N. Raghuraman's column: Make the morning walk a place to find inspiration

If you are walking on Gachibowli Road near Hitech City in Kondapur, Hyderabad, then on the right you will see 'Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Botanical Garden'. To outsiders like you and me, it looks like a beautiful garden in your city, where people come for morning walks. But there is a difference between those morning walks and weekend morning walks here. Here people gather in small groups at the entrance gate. Some come in running shoes, while others come with a backpack. Just like any other place, they greet each other with a smile or a handshake, but there is a small difference. Within a few minutes, the crowd swells and one can easily see founders, marketing professionals, technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and mentors who want to give back to the society. Then something different happens before the walk begins. People pair up not on the basis of each other's age and looks, but on the basis of needs and 3.5 km of the park. Start the walk on the long circular track, where there is talk of entrepreneurship along with fitness. Someone discusses a product idea, someone explains the stage of his startup, and many people ask for guidance. The concept is very simple – go along, talk about ideas and move forward together. Juniors ask questions, seniors answer and knowledge transfer takes place. Many people openly say what they want. For example, investors, co-founders, partners or early users. Some people want validation, some want honest feedback. Often, accompanying people, mentors and organizers also offer immediate suggestions. Every Saturday, Sunday from 6.30 am to 8.30 am, for many youngsters in Hyderabad, it is not just a way to stay fit, but an opportunity to discuss the challenges of business, products and startups. A more structured discussion now begins after 3500 steps in the park. People return to ground zero near the entrance. The founders put the idea in front of the group. Sometimes they tell about the initial concept, sometimes about the products that are being developed. Investors see an opportunity in it and ask to meet on a working day. Appointments are fixed and plans are ready. Organizers know that starting is the most difficult stage for any startup. If this start is done in an informal setup like a garden, then it becomes easy to take the business forward as soon as the idea comes out. The organisers claim that 'parks are the perfect place to bring fitness and entrepreneurship together'. Every Sunday, a guest speaker like a founder, investor or industry expert comes here and talks about entrepreneurship, leadership and growth. For many, it is a complete exchange of values and knowledge. Some believe that by meeting regular people, who knows if they will find a partner or customer someday. Interestingly, people from other cities have also started coming to this meet. Chenappa Naidu, the man behind the initiative, believes that this is his contribution to making entrepreneurship knowledge more accessible for free. Because many people want to start something, but they don't know where to start. The trick is to get up early, gather for a conversation and share ideas. Who knows, walking the blocks of the garden, your startup idea might go from bootstrapped (a venture started with your own money with no outside funding) to become the slogan of the next generation of T-shirts.