Sanjeev Mansotra Ideamensch Interview

Sanjeev Mansotra excelled in his academics, pursued challenging subjects, and shadowed his father throughout his life. Doing so helped him glean the most interesting aspects of being a successful businessman from the experiences his father shared with him. Over the years, he found himself dreaming about having his own company.

After university, Sanjeev Mansotra worked to reach his dream by founding a company in the mining industry. This company thrived under his direction. In time, it grew to become the foundation of numerous additional companies. Each company cultivated a level of success based on helping others achieve the goals they seek. This applied to his clients within the mining industry and students around India and much more. Every bit of Sanjeev Mansotra’s success was earned through hard work, efficient organization, and personal determination to leave a positive mark on the lives he touched.

Where did the idea for becoming an entrepreneur come from?

My father is my greatest influence. He was an entrepreneur and taught me about business from the time I was young. He took the time to ensure I understood the concepts behind running a business. Over time, I not only grew to understand the concepts but began to develop ideas of my own. We would talk about those ideas at length and he would cultivate the ones that were promising while explaining why they were. It really left an impact on my choices and ideas.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Every day begins with quiet time. Then I enjoy a healthy breakfast and begin to take the time to organize the day. From there I work through my list that needs to be accomplished. As I finish the items of the highest priority, I move onto follow up with my team.

In the afternoon or evening, if time permits, I enjoy taking the time to exercise and de-stress. I find exercising a great way to relieve stress and recharge my battery. occasionally, by the time I am done with my exercises, I will take a few minutes to meditate and go through all the events that unfolded that day. It gives me clarity when I do so and it allows me to see little things that I may have overlooked during the day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Careful research and consulting those who know more about a given industry than I do. Once an idea is formed I take the steps to implement it. In the process of implementation, the idea is cultivated until it becomes what was originally conceived.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Good question. I would say the interconnectivity of the world today excites me. You can connect with individuals across the world without ever leaving your home. It allows you to build relationships where you couldn’t before.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

My daily list making keeps me focused on the tasks that need to be accomplished. Because I work to keep my list focused on priorities, everything that is not crucial doesn’t get my attention until it needs to. It’s really important to focus on the items that move your goals forward. Everything else that factors in will have time to work through it. There is no reason to be distracted by things that seem to pop up while you’re taking care of what counts. Just put the popped up thing on the schedule down the road and take care of it then while you finish what is on your list for that day.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell younger Sanjeev Mansotra to relax more. I worked so hard to create each of my ventures that I missed so many opportunities to enjoy the moment, or travel, or share the fun with someone important to me. I would also suggest exploring more of the hobbies that entertained me. There were some idle ideas that were amusing and fascinating but work was more important.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?

Oh, that’s a tough question. I’m not sure what I would believe that others don’t. I am fairly conservative in how I manage my money and open-minded in how I deal with people. It is important to really connect with people which means you find ways to build bridges instead of divisions. That in mind, it makes it difficult to be disagreeable.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else does?

Meditation is so important. It clears your mind and refreshes your train of thought. You don’t want to start or end a day with the chaos racing through your mind. You sleep so much better when you take the time to focus on the positive and clear your thoughts.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.

Focusing on building relationships is one of my favorite strategies. The other is to lean upon the people who know more about a thing or skill than you do and trusting them to do what they know to do. There will always be something you don’t know as well as others. Allowing those others to follow through with what they know opens your way to success.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Finding the right partnerships took some time. I initially connected with some people who didn’t know the skills we needed or they couldn’t invest what was needed through other ways. It is crucial that if you are going to hire someone or work with someone they can fulfill the obligations you need them to. I found myself believing in people until they proved they couldn’t. Now, I do a bit more follow up and I have included a temporary status for every new employee. It gives us flexibility and paves the way for the new partner or employee to prove their skills or find a new job without losing income.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I would suggest creating a way to connect new businesses with people who can provide needed services. I know there are plenty of sites around the interwebs but few of them are as targeted as a new business needs or encourages things to be as affordable as a new entrepreneur needs it to be.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I purchased a ticket for a vacation. For once in a very long time, I wasn’t buying the airline ticker for business or for one of my team members to travel on business.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

My calendar is the most critical part of my scheduling. If it is something important it will end up on my calendar. Then the calendar is the source for creating my daily list. The notifications keep me on track that way.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Connector’s Way is a great book. I think it’s an American author but he really does a good job helping you see the path to building relationships in business. You really need a solid relationship to last a long time. This book helps you to find it.

What is your favorite quote?

“The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the man or woman who asks for no return, the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful.” -Swami Vivekananda

Key learnings: Write up 3-5 bullet points summarizing the key learnings from your interview.

Driven focus makes things happen

Staying organized keeps things on track

Relaxation and enjoying the moment keeps you aware of why you’re working so hard