Bhupendra Singh Rathore is a motivational speaker, Author and Business Coach. He is also an entrepreneur, corporate trainer and Founder of an NGO. He was the first Indian Trainer invited at United Nations Organisation as a Key Note Speaker.
Addressing over 25,000 people every year, in more than 1,000 talks and seminars, Bhupendra has handled more than 3,50,000 people and 1,200 companies. His accolades include Asia’s Greatest Leader 2017 and Business Mentor Of the Year 2018.
Bhupendra was kind enough to have a word with Storiyaan about his journey, influences, motifs, beliefs and his driving force.
Interview
Questions and answers
Being a life coach and a strategist how much of a role does money play in people’s success. Is material success the most sought after thing for most of your clients?
People are indeed running behind money. In our society, the scale which determines a person’s success is purely based on his income. In my opinion, if you have a grand vision, and if you can live your vision, then you have real success. True success is all about having a grand vision. It may be as grand as the world or as infinitesimal as a society. Boundaries don’t define your vision, you do. Then it’s all about doing everything possible to live that purpose or that vision.
Does it get hectic to have so many people count on you, or is that something that keeps you going?
To be honest, this is the most liberating experience of my life. With time, the pressure to live up to my clients’ expectations inflated insanely. I want more and more people to connect. Sometimes my time is ripped off from me, but I enjoy my work, so my job is my ‘me time’. Nothing can surpass the joy of giving someone a fresh perspective in life; being the reason someone didn’t commit suicide. All of it is beautiful.
How important is hard work according to you? Do you think sometimes it’s mere luck?
No, it’s not purely luck. There are steps for everything. The first step is that you have a grand vision or an ultimate goal. Then the means to achieve that vision. Hard work won’t play a role in success when it’s directionless. If it is directionless, it will get you nowhere. So if you have a grand vision and if you put your honest hard work behind it, I think you can achieve anything. Nothing is impossible in this world if this deadly combination of healthy vision and hard work is there.
Having consulted over a thousand companies and interacted with large crowds, what according to you is the one thing that holds people back from doing better in their life?
Sometimes people have the desire to achieve a lot but don’t have the guts to act on achieving them. So it’s either fear or lack of clarity that holds them back. Anxiety can be of many types, like losing money, losing name and fame, etc. We have to learn to acknowledge our fears; not ignore them. The first step to solving a problem is to recognise it. Clarity is just a matter of time and experience, so be sure to experiment. Only when one’s fearless and transparent, one has the potential to achieve the extraordinary.
Sometimes life and plans don’t go as expected, what’s your mantra to recover from a failure and not be broken-hearted or give up?
I believe that you only consider yourself a failure because you expect too much from yourself. So the first thing you should do is take charge of your mind. The world is full of possibilities. Are there not people who have risen above their failures and gained success? Who would they be if they had given up? I have a fair share of failures myself. In 2013, the CEO we hired to run our company, cheated on us and took away our entire team. I lost my company, and by 2017, I was almost on the edge of bankruptcy. I bounced back in 2018, and today I am happy to say that I have 3 million+ followers. So I believe failure gives you the power. Failure makes you wise. It just depends on how you take the loss in your life.
The MAD movement and your work on business success have attracted a lot of MNCs, have you also been able to help small scale start-ups grow and expand?
I have addressed more than 30-40 thousand business owners; of which 1000+ have got my coaching for their start-ups and organisation. Some of them have recently started, some are struggling, some are minting 100-200 crores, and some were just not able to build the system in their organisation. If a start-up approaches me for help to build a design, I will charge a bomb because my time is money. So I have not coached start-ups, but these have been my concern about entrepreneurs, and I have been coaching varied kind of entrepreneurs.
Going back to the early days, how were you influenced to pursue this as your career? Was it something you had visualised long ago?
Back in the day, I was placed at a company called Symantec in Pune. During the weekends, I used to attend a few public speaking sessions, and I got in touch with a couple of speakers. One fine day, I just casually coached a girl. To my surprise, she paid 10,000 rupees for it. I said I don’t deserve that money, but she said she would’ve paid 50,000 if she wasn’t a student and my coaching had helped her. My father never supported me as motivational speaking wasn’t looked upon as a ‘job’ back in 2007. I think my audience made me learn more than my teachers. I read tons of books to sharpen my knowledge. The last two years, all of my struggles have paid off, and I have gained 18 lakh followers.
‘Master your Thoughts, Master your Life’ is written by you. Is it based on some common vital problems that everyone faces and you addressed them through a common medium?
I wrote that book because of this one incident back in 2008. I got in touch with these entrepreneurs who talked to me about the power of the subconscious mind and the law of attraction. And then I came across this movie called ‘Secret’, and I read a couple of more books like ‘The Power Of The Subconscious Mind’ and subsequently started practising what I was learning. I had analysed this entire thing, and I designed a workshop called ‘Igniting The Spark’. I was getting good results, and my students and my clients were flourishing too. So I researched some more and ended up writing ‘Master your thoughts, Master your life’.
How did you set it up, how did you execute it?
Initially, when I began, I thought, I’m offering a professional service, so I just need to master my knowledge. But on the field, I realised that without marketing, it’s challenging to march ahead. Plus my financial status wasn’t that great, and it was getting complicated by the day. But luckily, I was approached by this guy who was mesmerised by my ‘Igniting the spark’ workshop. He was impressed and wanted to hire me professionally. But I guess my luck ran out in 2013 when our CEO cheated us and snatched our team, leaving us penniless. I went through a lot of pains and a lot of challenges. Problem is the best teacher. I am not a strategic person; there’s only madness that goes behind this work. I would not be here without all those challenges and hardships I had faced. So I am grateful for my past, this was the best that could have happened to me.
What are the most prestigious awards you’ve been honoured with?
I guess the first one would be the ‘Asia’s Greatest Emerging Leader Award’. It was awarded to me by Asia’s Magazine. I think more than the award; I cherished being on the international stage amongst the 250 world leaders. The second most memorable moment was when I received the ‘Business Mentor Of The Year 2018’, worked tirelessly for that one. The third most crucial moment I became the only speaker from India to ever deliver a speech at the United Nations HeadQuarters in NYC. It was beyond my dreams.
As you employ success psychology, how does it motivate the person? What is the significant role of psychology?
A lot of my clients say ‘Sir, I don’t want to learn about psychology or mindset, first teach me how to make money, or how to set up my company?’ I tell them that even if I could teach you every single thing about success, still you won’t be successful. Who are the one’s worshipped and admired by the world? Only those people who have got a healthy mindset. So, I think the mindset is the most crucial thing, the attitude being a critical aspect. When I joined the mountaineering course, I saw a poster over there which read “Climbing Everest is 2% altitude and 98% altitude” and I agree with it. Only mad people can create history and make a difference.
How would you describe your success?
I have been in this field for long, and I know that no success is permanent. I feel the lightning adrenaline rush jolting in me as I head up on stage and give my best? Compared to the success of Dr Vivek Bindra or Sandeep Maheswari, I think I still need to go a long way for which I’m pushing the boundaries of my goals. I have a desire and a dream of inspiring ten crore people by 2030. That’s why from the 1st of November to 30th November, I’m organising India’s most oversized free online 30-day workshop. It’ll be part of my advertising campaign where I will promote this workshop. Success for me is all about making at least 100 to 200 people happy every single day.
Apart from being a motivational speaker, what are the other hobbies that you are into?
I’m a hardcore adventurer. Since 2013, I have gone on a ton of adventures. During this lockdown, every alternate day I’m going for either trekking or mountaineering just climbing the mountain near my house and all those things. I love nature and the challenges which are given by nature. So, in 2013 we went for river rafting, 2014 was a road trip to Ladak, 2015 was a bike trip for the same. 2016 we went for deep-sea diving and 2017 I did a one-month mountaineering camp and 2018 I went skydiving. In 2019, I went cycling from Pune to New Delhi, 1500kms. So I get high on these adventurous trips, and I feel the fantastic freshness in my blood and body.
Quick 5
1.Best advice you have given: Have no mercy on yourself.
2.Biggest pet peeve: When things don’t go my way or when my team makes some silly mistake.
3.Favourite quote: “If you support the world selflessly, the whole universe will support you endlessly.”
4.Being realistic or being passionate: Being passionate.
5.Passion to you is: Day in and day out being consumed by what you love.