Chapter 8: The Empire in Blueprint
Delhi – February 21, 2009 – 5:00 AM
The cold metallic hum of the internet dongle connecting was the soundtrack of Shiva's early mornings now. He leaned back in his creaky chair, staring at the white glow of the blank Word document before him.
Today's the day we take the first real step toward NovaEdge, he thought, sipping the strong black tea he'd made himself.
Every action he took now, no matter how small, would be a seed sown into the vast field of his future empire.
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5:30 AM – Sketching the Brand
He opened a new file titled:
NovaEdge - Master Plan
At the top, he typed:
> Mission Statement:
"To empower the youth of India with futuristic technology and accessible innovation, bridging the gap between dreams and reality."
He knew mission statements were often treated as corporate nonsense, but for Shiva, it was a compass. Every decision would either align with this vision or be discarded.
He broke down the empire into verticals:
Mobile Games Division – Fun, viral games (starting with Rickshaw Rush)
Educational Products – Affordable online courses, tutoring, ebooks
SEO & Digital Services – Helping businesses build an online presence
Blogging & Content Marketing – Building authority in future tech niches
Investment Arm – Bitcoin, domain flipping, tech stocks (later)
It looked ridiculously ambitious.
It also looked inevitable.
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7:00 AM – School Schemes
At school, Shiva watched the world around him with new eyes.
Every notice on the bulletin board, every casual conversation, every grumble from a classmate about "no good science projects"—they were all opportunities.
He discreetly passed Rohit a note:
> "After exams, let's offer paid workshops on 'How to Build Your First Mobile Game.' Limited seats. ₹200 per head. We'll get lab permission."
Rohit's eyes widened in excitement.
This was how it started: side hustles that would eventually snowball into institutions.
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12:00 PM – Teacher Allies
During the lunch break, Shiva approached Mr. Menon, the physics teacher known for supporting student initiatives.
"Sir," Shiva said respectfully, "I was thinking... after finals, maybe I can run a small free workshop for juniors? Basic mobile app development?"
Menon looked intrigued. "Mobile apps? You can teach that?"
"A simple version, sir. Games, maybe. To get them excited about programming."
Menon smiled, a rare gesture. "Submit a plan. I'll see what I can do."
Official backing. Legitimacy.
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
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4:00 PM – A Minor Crisis
Back home, Shiva faced his first operational hiccup.
His laptop, already a relic from 2005, began to overheat and randomly shut down. During a key coding session for Rickshaw Rush, it blanked out entirely, erasing an hour's worth of work.
Frustration boiled over.
This... this is why people fail, he thought bitterly. Not because of lack of ideas, but because of obstacles like these.
But giving up wasn't an option.
He carefully opened the laptop's back panel, dusted out the fan using a borrowed air pump, and propped the device on two textbooks to improve airflow.
Hack solutions until you can afford real solutions.
He made a note:
Short-Term Goal: Save ₹15,000 for a better laptop.
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6:30 PM – The NovaEdge Website is Born
Working late into the evening, Shiva set up a free WordPress blog under the NovaEdge name.
He kept it minimal:
Home Page with a powerful tagline:
> "The Future, One Idea at a Time."
About Page detailing their mission
A simple "Coming Soon" section for services
It wasn't flashy.
It wasn't perfect.
But it existed—and existence was power.
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8:30 PM – Domain Investment
Shiva pulled the trigger on his first serious investment.
Using his growing freelance earnings, he purchased two domain names:
SolarGenius.in – anticipating India's solar boom
StudySmart.in – for his future education business
Both cost barely ₹300 each.
He knew they were virtual real estate. In a few years, people would pay thousands, even lakhs, for names like these.
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10:00 PM – Reflections and Fire
In his journal, Shiva wrote:
> "Today NovaEdge was truly born.
It is only an idea now.
One day it will be a building.
One day it will be a skyline."
He closed the journal, but his mind raced ahead.
He could already see it: glass offices bustling with young coders, VR conferences with clients across the world, scholarships bearing the NovaEdge logo, newspapers calling him a "visionary entrepreneur."
The world was still asleep.
But in the darkness, a boy with a dusty laptop and a stubborn heart was lighting matches, one after another.
He would burn down the future and rebuild it in his own image.
Brick by brick.
Byte by byte.
Dream by unstoppable dream.
The empire was no longer a fantasy.
It had a blueprint.
And soon, it would have a throne.
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[End of Chapter 8]