A catalyst for change

There is a collection of action figures brandishing heroic poses in Karan Hasija's office cabin. Not surprising, as action and heroics are a part of the success coach's focus. "My cabin is also super hero themed," admits the Bengaluru-based mind coach who recently released his book, Cattle or Catalyst with the famed Chicken Soup for the Soul renowned co-author, success coach Jack Canfield in Bengaluru. Mind over matter is the foundation Hasija imparts, and elaborates, "As a part of the micro, small and medium scale business eco-system, the biggest challenge entrepreneurs face is to achieve true potential. They are constantly stuck fire fighting (managing daily operations), playing a survival game. Entrepreneurs, end up managing their business like a 'Cattle', while missing out on the bigger picture. My book Cattle or Catalyst, is a small effort at equipping entrepreneurs with the right knowledge, tools and skills."

Over the past decade Karan has impacted over 100,000 people across 150+ corporate organisations and over 5,000 business owners. And the learning continues. "Life is a game of learning, meant to teach us lessons, to adapt and achieve our next milestone. One can never achieve every milestone. The key is to focus on learning the right lessons in order to become capable in achieving the next milestone.," says the motivational speaker who himself battled and overcome many failures — engineering, two failed ventures, failed relationships, etc.

Karan has worked with great minds across the world, "Learning from gurus like T. Harv Eker, Robert Kiyosaki, Brian Tracy, Dennis Whitely, Dr De Martini, Jack Canfield and many more stalwarts was a dream come true. These are people whose books we have read in school (Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield) and college (Secrets of a Millionnaire's Mind by T. Harv Eker and Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki), and to learn from them, created huge fulfilment. I want to give that back,” Karan avers.

Living in a consumerist society, isn't corporate productivity counter intuitive, we wonder? “The world is filled with consumers. There will always be demand and supply of basics or luxury. The key here is to find the right balance. Business exists to address the needs and problems of a consumer. Where entrepreneurs are getting it wrong, is that they are completely product/service centric, without deeply mapping if its addressing the right consumer and is of any value. Merely understanding this is the premise of building a successful business," Karan explains.

Travel forms a large part of Karan's life and yet when the coach takes time out to rejuvenate, New Zealand it is. “It's nothing short of heaven on Earth. The most exhilarating experiences (sky diving from 15,000 feet, hand gliding, scuba diving) to the most scenic views (green lands, ice capped mountains, glaciers, lakes), it was a breathtaking experience,” enthuses Hasija who wants 2019 to be about scale.

The young lad from a business family, it was his grandfather who inspired him to become an entrepreneur and his dad who he calls his most adept teacher. A doting mother, a younger brother and ‘beautiful’ wife Payal are his support system at home. Married for six years, he feels Payal is his biggest critic, and she helps him reflect on business and life decisions.

Entrepreneurship started at 18 for Karan with his first venture Quantum Leap, and from then on, his has been an admirable growth story. Predictably, super heroes and comic book movies are his destressors.

Everyone wants to optimise, yet few achieve consistent success. For Karan, the key is prioritisation which lends clarity to goals, milestones and time distribution. So what do people do wrong, we ask? “The biggest mistake people make is they do not learn and equip themselves with critical knowledge and skills. By constantly learning, it increases one's ability to grow, take action and be successful. Learning is one of the most critical skills for success...for any humankind living.”