Dr. Prahalathan KK - I Think Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Find Their Why and Then Work Hard with Persistence to Achieve Results (Co-Founder Bhumi)

It is the volunteer experiences during the Chennai floods of December 2015 that led me to decide to quit my medical profession in January 2016 and join Bhumi full-time.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I grew up and completed my schooling in Chennai. My father is a civil engineer who later started his own construction business and my mother used to be a housewife. My father is now retired, and my mother is a Sanskrit teacher. As a child I grew up seeing my parents volunteer and partake in various social activities. I completed my under-graduation in medicine at Madurai Medical College, Madurai and returned to Chennai in 2005. A few months later I started volunteering with a group of people in Chennai which later became Bhumi.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

Some of my childhood experiences left me with the ambition to become a doctor. Within days of joining medical college, I started volunteering for the Blood Donors’ Club. My volunteer journey continued even after college and Bhumi was only a volunteer effort during my free time for 9 years. It is the volunteer experiences during the Chennai floods of December 2015 that led me to decide to quit my medical profession in January 2016 and join Bhumi full-time.

I strongly believe every child deserves a quality education and that volunteering as a national habit would transform society for good, hence the work I do at Bhumi is fulfilling. This mission keeps me going.

What does your typical workday look like?

During the lockdown, my schedule has been more predictable without all the travelling. Nowadays I wake up around 4.30 AM, start my day with black coffee and The Hindu E-paper, I complete some physical activity like a walk and my emails before the workday starts. I then have a series of meetings and tasks throughout the day. 

Because I am working from home, I take a power nap for 20 minutes in the afternoon. I also try to play badminton a few times every week in the evening. Along with a light dinner around 7-8 PM, my wife and I watch something on an OTT platform. I read something on my kindle before I go to bed by 10-10.30 PM.

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

Bhumi being a volunteer organisation is filled with people driven by passion rather than formal education. We give a greater weightage for passion, attitude at all levels and experience at middle, senior levels. Almost every volunteer and several employees are contributing in areas unconnected to their formal education. This is a reflection of the lack of quality formal education programmes that prepare people sufficiently for roles in not just Bhumi but probably other global organisations as well.

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How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

If it is known before the person is hired, we request the person to correct the resume and do not hire the person. We have not come across people whom we have hired who have also lied in their resume. If we do come across such a scenario, I think we would terminate their employment immediately.

What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

One of the challenges we face is having the right people. As a handful of people starting off with volunteering the initial challenge was to attract enough volunteers. As we scaled our volunteer programme, we had to develop more leaders to sustain the programme. Now as we scale further and recruit staff to manage several areas of our programmes, the challenge is to find the staff with the right mix of passion, skills, and experience.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

I think aspiring entrepreneurs should find their why and then work hard with persistence to achieve results.

Which is your favourite book and why?

This is a tough question. One of my favourite books which I read in the last few months is Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by James C. Collins. The book is the summary of a research study on how some companies achieved great results, the various aspects that worked for them and how they did it. 

There is also a small follow up book specific for the social sector. I could resonate with what was identified through the research and the research based approach made for a compelling read.