Impatience and indiscipline can make you a successful entrepreneur, said Swaminathan K, the Founder-CEO of Aspire Edu-Ventures.

On the dais, when he took over from the person who introduced him to those gathered at the grand finale of The Startup Summit, he remarked, with a touch of humour, that his profile that was just read out was a little outdated. The audience burst into laughter. “No, I am not a start-up consultant. I am a start-up therapist. I can tell start-ups 1008 ‘do-not-do’s that they must follow. Impatience and indiscipline can make you a successful entrepreneur,” he began.

Swaminathan had tried his hand at a number of businesses. According to him, anything that can turn ideas into dollars is a business. He believes that a business can become successful if only it is able to create value and sustain itself in the market. “The society today faces a plethora of problems. When people identify problems and offer a practical solution for them, their business model becomes an instant hit. Take the example of Ola Cabs. Booking a call taxi to reach a destination was a nuisance. Now, Ola Cabs allows you to book a cab two minutes to two hours before you travel. It is beyond doubt a successful business in almost all the cities in India,” he said.

He also added that funds are available in plenty. His piece of advice to entrepreneurs? “Focus, focus and focus. These are the three valuable lessons that entrepreneurs must follow regardless of their area of specialization,” Swaminathan said.