Gurbaksh Chahal Entrepreneur And Philanthropist Says Be Limitless

Gurbaksh Chahal Entrepreneur And Philanthropist Says Be Limitless

He needs no introduction. Our guest for this week is Gurbaksh Chahal. He was born in India in City Tarn Taran in Punjab and moved to San Hose with his family at age four. Gurbaksh Chahal a philanthropist who believes in helping others. Gurbaksh Singh Chahal an Indian-American entrepreneur founded two internet advertising companies by age 25. He is a founder of online advertising technology companies ClickAgent, BlueLithium, RadiumOne and Gravity4.

Gurbaksh shares on his blogs…..
Every year the Chahal Foundation picks an important cause to support. During my last trip to India, I had learned that schoolgirls face profound disadvantages and drop out of school early at a disproportionate rate.

We asked ourselves, how could we find an effective way to help keep girls in school so that they can graduate and ultimately go on to college? We discovered that the main reason for the high female dropout rate is the fact that the girls cannot afford or do not have access to “female hygiene kits”. This means that upon reaching adolescence they stay home for one week every month. They fall progressively farther behind in their studies which often culminates in them leaving school for good.

So, we partnered with Enactus H.R. College in India and contributed funds needed to start a joint initiative, Inaayat. Sheetal Shetty, the Director of Business Development at Enactus H. R. College, describes:

Inaayat is dedicated to strengthening girls’ sense of dignity and self-esteem by making and providing sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions and health education. Our vision is to ensure that every girl and woman will have ready, feasible access to reusable hygiene supplies.

Inaayat has two aspects:

Inaayat trains rural women to manufacture sanitary napkins, thereby providing livelihood and employment opportunities for women of the community. A scalable business model is developed for village-based micro enterprises, where women are trained in stitching and business management skills.
We identify leaders from the community who undergo a standardized training process and can then impart health education training and also create awareness about our safe and affordable menstrual kits and aid in their distribution. For each kit sold, the Inaayat leader gets a commission.
Our Progress:

We’ve approached other NGOs for collaboration with us in rural, semi-urban and urban areas in Maharashtra. And, we are also going to subsidize the kits for the underprivileged.

I am honored to be a founding member of this important social cause. I encourage you to join me by either volunteering or donating. This has the ability to enrich a generation of lives. You can contact us directly here: www.chahalfoundation.org

As a wise man once said, “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

And, I promise you, we are going to keep on living so we can keep on giving.

Gurbaksh Chahal, Founder
Chahal Foundation

–Gurbaksh Singh Chahal

The difference between wanting and needing is the effort that you’re willing to devote to the pursuit. People who really want something are not going to wait around for the opportunity for it to come to them, because anything worth wanting will not simply make its way around. To get what you really want, you have to take the initiative, waste no opportunities, and create opportunities where none were available. Don’t just sit and watch the clock: race it.

In an Interview, we had a chance to know about this man more…..

What is a success for you? How would you describe the experience?
Success is hard work. It’s not repetitive, as there are no guarantees. And, there is no magical formula for it. I believe success can be understood through one underlying question: How much pain can you handle?

For every successful person out there, there were a million others that didn’t want that person to succeed. People will lie, cheat, steal and hurt you. Not because they want to succeed themselves. Because they don’t want you to be happy. More than ever, I’m convinced. We don’t live in a world of having and have-nots. We live in a world of just good people and bad people. You must surround yourself on people that want to see you succeed. Otherwise, as my dad said it best,

And as you become successful, don’t think you’re life becomes a music video. You’ll be surrounded by a whole new army of people waiting to pull you down. Such is life though. Just remember to endure the pain.

Tell us that one thing that we don’t know about you?
I’m a very religious and spiritual person. Waheguru has a very special place and role in my life. I pray several times a day with a special prayer before I go to sleep.

I pray to give me the strength to forgive those who may have hurt me. And, the courage to be a better person every day.

Do you think money comes with more responsibility?
Money comes with a lot of problems, not just responsibility. Once you have it, please take care of your loved ones. They are always your biggest supporters.

And, then don’t start handing out money to everyone that asks. Human beings are weird sometimes. They assume most of the time you got lucky and just because you have it, it’s your responsibility to give it to them. People play the guilty burden all too well.

You’ll also be surrounded by so many new friends, you’ll think you’ve turned into some superstar. But, zone it out. No one just became your friend overnight, they are just opportunists.

You must also protect what you’ve built and most importantly cherish that success anonymously. Success is also more fun without publicity. Otherwise, you’ll create an unknown target on your back wherever you go.

What advice would you want to give to today’s youth?
The world is changing so much and at a faster rate every year. This is an amazing time to be alive right now. The amount of opportunity is unimaginable. There isn’t anything you can’t achieve. Being young isn’t looked bad upon anymore. If you have the courage, willpower and mental focus – you can reach your dreams at any age.

Focus on the best you can be every day. And, make your parents proud. It’s worth it. Honor from them can become a great motivator.

If you could go back in time, what would you bring back with you?

My grandmother.

Not a day goes by where I don’t think of her and miss her. I remember being a child and laying my head beside her. She made it seem like the entire world’s problems could disappear with her smile, a kiss on your forehead, and words of encouragement that would make you want to be the best person you can be.

What do you think of youth and social media in today’s time?
I think social media has become a mental health hazard for today’s youth. It’s not just a part of your life, in some cases it becomes their entire life. People forget to live and lose sight of who they are and their priorities. They become fixated now on an illusion, an image of how they look, how many likes they get, and spend time devouring their feed – which is also illusions of a life not lived.

Let me be the first to tell you. No celebrity has that perfect life, perfect body or perfect relationship as they depict on social media. That’s why I encourage parents to take a more active role in their kids’ lives since long-term health issues from social media are still undetermined.

I would encourage everyone to do a social media detox every month. No social media for a given time, every month. Just old fashion – how life used to be, face to face.

What is the secret to a successful career?
Eat. Sleep. Work. Repeat. Success actually comes from a lot of boring work done exceptionally well, over and over. It’s not glamorous. It’s just hard work. You just have to keep doing it and make it a habit. And, always remember. Failure is inevitable, but quitting doesn’t have to be.

How come you never entered Bollywood as a filmmaker?
A lot of my friends are from the industry. We both admire each other’s work. But, I could never do what they do. It’s just a very different art to my work. So, as the old saying goes. I stick to what I am good at.

But, hey you never know. In a few years when I write my second book. Bollywood may decide to make it into a movie!

How do you decide or when do you take a day off from work?
Ha! I don’t actually know what the meaning of a day off means.

I know it sounds boring. But, if you want to be successful you have to give it your all. I haven’t taken a vacation in 5 years. And, I don’t have any plans on taking one soon. I just have a rigid focus on work discipline. As I said earlier, success is never guaranteed – no matter how hard you try. But, as long as you keep trying – your odds do increase. So, the reason why I work 140 hours a week is to stretch the odds in my favor.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Well, I run two companies and just recently launched, Taara Labs my incubator. And, I also work on Chahal Foundation. With those remaining hours, I split it between the gym and sleep.

When I have more time, I try to spend as much as I can with my family which includes my two amazing and supportive parents.

Are you dating someone?
No, I am single. But, very much married to my work.

What are your favorite places to travel?

The best vacation I ever took was 7 years ago when I went to the Maldives. That was heaven on earth. If you haven’t been, please add that to your bucket list and prepare yourself to be blown away!

Please say some words for your fans and your followers…
I’m 36 now. But, I’ve spent 20 years of my life working. I’ve had an immense amount of success but also seen failure. If there is anyone that I would like to thank for their undenying love and support is my family. I don’t know what I must have done in my last life to deserve them. But, I am truly grateful that Waheguru gave me them.

And, as always. Waheguru Sab Ki Meher Kare.