Ground Zero Management Competencies
Because “doing business” in India is less about disruption and more about managing registrations, admin, and remembering that compliance dates don’t care about your pitch deck 😅.
Company Setup & Legal Frameworks; Legal setup may feel boring, but it’s the passport to playing in the big leagues 🌍. Without it, your startup is just a “project.” With it, you’re a “company.” And investors only bet on companies, not hobbies.
When it comes to setting up your company’s legal structure — Private Limited, LLP, Partnership, or even “we’ll figure it out later” — where do you stand? 👉 Think of that moment when an investor asks, “So, what’s your entity type?” Do you confidently answer, fumble around, or secretly Google it under the table? Your choice of structure is like picking a cricket team formation: it decides how you play the innings, not just the toss.
Financial Systems & Budgeting; Finance is the oxygen of your startup. You don’t notice it when it’s there, but when it runs out — everything suffocates 🫁.
When it comes to managing money in your startup — tracking expenses, planning budgets, knowing what’s left in the kitty — how do you really operate? 👉 Imagine an investor suddenly asks: “How many months of runway do you have?” Do you open a neat Excel sheet, or do you nervously call your CA while pretending the Wi-Fi just dropped?
Operations & Execution Discipline; Execution is the bridge between a PowerPoint dream and a paying customer. Without discipline, even the best idea collapses like a half-built bridge
When it comes to day-to-day execution — making sure things actually move from plan to reality — what’s your natural style? 👉 Picture this: you promised to deliver 1,000 kg of fresh produce to a retailer by Monday morning. The farmer hasn’t harvested, the truck broke down, and the retailer is calling every hour. Do you calmly fix the chain, or panic and pray?
People & Team Management; A startup team is like a cricket squad 🏏 — too much buddy-buddy, and no one trains; too much dictatorship, and no one enjoys the game. The art is to keep everyone hungry and happy.
When it comes to building and managing your team, how do you naturally operate?
👉 Imagine this: two interns are fighting over whose Excel sheet is “the final one,” your sales guy wants a raise after closing one small deal, and your co-founder is sulking because you didn’t praise their pitch. Do you become the teacher, the boss, or the friend?
Sales & Customer Management; Sales in startups is like farming 🌾 — you can’t just throw seeds randomly and hope; you must nurture, water, and weed before the harvest shows up.
When it comes to selling your product/service and handling customers, what’s your default style? 👉 Imagine this: your first customer is late in paying, your second says they “love the idea but need a discount,” and the third ghosted you after endless demos. Do you charm, chase, or cut your losses?
Crisis Handling & Adaptability; A founder in crisis is like a cricketer in the final over 🏏 — sometimes you hit the six, sometimes you just need to hold your nerve. Either way, the crowd remembers how you handled the pressure.
When the unexpected hits — say your delivery truck breaks down, your co-founder falls sick before investor day, or a policy changes overnight — how do you usually react? 👉 Picture yourself at 11 PM, your biggest client’s WhatsApp message says: “Where’s the shipment?!” Do you improvise, freeze, or find a plan B?
Customer Feedback & Product Iteration; Feedback is like mirchi 🌶️ — too much burns the dish, too little makes it bland. The real founder skill? Knowing just how much to add.
When customers give feedback — sometimes sharp, sometimes confusing, sometimes brilliant — how do you usually handle it? 👉 Imagine you’ve just launched your MVP. One customer says, “Amazing!” Another says, “Why is the button green?!” And a third says, “Bro, this doesn’t solve my problem at all.” What’s your instinctive move?
Office & Admin Operations; A startup without admin discipline is like a cricket match without a scorer 🏏 — everyone plays hard, but nobody knows the actual score until chaos erupts
How do you manage your office, admin, and daily operational chaos? 👉 Think of that moment when the printer runs out of ink during an investor meeting, the internet collapses mid-Zoom, and your chai-wala is on leave. Admin work doesn’t sound sexy, but it decides whether your startup feels like a company or like a college hostel project.
Cash & Accounts Administration; Cash discipline is less about big fundraising and more about daily credibility. A founder who can track ₹100 well is more trusted with ₹10 crores. In startups, financial honesty is the cheapest brand insurance you’ll ever buy.
How do you handle the day-to-day money flows — petty cash, vendor bills, staff reimbursements, and those late-night “bhaiya, bill kal clear kar dena” phone calls? 👉 Every founder eventually realizes that “cash” doesn’t mean only funding rounds or big contracts. It also means chai bills, Uber rides, Tally entries, GST filings, and whether your intern got their stipend on time. Many startups collapse not because they lacked customers, but because they tripped over sloppy accounts.
IT & Data Management: IT discipline is like brushing your teeth 🪥 — boring daily, but you’ll regret it if you don’t. A strong data spine today saves you from an expensive root canal tomorrow.
How do you handle your startup’s IT backbone — from data storage and backups to managing passwords, servers, and customer records? 👉 Imagine the classic moment when your intern asks, “Sir, where’s the file with all customer leads?” and you realize it’s buried in some WhatsApp chat, while your laptop auto-updates in the middle of an investor call. IT discipline isn’t about coding; it’s about whether your digital kitchen is clean or a total mess.
Communication Systems; How do you keep your team, partners, and customers in the loop — without turning into a WhatsApp spam group admin?
When it comes to communication — inside the team or with customers — what’s your style? 👉 Imagine this: you’re juggling investor calls, farmer queries, and your tech guy’s excuses about “server down.” How do you keep everyone updated without losing your sanity (and your phone battery)?
Organizational Memory & Learning; How does your startup remember lessons — do you build a library of wisdom, or do you keep stepping on the same rake like a cartoon character? A startup without memory is like farming without seasons 🌾 — you keep sowing and reaping randomly. Build an archive of lessons, and you harvest not just crops but wisdom.
When something important happens — say a customer complaint, a supply-chain goof-up, or a sales breakthrough — how do you make sure the team learns from it? 👉 Think of it like cooking: do you just serve the dish and forget the recipe, or do you note it down so the taste can be repeated (or avoided if it was terrible)?
