learn more about him and his journey so far!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Rahul:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I did my schooling till 10th in Wayanad, Kerala. I completed the rest of my schooling from Hyderabad and then Engineering from NIT Calicut. My journey as an entrepreneur started while I was preparing for my JEE coaching. There were many friends there with different backgrounds and dreams. Discuss about each other’s dreams and finding out all the common interests sparked the interest of creating something on my own. My friends and I decided among ourselves that we would use our Engineering degree as a tool for our creation. But from there we all moved on and joined different colleges, but our goals remained the same.
During the first year of my course at NITC, we created a CNC/ 3D printer from scratch and tried to sell them but it was not until then that we learnt about its market. The product failed to sell as our quality did not meet the standards and market was changing rapidly. We found out that some foreign startups sold 3D printers at an even cheaper rate and better quality after all the making process. And then we improvised our original idea by buying a foreign CNC and started selling products using the Dot Printing technology in wood which proved to be better in the market.
Being able to attend a workshop conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology turned out to be really influential. It taught me how to impart technology in a better way and I was lucky to see really talented minds there. During the final year of my college, I along with a few of my friends initiated a brand called Makkani, where we clubbed the take away process of a few restaurants in Calicut.”
Soon after my college days, I went to work in my family business named Sahyadri Resorts after college. Two years of experience working there gave me a wider exposure to the business world. Every day spent there were lessons on dealing with stocks, clients, guests and staff simultaneously. Then I ventured into Fernweh as a one-stop solution for travellers and people planning for vacations.
It was after this that my friends and I decided to come forward with Lesson 21, an idea to make Schools and Educational Institutions to be technologically independent. Based in Saudi Arabia, We are at present spread over 5 countries and we aim at completely digitalising the classroom teaching.”
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
There are several reasons that led me to choose entrepreneurship and one of the major reason is the freedom it gives.
You are not confined to the walls or resources in which you box yourself. And the fact that the entire world is left to explore tends to give me an excitement to work.
I feel that I am in the perfect phase of life where I can afford to make mistakes and not take a huge blow for it considering my age.”
Entrepreneurship is a platform to test our limits and practically see our efficiency, at every step. You learn more about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think a corporate job can give you that kind of trial and error space Even if you got right thinking and vision, it is always very difficult to bring change to a Corporate Company. Moreover, working by the orders of a higher official is also not my cup of tea. Even if I did work in the corporate world, I would eventually move into something of my own. So I decided its better to cut down the delay and start early.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
In the beginning of my journey I used to be impulsive in taking major decisions and in most cases they did not always turn out the way it was supposed to be. But with the experience, I have learnt not to take decisions in a hurry or I might regret it later.
One of the other major challenges I had was the process of implementing my ideas into work. There were many obstacles regarding time, space, resources etc. Depending on other people to make things work was a massive task. Even a billion-dollar idea wouldn’t value much when it comes down to action and most of the people struggle here just like I did.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
As for a business mantra, mine is neither money nor emotions. It is to have a clear picture of what you want and need in life and the process of doing things that excite me. Working incessantly towards the goal no matter what you go through will automatically lead you to success and money as the result. I am very adventurous and love taking risks. When you take risks you know the depth of the world you have entered. The end result can be success or failure but what matters more is the knowledge you get out of that experience.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Being a spiritual person helps me endure most of the situations. Usually, when I am stressed, food and travel are my escapades. Long drives calm me down. Reading books, watching movies also helps me a lot. Taking a break often helps me bring myself back into the game with more energy.
What has worked well for you so far?
1 – Being true to my word.
2 – Keeping promises and taking complete responsibility for any adverse results.
3 – Being adventurous and willing to take risks.
4 – Support from family and friends.
5 – NITC College for numerous opportunities and exposure.
6 – Not being extremely money-oriented.
7 – Treating business as a social responsibility and thus trying to do good for everyone.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Working hard consistently is always the main keys to achieve success according to me.
Never consider business as a job but as a passion.
Success should never be determined by numbers or graphs but by the satisfaction brought to your heart by the work. Finding happiness in things you do is the major objective.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Plan well, but be prepared if things don’t go as per the plan, that is never a sign to give up. Make sure that you put in your heart, mind and body into your goal and things will turn the tide in your favour at a point of time.
Make sure that you inculcate reading into your daily routine.
People tend to overwork during the initial days to put the idea into running condition. But when you start operating, you encounter a lot of problems from all sides and you get burnt out easily. So my advice is to keep the energy level consistent to face the difficulties.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
