The main content of the blog is to showcase the thought-process of the current entrepreneur- his ambitions, goals, aspirations, fears, problems etc. And people would be able to comment on that, even offer suggestions. That’s one point of interaction.

 One other aim of the blog is to woo those Pakistani bloggers who seldom watch Pakistani television to get interested in the program and then do some unsolicited word-of-mouth advertising in the blogosphere, that is, if they like the TV show.

Is there any clear-cut advantage of this strategy? There is. A study conducted by Dieringer Research Group, a market research firm, 40 million consumers have changed their opinions about shopping brands because of information available online. About 50% of the adults on the internet have changed their opinions about a brand because of their online interactions. This study may not be completely relevant here, but it does show the power of the internet in swaying opinion. And when you trying to nurture a brand into a leader, which the Entrepreneur will be, you need the Web and its populace on your side.

 But in order to make it 360° interactive, the TV audience would be encouraged to post video questions,comments,suggestions and queries on Youtube which would be shown  on the show and the queries would be answered by one of the experts. Maybe if a suggestion is good enough, it would be acted upon. This is what CNN has done with its presidential debate where people post questions on Youtube which are answered by the presidential candidates during a special program on CNN by Andersen Cooper. This strategy has generated tremendous publicity for them. I have no reason to believe it won’t work in this case as well.

There is one other thing that can be done to add not only a spice to the proceedings but also a guarantee that the business would continue to work once we are through the season and the business started in it is no more under the spotlight. And that is, include a group of people who are specialist in different aspects of running a business. For instance there can be a CEO, a CFO (Chief Financial Officer), an entrepreneur, a typical seth businessman, a chartered accountant, a brand manager, a marketing executive, an HR manager and so on. These people would collectively make up the BOM – Board of Mentors. This board would be a cross between a board of directors (as in a corporation) and a board of judges that you see on all those ‘Idol’ programs. These people can be either retired or still working in an organization, it doesn’t matter. What matters is their function, which is to advise the entrepreneur on different aspects of the business. But it has to be ensured that these people don’t take over the decision making ability of the star of the show and as such they won’t be given any veto powers and would be advised to keep their participation in the whole affair to a certain limit.

The format of the program is that the people are going to be encouraged to apply to the program for a chance to become the entrepreneur on the show, stating why they want to start a business and what sort of business and why should they be picked amongst the thousand others who have applied (hopefully).

 Each couple of episodes are going to be focused on a distinct business process, that is, it’s not going to have a haphazard way of doing things just to make the program more glamorous and exciting for the audience. Of course it has to be exciting to draw the crowds, but promoting a topsy-turvy way of setting, running and managing a business is not on the cards.

The most important part is that each season is going to focus on only one business. I know this is a risky strategy. Just one business per season means that much less number of people get to be on the show which can translate into less viewer-ship, but  not necessarily. The aim of the program is help people to do the big things they always wanted to do on their own. It’s to help people realize that help is all around them if they are willing to take the first step and then ask for it. Even if people don’t get a chance to become an entrepreneur on the show, which many won’t if the proposed format is followed, at least they’ll learn how to go about it on their own, whom to turn for help, what are the pitfalls to avoid etc.

I don’t have an iota of doubt that this show is going to be a runaway success if done right. My only concern is that the show organizers may opt for those business ideas that are outlandish and attractive for publicity but not viable in the long run, and that once the season is finished and the program moves on to another business, the previous business may collapse. I don’t want this to happen. I want it to be a genuine effort to help people realize their entrepreneurial dreams and not a publicity gimmick.

The big question is: can a mere TV show achieve something on such a grandeur scale? And to what end? What did I envisage to come up with such a show?

If my wildest dream is to come true, this show should ignite an entrepreneurial revolution in Pakistan akin to the IT revolution of 90s when every other person wanted to be an IT specialist.

SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) are the fuel of an economy. In the developed nations, SMEs make up 96% of their industry while a mere 4% comprise large-scale manufacturing which largely depends upon huge bank funding and foreign technology to make it work. SMEs on the other hand develop and grow on indigenous skills and methods. If that’s not enough, SMEs provide 80% of the jobs and contribute 38% to the GDP on an average all over the world. In Pakistan, they are an endangered species. It will be the goal of The Entrepreneur to prevent that.

An entrepreneur revolution where every other person wants to become an entrepreneur just like they want to become an engineer, doctor, or an MBA right now. Wasn’t this what the American dream was all about? I want it to become the Pakistani dream. Bus itna sa khwab hai.

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The premise is simple enough. It’s a reality show which follows the trials and tribulations of a person setting up and running a business on his own. In a way it’s similar to The Apprentice in that it is a business educational program and a reality show. But that’s where the similarities end. There’s going to be no Donald Trump like entity who’s going to make you live in a tent if you lose and no ‘You’re Fired!’. Each and every mistake the entrepreneur-in-the-making makes is going to cost him in the real world. So it’s not a game for him where he can have some fun and if he loses he can walk away from it. That’s the scary part. The business is going to be damn real and if he messes it all up, it’s going to be tough for him to get back on track for the rest of his or her life. This is as real as it gets and this is what a real reality show should be. In life if you make a mistake you pay a heavy price, the same rule applies here.

This is the point where any channel worth its salt is going to go ballistic over this idea as to how the hell is this going to work? To begin with, who’s going to provide the funding for the business? Then who’s going to provide the expertise for the business. The guy who approaches the program producers to become the entrepreneur won’t be having either of the two otherwise why would he turn to them for help? The channel itself doesn’t have these things to start up a business, let alone a number of businesses. Who’s going to help this guy?

The answer is – everyone.

That’s the charm of the whole concept. The idea is to get everyone involved. The team (the budding entrepreneur, the host and the camera crew) is going to go to the movers and shakers of the business world and ask for their help, and they probably would be willing to help out with resources and expertise in return for some free publicity. For instance for the financing part they’re are going to go to Shell Tameer. Shell Tameer is a non-profit organization, an offshoot of Shell, which helps out budding entrepreneurs. Even SMEDA or the government’s SME can help out. The possibilities are endless. Then for the acquisition of property for running the business, the help of the top dogs in real estate in Pakistan can be sought. For the rest of the business processes, to whom they turn to for help will depend upon the type of business being built. For instance if it’s a restaurant and an upscale one at that; the expertise of restaurant owners on Zamzama or in other posh localities can be sought.

One of the elements crucial to the success of the program is the choice of the host. With so many major aspects to tend to, this element I’m afraid could be overlooked to the extent that anyone with a bit of hosting experience maybe hired. I foresee that as a recipe for disaster, especially considering the fact that the only other person under the limelight is going to be the entrepreneur candidate. The probability of this person  having the on-screen charisma to make the program work by attracting the audience is pretty slim, especially if you’re going to choose an average Joe (or Jane) from the lot on the basis of just his passion for his idea or his plan for the business. This guy probably is going to be appearing on television for the first time in his life and as such is going to be pretty conscious or even scared shit in the worst case scenario.

In the case of Apprentice it works because there are more than a dozen average Joes and Janes. A few of them are bound to have some sort of charisma or even some controversial inclinations. And even if not a single one of them has it, the volatile interactions between these people, the bickering and back-stabbing stir a drama that more than makes up for the lack of charismatic personalities. We don’t have that luxury in the case of the Entrepreneur. It may work in the case when a group of people want to start a business together because in that case you can give coverage to their arguments and fights as they try to converge on common ground, otherwise not.

So what sort of host do we need? A guy who’s bubbling with enthusiasm, is lively irrespective of the circumstances and knows his shit. A good sense of humor won’t hurt either. In short we need someone like CNN’s Richard Quest or the guy who hosts Massive Speed on Discovery.

How its going to work is that a team comprising of the budding entrepreneur, the host and the camera crew are going to go to the offices of the organization or the businessman whose help is required, and then the whole discussion that ensues there is going to be filmed to be shown on the show. That way, they get the help; the expert gets the publicity- everyone wins.

But if worse comes to worse, and no one is willing to help out with the resources part, I believe that Pakistan is brimming with mighty wealthy philanthropists who can be persuaded to help out. In any case, I don’t see the idea bombing because of this reason. The only problem it faces is in its implementation.

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