Siva Balakrishnan is the Indian-based Founder Of Vserve Ebusiness Solutions ( @vserveebusiness ) and Angel Investor with the Mumbai Angels Network.

He joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how observing the scarcity mindset around him while growing up in India taught him to come up with solutions on the fly, why your first customer is always buying you as the founder (not the product/service), the state of AI being more probabilistic that deterministic at the moment, finding value in failing fast, living by the belief that the journey is the reward, and so much more.

Follow Siva:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/siva-balakrishnan-38216b1/)

Timestamps

00:19: Ara introduces this week’s guest, Siva Balakrishnan
00:49: How growing up in India shaped Siva’s solution-oriented mindset
03:02: Early entrepreneurship; being a mechanical engineer, outsourcing a web developer gig
05:01: Seeing a gap and capitalizing to launch Vserve; hiring a browsing centre
06:37: The evolution of Vserve; from what it was to what it is
08:21: How entrepreneurs can secure a first customer and find their niche
10:59: Balancing offering white glove customer service while being cost competitive
14:10: Maintaining company culture as the CEO of a distributor outsource workforce
17:28: Siva’s view on AI now and looking forward
21:25: What’s the next phase of life after 20 years into his journey?
23:11: How Siva decides what he is willing to put money behind as an angel investor
25:43: Other South Indian Tamil entrepreneurs making waves
26:56: The role Siva’s family plays in the choices he makes
28:48: The importance of failing fast; a past learning lesson from his journey
30:37: Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
31:47: The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for and the value of compounding
36:51: Creator Confessions
49:02: The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show

Meena Kothandaraman ( @meena_ko ) is an Experience Strategist at twig+fish, UX Expert, a long-time graduate lecturer at Bentley University ( @bentleyu ) and a proud Canadian Bostonian.

She joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in Ottawa with Indian-Tamil roots, how she enhances users experiences and the importance of connecting to peoples’ stories, how her & her business partner came up with the twig+fish name, why the education system needs to change, her creative endeavours (a children’s book and cooking show), and so much more.

Follow Meena:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meenakothandaraman/)

Timestamps

00:19: Ara introduces this week’s guest, Meena Kothandaraman
00:40: Meena speaks on her early childhood; the impact of her parents
03:29: Indian-Tamils and Sri-Lankan Tamils
05:09: Moving from Canada to the United States for education
06:40: Meena speaks on her siblings
08:02: What her parents did to strengthen Meena’s bond with her siblings
09:22: How she named her company and designation
14:40: Why she chose her career field; the rise of UX
18:22: Should you follow your passion or something you’re good at?
21:54: Balancing her entrepreneurial efforts and lecturing at Bentley University
25:51: Do both roles go hand-in-hand to bolster her credibility?
29:18: Meena explains the ‘NCredible Framework’
32:07: Writing 10 children’s books and hosting a cooking show
39:29: Innately being an adventurer; wanting to try different things
40:17: Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
41:33: The legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
42:42: Creator Confessions
55:57: Advice for Tamil creators
58:39: The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show

Sivathasan “Siv” Sivasamy ( @siv.sivasamy ) is the New Business Director at Charles Square as well as the UK-Based Co-Founder Of The Mayfair Collective, a trusted circle of family office advisors that builds business relationships with purpose.

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to drop countless gems while discussing arranged marriages, why the Mayfair Collective was created, why modern day relationships are like microwave meals, how boredom can actually be a gift, the “let them” theory, having always been able to connect with people/how it naturally led him his career path, and so much more.

Follow Siv:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sivasamy/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Siv Sivasamy
01:20 - Siv’s formative childhood years; from Sri Lanka to the UK
05:50 - Do arranged marriages have more longevity?
08:13 - Why he chose an arranged marriage
11:16 - Modern day relationship dynamics
13:49 - How the age of abundance leads to shallow perspectives
15:08 - Is boredom a gift?
16:37 - Men struggling to have deeper conversations/a loneliness epidemic
20:34 - Andrew Tate, Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, etc.
26:44 - Losing the fine art of debate and why you can’t force people to change
30:01 - How he ended up with Charles Square, what he does, and more
40:25 - Mayfair Collective; what it is, how it works, and Ara gets rejected
47:51 - Siv hangs up on Ara and calls back?
51:41 - Creator Confessions
1:00:32 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show