Interview by: SYEDA TAHERA SADIA

Photo courtesy:  ABHINAY SAI

VJIM, PGDM 2015

One great thing about Entrepreneurs is- not one’s story to success is same or similar. Yet, what ties them all in the same chord is the fact that every successful venture starts with an idea and no one knows the power of an “idea” more than the entrepreneur does.

Consistency… Steadiness… Patience… all top, concrete virtues. After all, why would one even want to take risk? What is the incentive behind leaving the comfort of a great paying job and going behind the dreams that would not let you sleep? Taking risk is stupid, right? But ask this to VJIM student Raghavendra Reddy and you will hear him shout- “Wrong!”

Raghavendra has never been the type to feel complacent with the odds and simply let them be. He has been more of the “thinking” sort. He was just 21 when he knew what he wanted. The broadband network of Mahbub Nagar, Raghavendra’s hometown has been notorious. His business idea sparked from a social cause. What seemed like a simple task started taking a gigantic shape in his head. He knew the solution and that would not let him sleep. Raghavendra is yet to graduate from his B-school and he already has a successful business running for himself.

We took him through a freewheeling interview which highlights the struggles and challenges that a young man faces in the Indian economy before emerging as an Entrepreneur.

Congratulations! It is absolutely fantastic to see you come this far, so early. How did the whole event occur and when did the idea come to you?

Thank you for your wishes! The idea of starting my own broadband network, came to my mind when I was in the final leg of my B.Tech. We used to face enormous problem with the local broadband network that was available in Mahbub Nagar, my home town. The service offered was extremely poor and often delayed. At that time, there was only one major player in the local market. Customers had absolutely no other option but to use that particular network. So, I just could not help but look for a solution. In the process I realised that if there is no solution, I have to fetch the solution. My friend Vijay and I started thinking to set up a new network altogether. I was very young at that point of time but I was focused and I guess that has made all the difference.

Having a business idea is easy but it is the implementation stage that requires maximum attention and effort. What do you have to say on this?

Yes, I do accept that it is not easy to convert a B-plan into a fully fledged business, especially, in the implementation stage. One needs to focus and strive really hard to overcome the initial difficulties while setting up the business. But I also believe that if there is a will, there is definitely a way.

Achieving breakeven within 3 months is not an ordinary achievement. What are the major factors which made your business a successful one?

We had well researched the pain points of our target customers before we began. First thing which we focussed on was to offer good network with high speed to satisfy the customers’ needs. We also introduced a very dedicated team which works 24*7 to offer timely service to the customers in case of any problem. We further moved on to offer our services to commercial users with very high speed when compared to the network speed offered to the ordinary consumer market. Of course in this process we charted down differential pricing for our customers’ needs.

You spoke about differential pricing. How did you get to know all such techniques? How did the learning at VJIM help you?

The learning experience at VJIM has been very fulfilling. The management concepts that were taught to us really helped me in implementing concepts like- satisfying customer needs, meeting the demands of the customers on time, optimum utilization of resources, cost cutting, product improvement and promotion of the product and the appropriate tools of promotion, to name a few.

Please tell us about the support you received while starting your business?

For a business to succeed, great support and encouragement are needed, apart from the efforts put in by the entrepreneur. The support that I received from my family was overwhelming. Apart from my family, the kind of guidance and support that was provided from the faculty and the E-cell of VJIM, helped me to a great extent to overcome my initial fears and the initial hitches.

Which are the things that you think help an Entrepreneur in the VJIM eco system?

VJIM has a great pool of knowledge in terms of its learned faculty, which is its biggest asset, complemented with great infrastructure, where learning meets fun. The course structure is well-framed keeping in mind the changing business environment. In fact, the concepts that I have learnt through the course has helped me in my business in more ways than one. I see myself using the theories consciously and unconsciously most of the times. I have even started implementing a few of them in my family business, which has helped me in a great way in increasing our profit by focussing on cost reduction. The level of guidance and assistance that the institute offers to those with entrepreneurial ideas is undoubtedly remarkable.