It was a sultry Sunday morning – 15 July 2007 - when a band of 27 enthusiastic entrepreneurs descended on the Nehru Science Center, each one with a fire in his/her belly and an open mind. And that was all that was needed. Throughout the day, they were filled with ideas and passion which made a difference!

WZCC’s one day Business Cell Seminar started with introductions – WZCC was introduced by Mr. Kersi Limathwalla - Vice-President on the International Board; the panel was introduced by Prof. Faredoon Kapadia – Managing Committee Member and the main organizer of the seminar; the Zoroastrian Ethos by Mr. Minoo Shroff – President of the India Chamber and Chair of the Advisory Body; and Entrepreneurship was ably introduced by Dr. Atthreya. The participants then introduced themselves and mentioned their aspirations.

Prof. Kapadia explained the concept of the Business Cell of WZCC – a platform for putting up opportunities and opportunity-grabbers together. For a start, the Business Cell would meet on the 1st Saturday of every month, discussing and advising one-on-one with Entrepreneurs, with prior appointment. The meetings would be held at Tardeo and Andheri to facilitate entrepreneurs from both sides of the city to participate. The prime objective of the Business Cell is to facilitate a smooth transition for a prospective business owner or for growth of a fledgling enterprise.

Then followed a session on Business Opportunities, presented by 3 franchisors– each from a different product or service group – each from a reputed organisation.

Mr. Pradeep Verma presented Franchising Opportunities from the house of Eureka Forbes. The opportunity was mainly for a new line of Water Purifiers which the Company would be launching which would need neither electricity nor running water. For an investment as low as Rs. 2.5 lakhs, one could build an enterprise. Technical information and product knowledge would be the responsibility of the franchisor. The Franchisee was just expected to gather and motivate Sales Teams and grow winners for himself and his organisation.

Mr. Ramesh Padekar from Crestcom International Ltd. presented the Franchise Opportunity his organization offered. The idea was to become the CEO of your own management training company. Entrepreneur Magazine's # 1 management/sales training franchise in four of the past six years, Crestcom is seeking distributors and franchisees worldwide. Master distributorships are also available in some countries. The USP here is that you run your own company and the franchisor gives you all the training and support needed. And, you are allowed to evaluate the opportunity at no cost and you would be bound only if you find the initial free training satisfying to your needs and skills. The service is a unique blend of DVD training produced by International experts and follow- up sessions being conducted by the Franchisee. More information on the Crestcom Franchise opportunity is available on http://www.crestcom.com

This was followed by the opportunity presented by Mr. Suresh Shastry from Reliance World - a unique offer to open up Reliance World outlets in Mumbai City. The franchisor would invest in the property (or rent it out), the infrastructure and the training of staff, and the Franchisee would have to man the outlet which would be like a Cyber Cafe with several add-ons – global teleconferencing, sale of Mobile Phones, sale of RIM CDMA service, financial services, etc. The initial investment would be in the form of a one-time franchise fee and a refundable, interest-bearing deposit and the rest would be taken care of by the Company. The contract would be for 9 years, renewable every 3 years.

Ms. Dolly Dhamodiwalla then presented WZCCI’s plans for “Own Your Business Programme” at Ahmedabad. This would be a 7-day residential course being conducted by a premier institute, renowned for its entrepreneurship development courses – Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI). The course would be held in the sprawling campus of EDI and would cover all aspects of Entrepreneurship – identifying a project, conceptualizing, marketing, production, finance, successful launch, etc. The EDI also runs a mentoring programme for up to 6 months after the end of the course, to help prospective entrepreneurs find their bearings. Most of the participants were upbeat about the course and were willing to participate when the final dates were announced.

This was followed by presentations on the availability of finance and the terms and conditions required, by Mr. Pheroze Patel – who handles the Venture Capital Fund of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat, Ms. Urvashi Dharadhar of Saraswat Co-operative Bank, Mr. G. S. Rao of Central Bank of India and Mr. Aspi Katgara of Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank.

Dr. Atthreya very kindly offered his services and experience to the participants free of cost, with prior appointment.

“Never a dull moment throughout the day” as Mr. Edil Katrak, Chapter Chair, Mumbai Chapter of WZCCI described it. The participants were most enthusiastic and effusive about the programme and wanted many more programmes of this kind to rejuvenate the Entrepreneurial Spirit within the community.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by the International Corporate Secretary – Mrs. Zarine Commissariat.