Greetings everyone!

I am Vikas Kashyap, a Chemical Engineer from IIT Roorkee with specialization in Polymer science. I have been working as the head of Gujarat Operations for over 2 years in my company, Blackbuck. I feel very lucky to have been a part of a bunch of passionate people who have created such fabled growth story over last 4 years and is surely sits at the top of all the A-lister startups in Logistics sector.

Through this article, I would like to highlight the prospects of working in a startup with a focus on Operations roles. For that let me, start with my own professional journey so far. My interest in startups and Operations Management was not at all planned. Since my childhood, I wanted to become an IAS officer, attempted the exam multiple times with various degrees of success but couldn’t make to the final list of selected candidates. But, it was my zeal towards solving complex problems, creating value/impact in whatever I do and wish for being part of some disruptive business led me to this position.

Working in A startup

One of my seniors once told me that “A Ship in Harbor Is Safe, but That Is Not What Ships Are Built For”. If you happen to have the same feeling while working in stable corporate jobs, a startup is your place to be at! Majority of the times you will be responsible to organize the chaos and solving a standard business problem in innovative ways (Amazon/Ola/Paytm/Oyo/Swiggy/Blackbuck are all into this arena). You will get into a roller coaster ride of rapid growth, witnessing frequent strategic changes, rapid scaling of proven operations/ideas, several experiments/team changes and opportunity to work cross functional most of the times. All this makes each day of yours more meaningful, productive and dynamic. Ask any early stage Flipkart/Ola/Paytm employees, all of them will tell their contribution story with pride and glowing faces. For most, that is what work satisfaction is all about!

Operations Role

Operations management in normal words means utilizing all the available resources (People/Technology/Capital/Material/Processes) in production and delivery of various goods and services. An operations manager’s work is to generate efficiency, improve service levels and most importantly improve Profit prospects of the organization. Strong control over operations, creating innovative processes is what differentiates the most successful companies from others. Ever wondered why Apple/Amazon/Walmart/RIL/Coke/Dell have been pioneers in their field? The answer lies in the efficiency in their operations (Solid Supply chains/Inventory Management/Project-Process-People management). So what makes one well suited for Operations role? The foremost requirement is the propensity for problem-solving, strong quantitative aptitude, good process orientation, people skills and courage to overcome challenging tasks, especially in a startup environment.

So, if you feel strongly about your passion for making a dent in the world, startups are the right platforms. Start working upon your own ideas, share your ideas with others, help your friends in realizing their goals, join an early stage startup and contribute to nurturing a baby idea into actual reality. Startups usually provide good salaries along with the chance of getting your hands on the ESOPs. Also, the pace of individual growth in startups is unparalleled.

That would be my advice to everyone looking interestedly over startup world especially in the Operations role. Go for it and make the difference! Finally coming to my aspirations, I would continue to make my share of impact in this system and establish myself as an expert in scaling up startups operations. Would like to do an MBA in Operations management from a fine college after few years, so that I can learn more advanced techniques and skills in this field and get to perform them at a global platform.