Never Give Up The Life Lesson That Changes Everything | Shwetal shubhadeep & Datta Benur | TEDxCMRIT

Key Concepts

• Headwinds: Challenges or rejections in entrepreneurship, viewed as valuable feedback and information for growth.
• Growth Mindset: An approach to challenges that sees them as opportunities for learning and improvement.
• Lift: The positive outcome or progress achieved by effectively utilizing feedback from "headwinds."
• Mental Muscles: The psychological resilience and strength required to navigate entrepreneurial turbulence.
• Content Creation: The process of developing and producing digital media, particularly for platforms like YouTube.
• YouTube Monetization: Earning revenue through YouTube, primarily via advertisements (AdSense).
• Financial Freedom: The state of having sufficient personal wealth to live without needing to work for basic necessities.
• Clear Goal: Having a well-defined objective, often focusing on the "why" rather than the "how."
• Ready to Fail: Embracing failure as a learning opportunity and a necessary step towards success.
• Surround Yourself with Right People: The importance of associating with individuals who have high aspirations and positive visions.
• Born Poor vs. Die Poor: A motivational statement emphasizing personal responsibility for one's financial destiny.
• Sales Calls & Handling Rejections: Essential skills for entrepreneurship, learned through direct experience.
• PG (Paying Guest): A common accommodation type in India where individuals rent a room or bed in a shared living space.
• Channel Termination: The suspension or permanent removal of a YouTube channel due to policy violations.
• Illegal Activities (YouTube): Actions that violate YouTube's terms of service, such as clicking one's own ads.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Navigating Challenges (First Speaker)

The first speaker, an entrepreneur, emphasizes that problems and troubles are inherent to the entrepreneurial journey. He welcomes "tailwinds" (favorable conditions) but acknowledges that "crosswinds" (challenges) and "turbulence" are a given. In such times, "mental muscles" become crucial.

He introduces the analogy of "headwinds" as the best way to perceive initial rejections, failures, or obstacles. Instead of viewing them as setbacks, entrepreneurs should see them as feedback and information. This information, when approached with a growth mindset, can be used to "create your own lift." He notes that these headwinds might last for a week, a month, or even a year, but they are precursors to eventual success if one listens and adapts.

The speaker describes the entrepreneurial journey as having a "bumpy takeoff" and "turbulent cruising." However, if the destination is something deeply believed in and resonated with, "the views from the top are beautiful." He encourages trying entrepreneurship, promising results "you can never imagine are possible by just sitting in a classroom."

From Job Security to Dream Life: The First Speaker's Path

Early Life and Career

The speaker recounts a pivotal incident at age 10 while working on his father's farm. His father, needing to pay workers, was advised by a friend to make his sons work for free. Thankfully, his father didn't listen. That night, his father advised him, "Do not struggle like me in life. Get good education, get a good job and give a fantastic life." This motivated him to pursue engineering.

He started as a mechanical engineer, failing the first two job interviews but succeeding in the third. He worked in the Philippines, UK, and US, leading what many friends considered a "great life." However, he realized his "pockets were empty," leading to the conclusion that a job provides a "decent life" but "may not help to live a dream life."

The Shift to Entrepreneurship and Sales

Seeking different opportunities, he faced six years of failures. To develop essential skills, he spent two years in door-to-door sales, learning "how to talk to strangers, how to do sales calls, how to handle rejections," without focusing on immediate deal closure.

The Genesis of a YouTube Empire

He started a YouTube channel with the modest goal of earning 3,000 to 5,000 rupees to cover fuel expenses. Initially, he had no knowledge of content creation. His first video took "10 to 15 readings" for a single sentence. After a week, he earned $1, which brought immense joy not for the amount, but for validating the possibility of earning money from his efforts. His brother, however, was skeptical, asking about the actual credit to his account.

Driven by passion, he dedicated himself, often sleeping at 12 or 2 AM. After five months, he received a Google check for $12. Over the next four years, his YouTube earnings surpassed his job salary.

Financial Freedom and Family Impact

His entire family became involved in content creation. They now boast over 70 lakh (7 million) subscribers across various channels, which has generated significant revenue and loans. In 2020, they achieved financial freedom, buying a house where his parents, who once sat on the floor, now live a "fantastic life."

Three Pillars of Success

The speaker distilled his journey into three crucial lessons:

1. Have a Clear Goal: His goal was to provide the best for his parents, not how to achieve it. This openness to opportunities was key.
2. Be Ready to Fail: He emphasized that most people fear failure. He advocated learning from every attempt, implementing lessons, and observing that the most successful individuals have failed more times than average people who never even tried.
3. Surround Yourself with Right People: He stressed the importance of associating with individuals who possess great dreams, goals, aspirations, and vision. This elevates one's own ideas, echoing the saying, "You are the average of five people with whom you spend time."

He concluded with a powerful statement: "If you're someone who's born poor, it's not your mistake. But if you die poor, it's 100%."

Overcoming Adversity: The Second Speaker's Journey

The second speaker, the younger brother, shared his personal journey, marked by significant challenges and resilience.

Humble Beginnings and Academic Struggles

He grew up in a small village, studying in Kannada medium until the 7th standard. His father faced financial issues, leading him to work on the farm and sell vegetables with his sister while attending school. He struggled academically, failing his 10th-grade exams twice. Despite this, his father and brother decided to send him to Bangalore for higher education.

The Language Barrier in Higher Education

Upon arriving in Bangalore, he discovered his college was English medium. He confessed he couldn't read "ABC" or write his own name in English. This led to daily crying, and his uncle suggested he return to agriculture. However, his brother insisted he would become a "brand" one day. He eventually completed a diploma in mechanical engineering, surprisingly becoming the top student in his college. His principal, however, highlighted his initial struggles to his brother, mentioning he had failed 32-36 subjects due to the language barrier.

Early Employment and Financial Realities

After his diploma, he started his first job at a medical store counter, earning a meager 3,500 rupees per month. During the interview, he couldn't answer basic science questions, only stating "company standard" for salary expectations. In 2012, he transitioned to a sales executive role in a showroom.

The Leap into YouTube: Initial Hesitation and Resourcefulness

His brother repeatedly encouraged him to start a YouTube channel, claiming one could earn money. Initially, he dismissed it, believing YouTube was "just for watching a video." After his brother earned $1 (equivalent to 64 rupees at the time, compared to his 6,500 rupee salary), he started considering it.

He faced significant obstacles: no English proficiency, no computer skills, and no equipment (mobile phone, camera, or laptop). His brother's motivation, asking his "why" (to cover PG expenses of 3,500 rupees), pushed him forward. He borrowed mobile phones from his PG mates, working from 7 AM to 7:30 PM daily, traveling 14 km to his office, and waiting for his roommates to sleep to use their phones for recording.

First Successes, Mistakes, and Resilience

After seven months of persistent effort, one of his videos, a paper airplane tutorial (chosen because his PG was too dirty for other crafts), went viral. This success allowed him to buy a small camera and then a laptop.

He made a crucial mistake early on: after posting his first video, he earned $22 in three days (compared to his brother's seven months for $1). Unaware of YouTube policies, he was clicking his own ads multiple times. This led to a notice from YouTube for "illegal activities." His brother intervened to resolve the issue, and the money was eventually credited.

Later, his channel, which had grown to 1 million subscribers (or 10 million, he was unsure), was terminated. The reason was his deletion of approximately 450 videos in a short period, which YouTube flagged. After two months of effort, his brother managed to get the channel reinstated. This experience made him extremely cautious.

Achieving Financial Milestones

He eventually left his sales executive job to become a full-time YouTuber. In 2019, he purchased his first car, a Cruise car, solely from his YouTube earnings. His ultimate dream car is a BMW.

Synthesis and Conclusion

This transcript presents two compelling narratives of entrepreneurial success, deeply rooted in resilience, a growth mindset, and the power of vision. The first speaker's journey highlights the importance of viewing challenges as feedback, setting clear goals, embracing failure, and strategically building a supportive network. His transition from a seemingly successful corporate career to building a multi-million subscriber YouTube empire underscores the pursuit of a "dream life" beyond a "decent life."

The second speaker's story is a testament to overcoming immense personal and systemic barriers, including poverty, academic struggles, and a severe language barrier. His journey from a village farm to a top diploma student, then to a low-paying job, and finally to a successful YouTuber, exemplifies sheer determination, resourcefulness, and the transformative power of digital platforms. Both brothers emphasize that success is not about avoiding failure but learning from it, adapting, and persistently pursuing one's goals, ultimately achieving financial freedom and a life beyond their initial imaginations. Their combined experiences offer actionable insights into the entrepreneurial spirit, the value of mentorship, and the profound impact of self-belief.