Passion, for Roshnikumar Yambem, is his ‘true phoenix’. If he is forced to set aside one, you can be sure a new one will rise from its ashes. Because, nothing fazes him.
When he tragically lost his parents to cancer within two years of each other, Roshnikumar struggled to free himself of the psychological consequences of the unbearable loss. The story of his journey from intense sorrow and desperation to become the entrepreneur and trailblazer he is today is truly one of astonishing victory: the victory of hope over hopelessness.
As a child, Roshni imagined he would be a software engineer, working with a Silicon Valley tech giant in the US and leading a secure and comfortable life as a corporate employee. He qualified in computer science and even managed to snag a job, while still studying, with a well-established technology company in Chennai. But the universe had charted its own course for Roshni – a course that would test the limits of his mental and physical endurance. For even as he was considering taking up the job offer, news came in that both his parents had been diagnosed with cancer, forcing him, as the eldest son, to rush home to take care of them till they both passed away. Unemployed and faced with a lack of job prospects in his home state of Manipur, Roshni was at his wit's end. But a self-help book title “Positive Thinking”, and someone he calls a “God-sent angel” lifted him out of the ashes of despair and helped him land on his feet again. Inspired by stories he had heard about entrepreneurs who had started with very little, Roshni decided he too would become one, using his training as a software engineer to provide IT solutions to businesses in his home state. With Rs 600 that he borrowed from his girlfriend, he put in a small advertisement in a local newspaper and much to his astonishment landed his first client. Globizc was born in the corner of his bedroom-cum-office. Today Globizs is one of Manipur’s most successful ventures with its rapidly growing list of clients comprising 900+ business enterprises and 80+ government departments and public sector undertakings.
While Roshni credits the self-help books he read and his business partner and investor Jugesh Mangi, his God-sent angel, for his extraordinary success, it’s hard not to be moved by the story of this young man, who, through nothing but sheer grit, crawled his way out of an abyss to become a beacon of hope for the youth of Manipur. That is why every young entrepreneur in the state looks to him for inspiration. He is now “Da” Roshni – a self-made 41-year-old, who has mentored and guided many young Manipuris to establish multi-crore businesses from “zero”.
“All you need is the right attitude,” Roshni tells The Northeast Stories, in this interview that is both personal and motivational. He speaks of the challenges that businesses face in the state and the hurdles that the youth in Manipur must cross – attitudinal as well as societal – to take matters into their own hands and run successful businesses. Start-ups are the future, he says, and we must prepare our youth for it.
What motivated you to start your venture?
My initial career ambition was to become a Software Engineer in a reputed MNC and settle down in Silicon Valley, USA. But destiny had another plan for me. As both my parents were diagnosed with cancer during my college days I wanted to come back home to take care of them as a responsibility of being the eldest son. I was in a dilemma. There were no job opportunities for computer science engineers in both the private and government Sector in my home state, Manipur. But finally, I took the hardest and best decision of my life i.e., to head home and start a web development agency by giving up my campus job offer at iNautix Technologies India Pvt Ltd, Chennai. My aspiration to become an entrepreneur happened during my campus placement in college. There was an inspiring founder’s story behind every company that had come to our college for campus recruitment and the story was like this - “We two had started our company six years back and today we have 5000 employees in Bangalore” or “We three have started our company with Rs 30,000 but today we are having annual turnover of Rs.3000 Crore”. Those kinds of stories changed my attitude towards entrepreneurship. “If they can do it, why not me,” I thought. That’s how I was inspired and motivated to launch my venture.
What was the initial struggle and what investment did you need to keep it running?
I started my career as a freelance web designer in 2004 but on the personal front, I was emotionally, physically and financially exhausted because of the cancer treatment for both my parents in Mumbai. And the struggle was compounded when my mother succumbed to the disease in 2005 and my father in 2007.
I started my venture with just Rs.600/- taken from my girlfriend in 2004. I invested the money to put in a very small advertisement in a local newspaper for five days, which landed me my first customer. Until I rented office space in 2006, my bedroom was my office. And if we look at the business ecosystem there was not conducive environment for an IT company as the local market for IT services was minimal and not ready. Electricity was a big issue with just 3-4 hours per day, frequent bandhs and economic blockades and an uncertain law and order situation.
What are the turning points in your life – personally and professionally?
Personally, my first turning point was in 2000 when I stumbled upon a small book on “Positive Thinking” which completely changed the way I looked at my life. This book has created a passion for reading self-help books in me and this passion has helped me a lot in the later part of my life when life became tough. A second turning point came when I decided to become an entrepreneur, leaving behind the dream of seeking a secured job in the corporate world.
Professionally, my turning point was in 2014 when I happened to meet my business partner, Jugesh Mangi, ten years older than me with 20 years of global exposure in the corporate world in India, Singapore and the USA. He invested in my venture, which propelled the growth of Globizs. I regard him as a “God-sent angel” in my life. Currently, he is one of the Executive Directors in the company.
As a mentor, what is the biggest challenge the youth of Manipur have?
As per my experience as a mentor, the lack of big vision is the biggest challenge or mind block among the youth of Manipur.
How have you incorporated technology in your set-up; to what extent has it made a difference?
Since we are an IT company, technology is at the core of our business. To give you a glimpse, our company started using payment gateway services in 2004, much before debit cards and internet banking were introduced by banks in Manipur.
We have survived through this pandemic because of being a technology-first company. So, I recommend every small business adopt a digital strategy to adapt and grow their business during this pandemic.
In what way do you feel the government can focus on developing technical skills and capacities as part of the self-employment program (SEP) to harness the potential of the youth in Manipur?
There is no dearth of government policy on capacity building and self-employment schemes. But the gap lies in the quantitative approach of a democratic government and the need for a qualitative approach in a real-world scenario. I feel there is a need to close this gap.
Also, the youth need to look beyond opportunities in BPO. What kind of technical skills might address this issue?
There is a huge demand for User Interface (UI)/ User Experience (UX) designers across the globe. Ethical hacking is a highly paid job with the demand increasing exponentially along with emerging technologies like AR/VR, Blockchain, Drone Technology, IoT etc.
Unemployment, especially among the educated youth of Manipur is a problem. Where do you think skill development could come in here?
There is a huge need for upskilling our youths to compete at par with the global workforce, but at the same time, we need to create enough entrepreneurs to absorb such a skilled workforce.
Also, you said something very powerful -- to start a business you do not need money. Please explain what one needs.
I have started my own business with almost no money.
I have seen many successful businesses start with little money.
I have mentored many youths who had almost nothing but with the right attitude they have grown from zero to multi-crore businesses in two-three years.
For this to happen, we adopt a very scientific method known as “Lean Start-up”. Luckily, I was introduced to Lean Start-up in the year 2011 through a start-up event and got workshop-based exposure in 2013 at Hyderabad. Since then I have been teaching the Lean Start-up Methodology to many youth and start-ups with surprisingly great results.
Where do you see the future of start-ups in Manipur?
In this decade, we will be witnessing a few start-ups from Manipur with multi-million dollar valuations. Such start-ups will create a ripple effect among the youths and start-up community which will push the start-up movement to greater heights.
As a youth and a differentiator – what are your three aspirations for the state?
Number 1: I want to see Manipur as a land of entrepreneurs.
Number 2: I want the youth of Manipur to be financially literate.
Number 3: I want to bring peace and prosperity to the state by imparting life skills and business skills among the youth.
