Tell us about yourself?
I have been conceiving, designing, and delivering delightful digital experiences for quite some time now.
Having worked in a range of roles within the realm of digital product innovation and design, I have acquired about 15 years of rich and diverse industry experience.
I am a design graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and I hold a master’s in design research from the University of Dundee.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
Having a brilliant idea is not enough for a startup to succeed. It takes a lot of effort to first build the right product, then reach the consumers in the midst of every growing competition and ever-dropping attention spans.
Business viability needs to be validated at different stages for any serious growth ambitions to be able to be supported by investment. It’s only when the right, hard-working people with a growth mindset, and an amazing product-market fit come together, success can be sealed.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
I would have loved to start “Sorted” earlier. I thought about the product quite a while back but I could not put ideas into action.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
I am fundamentally a doer. Since I delve myself into almost every aspect of product design & development, digital marketing, growth hacking, user acquisition, etc, I can understand the challenges of teams in respective areas. I have been building digital experiences for 15 years and I have leveraged that quite significantly in building Sorted.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
I try to give it my best without focusing too much on the results. It’s the hard and focused work that I enjoy the most. Good or bad results barely deter me.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
The ambition behind Sorted is to build the most comprehensive skills and hobbies monetisation platform that allows people to connect, build communities and grow at the same time.
During the early research phase, we found a visible lack of a platform that fuses “social” with “skill monetization”. What if almost every hobbyist or skilled person could make money while socialising. Turned out to be a trigger behind starting Sorted.
Where do you see your business in five years?
We expect exponential growth in the next couple of years. We launched for the web (www.gosorted.com) about a month back and expect iOS and Android apps to be launched in a couple of weeks. Post-app launch, there will be an extreme focus on user acquisition. In the next five years, we’re expecting a minimum of a community of 100 mn Askers and Solvers around the globe.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
Growth depends on the right investment at the right time. If we are not able to secure good funding in the next 3-4 quarters, the expansion plans might take a hit. But I am super hopeful that we will get there.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
We received a potential funding call from one of the prominent investment firms even before the product launch. It’s a testimony that people love the brand and the product. There has been widespread applaud on the UX of the product.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
I am more of a product guy than a salesperson. We have a talented growth marketing and user acquisition team. They are the brains behind reaching potential users and keeping them hooked to the product.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Just work smart and hard, focus on the process and not on the results. Ensure that you build the right team from Day 1. Right from finding an apt co-founding team to team members who share the vision.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
I want Sorted to become the default go-to soft entrepreneurship platform wherein people across the world can monetise with their skills and hobbies while building meaningful communities.
