What Indian Startup Ecosystem Needs to Learn from Bihari/Oriya Cooks
The Indian startup ecosystem is far from being termed collaborative – the difference between haves and have nots (i.e. funded vs. unfunded) has more widened and there is hardly any attempt to do things collaboratively.
Coming back to the topic, let me first tell you how cooks (especially from Bihar/Orissa) work together and promote their tribe
- The tribe is generally very closely bounded and stays together. Typically, they form a common pool/fund.
- When somebody new comes in (from their native village), the tribe pitches in money for the person to stay afloat. Usually, a timeframe of 1 month is given to the new member to find a job (till then, he lives on the common fund)
- Tribe members help the new kid in finding a job as well (referrals etc)
- Once the new member finds a job, he starts contributing to the common fund after a month.
- Whenever somebody needs the money, the person can borrow from the common fund (pays interest).
- The process follows the same loop whenever somebody new joins again.
[as told by a cook]
Gandhiji Used to Cook his own Food - DIY
This is an oversimplification of the entire process, but the key takeaway is the overall trust and collaboration that is prevalent in the system.
What’s important to note is that individual cooks aren’t rich – but collaboratively, they are. The common fund, as one cook tells me runs in good money and can sustain few newbies easily.
Do this – in the step mentioned above, replace ‘money’ with anything that’s scarce – ‘resources’, ‘funds’ ‘referrals’ etc etc etc and you will see the beginning of ‘collaboration’.
So why aren’t startup coming together and building their tribe? Why too many ‘have nots’ aren’t attempting to build ‘haves’?
pic credit
About the author - Ashish Sinha is a Startup Mentor/Product Strategy Coach, and the founder/chief editor of pluGGd.in.
He has launched/managed couple of products (consumer as well as enterprise) in US and India, and now consults with startups/small businesses on their product/media strategy. He can be reached at: ashish (at) pluGGd.in [+91 98452 06443]
Ashish,
Did you forget clan based organizations from school ?
Actualluy I won’t care too much about that – these cooks aren’t really clan.
And look at it – almost all the big businesses have a clan-y story.
Right from IT to reliance
If you like to have some answers, here is mine
Few years back when I went to my “friends circle” with this very idea ,they went “ergh..” (I guess they were thinking,this guy doesn’t have experience,not only he is doomed he intend to take me down as well)
next year, When I went to partnership seeker…”Hmm.idea is good.I invest you work.but no common pool,I will have cheque signing authority..” I tookup offer on good will. after 6 months,all his friends drop out of cloud managing company affairs. rest is familiar stuff..
next year,I took DIY approach and learnt it was a very bad try.(well the expensive lesson in my life)
by this time I am fed up,incidentally also left the country.
Come present,I again took DIY approach with fresh outlook and I am very happy now
The key lesson I have is somehow west has developed a culture to “obsessively” promote enterpunership. I have ample examples to show the contrast but i wont go into it here.
We have also discussed this in many of our OCC meets and i guess its the “pub mentality” which holds our startups and the wannabes. Its like when you are in a pub, you want some bouncer next to you, you dont want another small guy with you.
But am sure, sooner than later, this will change.
Cheers
Vaibhav
Great Idea. Problem is the lack of trust and greed. At the same time its the drive to only look short term.
I have known a similar system from a frind in europe. They have a group of entrepreneurs colloboratively create companies. They together delve on an idea and once they pin on it, one person is made incharge/ceo of that venture. Others pool in all their resources (money, contacts, skill etc) to make the venture successful.
I did hear about few deals in India between software vendors and specialists creating something on a revenue/stake share basis. This could serve as a foundation to your above concept.
Just an FYI, the same system applies to dabbawallaas in Mumbai as well.
IMHO, the reason why the above system works well for cooks/dabbawallaas is because as individual entities they are fairly homogeneous and hence, interchangeable/easily dispensable. Further, the risk/reward profile is also same for each individual. Consequently, it’s better to be united and work in a collaborative way. Also, seen such behavior among silicon valley desi techies when a new kid arrives.
Startups, on the otherhand, are competing in a dog-eat-dog environment and have a diverse risk/reward profile to warrant such collaborative behavior.
Really a great Idea. In my start up i have felt huge amount of time is wasted in looking for right resources. In 1000 hits i am able to get a designer who can do the job for me.With this collaboration 999 hits can be saved.Competition is pathetic, but still collaboration in a long run will benefit the community as a whole.If there are people who are willing to do this , mark me in.