We invited Deepmala, Co-Founder of Dezinefy for an interview with Most Popular Stories to know more about her entrepreneurial journey.
Dezinefy strives to develop the most powerful interior design modeling and 3D visualization platform for designers with easy input process, economical pricing, and fastest rendering
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur.
Graduated as a Civil engineer who always wanted to take up designing as a profession, I completed my engineering somehow but immediately jumped into the field of designing through an internship after pass out in 2009. There was no looking back after that. My first five years were invested in learning and upskilling in the design field which was enriching and at times enervating.
Having started as a freelancer followed by bootstrapping to a proprietary firm, my venture continually challenged me out of my comfort zone. There were times when I had to play the role of a designer, 3D visualizer, and also project manager being a sole proprietor. Be it attending hours long client meetings, preparing designs, or execute ideas at the site, I’ve done it all.
What kept me going was my insatiable curiosity and love for my profession. This is my world and I cannot imagine myself in any other industry. Five years later, I joined the corporate world which was a unique chapter in my career. That saw me evolve from designer, design manager to eventually a business strategist.
2. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
My time in corporate while steeped in learning, never gave me the kick I got when I was in charge of my own venture. Although I knew there was a lot to be learned from the industry through the corporate world being at a job, I always felt that my potential was underutilized.
There was a nagging itch to push my boundaries, more so after completing my certification course from IIM Kozhikode.
Hence, after completing another 5 years in the industry through the corporate lens, finally I retook the plunge into entrepreneurship and in my second coming, charted out an idea that was rooted in collaboration at scale.
3. What was the vision behind it?
Based on my decade long experience, I have identified a few need gaps which can be addressed. And one of them is, designers today have a lot more on their plate to take care of, other than design. They should be spending most of their time utilizing their core skills which is pure design and creativity.
But how to make a successful business out of it by doing only what you love. That’s when I came up with an idea to support them by taking off their load of 3D visualization. For now, it is all about helping the designers to get their ideas visualized in double quick time and minimal effort. This is where Dezinefy comes to the fore.
4. Describe the services that Dezinefy offers to customers and in what way they are unique?
Dezinefy is a B2B platform that connects freelancers who are experts in 3D visualization in the interior industry, with design studios and independent designers. Freelancers across the country are tested, trained and onboarded to meet stringent quality standards to
ensure that the very best service is given to the customers/ designers.
We stand out on two fronts, blazingly fast renders (24hours) plus a hassle-free, no contact, and an automated process to do the same. What’s more, these services are available at unbelievably competitive prices. This is possible due to reduced overheads and the vast scale at which we operate across the country.
5. What difficulties have you faced or you are facing?
It’s definitely not so easy to maintain uniformity and achieve the desired quality in a strict timeline of 24 hours by engaging freelancers at work. We are improving day by day and adapting automation to achieve desired end results.
The absence of a robust tech stack coupled with the need for judicious bootstrapping has been a roadblock in unlocking our full potential. Once we have that sorted, we will have more challenges which we are unaware of. That’s okay as long as we are relevant in our times and continue to be diligent and innovative
6. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Whenever I’m stressed, I remind myself why I am encountering the situation. The only answer is that I have signed up for solving some tough problems at the grassroots. The joy of pursuing a career in one’s favored domain overpowers whatever challenges are thrown at you in the process.
I also have an able cofounder who is a sounding board for ideas. He invariably brings a lot of energy and complementary skills to the table and that keeps me going.
7. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?
My strategy to grow as a person always has been to build a gainful endeavor through constant upskilling, humility, attention to detail, and a drive to solve problems that impede design professionals from giving their absolute best. I am a team player and have always believed that, if you help people around you to grow, your growth is unstoppable.
As a business, I employ the same Mantra. If we aim to make money for the ones around us and help put it in their pocket first, our business will grow automatically.
8. How your company is helping India to grow?
Dezinefy is the only company in the market right now that focusses on providing trained freelance 3D visualizers to designers for residential interior designing. The platform soon to be launched, would eliminate inefficiency and cost associated with the traditional approach of designing by employing a junior design assistant.
This will enable users across the country to collaborate and automate the backend process, for getting desired results in hours instead of weeks. We aim to help designers and studios scale and grow their business utilizing our platform across the country.
9. In your opinion what are the keys to success?
We completed significant no of orders in our pilot run which gave us an affirmation that, the problem we are trying to solve is genuine, and there is potential in this business to scale. Our key focus to success always would be solving the customer pain point and incorporating their valuable feedback through innovation.
10. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
To anyone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur, would like to say just one thing. Get in and enjoy the journey.
To Visit Dezinefy website, Click Here!
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