Most Entrepreneurs are into reading because they are the ones who are aware of the happenings in the world. Majorly they are the ones responsible for bringing new ideas and innovations in the society. Hence to differentiate themselves, they need to constantly have a check as to whether something similar to their idea exists or not. Reading is the part of their journey. Also, being an Entrepreneur and reading about other person’s journey is quite a resource in moving ahead in terms of business. It helps to recover the mistakes which were committed by them.

An Entrepreneur is way too often stricken by emotions like fear and anxiety and stress, that it sometimes becomes hard to stay focused. Hence, here goes the list of some extremely inspirational books to help stay motivated and also learn from the mistakes of the other businessman.

1.      “The Power of Broke” by Daymond John

This book is for anyone looking to crush those excuses for whatever is holding him or her back from success. After reading this books one can bootstrap the way to success can find a reasonable way to grow the empire. The book also explores how other everyday people took a similar approach. For instance, an entrepreneur started a million-dollar cupcake business with the $33 balance in her checking account.

2.      “All In” by Bill Green

Bill Green describes his 40 years of business experience by sharing insights that helped him to build the largest industrial distributions company in the world. It is a must-read.

3.      “Unshakable” by Tony Robbins

It is a compilation of the best of the best.  It pulls knowledge from the top financial minds in the world to create a playbook for financial freedom.

4.      “The Psychology of Selling” by Brian Tracy

Every entrepreneur very well knows that the key to a good business is good sales technique. Not only we sell the product, but also an idea. This book by Brian Tracy gives us the valuable information and strategies about on how to make more selling by focusing on one thing – the person.

By – Nayni Jain

Blogging is becoming a thing these days. People are getting involved with the world by coming forth with exciting and creative ideas. The highlighting part is that people are making money through it. People are giving vent to their emotions through blogs. From sharing funny incidents to sharing outrage about the controversy that happened for Padmavat to opinions about the college rules and many more, Blogs are made.

With several options like WordPress, Tumblr and Medium it has never been difficult to publish blogs. WordPress is an ideal choice for a blogging. It is free to download, install, use, and modify. Allows us to give Blogs our customised look. Also has hundreds of template themes to choose from. Apart from text, it supports images, audios, and video content. Before starting a blog from scratch, we need to be familiar with certain terms that will be used during the process of creating a “WordPress” blog, which will help you create a blog of your own.

1.      Domain Name

The name through which people will access the blog/website is the domain name. Just the way, house address is used to find a person’s home, same way domain name specifies the name of the blog.

2.      Sub-domain

It is a subset of the domain name. For example, in www.wordpress.com, www is a sub-domain on wordpress.com.

3.      Theme

It is the aesthetics of the page. Themes decide how the blog will eventually look like. WordPress offers numerous themes to choose from.

4.      Plugin

It is a special tool that you can use to enhance the functionality of your blog. If you want to improve readers’ experience and manage your blog easily, you can leaf through plugins.

5.      Widgets

They allow us to change our blog’s design without having in-depth knowledge of HTML and CSS.

Follow the above-mentioned steps and get on to WordPress to start up with your own blog.

Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) was a renowned scientist, cosmologist author and the Director of Research at the University of Cambridge. He recently died peacefully at the age of 76, as quoted by his family. His exceptional mental ability and physical disability made him an inspiration to the globe. Considered as one of the intelligent people ever born, despite being bound to a wheelchair he made waves. In one of his last public appearances, he said: “The boundary condition of the universe is that it has no boundary.” According to him, although his mind was operated by the computer, he was quite free.  His uncanny abilities to frame up the memorable phrases and sayings summed up his view of the world. Here are some of his memorable quotes from his books that will inspire each one of us.

When one day, he fell down and had great difficulty in getting up, his mother took him to the doctor. After undergoing numerous tests and spending weeks at the hospital, he figured that something really critical had happened. The doctor, who diagnosed him believed that nothing could be done to improve his condition. Depression was over ruling him. Didn’t know whether to continue with his PhD or not because he wasn’t sure whether he’ll survive or not. He was determined to do cosmology when he came to Cambridge. Gradually his condition got better and he made progress in his work. Every day seemed to be a bonus for him and he appreciated each day and everything that he had. He realized, where there’s life, there’s hope.

• Sharing his enthusiasm and excitement, he quoted “Always remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. However difficult it may seem, there is always something you can do and also succeed at. What matters is that you don’t give up. While there’s life, there’s hope.”
• “The human capacity for guilt is such that people can always find ways to blame themselves.”
• “The most remarkable property of the universe is that it has spawned creatures able to ask questions.”
• “The idea of 10 dimensions might sound exciting, but they would cause real problems if you forget where you parked your car.”
• “It is said that there’s no such thing as a free launch. But the universe is the ultimate launch.”

Although he is gone, he will be long-lived forever and his messages will be remembered by all the coming generations.

Well, it might be a challenge for some people to have good writing skills. To express yourself, you need to have a good active vocabulary. This does not mean that you should use strenuous words just to make your article impressive. Instead, use simple words that convey your message well to the audience. Becoming a writer takes practice. But, you are already doing it in everyday life through emails (Also Read: 5 Phrases to Avoid While Writing Business Emails), texts etc. Now, improving writing skills is just the process of becoming conscious of the things you do to give your text a perfect structure that comes out to be a meaningful and sensical one. If you really want to communicate with others it is extremely important to bring some order to your thoughts and frame them perfectly to make it readable. So, Startup Idols provides you with some 5 tips on how to improve your writing skills.

1. Start Writing on Daily Basis

The first and foremost thing you need to do to improve your writing skills is to write on a daily basis. Make it a habit. Start writing on some random topics and try not to get stuck thinking about what will I write? How will I write? Etc. Just keep on writing. Write about things that you see around, things that you hear or make up a story of your own. Practice does make you perfect. This habit will surely help you to improve your writing skills.

2. Read Everything

Most writers startup as voracious readers. So, spend time on reading stuff from different domains. Do not just get stuck to one type of content instead expand your horizons. Exposure to a wide range of styles, subjects, and forms teaches you new techniques and gives you fresh inspiration. This will improve your vocabulary and English. So, try to read something every day.

3. Use Online Resources to Improve Grammar

It is okay to not know everything about grammar. It might seem painful sometime. The technology has become so advanced that you even get some tools to check whether your article has been written in perfect grammar or not. There are several websites that let you upload the content for free, checks it, allows you to rectify the errors and download the edited file. For example, Grammarly. By using such tools you will learn and your writing skills as well as grammar will improve.

4. Improve Your Vocabulary and Spellings

As mentioned earlier, you need lots of words for framing an article. So, it’s important for you to build a good vocabulary in order to write well. Try to learn at least one word a day. Also, learn its correct spelling and its correct pronunciation and try to use it on a daily basis. This will definitely help you in writing well.

5. Ask your acquaintance to proofread your article

Always keep that one friend or any other person to correct your article. Pick someone who is really good at English, who writes well and who can correct your mistakes. This way you’ll be able to write well and rectify the errors well.

There is a notion that happiness is directly proportional to the amount of money in the bank account. Whenever we visit a supermarket and come across a thing that has some exciting offer valid over it, we are straight away attracted towards buying it. Why? Well, because it is giving us more than what it is charging for. But best things in life are always for free. It truly applies to each and every one of us. There are certain things in life that currency has no value. More than the material things we have something which is valued is a priceless asset. Money is important, yes, it is. It can buy you luxury and who doesn’t like luxurious things. But there are certain things that money can’t buy. Therefore, let us have a look at the 4 things money cannot buy.

1. Care and Personal Touch

We all need someone to care about us. Can money buy someone to truly care for you? Well, we can hire a caretaker. But, will the caretaker work or care for you more than what he is paid? Will you get that feeling of attachment and belongingness? No, the motherly care can never come from that person. Hence, money cannot but personal care and touch.

2. Respect

Being respected among fellow humans evokes a feeling of positivity and a sense of confidence. In every domain of their life everyone wants to be respected. Respect for family, respect at workplace or respect among society, it sure is an important thing that one wishes to achieve. One can gain this respect by working hard and being a noble person but we just cannot buy it with money.

3. Good Friends

Friends are the indispensable part of one’s life. When no one stays, a friend does. We can top in a friend’s list by buying expensive materialistic things but that one won’t be always there for us. A genuine friendship doesn’t come with any price tag.

4. Passion

Money can’t buy passion. It can buy things, resources but it can’t buy passion over something/someone. Passion is what most people lack in their life, towards what they do. Most people live a dreaded life. And eventually, they end up doing what they don’t like, for what they didn’t really want in the first place.

The competition to start your own company is very high these days. Many new companies are emerging every year in India, but to become one of the best Indian Start-ups is not an easy job. The start-up world never fails to ride on the high waves. Many new Start-ups came up in the year 2018. Let us focus our eyes on the Top 5 Indian Start-ups of 2018.

1. redBus.in

Phanindra Sama, Sudhakar Pasupunuri and Charan Padmaraju started redBus, to sell bus tickets online. redBus is an online bus ticketing company which also sells tickets through offline stores. It became one of the best Indian startup of 2018. It has quite a number of outlets across India. It was taken over by Ibibo group for around 680 crore INR.

1. ALT Balaji

It is one of the Indian startups giving a tough competition to its competitors in the world of entertainment. One of the worth noticing channels on YouTube making thrilling web series by catering on to the on-demand entertainment. ALT Balaji has numerous original web series along with wide range of movies and shows. It truly deserves a place in Top Start-ups od 2018.

1. Blowhorn

Most of us find it difficult to shift our belongings from one place to another. That is where blowhorn, one of India’s top startup comes. It offers a place for people looking to move their belongings from one place to another safely.

1. Commonfloor

Commanfloor is an Indian startup.It is an effort of Sumit Jain, Lalit Mangal and Vikas Malpani to make the living of the people of residential localities better with the help of technology. They let people know each other in a better way and expand their network. They can celebrate festivals, arrange parties, connect up with people having same interests, make interaction more open and friendly by making life as vibrant as one can imagine.

1. MobMe

MobMe, another top Indian startup of 2018 was founded by Sony Joy, Sanjay Vijay Kumar and Vivek. It is a company focussing on Value Added Services for mobile phone users and Carrier Grade Solutions for Network operators. It has offices in Gurgaon, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Mumbai.

To be a Gentleman is not a trait it is more of a lifestyle. It’s something to be learnt from within. It is a badge that a man should carry with him at all times. A true gentleman is someone who is respected and loved by everyone. This article by Startup Idols will help us to know what exactly it is to be a Gentleman. Let us go through the article to know some tips to be a thorough Gentleman.

Here are 5 tips on how to be a perfect gentleman:

1. Put Efforts in Appearance

To be a gentleman some efforts are required to be put in to your appearance. It matters the most. Appearance comes with quite a few things. Firstly, stay clean and tidy. Do not smell bad. Secondly, always stay well groomed. That is, for instance, to keep fingernails nuts.

• Showcase Your Manners

Show off the manners that you have. For instance, give a seat to a woman near you if she’s standing, hold on the groceries for the elderly people etc. These types of manners will portray you as a true gentleman. They might sound silly but they actually make a man look courteous.

• Always Be on Time

Try not to make anyone wait for you. Be it a woman or any other person. Try to be punctual. Sometimes, you are not prepared for certain things like traffic etc. Instead of giving excuses, try to be on time. Make sure not to make them wait rather try waiting for them. A true gentleman is always on time.

• Know the Difference between Confidence and Arrogance

NO one is interested in dealing with a person who is egoistic and who shows off. A bit of self-confidence is fine as it makes people admire you but overconfidence can definitely ruin things. Keep it respectful and try to talk properly and in a gentle manner to everyone especially woman. Learn more ways to develop confidence instantly.

• Be a Lifelong Learner

A true gentleman is always ready to learn things and actively seeks challenges. His intellectual curiosity compels him to constantly try to improve himself. He is emotionally mature, mentally sharp and never hesitates to ask for help. 

To be confident is a very important part if life, as it is well said that “If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life”. Self-confidence is a step on the ladder of success. You need to believe in your own skills, abilities and knowledge to succeed in life. When you believe in yourself you are more likely to take action. Confident people start things at the spur of the moment. They are not shy about striking on a new idea. Their confidence allows them to stand up in a fair and consistent manner.

Confidence is one of the most important things to acquire. Even a little bit of it makes a lot of difference. So, Startup Idols is here to tell you the ways to develop confidence instantly.

1. Make Your Body Language Work For You

80% of your first impression is sketched through your body language. If your body posture is not that impressive, people are going to be least interested in you. Have a good posture when you are talking to someone also do not forget to have a good eye contact while talking. Try to use hand gestures to enhance your verbal statements and the last thing, SMILE when you are having the conversation with someone.

2. Just Slow Down When You’re Nervous

In whichever state we are, whether we are on stage, talking to someone on phone or in person, we tend to get nervous at times as a result of which we start to speak very fast, the voice goes up few notes. This will ultimately make no sense to the person listening to you. So, just calm down for a while, take a deep breath and then use pauses as an advantage for you. When you speak slowly, you will be able to come out more clearly and make the other person understand what you are trying to convey.

3. Try to Develop Confidence in Your Lifestyle

Always try to look good and feel good. Try to maintain proper hygiene. People will never be interested in talking to you if you smell bad. Keep your nails and hair neat and tidy so you would come out as a very confident person. Maintain your health by eating good and healthy food and try to avoid junk as much as possible. It might hit on your confidence. Put efforts in appearance with some additional tips to be a thorough gentleman.

4. Always Seek Opportunity to Talk More

Never miss an opportunity to talk more. The more you communicate with people, the better it gets. So, seek every opportunity you can to talk and communicate with people. Try to have some meaningful conversations with strangers on the topics you would love to talk. The more you are into conversations, the more confident you appear.

Do you want to be known as one of the best employees at your workplace? Do you want to be an inspiration to your colleagues and friends? Every company wants efficient employs and every employ wants to have the qualities to be efficient at work. Well, there are certain things that you should do and certain things you should not do to be an efficient employ at work. There are some qualities you can imbibe which will definitely help you to make a mark in your office and will certainly make people admire you.

Here are 5 qualities to be an efficient employ at work:

1. Gossip

You are required to be highly productive at work. Avoiding gossip is something which will help you in that direction. There are various things and topics that can be tempting to discuss at work like the behaviour of the other colleagues, their dressing sense, their way of talking, their personal life, their habits and many more. But are these things going to make some value? No, they won’t. They’ll only distract you and decrease your productivity. It can even lead to conflict between your colleagues and you. So, try avoiding gossip at work to be an Efficient Employee.

2. Try Avoiding Aggression And Stay Calm

Aggression is something which is not good and is even not okay especially in the work environment. Efficient Employees do not lose their temper at work, do not have outburst instead try to remain polite and handle things calmly. It might be difficult to have such a personality sometimes at work but one can always try to and take down at least one of the above-mentioned things to be called an efficient employee. After all, these are the things that matter in the end. So, try to control the anger and practice patience.

3. Team Oriented

Many companies succeed because of the entire team and not just the individuals. An efficient employee is required to be able to work and coordinate well with the entire team. Teamwork is the quality that is being searched by most of the employers while hiring employees for their company because they know that their company will succeed with the work of the entire team and not just the individual.

4. Don’t Be a Constant Complainer

Try not to complain about different things at work. The vibes of weakness are radiated when you complain a lot and also shows that you have an overly sensitive ego that gets easily hurt. It ends up creating negativity in your workspace. Those who are adjustable and adaptable to the behavior of others never complain. You might even lose respect from your colleagues, friends. So, avoid complaining it’s of no use.

5. Avoid Being Selfish and Try to be Cooperative

An efficient employee works with the entire team and sometimes not just does his own part but also his colleague’s part. They definitely don’t act selfish but contribute in every way possible to make the task a huge success even if they are not getting the direct credit. They just want to create more value and not waste time and are really hardworking and real team players. So for becoming an efficient employee, try to be one with the above qualities.

Everyone should try to be highly productive, ever wondered why the entrepreneurs, athletes, CEOs are so enthusiastic at work? Every day they come with a boundless energy and a burning desire to succeed. Imagine that you are at work and you have a lot of tasks to complete but you are just not able to complete them in a given time. Then you might get the feedback from your boss saying that you are not that productive. What does this “productive” mean? Don’t worry Startup Idols is here to tell you 5 ways to be highly productive at work.

1. Learn to Prioritize

Keeping a priority list of tasks helps a lot at the workplace. In case you try to do a lot of things at the same time and there is always a race against time, what you need to do is to make a to-do list and prioritize your tasks accordingly. The important thing is to stick to this list. It will give you a lot of confidence and encourage you to finish up your tasks on time.

2. Avoid all Sorts of Distractions

Another way to be highly productive is to avoid all distractions. Whether it is your cell phone, social media sites, online surfing etc whatever you waste time on constitute in becoming a distraction at the workplace. So, try to avoid them. Also, make sure once you are at work you focus on the task in hand and give your 100% at work.

3. Shield Yourself from Negativity

Workplaces have many people and they all have a different mentality and different perspectives which can sometimes become the forcing house for negativity. So, try shielding yourself from negativity. For instance, do not indulge in small talks and gossips during working hours rather concentrate on your work to avoid negativity.

4. Do Not Get Deterred by Failure

The most productive people aren’t afraid of making mistakes. They do not over analyse things and take quick actions without worrying about the consequences and treat failure as an opportunity for improvement. So, try to take risks to evolve into a productive and efficient worker. And this is why you should make more mistake.

5. Approve of Yourself

When you are at work and do something extremely fantastic, do not keep looking for acknowledgement from outside rather appreciate yourself. It’ll keep you self-motivated and you will never land up in the state of discouragement. So, that way you will be highly productive at work and also highly focused.

6. Keep on Learning

It often happens that once you are done with the education, you stop learning. But, remember that learning is a lifelong task which never stops and you must commit to this task in order to be highly productive. So, wherever you are working, you must always keep upgrading yourself and your skills. Work on self-enhancement and self-improvement and never give up on books