Manoj Bhargava: Billionaire Monk
Manoj Bhargava:
Billionaire Monk
“Follow your dream but make sure it’s
the right dream, if your dream is to be a serial killer, please don’t”
-Manoj
We all want to make a difference but
end up following convention by mindlessly chasing money and power.
Manoj didn’t follow convention, he put
in immense hard work and used his own head to find his way.
Manoj was born in Lucknow and moved to
Philadelphia with his family in the 1960s. He was super smart and for his
undergrad degree, he got a scholarship in one of the most prestigious
universities in the world – Princeton. While studying he did many odd jobs to
pay his college tuition, like driving taxis and even manual labour. After
finishing just a year at Princeton he decided to drop-out.
“It was great for a year, but I left
for the same reason no one stays for five or six years, it's just an arbitrary
number. I got what I needed out of Princeton in one year and after that I
didn’t think it was useful.” – Manoj
What he did next was really crazy; but
you will agree with me when I say it’s probably what shaped his life and made
him what he is today. He spent the next 12 years at Hanslok Ashram in Delhi.
He returned to
America and one day found himself at a small stall that claimed they had a
drink which could boost your focus and productivity. Manoj tried it and it
really worked, he immediately wanted to manufacture and sell such a drink.
What’s absolutely
ridiculous is that he created the product, made a business plan, raised the
funds, started the company and had his drink called Five-Hour energy on shelves
in just 2 months.
“Whenever someone
asks me, when do you want this ready? I usually reply 3 O'clock today. Do your
maximum right now today.” - Manoj
When asked what does
an entrepreneur need to be successful?
He replied - “Only
two things – Common sense and a Sense of urgency”
Further asked, who
should we learn this from?
He replied – “From
your mom, because she’s probably done more management than your MBA professor.”
Manoj played tough,
he sued the hell out of all the copycats like 6-Hour Power and 8-Hour Energy. He was involved in over 300 lawsuits and
managed to win all of them. He didn’t let anyone steal a single penny of his
business. This is also where you can see his patience and resilience; he never
gave up.
Manoj was now worth
over $4 billion but still lived in his modest 2-bedroom flat with his wife and
son. He didn’t care for money; to him it was all meaningless.
“I realized, we are
making a lot of money here and I had no interest in fancy stuff, what do I do
with this?”
“There's an old story
about a blind man heading towards the well and there's a guy who's watching if
the blind man falls into the well. Who gets the blame if you're watching
something that you can prevent? We've got to do something.” - Manoj
He pledged to use 99%
of his wealth towards helping underprivileged people. He started another
company called Innovation Ventures LLC.
Today his company has
solutions to provide clean drinkable water to millions, green electricity in
rural sectors and a solution to tackle 80% of all healthcare issues in a cost
effective manner.
He also runs trusts
like the Hans Foundation
and Rural India Supporting Trust that are improving the lives of millions of
Indians.
Manoj attributes all
his success to keeping things simple, avoiding aggravation and using his head
rather than his heart. This man not only achieved immense success but also made
a difference in the world through his hard work and passion.
I hope we all learn
something from the entrepreneurial lessons this rags to riches story has to
offer.
-Parth
Shah
Fascinating, incedible motivation without a clear motive.
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