In Defense of Middle Class Values for Entrepreneurship | Anuradha Thota | TEDxIITHyderabad
The speaker, a technologist and entrepreneur, argues that the "middle class value system" is essential for success and deserves defense against prevailing criticisms. He asserts that key traits taught by this system—like developing emotional intelligence, adhering to commitments, and prioritizing community—are necessary components for building sustainable, long-lasting organizations. This argument is supported by anecdotes ranging from his mother's local impact to his own journey starting with only a laptop and culminating in establishing his own IT organization.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Technologist and entrepreneur; gives seminars to students from Tier 2 to entire Tier 3 cities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Context of his philosophy: The speaker attempts to reconcile the entrepreneurial drive (which he equates with believing one can move mountains) with the need for foundational values derived from his upbringing.
## Theses & Positions
- Entrepreneurs believe they are the best and can solve any problem, but the speaker believes this requires deeper grounding.
- Entrepreneurship requires adapting and fitting into new generations.
- The "middle class value system" is crucial and needs active defense against criticism.
- Success is not solely derived from advanced knowledge or external funding; it comes from internal values.
- Building successful, sustainable organizations requires starting small and building step-by-step, rather than aiming for immediate, massive success.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Middle class value system:** A set of values underlying the society, which the speaker argues is often misunderstood or criticized.
- **Exclusive intelligence:** A concept drawn from family life, describing a unique aptitude within a family that cannot be easily decoded or deciphered, such as salesmanship.
- **Emotional intelligence:** The ability to think from multiple angles (student, parent, investor) without needing extensive formal study, and taught through household upbringing.
- **Complacence:** The act of willingly accommodating or agreeing with others, necessary for navigating relationships and maintaining harmony.
- **Lifestyle entrepreneurs:** Those who start small, first sustain their own lifestyle, and then gradually expand the business.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Developing relevance across generations:** Attempting to fit in with the new generation while maintaining an established professional presence.
- **Building organizational success:** Requires sustained, long-term effort ("step by step") rather than sudden, high-stakes maneuvers often associated with 'unicorns.'
- **Applying family intelligence:** Combining formal studies (e.g., engineering, metallurgy) with this innate "family intelligence" to achieve remarkable results.
## Timeline & Sequence
- Speaker's mother's career: Discontinued MBBS; became a beloved teacher in Sanatnagar, Hyderabad, specializing in making students pass exams (LKG to graduation).
- Speaker's early education: Taught first-year chemistry students; was paid by the college.
- Speaker's personal challenges: First baby while in college; classmates feared him when he walked through corridors.
- Speaker's career milestones: Joined bank $\rightarrow$ State Bank $\rightarrow$ multinational corporations $\rightarrow$ studied in U.S. and UK $\rightarrow$ MBA from ISB $\rightarrow$ worked as CEO for an IT organization $\rightarrow$ started own company in **2013**.
## Named Entities
- **Sanatnagar:** Area in Hyderabad where the speaker's mother taught.
- **ISB:** Institute for Social and Behavioural Sciences (implies source of MBA).
- **Ambani:** Mentioned as an example of someone who still operates within the framework of the middle class value system.
- **Confucius:** Cited regarding the belief that "everything has Beauty."
- **Vivekananda:** Referenced regarding the concept of working hard, but the speaker suggests an alternative interpretation of his teachings.
## Numbers & Data
- Seminar attendance range: From Tier 2 to entire Tier 3 cities.
- Households in Sanatnagar: Around **50,000**.
- Technology students in India (AICTE): **3.5 crore**.
- Employable students percentage: Only **15 percent** of the 3.5 crore technology students are reportedly employable.
- Financial year for Kimatra Gupta: **2022**.
- Kimatra Gupta's sales/revenue (2022): **1500 billion rupees**.
## Examples & Cases
- **The mother's specialty:** Making failing students pass, regardless of level (LKG, 10th, Intermediate, Graduation).
- **The teacher's student:** A girl, also 50, who passed 10th grade and became a teacher because the speaker taught her math.
- **The Photoshop designer:** Hired for the skill, but tasked with speaking Telugu to potential customers and successfully converting them.
- **Kimatra Gupta:** Started life in an electrical shop of his mama and built a massive organization (Havel).
- **The 'Joker' comparison:** Used to illustrate that Indian community structures enforce familial support that Western media depicts as dysfunctional.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Laptop:** Used by the speaker when starting his business because he lacked significant capital ("We are not from a business family").
- **AICTE site:** Source for the 3.5 crore technology student statistic.
## References Cited
- **Harishchandra:** Story used to illustrate the importance of keeping one's word.
- **Kimatra Gupta:** Example of slow, sustainable building from a small local shop.
- **Joker (movie):** Used as a cultural reference point to contrast Indian community support with depicted Western isolation.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Old vs. New Approaches:** Contrast between the "unicorns" (which may be financially troubled) and slow-building, sustainable organizations.
- **Hard Work Interpretation:** The speaker posits that the required approach to hard work is *incessant work* with a focus on *interpretation* rather than just raw effort.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Prevailing criticism of the middle class value system: Suggesting that change is required to succeed.
- Common belief: If one is successful, they must abandon their ingrained cultural values.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Defense of the middle class value system is necessary because it provides essential values like discipline and morality.
- Students and aspiring entrepreneurs should emulate the "Lifestyle entrepreneur" model: start small, sustain the lifestyle first, and then expand.
- The core message is to defend and utilize the inherent value embedded in one's community and background.
## Implications & Consequences
- Failure to acknowledge the middle class value system leads to an incomplete understanding of success.
- Lack of immediate opportunity access creates a lifetime barrier for students if unaddressed.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I strongly believe that every student has this right for imminent opportunities and world-class education."*
- *"entrepreneurs believe that they are the best and they can give the best Solutions they can move the mountains and only they can move the mountains that's what they believe."*
- *"she'll make them pass."*
- *"my specialty has been explaining very well in the best possible way."*
- *"it is gross Injustice that opportunities are not available to most of the students."*
- *"I just started with laptop"*
- *"every household has exclusive intelligence"*
- *"Combine it with your What I Call Family intelligence and you'll make wonders"*
- *"there is one common thread across and that Common Thread is middle class value system"*
- *"middle class value system needs a defense"*
- *"what happens to that student who trusted me what happens to that college which trusted me"*
- *"my husband's dream is my dream"*
- *"build small all these things the importance given to education your manners honesty discipline the financial discipline"*
- *"start small and first sustain yourself first sustain your lifestyle and then start expanding"*