Enterprisers.in

We would like to inform you of an exciting opportunity. The U.S. Consulate General Mumbai is holding a small grants competition to fund programs that promote U.S.-India relations. This is your chance to make a difference.

The deadline for submission of proposals is Tuesday, April 22, 2014. Programs must occur in western India (the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and/or Maharashtra). Proposals can include, but are not limited to, projects, seminars, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and outreach campaigns.

Proposals must focus on one of the following three priority areas of the U.S. Mission to India:

1. Promote better U.S.-India bilateral relations, with an emphasis on business ties. Examples include, but are not limited to, projects that through linkages with U.S. counterparts strengthen educational institutions, civil society organizations, or the emerging leaders in these fields; support economic cooperation; promote workers’ rights or women’s empowerment; address environmental protection and climate change; or involve corporate social responsibility.

2. Encourage regional and global roles for India. Examples include, but are not limited to, projects that support academic, civil society, and other exchanges and projects that strengthen ties between the United States, India, and its regional neighbors, assisting in the development of friendly, sympathetic, economically beneficial and peaceful relations.

3. Enhance security cooperation. Examples include, but are not limited to, projects that counter extremism; counter falsehoods, messaging, and propaganda; present accurate information on U.S.-India cooperation; and provide educational opportunities for Indian youth.

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

A panel composed of Consulate staff members will review each complete proposal received before the application deadline. Please note that selected proposals will have to complete additional forms and registration documents within thirty days of notification in order to receive funding.

What are the selection criteria for the Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program?

The project supports one or more of the grant priorities outlined above.
The proposals should be submitted via email or mail and should include a written narrative in English.
This competition is open only to individuals, non-governmental organizations, public education institutions, and other legally-recognized non-profit institutions that meet Indian and/or U.S. technical and legal requirements to develop and implement public diplomacy programs.
Indian organizations must have registered and received a Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) number from the Government of India.

How can I apply for the Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program?

An application form and full description of the program are attached. Applicants may submit their proposals to the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai by emailing a completed application form to MumbaiPublicAffairs@state.gov. You can also find more information and fill out the application form by visiting http://www.grants.gov/search/basic.do and searching for Funding Opportunity Number MRFP14-01.

We look forward to receiving your proposals. Please feel free to share this information with other colleagues and contacts.

Thank you,

U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

MRFP14-01 – US Consulate Mumbai Small Grants Program

RFP – suggested application format

Motivations, People / Stories

Entrepreneurs are the future of India: John Mullins

13/03/2014 yazdi

John Mullins, Associate Professor of Management Practice in Entrepreneurship and Marketing at London Business School (LBS), was in Mumbai recently with a team of MBA students to study entrepreneur practices in emerging markets. In a conversation with BT’s Ajita Shashidhar, Mullins talks about Indian entrepreneurial stories that he finds truly impressive. Excerpts:

Q. What made you choose India of all the emerging markets?

A. There is much to learn from India. Twenty years from now, all the growth will not come from Europe and North America. It will come from emerging markets such as India. Therefore, it is a critical market to understand.

Q.Are there any Indian entrepreneur-driven enterprises that you particularly admire?

A. My students are currently touring rural India with the sales team of Dharma Life. I find their model impressive. The company caters to the basic needs of rural people by creating a distribution network for products such as cycles and stoves at affordable prices. By doing so, Dharma Life has also enabled several rural people to earn a decent livelihood by selling these products.

Click Here for the full interview

Management

5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder

06/03/2014 yazdi

Here are five ways anyone can work smarter from Belle Beth Cooper, content crafter atBuffer, the social media management tool that lets you schedule, automate, and analyze social-media updates. (She’s also co-founder of Exist.)

Here’s Beth:

Working harder can be an easy habit to slip into, though. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off at the end of the day or take time out on the weekend and stop thinking about work. With a startup of my own to run, I find this even harder to manage. Whenever I’m not working on Buffer I’m working on Exist, and it’s easy to fall into a pattern of “always working” rather than working smart.

Here are five ways to avoid that trap:

Click Here to read more

Business Ideas, Calendar, Technology

Threads of partnership

01/03/2014 Support

Bina Rao of Hyderabad-based Creative Bee foundation and Villoo Mirza of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), Ahmedabad, have for been friends for years, bound by their passion: handlooms.

A vegetable-dyed kalamkari jacket adorns a mannequin in SEWA’s modest workspace in Ahmedabad. “This is for Bina Rao’s collection to be showcased at the International Workshop on Natural Dyes in Hyderabad. Besides, I will be presenting my own line,” Villoo Mirza says. The line will feature mosaic-like appliqué patterns Gujarat is known for.

The SEWA studio deals with a multitude of textiles and techniques, from Kutchi to Kashmiri embroideries and the coarse Japanese Boro yarn.

The establishment’s ability to cater to diverse requirements is its hallmark, says Bina: “Once I design the garments, the fabrication work is done at Mirza’s studio.”

Click to continue reading

Courtesy : Dara Acidwalla

Calendar, Finance

SIX special loan options for Women Entrepreneurs

27/02/201427/02/2014 yazdi

8^th March, International Women’s Day

In partnership with Moneylife Foundation, Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB), the new
government bank and India’s first Women’s Bank,
offers a one-time opportunity for quick processing of these loans on 8^th March

If eligible, you may even get your sanction letter on 8^th March at the hands of
CMD Mrs Usha Ananthasubramanian

Special Loan Products:

SME Easy loan: For traders, services and manufacturers – 100 bps concession for women entrepreneurs
Kitchen Modernisation Loan: For renovation of kitchen & purchase of electronic and electrical appliances – longer repayment period of 7 years
Beauty Parlour loan: Term loan for purchase/construction – attractive rate of interest and low processing charges
Catering Service Loan: Term loan for purchase of utensils, gas connection, stove, tiffin boxes, etc – low processing fees
Child Day Care Centre/ Creche Loan: Term loan for purchase of cutlery, gas connection, refrigerator, furniture, office equipment, etc – easy repayment in 5 years
SHG Loan: Both term-loan and working capital – no processing fees with insurance facility available

Eligibility for loans from Rs5 lakh-Rs25 lakh:

A) An established and profit-making business with experience of 2 to 3 years.
B) New entrepreneur skilled in any activity, desirous of implementing a new profitable project with established market demand.
C) Income-Tax returns for the last two/three years.

For forms, brochures and information, contact:

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd, Ground floor, Air India Building, Nariman Point, Mumbai, 400021.
Email: br.mumbai@bmb.co.in | Tel: 22022603 / 04
Moneylife Foundation, 315, Hind Services Industrial Estate, Shivaji Park, Dadar, Mumbai 400028.
Email: foundation@moneylife.in | Tel: 49205000
(Moneylife Foundation is an NGO, which is only facilitating distribution of forms/information)

Courtesy : Firdos Shroff

Business Plans, People / Stories

The Godrej Game-Plan

26/02/2014 Support

Ace industrialist Adi Godrej, Chairman of the 117-yearold Godrej Group and one of India’s leading business icons, has led the company’s shift from being a family enterprise to a modern conglomerate with his highly innovative ideas and inspiring leadership. His efforts have led to the progress and growth of the Godrej Group to a professionally managed, profitable enterprise today, along with improvement of the quality standards of the company’s products to meet the challenges of globalization.

The right communication is key to any company’s success, especially in times of a turbulent economy, and a market needs stimulation when it is weak. Godrej chose to discuss this insight and the role of advertising in a slowing economy, highlighting the strategy of the Godrej Group in this context, while delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Pitch Madison Media Advertising Outlook, 2014 – jointly brought out by the exchange4media Group and Madison World – in Mumbai on February 19

Click to Read more

Courtesy : Dara Acidwalla

Business Ideas, Business Plans, Calendar, Motivations, Networking

The Economic Times Young Leaders

20/02/2014 yazdi

The Economic Times Young Leaders is the largest and definitive platform for the most promising young Indian corporate managers. It was born in 2011, in partnership with SHL (now CEB India), the authority on leadership-tests. The program has since become the national benchmark for talented youngsters, offering them an unfair advantage in the climb to leadership. Previous winners have received national recognition, and more importantly, glorious tributes from their supervisors and CEOs.

WHY PARTICIPATE?

To self-discover your own leadership strengths basis industry-endorsed standards
To feature in the coveted The Economic Times Young Leaders ranking, thus gaining recognition as one of India’s top talents
To meet and learn from India’s blue-chip CEOs
To network with the country’s best young managerial talent

Read testimonials of finalists of previous editions of The Economic Times Young Leaders.

So if you are between 26-32 years and yearning for your place in the corporate spotlight, here’s your moment.

To know more about participation and related details, read the FAQs

Click Here for more information

Business Ideas, Startups

Launchpad Challenge 2014

11/02/201411/02/2014 yazdi

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, and the National Entrepreneurship Network are delighted to invite you to take part in Launchpad Challenge 2014 – an initiative that celebrates and supports breakthrough innovations from students across all disciplines!

If you are a graduate or post-graduate student in India with an exciting idea/product/prototype to share, enter the Challenge to win national recognition and fast-track commercialization support, including:

An opportunity to attend an intensive business plan workshop tailored for you
An opportunity to pitch your idea/product to leading investors
Recognition at the Launchpad Challenge Grand Finale at EDII, Ahmedabad (to be held on 7th March, 2014)

To enter the Challenge, please submit your completed nomination form (available at link below), on or before 15th February, 2014.

APPLY to Launchpad Challenge 2014

Click Here for more information re: eligibility, etc.

Finance, Startups

5 Bootstrapping Tips to Cut Costs at your Startup

11/02/2014 yazdi

Bootstrapping refers to the process of starting a business without external capital. It provides you with greater control in the initial days of a venture. However, since you are not sourcing capital from an investor you need to be extremely cautious with your cash. In this video Prof. Radhika Meenakshi Shankar, Founder, Wise Owl Consulting, and a Start-up Mentor shares “5 Bootstrapping Tips to Cut Costs at your Start-up.”

INDIA’S BIGGEST EVER INNOVATION CHALLENGE

WHY PARTICIPATE?