Entrepreneur Miki Agrawal on Successfully Starting a Business

Entrepreneur Miki Agrawal on Successfully Starting a BusinessEntrepreneur Miki Agrawal on Successfully Starting a BusinessEntrepreneur Miki Agrawal on Successfully Starting a Business Blaszczyk, Managing Editor, Resource CenterMiki Agrawal is an serial social entrepreneur with multiple missions.A shining example of Gen Y can-do spirit, Agrawalhadachieved success in multiple careerswhen she successfully launched her own small business, WILD, a New York pizza restaurant, without prior restaurant experience. She has since gone on to launch THINX, a high-tech, beautiful underwear solution for women.Her bold approach to entrepreneurship is outlined in her book, Do Cool Sh*t Quit your Day Job, Start your own Business, and Live Happily Ever After(Harper Collins, 2013).In an interview with Monster, Agrawal talked about her journey to successfully starting a business - and why recruiting the right hires and cultivating a teamare crucial to business success.Monster You started WILD, a farm-to -table restaurant, in one of the fruchtwein competitive markets on earth - New York City - serving one of the citys most popular foods - pizza. That was a bold move.Agrawal I knew that it was the most popular food in New York (and the world) and I also knew that there was no great pizza option for the lactose intolerant, the gluten intolerant, and the vegan community back in 2005. So I opened one for the alternative community.MonsterYoudidnt have anybackground or experience in the food industry.welches that a plus or a minus?Agrawal It was both. The plus was that I wasnt jaded and didnt know all of the pitfalls and didnt realize how many moving parts there would be to run a business. I consider this a good thing because it could have stopped me from moving ahead.Having experience, on the other hand, would have stopped me from making a lot of dumb first timer mistakes. Having a good mentorwith lots of experience really helps.Monster What gave your business concept the edge it need ed to succeed - and what level of work did it require?Agrawal WILD (formerly known as SLICE) offers pizza that 100% gluten-free and we have vegan options too. Its pretty much the only pizza place in New York City that is strictly gluten-free. There are other pizza places that offer gluten-free options but none that offer exclusively gluten-free. I knew that we could make our crust taste AMAZING and still be gluten-free. This is our edge. People who dont eat gluten-free still LOVE our pizza.It required a LOT of work to get the crust right, to get the right employees (still a moving target) and to operate a restaurant in the most competitive landscape in the world.Monster Do small businesses need a unique take on their product or customer serviceto stand out?Agrawal100%. Otherwise, there is just too much noise in the marketplace. People HAVE to have a stand out product.Monster Starting a business requires tremendous effort, investment, faith and fortitude. What kept you motivated alo ng the way?Agrawal Having strong friends and mentors that supported me throughout. You need that. If your friends are not supportive or motivating, its time for you to find ones that areAlso, reminding myself to focus on the end result and not the pain that is required to get there. When you focus on the end result, you manage to power through the hard stuff much betterMonster Now that youve successfully franchised the operation, are there aspects of running a businessthat have been difficult to embrace? How do you reconcile them?Agrawal Hiringis one of the hardest things to do. Nobody is ever going to be YOU so you have to acknowledge that and adjust your expectations accordingly. Finding people that believe in your vision and maintain the vision will also be a challenge.Having weekly meetings, sending your team motivating emails and having team building events once a month are helpful in maintaining the team bond.Monster What have you learned along the way with team work?Agrawal I ts about how you FEEL when you are with them. They have to make you feel good overall, otherwise the group dynamic will never work. Its so hard to tell who is going to be great and who isnt. You only realize true colors after 3-6 months, generally.I also realized this Hire now, firefast. One bad eggin an organization could be the downfall of the entire organization.Monster You say making good business relationship is no different than making good friends. Are they truly one in the same?Agrawal They are similar in that its about the feeling that you have when you think about the people you are working with, its a gut check. How does your gut feel around this person? Good or bad?It will take 3-6 months to truly understand this feeling to assess if they are a good or bad fit for the company, in the same way that you would assess if this person would make for a great friend.MonsterDo you look for like-minded entrepreneurial personalities in the people you employ?Agrawal Sometimes. You h ave to cover all angles. Having another entrepreneurial voice is great, but you also need the people who will do the minutiae, who will think about the details and execute on your vision.Monster Why should employers hire candidates with entrepreneurial experience?Agrawal Because employers dont just need people who do what they say, they need people who will think outside the box and offer ideas, create more efficient systems and be self-starters. I call it intrapreneurialism - someone who is an entrepreneur within an organization. They are the best hires.Miki Agrawal is a serial social entrepreneur,keynote speaker and TV personality. She was a recipient of the 2013 TribecaFilm Festivals Disruptive Innovation Award and named 2013s ForbesTop 20 Millenials on a Mission.She is an identical twin, half-Japanese, half-Indian French Canadian, formerprofessional soccer player and graduate of Cornell University. 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