My presentation on 'Entreprenurship for Professionals' at the Action Community for Entrepreneurs, SPRING Singapore on July 30, 2009

1. The Icon Resources
Group
An entrepreneurial story

2. “There is only one way to make a great deal of
money; and that is in a business of your own.”
– J. Paul Getty, Former oil tycoon and once the richest man in America
Actually, its not about money!
It’s all about passion!

3. My background….
Electronics Engineer
MBA from Indian Institute of
Management, Bangalore, India
Worked for 5 years in India –
another 6 years in Singapore
Took the plunge in 2000

4. The Icon Resources Group
Icon Resources & Technologies
Pte Ltd
Icon Business Solutions Pte Ltd
IRT Computers (India) Pvt Ltd

5. The Icon Resources Group
What we do
Business Intelligence Solutions
Content Management & Workflow
solutions
Human Process Management
solutions
IT Distribution

6. SME 500 award - 2007

7. Icon in the media

8. The 7 golden rules of
Entrepreneurship!
What should I keep in mind when I start off?

9. Rule #1
Don’t start off till you are ready
Take care of personal priorities
Have a clear business idea in place
Ensure you have enough capital to last
you for a few months
Critically examine your ‘burn rate’
Plan your ‘exit strategy’ in advance

10. Rule #2
Leverage relationships
Meet and network with as many people
as possible
Ask for advice
Call in a favour or two
Listen to everyone, but do what you
think is best!

11. Rule #3
Keep things simple!
Avoid extravagance and frills
Keep your business model simple
Work on a simple message
Control risk
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
"Business opportunities are like buses, there' always another one coming."
s
- Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Enterprises

12. How we simplify things at Icon

13. Rule #4
Plan to grow organically & slowly
Plan to grow, consolidate, grow again
Tailor your growth plans in line with capital
availability
Invest in good infrastructure
Avoid ‘loose’ partnerships and relationship

14. Rule #5
Work on an identity
Create a strong USP and differentiate
yourself
Create a compelling value proposition
“Brand yourself”
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary
- Vidal Sassoon, entrepreneur

15. Rule #6
Position yourself correctly
Position your business to show value
Don’t focus on too many things
Never lose sight of your core business

16. Rule #7
Uphold the highest standards
Be uncompromisingly honest
Maintain a high level of integrity
Be paranoid about your reputation
Be the best at what you do
Never stop innovating and learning
Consistency outperforms intermittent excellence

17. Bonus rule !!
Never be afraid of failure
Without failure there is no success!

18. Be careful what you water your dreams with.
Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the
life from your dream.
Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success.
Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for
success.
Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
Lao Tsu

20. Thanks and all the best!
rakesh@iconresources.com