In a period when mental calculations were wading-off by entry of calculators and computers, there was a human who could outdo the speed of such machines and entered Guinness Book of Records. She was "Shakuntala Devi" also called as "HUMAN COMPUTER". Born in 1929 into a poor family, Shakuntala's innate skills of being able to remember numbers and perform mental calculations were noticed by her father. With no formal education the child prodigy went to show case her skills around the world. When viewing her life from a business perspective there are lessons that Micro and Small Business can takeaway for their growth, profitability, sustainability.
Belief: It was 1955, a few years after India got independence Shakuntala Devi was interviewed by Leslie Mitchell for BBC. That was a period when western dominance was not yet fully out from Indian minds. Shakuntala was given a complex problem by the host which she solved in few seconds. Mitchell told that Shakuntala's answer was wrong as it was different from what their team had calculated. Shakuntala was not intimidated by Westerner or BBC channel, she believed in herself and was unmoved. Later the host checked their answers and found Shakuntala's answer to be correct. This feat earned her the title "HUMAN COMPUTER".
Often a micro/small business get intimidated by bigger companies. Products, solutions provided by small business are doubted, questioned or not accepted. If left untamed the fear creeps in and limits the business operations. Under such situation small businesses need to have resolve like Shakuntala in their company culture and march forward fearless. Management and Employees of small business should believe in themselves, in their products and solutions which eventually will get acceptance. Belief takes to places unvisited.
Diversification: Many at times small business lose the core while diversifying or expanding which make their foundations weaker. This is because small business operate with limited resources. While diversifying into product/solutions unrelated to the core the added breadth to fulfill the diversification is not sufficient for the limited resource to cover. Hence diversification around the core area of expertise with related horizontal expansion gives a better controllable breadth and utilization of the limited resources for the business.
Apart from her love for arithmetic Shakuntala was also good at astrology which is corelated to mathematics. The other area she expanded was into writing. She has authored few books related to mathematics and astrology. Diversification around the core not only provides growth but also sustainability and profitability for businesses.
Strategy: Devi must have had a way to perform such large calculations in mind within seconds. This was shared by Shakuntala in her book "Figuring: The Joy of Mathematics". In this book she elaborates the long process for pages and for one to understand that it takes time. Such should be small business strategy, should have but be hard for others to emulate. The strategy could be one or few which could be either on the product or services or the operational procedures. Business without strategy will be pulled by market forces and head directionless. It might be pushed to diversify into areas of non-expertise and fail over time. The strategy should also be able to strengthen its core so the business gets stronger inside and roots deeper.
In summary, micro/small businesses always operate in turbulent zone. If navigated correctly the business will reach its destination of success. Good luck to all owners of micro and small businesses.
For those who are intrigued and want to know more about the Human Computer watch "Shakuntala Devi" in Amazon Prime.
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