Pride comes before the fall [07.04.2011]

As is perhaps too oft my wont, I got a little over-cocky. Not that anything went wrong today, in fact far from it- I got to meet the team at the GreenOil fertilizer business out in Samut, about 50km from Jaipur in Rajasthan today. I got a really solid introduction to all that they are doing, and even participated in some attempts at problem solving for the fertilizer production business. So why should I feel shitty?

I get the feeling I just went about it the wrong way. I wasn’t as inclusive as I should have been- and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing- and that’s why it’s a bad thing. I gave myself a stamp with them before really knowing what it is that they expect from me or how they can contribute to the success of GreenOil- and that’s what I’m ultimately there to try and get done. Sometimes it’s hard to walk away when you see that there’s a problem to be solved and little progress on the planning process for its implementation- but that’s precisely when you have to think about the future. If I solve it now, who will solve it when I’m not here? And that’s what I’m ultimately there to do… It’s even tougher when you look at the situation GreenOil are in at the moment. They need to generate revenue- and that means excitement from a buzz, solid sales and production plans. It’s crucial to their (our) success RIGHT NOW- and things need to be solved. It’s natural that you want to help to solve them. But not if that damages your ability to help them solve their long term problems, and that’s perhaps what I did today. I might have overstepped the mark and alienated myself. A little silly, but hard not to be caught up in the excitement of trying to solve things…

Certainly something to work on- and probably ask how much “damage” I have possibly done :-/

Enough about my problems though- let’s talk a little about what I saw today. GreenOil’s fertilizer production takes place in a field, which they oversee from a converted office/house. Raw materials come in from local suppliers (of banana leaves and elephant dung), and are arranged into composting rows. These rows are then “seeded” which earthworms which are “produced/ reproduced” on the premises and then the wondrous process of composting begins. After 60-90 days (a little variable at the moment) the compost is ready to be bagged and sold to surrounding distributors that service the farming community.

Sales are obviously key to GreenOil being able to generate revenue, which is of the highest importance at the moment. GreenOil are looking to become cash positive by the end of this year, and that requires the ramping up of sales within the next two months. Generating buzz for a new product is obviously one of the hardest sells, especially if it’s got to be a product that is good enough to warrant repeat sales. It’s not an impulse product, it’s got to convince people to try it and then it’s got to work. THAT’s GreenOil’s biggest challenge at the moment.

[10:37pm]

So I have just had a quick chat about my concerns with Anupam, my so far unbelievably great boss and CEO, and he thinks that my fears are unfounded today, and that experiencing a little resistance to my, ahem, personable attempts to get myself involved in everything as normal. Not to worry about it, but I will definitely keep it in mind.

Last note of the night comes from our walk after dinner. We leave a quite magnificent-looking hotel where we are staying for the night. Prashant, Anupam and I head right out a completely unlit road, passed by only a few vehicles. We’re in the countryside now, few houses, less lights, only the dim stars through a hazy sky. It’s slightly chilly, but still very pleasant. We turn left up a non-descript road, Anupam remarking on a hill we can make out the outline of, that he climbed once with his two children. They made it to “the lion’s nose” which is an outcrop that could kind of be called that if you have his sense of imagination ;-) Past this mountain we spot another smaller hill onto a sand-dune, marked by a tree on the horizon. “You see that?” he asks me, “That’s where I’m going to build my digester.” We climb, without torchlight over soft sand to reach a crest, from where we can see another slightly higher hill. There is the “lion” mountain to our right, and we can see back into the valley of Samod. There are only a few lights, and fewer sounds. The crickets are the only ones besides us out tonight. “Just beyond that next crest, that’s where our land will start. It’s 6 acres, and follows slow folds; up and down… up and down.” There is a village lit-up beyond, and it’s unbelievably surreal. Then we all lie down in the sand which has completely lost its heat from the day, and stare up at the sky. The surrealism is almost overwhelming. I’ve been in India… erm, not even 4 days. I’ve finally met with Anupam whose enthusiasm, knowledge and ideas have surpassed my expectations. I’ve been involved in discussions from the history to the future of the company, everything from organisational development possibilities to marketing Bio-Fertilizer to hard-to-pin-down farmers and retailers. Today I was trying to solve the possibilities of how the fertilizer packaging system can be ramped up from about 100 bags a day every month or so to 500 bags daily.

There’s a new challenge everyday, some of them I’m expecting, but most of them are seat of the pants stuff. I know it can’t stay this way, but I am absolutely loving it at the moment. I could give myself every task I’ve been exposed to so far and be deliriously happy for the next 6 months at least. The week’s almost over, dammit!