At UnLtd India, the journey of success of a Social Entrepreneur starts with the journey of the Coach to his/ her Social Entrepreneur.
Many things separate UnLtd India’s Incubation Program from the others, the most interesting aspect being the coaching model. It all starts with the coaches visiting the Social Entrepreneurs (SEs), in what we call a “site visit”, to gain understanding of the work conditions and challenges of the SEs. Site visits are an absolutely important ingredient for the growth of the SEs and their organisation. In this process, coaches also meet the most important stakeholder – the beneficiaries to understand how well the impact is being delivered and how it can be made better and meaningful.
Deepak Bhosle, part of UnLtd India’s February 2022 cohort, through his organisation White Knowise, is working for the rehabilitation of the hearing impaired. This cause is very close to his heart as he himself is affected by hearing loss. Deepak is managing well with this challenge. Not satisfied, he wanted to create support for others facing similar challenges. WHO estimates that in India 72 Million have hearing loss and 21 Million need rehabilitation. Through his venture, Deepak is also addressing the modern-day challenge of impaired hearing due to long periods of listening to loud music. His innovative technology platform will democratise rehabilitation of hearing impairment across age groups, geography and socio economic status.
As part of the program, UnLtd India’s Ramanathan V has been assigned as the Coach to Deepak. During the planning phase of the site visit itself, Ram was amazed by Deepak’s attention to detail – he shared a meticulous minute by minute agenda to maximise the visit. It’s said that “an hour of planning can save you hours of doing” and that’s exactly what happened in this two and a half-day site visit. Everything went smoothly and both Ram and Deepak were able to make the most of the coaching. Coaching is essential in identifying both organisational/individual strengths; development opportunities and high potential points whilst building on the relatively weaker aspects.
After a short flight to Pune, Deepak received Ram and took him to his office, which turned out to be a home office. Ram was a little hesitant initially but as soon as he entered the living room, the warm and welcoming environment made him feel like they have always known each other. The conversation started in the living room of the house where Deepak’s wife and daughter were present. As Deepak and Ram immediately got down to discussing various aspects of the work, his wife actively participated in sharing her suggestions and ideas for the growth of the venture. It made Ram extremely happy to see how supportive the environment was for Deepak.
Over lunch that day Ram met Dr Swetha, an audiologist and her team. Dr Swetha is the clinician who is supporting and guiding Deepak. Over a nice Maharstrian meal, various topics were discussed – patient pathway, patient and audiologist challenges, potential factors influencing adoption of Deepak’s conceived solution etc. Post lunch Dr Swetha commented ‘this conversation was like a Viva Voce !’
In order to empathise better with the ecosystem, Ram visited a training school for the hearing impaired. The ENT doctor who was running the centre, facilitated Ram having conversations with hearing impaired children’s parents and teachers. It was a humbling experience to watch teachers conduct rehab sessions with such patience and grace.
Later Ram interacted with the tech development team. And then Ram spent a day and half gaining understanding on different facets of perspectives and expectations of the various stakeholders. He also noted the sense of urgency Deepak had on product development and launch. The market opportunity math added up to INR 500-700 Crores but there were many stakeholders and their motivation/pain points were not crystal clear. Hence Ram helped Deepak realise the importance of doing more research through intensive Primary Market Research (PMR), which needed to be broader and include many more target segments than he had previously identified as his market.
Over dinner that night at Deepak’s home, Ram met Deepak’s mother-in-law who was also very supportive and proud of her son-in-law’s initiative. The warm and welcoming environment that the family offered and the bonds he made there were extremely stimulating for Ram. He felt at home which for him was a very new experience during a site visit.
Though the trip and conversations were intense, Deepak’s immaculate planning ensured that it was not only about work. Deepak saw to it that the foodie in Ram was also looked after!! So both made the time for some authentic local food. Outcome- Misal Pav (a savoury dish eaten with a kind of bun) is now officially Ram’s favourite snack.
As Ram was leaving for his journey back to base, he noticed a new spark in Deepak’s eyes – it seemed like he had got the right direction. Ram was happy to know his suggestions were being taken seriously and wished Deepak all the best in his entrepreneurial journey.
‘Site Visit’ turned out to be the beginning of a great coaching relationship between Ram and Deepak. If you can relate to any of Ram’s experiences, do write to us. We would love to know your thoughts.
Stay tuned for more such blogs, brought to you right from the field.
