It all started in 3rd grade. On my 10th birthday, I received a lot of candy. A LOT. Back then, temporary tattoos were the rage and candy companies were running promotions pairing up candy with temporary tattoos. As a result, along with all my candy, I also got 1000 tattoos.
After my birthday, I quickly put tattoos all over my arms and legs and I still only used up, like 10 of those. So I decided to take them to school to show them off to my classmates. The first one I showed them to, immediately asked if he could have one. I jokingly said 'You can have it for a buck' and he gladly paid up for the tattoo. Instantly I realized I was sitting on a gold mine. I went around classroom to classroom showing everyone my tattoos. Soon, everyone who saw my collection wanted one (or many) tattoos and they were happy parting with a few bucks for the tattoos. Soon I was making enough money to treat myself everyday at a nearby food joint.
Trouble started when I stopped eating the lunchbox my mom sent with me to school everyday. After 3 days, my mom got suspicious and wondered why I wasn't eating (I usually eat a lot!) So she came to school on the sly and saw me standing in the middle of a huge crowd shoving their money in my face. Lo and Behold! That was the last day of my 'business'.
Since then, I have been very interested in entrepreneurship, and later, technology.
Hi I am Paraj Mathur, an undergraduate studying Business and Computer Science. I am originally from India and no, I do not own a 7/11 or Dunkin' Donuts yet (though owning it someday would be cool - these are cash cows - I dont mind the stereotype!) I am passionate about business strategy and growth, especially with small tech startups. I have just started taking a deep dive into bitcoin and blockchain, and discovered Steemit. I am very excited about this, and getting to interact with Steemit's larger community.
So tech and business aside, I write rap lyrics for my rap alter ego called Jarap. Here is a rap verse I wrote a few years ago:
Oh shit I cant believe I just lost
I aint getting that gold embossed
medal that I wanted all my life
gave my love life
mother of my child, my wife
Oh man I tried so hard all these years
battled my way through sneers, and jeers, and tears
and now suddenly in a moment my hope disappears
I am living my greatest fear
this had been my greatest year until
NOW
I expected everyone to go Wow
But I guess now, I will just
take a loser's bow.
I play basketball (intramural) at Power Forward, or ball carrying small forward.
Looking forward to getting to know a lot of you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your lives.