BakeryBiz, May-June, 2021

H. A. Mishra, [PhD, FIH, HMCT], Chairman & Managing Director,
Foodesign Hospitality Systems Pvt. Ltd.

As we know, our nation is going through a lot of ups and downs due to Covid 19. We are even buckling up for the Third wave by getting vaccinated and restrictions on movements imposed in many regions. In the current scenario, I believe we need a huge set of Young leaders to come up and support the society by venturing new ideas or expanding existing business to a new level. It is definitely not an easy task, but that is where an individual becomes a competent leader. By taking risks and crucial steps, the young generation can take up our Country’s overall performance to the apex.

I will label the current period as “The Golden Period”. Theoretically, it sounds quite contradictory to the current situation but in reality this is the ‘Change’ that we are going through. A change much bigger than the Wheel Invention, Industrial Revolution, Internet Revolution, etc. The only thing that the youth needs to do is to adapt to this change and become a part of the Golden Period.

This is the perfect time to upgrade if you are having an established family business. We should always be flexible and adaptive when it comes to upgrading or establishing a business. We should learn from the Multinational Companies and adapt to their way of operating business. We might not achieve their scale of business in a short period of time. But we shall at least initiate working on those lines to become a market leader.

Starting from small is the only key to become one of the likes of Tata, Reliance, Godrej, etc.

It is always advisable to invest your skills in your own ideas or business, because this will not only fetch you great dividends but it will also stabilise the society around you. A tree needs water to grow and spread out its branches. Similarly, our nation needs young leaders to become a Super Power in the future. Just as the Sun gives a tree the right direction to grow, in our case it is the experienced leaders who can help these young talents find their way to great heights. With more than 50 years of experience in hospitality industry, it is my duty to motivate the young generation to grow and select the right path in order to excel further collectively.

That said, I would like to lay down certain advantages that the young generation can benefit from upgrading or establishing their own ideas or business:

• The Initial investment required is manageable and not burdensome.
• Guidance from family business members or friends can enhance your idea or business or at least can give a personal touch.
• Bunch of ideas available online to inspire you to execute every aspect of business on a higher level.
• Touch-base with young generation and their likings, thus you can be flexible while adhering to their needs and wants.
• Self-learning, value addition, professionalism and other qualities build up naturally in young age.
• A young mind has the ability to accept new changes, challenges and innovations.

There are more such advantages which can boost your morale and motivate you to take big decisions in life. We must always have a role model in life which can guide us to success. Especially the young generation should set a benchmark and follow their path but a role model can shape it more precisely. Like in hospitality industry, we have F&B Cost Guru: https://www.fnbcost.guru, which not only guides the budding F&B business entrepreneurs but also gives them solution to various problems that one has to tackle in order to make it big in hospitality industry.

We should never forget our roots from where we belong and about the people who helped us stepping up the ladder of success. An individual can’t be a leader in isolation. A leader has a huge responsibility towards society, especially the youth needs to realise that and act accordingly.

Just imagine the surge in the volume of employment generation after a bunch of youth decide to upgrade or establish their own brands or businesses. Employment is a major problem not only in India but in developed countries like U.S.A. Thus, if we start developing a sense of responsibility and accept the challenge of changing the society, then we can collectively change the world’s perception about India as the most prosperous nation in the world. Let us be more specific, if a youngster decides to leave his job and join his family business. Then he will be able to apply all the knowledge that he gained from his job in a big enterprise into his family business which is still running on a small scale. This will not only grow his family business but it will generate a huge employment opportunity for other youngsters and thus the cycle will continue and grow in the same manner.

This small process will lead to birth of multiple young leaders, brands, ideas and innovation. In order to fulfil this process someone has to step up and take the torch of hope to show others the pathway to achieve something big that no one can predict or even think about. This is exactly what we need to make India great again. I will keep on emphasising it until every youth in the nation ends up getting motivated to do something different and out of the way which can break the wall of problems which is standing tall in front of us. We can only break it, if the future of our nation participates collectively for a greater good.