Christian Entrepreneur Deepak Mahtani – From Hinduism to Christianity via the highway of tragedy

DeepakDeepak Mahtani had everything he ever dreamed of in life: money, a flourishing company, class, and business degrees from Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, and American College, Switzerland. He followed his family’s tradition of serving the Eastern gods and rested assured that he was living life to the fullest. Born into a Sindhi Indian family, Mahtani grew up learning the Hindu scriptures, attending their services and participating in the rituals that come along with the faith. His father was a businessman from Pakistan who fled to India because of tribal persecution. He settled in Bombay with a few rupees and started a business. Not long afterward, he got on a cargo ship and relocated 6,000 miles to Indonesia.

He gave birth to his son Deepak and two other siblings in Hong Kong, and four years later, relocated to Japan. They still practiced their Hindu religion and his father always drilled into the heads of his children that -money and success is all that you need to be happy in life.-

He had no idea that hell was around the corner until an unexpected tragedy struck and changed his life for good. His sister came to visit him in Geneva for two weeks. She had an automobile accident and died instantly. It was a very traumatic experience that left him in severe depression for six months. He lost interest in his business, started smoking, was drinking excessively and suicidal until he met a fellow Sindhi Indian in Geneva who was a Christian. This new friend tried to introduce him to his Christian God but Mathani was adamant. His friend encouraged him not to reject the Christian God, but to focus on the man Jesus and His word. Bathani got a Bible and began reading the words of Jesus in red and gradually started believing in the God of the Bible.

At the age of 12, Mahtani lost his mother to kidney disease. Even though he was the baby of the family, he was determined to succeed at all costs. Upon graduation from school, he started an electronics distribution company that he took from zero to $4 million in four years. His wealth came with a luxurious lifestyle: first-class travel, five-star hotels, nice clothes and money to do whatever he wanted. He was fluent in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and two Indian languages. His busy schedule did not accommodate anything to do with God; he was brutally aggressive about getting what he wanted to the point of pushing people out of the way without blinking an eye. For Mahtani back then, what could be sweeter than the -heaven- he was experiencing on earth?

He had no idea that hell was around the corner until an unexpected tragedy struck and changed his life for good. His sister came to visit him in Geneva for two weeks-then got in a car accident and died instantly. The trauma of her death left him in severe depression for six months. He lost interest in his business, started smoking, was drinking excessively and suicidal until he met a fellow Sindhi Indian in Geneva who was a Christian. This new friend tried to introduce him to his Christian God, but Mahtani was adamant. His friend encouraged him not to reject the Christian God but to focus on the man Jesus and His Word. Mahtani got a Bible and began reading the words of Jesus in red and gradually started believing in the God of the Bible.

After praying without success to other gods for one good night’s sleep, his request was granted by the God of the Bible. That was how he gave his life to Christ. Today, he shares the Gospel all over the world, especially with Hindus and Sikhs and business people. He is actively involved in leadership in his local church and is married to Celia. They have two grown boys–Arun and Sanjay.

When he first converted to Christianity, his family members were unhappy and extremely skeptical. Over time they saw the positive impact of his new-found faith. His act of loving and accepting his family despite their differences in belief caused his older sister and niece to turn to Christianity.

Today, Mahtani is a management training consultant specializing in understanding culture and working with different cultures, especially those of India, Japan, and China. He has coached and trained hundreds of senior managers who are involved in outsourcing to Indian companies and in remote team management around the globe. Most of his clients are FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies, and he sits on a number of boards.

Apart from his business interests, he is actively involved in a number of charities both in the UK and South Asia that raise funds for health, development, and education in developing countries. He was included in the International Who’s Who of Professionals (2001). He recently participated in writing a book called Sindhi Journeys of Faith–20 stories of Sindhis around the world who have come to know Christ. All 2,000 copies of the book have been distributed, and another reprint is being planned.

-After 20 years of being a follower of Jesus Christ, He has answered my prayers,- Mahtani says, summing up his Christian experience. -Today, I am even more successful than I ever was, not because of money but because of the people I met through my faith as I traveled round the world.-

His message for the world is, -God is a God of love, and Jesus is his means of demonstrating that for each one of his children. He so wants a relationship with each one of us. Don’t think of it as a religion but rather as a love story. Also don’t believe and live the lies that have been spoken over you by the evil one and people who he uses to discourage us.-

Let us lift up Deepak Mahtani in prayer–that the Lord will continue to empower him to reach others with the Good News, in the name of Jesus. Pray that his efforts will not be in vain and unlimited favor will be his portion at all times, in Jesus’ name.

By May Olusola www.mannaexpressonline.com

An Overview Of Entrepreneurship

In the field of business, the people involved in the playoffs are called the entrepreneurs. They are also referred to as businessmen. They own and run their own businesses. In the strictest sense, the definition of what a real entrepreneur is varies.

The only certain thing is that, entrepreneurs are very much involved in today’s American business arena. Tracing history back, it is said that the term entrepreneur has been conceivably recognized as an adamant part of the economic world only in the mid 1970s. The concept has then started to evolve with various meanings depending on the understanding of the society that gives meaning to it.

In an online dictionary as defined by the Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, in the year 1913, entrepreneur has been defined as the person who makes some products for his own benefit or account. This gives about the idea that the term has successfully evolved way back in the year 1913. Now such definition may quite be blurry.

How can a person be called an entrepreneur when he does nothing with that product aside form creating it? What term will be labeled to a person who takes other people’s products and make a success out of them? Will they be not branded as entrepreneurs too? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an entrepreneur is someone who organizes, who manages, and who assumes the risks posed by the business or enterprise world. Now this definition of an entrepreneur is richer in content compared with the first one. Risks-these are literally faced by entrepreneurs as they pursue with any type of investment in the market.

In a much formal definition of Ashoka, an entrepreneur goes to refer to an organizational society that promotes nothing but social change. Social entrepreneurs are those individuals who open up some new and major possibilities in the areas of health, education, environment, and all other areas of the human needs.

To drive a stricter point, the business entrepreneurs are those who lead the innovations in the world of commerce while the social entrepreneurs are those who drive social change in the society. In more ways than one, such definition all the more points out that those business entrepreneurs not only start with any type of business but they do promote change within the business range.

Dale Tucker, a personal entrepreneur, goes to define the term as an individual who decides to take hold and control of his own future and therefore become a self-employed person either by creating his own business or by working with a team just like what multi-level marketing means. On the other hand, Mark Hendricks suggests that for one person to be called an entrepreneur, he needs to be particularly daring. He must be able to meet the challenge of either winning or losing in the business. He therefore must be open to the possibilities of the results of the competition.

So how can an entrepreneur be tailored to be one? What business skills are required in order to become an entrepreneur? There are pointers that must be looked into before someone may divulge into any business venture. The following are some of the qualifications to look into:

Planning and organization. These include the setting up and the attainment of specific goals, qualification to enter into a commitment, and then being able to keep up with work schedules.

The capacity to handle money. Budget must be carefully determined, loans must be secured, funds must be raised, and all of the finances must be recorded. For all these things, an entrepreneur must be an expert.

The selling of products and ideas. An entrepreneur should be acquainted with the proper way of selling. In the world of business, the products whether they take the form of materials or ideas need to sell out in order to gain profit.

Management. Anyone who does not have the management skills is not fit to be an entrepreneur.

The ability to work with people. A good rapport is always needed in an entrepreneur. If he is unable to influence people then he will not likely succeed.

The ability to be a risk-taker. In the world of business, wins are not always secured. There are only two possibilities: winning and losing. Whichever phase confronts him, a good entrepreneur knows how to handle it.

Why Being A Woman Entrepreneur Is So Wonderful

When most people think of work, they think of the daily grind, the feeling of having to go somewhere they don’t want to every Monday, and of bringing home a paycheck that is way too small. When you are a woman entrepreneur, that is not your reality. Your life is a lot different.

In spite of today’s tough economy, starting up a business is the right thing to do. When other companies are laying people off or shutting down completely, you can be in a position to start up a business and even hire people. You also have the opportunity to enter the economy at a time when there are some serious voids in the market. In fact, there hasn’t been a better time to be a woman entrepreneur than right now.

Of course, there are some parts of owning your own business that can create a little stress. Knowing that you have to rely on yourself, and no one else, to provide your salary can be a little difficult. Realizing that you will have to continue working and digging up clients or customers at times when you may not feel like it can also be hard. But, the rewards are more than worth it.

When you are a woman entrepreneur, you have a flexibility in your life that the nine-to-five people just don’t have. You can work the hours that you want and the days that you need to. You can build your business around your family’s schedule, your spouse’s schedule, or just however you want. In addition, you will have a business that is all yours, that you can build as large as you want, and that you will always feel proud of. The confidence and sense of empowerment that you will get from starting and owning your own business can never be replaced.