VMPL
New Delhi [India], July 1: There is no single formula for startup success; Each company's journey is unique and full of uncertain challenges. The founders behind these successful startups possess an admirable spirit of determination, passion and vision to create change through innovation.
The series "Crafting Bharat - A Startup Podcast" powered by AWS and an initiative of NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, reveals the secrets behind the journeys of these entrepreneurs successful. aiming to equip aspiring entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts with invaluable knowledge. The podcast series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famous for hosting a wide range of television and digital shows, currently Consulting Editor for CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India and The Economic Times.In the dynamic landscape of the podcast ecosystem startups from India, Chirag Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO of GoKwik, stands out as a visionary leader driving innovation and reshaping the e-commerce sector. In the debut episode of Crafting Bharat, Taneja shared how he embarked on a challenging entrepreneurial journey that led to the founding of GoKwik. He also talks about starting a remote business during the pandemic and the future of the e-commerce industry with emerging technologies like GenAI.
Through the Crafting Bharat podcast series, let's discover the stories of Indian startup founders' journey to turn their dreams into reality and turn challenges into opportunities.
Edited Excerpts:Segment 1: The Incubator
Which parts of his original thesis about founding GoKwik worked and which didn't?
The initial thesis focused on whether India would adopt direct-to-consumer models, mirroring the United States rather than China. Another thesis pointed to the unexplored cash on delivery market worldwide. Finally, the focus was on building a diverse venture capital-backed business in India, which required multiple products to foster the growth of the D2C market, adopting a vision but an adaptable strategy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO8ZwWyfakE
What were the challenges you faced when building a remote company?
GoKwik is a company born during a pandemic. When we were able to think about whether we were going to work remotely or in the office, we were already 150 people. We had already crossed the Dunbar Number, the mark where the organization begins to change. I'm still not married to the fact that we need to build the company remotely, I'm married to our overall vision with GoKwik. As a founder, how did you manage that transition from intuition to data-driven decision making as GoKwik grew exponentially? How do cloud platforms like AWS facilitate this transition?
If you see founders for the second or third time, they would have done something and realized that this is a problem that no one else is solving. For me, I come from that world and I knew that no one was solving this problem and I didn't. I don't need data to support that it was purely my instinct and I started to figure out what is the right way to solve this problem.
Segment 2: The AcceleratorYou are a big fan of Rahul Dravid. Tell us about his influence on his leadership approach.
He has stuck to one course and played the long game. I have learned to take long-term calls, which are important to what you are trying to build and are applicable to almost everything. It's okay to be impatient in the short term, but results should come in the long term.
What's your take on this conversation happening around work-life balance? I firmly believe that results matter more than the number of hours spent, which helps us drive the remote enterprise. In a nutshell, if you are working in India, you should not think about work-life balance right now, especially as a startup founder, as it is our opportunity to build the country and we have a huge responsibility on our shoulders. building the country.
How do you stop overthinking, overcomplicating, and wasting bandwidth on things you shouldn't when you're starting out?
From a simplicity point of view, I would say that overthinking leads nowhere. My opinion is that if you are thinking too much or if you are confused, then act, don't think too much. Action will tell you if it is working or not, rather than spending a month thinking or having excessive strategic discussions. Don't find customers for your products, find products for your customers. What is your opinion on this?
It is said that all customers look for their problems to be solved instead of buying our solutions or products. Typically, I would say that always the product discovery or introductory calls that you do are to find out what the real problem is that you're trying to solve for your customer.
India's startup landscape is growing in leaps and bounds, becoming one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems on the global stage. The entrepreneur's unwavering motivation and dedication to building something unique have gone a long way in shaping India's startup landscape. Stay tuned to the Crafting Bharat podcast series as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for candid and in-depth conversations with Gautam Srinivasan.
Follow Crafting Bharat
https://www.instagram.com/craftingbharat/https: //www.facebook.com/craftingbharatofficial/
https://x.com/CraftingBharat
https://www.linkedin.com/company/craftingbharat/
New Delhi [India], July 1: There is no single formula for startup success; Each company's journey is unique and full of uncertain challenges. The founders behind these successful startups possess an admirable spirit of determination, passion and vision to create change through innovation.
The series "Crafting Bharat - A Startup Podcast" powered by AWS and an initiative of NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, reveals the secrets behind the journeys of these entrepreneurs successful. aiming to equip aspiring entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts with invaluable knowledge. The podcast series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famous for hosting a wide range of television and digital shows, currently Consulting Editor for CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India and The Economic Times.In the dynamic landscape of the podcast ecosystem startups from India, Chirag Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO of GoKwik, stands out as a visionary leader driving innovation and reshaping the e-commerce sector. In the debut episode of Crafting Bharat, Taneja shared how he embarked on a challenging entrepreneurial journey that led to the founding of GoKwik. He also talks about starting a remote business during the pandemic and the future of the e-commerce industry with emerging technologies like GenAI.
Through the Crafting Bharat podcast series, let's discover the stories of Indian startup founders' journey to turn their dreams into reality and turn challenges into opportunities.
Edited Excerpts:Segment 1: The Incubator
Which parts of his original thesis about founding GoKwik worked and which didn't?
The initial thesis focused on whether India would adopt direct-to-consumer models, mirroring the United States rather than China. Another thesis pointed to the unexplored cash on delivery market worldwide. Finally, the focus was on building a diverse venture capital-backed business in India, which required multiple products to foster the growth of the D2C market, adopting a vision but an adaptable strategy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO8ZwWyfakE
What were the challenges you faced when building a remote company?
GoKwik is a company born during a pandemic. When we were able to think about whether we were going to work remotely or in the office, we were already 150 people. We had already crossed the Dunbar Number, the mark where the organization begins to change. I'm still not married to the fact that we need to build the company remotely, I'm married to our overall vision with GoKwik. As a founder, how did you manage that transition from intuition to data-driven decision making as GoKwik grew exponentially? How do cloud platforms like AWS facilitate this transition?
If you see founders for the second or third time, they would have done something and realized that this is a problem that no one else is solving. For me, I come from that world and I knew that no one was solving this problem and I didn't. I don't need data to support that it was purely my instinct and I started to figure out what is the right way to solve this problem.
Segment 2: The AcceleratorYou are a big fan of Rahul Dravid. Tell us about his influence on his leadership approach.
He has stuck to one course and played the long game. I have learned to take long-term calls, which are important to what you are trying to build and are applicable to almost everything. It's okay to be impatient in the short term, but results should come in the long term.
What's your take on this conversation happening around work-life balance? I firmly believe that results matter more than the number of hours spent, which helps us drive the remote enterprise. In a nutshell, if you are working in India, you should not think about work-life balance right now, especially as a startup founder, as it is our opportunity to build the country and we have a huge responsibility on our shoulders. building the country.
How do you stop overthinking, overcomplicating, and wasting bandwidth on things you shouldn't when you're starting out?
From a simplicity point of view, I would say that overthinking leads nowhere. My opinion is that if you are thinking too much or if you are confused, then act, don't think too much. Action will tell you if it is working or not, rather than spending a month thinking or having excessive strategic discussions. Don't find customers for your products, find products for your customers. What is your opinion on this?
It is said that all customers look for their problems to be solved instead of buying our solutions or products. Typically, I would say that always the product discovery or introductory calls that you do are to find out what the real problem is that you're trying to solve for your customer.
India's startup landscape is growing in leaps and bounds, becoming one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems on the global stage. The entrepreneur's unwavering motivation and dedication to building something unique have gone a long way in shaping India's startup landscape. Stay tuned to the Crafting Bharat podcast series as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for candid and in-depth conversations with Gautam Srinivasan.
Follow Crafting Bharat
https://www.instagram.com/craftingbharat/https: //www.facebook.com/craftingbharatofficial/
https://x.com/CraftingBharat
https://www.linkedin.com/company/craftingbharat/
