From the company, we organized a one-day trip to Mullaiyanagiri for employees on Sunday, 8th June. Twenty-five out of our 38 employees have been able to make it for the trip. Ten ladies and 15 gentlemen, their ages ranging from 20 years to 55 years. Here, I would like to summarize the facts and share my opinion on the trip.

After a hectic season ending this summer, we wanted to have a break from routine and have a relaxing session. The group otherwise formally organized with hierarchy, powers and responsibility, will now be informally organized with personal friendships and similar interests.

Usually, in business operations, it is me who makes final decisions or takes tough calls where the buck finally stops. But for this trip, I delegated the responsibility of organizing the trip to my younger colleagues and future leaders, Nanda Kishore, Vinod and Shiva Kumar. They are trekking freaks themselves, too. I only briefed them about the duration of the time, which was 1 day. i. e. Sunday without affecting our regular work on Saturday and Monday, people – our employees only and not their families, place – a scenic place nearby and budget – 800 per head. They went ahead, selected the place, went there one month in advance to understand the place, booked the bus, arranged for lodging and food, and arranged to pick up and drop employees from far away places.

Though a few of us visit other places almost every weekend, for a few, it was a once-in-lifetime, once-in-a-blue-moon kind of opportunity. One colleague remarked, for the first time since my college 10 years back, I am freaking out like this. For me, it was otherwise; I didn’t go out till I completed college as I was not allowed. The company management is very happy to provide them with that opportunity and their gratitude in return.
Many of us know each other professionally, but we don’t know each other personally. Those who are working in our branches at Mangalore and Sullia may not know those working at our factory at Puttur. This was a great chance to get to know each other personally. I am surprised at how each of them has different personalities at work and outside work. Some of them, who meekly obey orders from superiors at work, now participate freely.

We started from our factory at Puttur on Saturday night at 10 p.m. and picked up people along the way. Travelled through Charmadi ghats to reach Chikmagalur at 3 a.m. We checked into a lodge only to get fresh and complete our morning activities. They charged 100 per head for the same. Get ready by 6 a.m. I travelled to the base of Mullayanagiri Hill while enjoying hills, valleys, sunrise, and a panoramic view of Chikmagalur city. We had breakfast at a small canteen at the base and started trekking to the Mullayanagiri peak 4 kilometres away. Everybody enthusiastically marched along, playing many pranks along the way.

We saw many tourists like us that day since it was a Sunday. Being the highest point in Karnataka, it should certainly attract many visitors. We could see lush green mountains, green either with grass or trees. I observe that the ghats on the western side of Malnad have more trees, and the ghats on the eastern side of Malnad have more grass.

Mullayanagiri peak has a small temple on top. It also has a couple of caves where one go a decent length inside the hole of hardly 1 metro diameter. Such a cave experience was first time for me, for a claustrophobic, it can be quite an experience. Once can reach the top through well laid out steps, instead we climbed form the back side of the hill to reach the top to enjoy a full 360 degree view of other landscapes visible from top.

We started descending down at 10 a.m. Reached the base at 11 a.m. We had ordered for lunch at the same place where we had breakfast. Since we had to go to Bababudanagiri next and had nothing to do here, we had an early lunch at 12 p.m.

The mobile tower on top of Bababudganagiri is clearly visible and just a 2-hour trek from Mullayanagiri, but along the road, one has to travel 20 km. The road is still under construction, so we had to park our bus well before Duttapeeta and go by public Jeep. He also took us to another place 4 km away with a small lake and viewpoint. I finished that part of the site by 3 p.m., and it was time to come back.

The weather was excellent for sightseeing. It was bright and sunny; there were no clouds, so far-off places were visible. There was no rain, so cameras could be taken out without fear. The rainy season is yet to arrive formally, so all the streams and rivers have no water. At that altitude, the humidity was low, so unlike in Puttur/Mangalore, where we would sweat profusely without doing anything, there we were not sweating at all. It made it so much easier that we were trekking easily, even under the midday sun. But when we were heading back after Mudigere along Charmadi ghat, the rain came, and it stopped us from enjoying the breathtaking views of the ghats. While going up the ghats, we couldn’t see because it was night, while coming back, it was raining. I can’t complain about it when we choose to travel in the rainy season.

Dinner was ordered at Suprabha’s uncle’s place at Somanthadka off Ujire. Thanks to their family for arranging it. After dinner at 8 p.m. we reached Puttur at 9.30. People were dropped to their respective places by 10.30. A satisfying and pleasurable trip comes to an end. Bad thing being, People had to come back to work on Monday as usual after this

Thanks to the organizers who made the trip a jolly ride without hiccups. I would like to highlight their responsibility and sacrifices. After such a tiring journey, they dropped people off at their homes in their personal vehicles. They gave us the best opportunities while they took away what was left. On a 22-seater bus, they sat near the driver and didn’t sleep for a moment in their entire night journey. They freshened themselves up at the bus stand while the rest of us did it at the lodge to save time for us. They came first and went back last. Not many appreciate them for the good things they have done, but any shortcomings are immediately observed and mentioned. It is not easy to hold 25 people together throughout the journey and make everybody happy, but they did it. This will give them a good experience of how to lead in their organizational duties in times to come.

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The Vendor I am talking about is Weigh Control Systems Pvt. Ltd., particularly Mr. Samarjit Biswas. Weighmatics based in Bangalore are manufacturers of Filling Machines, Weigh Bridges and other weight based control systems. Mr. Biswas is the director of the company.

On the first day after I started my life as a Coconut Oil businessman at Puttur, I went with my father to our coconut oil retail outlet. A customer visited the shop and asked for 2 litres of coconut oil. Father asked me to give it in loose by filling his long bottle. Oil was filled in a 50-litre steel drum. It had to be measured in a measuring container and filled carefully into the bottle through a narrow mouth. As a first-timer, I struggled and spilt the oil all over the place, mostly on the outer surface of the bottle. The customer and my father were both getting frustrated at what was happening, but they didn’t show any of it towards me. Now that a partial quantity was poured, it was difficult to find the balance portion to be filled. Then our helper came out and helped service the customer. Father said, “Don’t worry, it comes out of practice”. I thought it was not my cup of tea that I would dispense oil like that.

I had seen every consumer product dispensed through a vending machine in Japan, and there was absolutely no human being on the vendor side. Items and Quantities are to be selected, cash is to be inserted, the exact change will be dispensed, the bill will be automatically printed, and items will be rendered. How simple, fast and perfect. When they can dispense items like rice and juice bottles that are difficult to dispense, I thought dispensing a liquid like coconut oil should be easy. Though I was not looking for a machine to collect cash, dispense change and print bills, I was at least looking for an oil dispenser, given the Quantity.

I searched the Internet for filling machines using various keywords. I got many results for bottle filling machine that one can use inside the factory for filling bottles in large scale. But couldn’t find one that can be used at a retail counter.

Finally, I came across “Flowmatics”, which is now rebranded as “Weighmatics”. They said they have already supplied many edible oil brands in India and overseas. I requested a quote and got a quote in a beautifully written document. I asked for a few customizations, but the sales executive could only deliver lip service and couldn’t come back to me with a revised offer or concrete actions. I called him on his mobile, and after a few calls, he stopped picking them up. I got desperate and called up the landline. This time, it was a holiday, and instead of the receptionist picking up, somebody else picked up and said, “Hello, Mr Keshava Ram; I am Biswas, the director; how may I help you?”. I explained my requirements, and he listened carefully and said what could be done and what could not be done. He understood that I was a first-timer and offered to educate me through a live demo at his factory in Bangalore. I promptly made a visit there and learnt about the systems. He took a lot of patience in educating a novice in the field. At that time, I felt it was just a marketing pitch, but reflecting back, I realize it was a genuine attempt at educating a prospect.

He also told me about his filling machines that I could use inside the factory for filling bottles, cans and tins. I discussed this with my father and placed an order for three machines: an oil vending machine, a bottle-filling machine, and a tin-filling machine. Before coming for an erection, they gave me a list of things to get done at the site. I promised they would be done by a certain date and they would do their work from that date. Due to inconsistencies from our vendors for plumbing, electricals, fabrication, and civil works, they couldn’t be done. Still, their Service Engineer came and completed his erection works in one day but had to wait for 6 days to do a trial run. Despite that, their service fees didn’t increase.

We were happily using their machines to get our work done. After about 4 months, Vending Machine stopped working. We immediately called them for service and next day their Engineer was here. He immediately found that the cables were cut and how? by rats running around. Even if it was our problem, he didn’t charge any service fees as it was within the warranty period.

I started working on setting up the new company and factory. I managed by hiring a fresh graduate as an Accounts Executive; after some time, the extent of compliance required mounted high, and we were not in a good position to deal with them ourselves and with the local Auditor. I tried through various references and on the Internet, but the options I got were either not good enough or were too expensive. I rang up Mr Biswas and requested help; he said, “Don’t worry, I will request my company’s auditor and see if he can help you.” These auditors are always short of time and don’t want to take up any new accounts. The auditor sort of agreed and set up a meeting with me and Biswas. The Auditor said, “Normally, we don’t take any new accounts, even if they are multinational software companies; we only took yours because you have come through Biswas’s reference”. The Auditor has served us well over the last 2.5 years.

For filtering systems, we need to pump oil at a pressure, and the flow has to be adjusted based on the filtering speed, which varies with the cycle. One solution is to have bypass valves that release excess flow. A better solution is to have a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) when the speed of the motor can be adjusted at run-time. When I tried looking for vendors, their quotes were very high and many times higher than the cost of the pump itself. Again, Biswas gave me a reference for a Vendor in Chennai who offered at a reasonable rate. In between, I asked for several other references. But many of them didn’t work either. For Pouch Packing Machine, Air Heater and Centrifugal Blower, Screw Conveyor and Fabrication services. He even shared references of a couple of distributors who may be interested in selling our coconut oil. He has also shared with me many industry insights that helped me learn more about the industry in which I operate.

We have later purchased Volumetric Bottle Filling Machine, Load Cells for Copra Tank Weighing systems. He has set sight of selling me a Weigh Bridge one day. I have recommended his products to other oil millers and industries. He has got a few orders from them.

In our very first meeting, he used to call up people and refer to me as his friend. I used to think it was just a lame marketing tactic. But over the years, I have realized he really meant it. Most vendors talk rubbish, but they give good customer service and cater to their needs. Again, his company has gone the extra mile to meet our needs. He has a team of service engineers to service his machines all over. He isn’t motivated towards service because it is his business or it is good for business, but because he believes his customers need the service. While in distress or at good times, he calls me, or I call him. We share jokes; to be specific, he cracks jokes, and I just laugh both Veg and Non-Veg, and he tells me various stories/incidences from his vast experience. He looks young for a man in his early 50s; more importantly, he thinks he is young.

When one customer was bargaining over phone for a machine in front of me, he said, “I have already given you the best price. Please understand, if you are to grow, you need suppliers also. They are the pillars of support for any business”. Good suppliers can indeed be strong pillars on which business builds.

Cocoguru has now grown to a 25-member organization, with immediate plans to increase the size to 35. When operations started a year ago, it was about selecting whoever was willing to work with us without regard to their skills and attitude. We were lucky to get a few good people, and a few of them were groomed to be disciplined and develop a sense of ownership towards their roles. Now, with the base set, we will select more people selectively. In this post, I discuss my experiences/frustrations with those selections and expectations from candidates. It is a mighty challenge to get good people to work for a startup, especially in a rural area.

Preparation
In the job advertisements, we would mention the company name, address, working location, vacancy position, qualification, contact details, and a few times the salary range. Candidates will do well to observe the details carefully before applying. Rather, what we see is that they apply blindly and then back out during later stages of the selection process due to the very facts already disclosed to them. Good candidates visit the website, find out the company’s product offerings, perform background checks with references, sometimes with existing employees, and visualize themselves working here for a long time.

The classic opening question
The job market has tilted so decisively towards sellers, i.e. employees, that they start calling the shots. This is how a conversation begins.
Candidate – “Is this Cocoguru?” (Many times, they don’t even bother to pronounce the name)
Me – “Yes, Sir”
Candidate – “You have advertised for a vacancy, right?”
Me – “Yeah, Right”
Candidate – In either a disinterested tone or rude tone, he then asks, “What is the salary?”!!!
Me – Unhappy that the discussion is entirely off-direction, I ask, “How much do you expect?”
There goes the conversion meaninglessly, each one trying to defend his ego and finally ending the conversation in a bitter manner. The classic opening question leads to an immediate conclusion.

In my theory, money is not everything as it is made out to be. It is merely a currency of “value”. Businesses should make good profits to reflect the value they create for their customers. Employees should take home good salaries for doing valuable work for the company. The focus should be on creating value, and money will follow.

In the above example, we see how bad the conversation was. Instead, it could have been much more fruitful if it had gone in the following lines.
Candidate – “Hello, my name is Vaibhav. I saw your advertisement in today’s Suddi Bidugade, and I am interested in applying for the position of Sales Executive”.
Me – “Okay. Good. Tell us more about yourselves.”
Candidate – “I am from Sentyar, a B.Com graduate, having 6 years of experience in Line Sales, last 4 years with Dash Marketing Agency selling ITC cigarettes in and around Puttur, Sullia and Subramanya.”
Me – “Why do you want to leave your present job, when it is so easy to sell cigarretes where demand is more than supply that too for a brand like ITC?”
Candidate – “I like my job as it gives me opportunities to meet new people, and I have developed good relations with a few retailers. I am only looking for better prospects.”
It would be blunder to say something like “Cigerrate is injurious to health, but Coconut Oil is good for health.” Because we know, you are looking to change for your own benefit and not for our benefit or that of people’s health at large. It will only prove that you are lier.
Me – “How do you plan to increase our sales?”
Candidate – “Sir, what is your present distribution setup? What places do you cover?”
Here, the candidate has not only given a overview of himself, but also has shown keen interest to know more about the company and the job he is going to do.

Brain Drain
Dakshina Kannada is a district with many bright talents and great educational institutions. So many top ranks in SSLC, PUC, CET, etc, go to them. The result percentage is also highest perennially in Dakshina Kannada. But they migrate to cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Gulf and America. Because of all their talent, they are happy to work for someone outside. They don’t take risks to build a dream company at home or work for someone who wants to build such a company here (read Cocoguru ). It is right if suitable opportunities are not available here, but squandering them when they are available is bad. Only salaries are compared between 2 opportunities in Bangalore and here. The luxury of being at home with family, less travel to the workplace, staying away from the hustle and bustle, busy city life and a much lower cost of living are not considered in the decision-making equation.

Influence
Influence from a well known person may help get a job in government sector, where performance and results don’t matter. Some candidates who are otherwise not worthy of the job, try to have influence in their selection. Will that influential person be responsible for what the candidate delivers in the job? No, rather he threatens us with negative consequences when he is not selected.

Fixed Salary, Routine Job
Since we have only seen the candidate once and at most had an interview. It will be difficult to determine his worth for the company. So, we place him on probation for a lesser salary, with the intention of increasing it to generous levels once he proves himself and it is made permanent. Even once he is permanent, there will be periodic Appraisals to review his performance, and salaries will be increased in line with his performance. Sadly, the candidates don’t think long term; they only compare the salary during probation and assume it to be his lifelong income. Similarly, he has fixed his skill set to what he has acquired till now, without any aim of acquiring new skills on the job. He comes to the office with the intention of performing routine jobs where Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are defined. Anything beyond the routine takes him completely off-guard.

Office Work vs Field Work
The number of enquiries for office work like accounting far exceeds that for field work like sales. Logically, hard work gets paid a lot more than easy work. A salesman, when he exceeds his targets, gets more money in the form of commission. An accountant can, at best, get his annual bonus on superior performance. When we opened our factory last year for operations, about 50 ladies from nearby areas walked in looking for easy packing kind of jobs under a factory roof. They were willing to work for as low as 80 Rupees per day. The same people are not willing to work in a nearby farm for 250 Rupees a day. It is not only about the nature of work, but it is also a question of their prestige. They perceive Factory jobs to be a lot more prestigious than agricultural or household work.