Prahlad Kakkar at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 30: Pack your bags and escape to the Himalayas if you can’t rise to the challenges of a competitive world.

But if you wish to make your place, you ought to take risks and add value to your existence.

This was one of the many advices that advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar offered to the students of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), here today.

Kakkar, who arrived in town yesterday to attend a private event, took out time this afternoon to share his recipe for success with the budding managers and entrepreneurs of this reputed B-School.

“Earlier, B-schools used to produce naukars (servants), who worked for others and spent all day looking at the clock and waiting for their shift to end,” said Kakkar.

“Gradually, the institute authorities started realising that they were running out of jobs for everyone. So, in the past two years, they have shifted their focus to creating entrepreneurs, who would create jobs for others,” said Kakkar.

Through some of his popular television advertisements and that of other ad-makers, he stressed on the “risk-taking abilities” and “acquiring insight” and reasoned why some brands were doing better than others so far advertising was concerned.

Drawing a parallel with a cricketer fielding in the slip position, he underscored the necessary ingredients for a successful entrepreneur.

“Training is one thing, but you must have the ability to anticipate which way the ball would go. If you figure that out before the ball reaches your hand, you are sure to catch it,” he said.

“One had to rely on instinct and not on luck, for the latter is a misnomer,” Kakkar added.

“You must look for small idiosyncrasies in people that appear so simple and common that they are actually uncommon. If you can latch on to an insight, you can develop it as a business principle and be successful,” he said.

Kakkar also talked about the pursuit of excellence and said success was not meant for those, who were not willing to take risks and come out of their shell.

“Some people find comfort in being mediocre. They never want to do well for the fear that they would be loaded with extra work,” he said.