We invited Ojus Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder at Applify, for an interview with Most Popular Stories. Let’s get to know about his entrepreneurial journey.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur
I am Co-Founder and CEO at Applify, digital transformation, and a Startup Tech enabling company. I pursued BBA and then MBA from Amity University to gain basic knowledge to kick start my entrepreneurial journey and it has been full of learnings.
There is always something new to learn, for example, I’m fascinated about people management which is one of the most important aspects of entrepreneurship. So, I further took a couple of courses, ‘The science of happiness at work’ from Berkeley, and ‘Strategic Management’ by Wharton.
2. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I was inspired by my dad. Coming from a business family and watching my dad, especially from a very early age. I saw him grind and enjoy the process with rewards like nowhere. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur like him and make an impact that people would recognize when I grow up and make everyone proud in my family.
3. What was the vision behind it?
Every business starts with a problem and back in 2013, my co-founder, Deepak and I had a very intriguing idea and we wanted to start a tech product company but we found a huge problem.
We set out to look for an agency that would help us get the designs and tech development of our app idea. We weren’t able to find an ethical company capable of making world-class designs and mobile app experiences in India.
So, voila! We set up our own agency with a mission to solve this problem and provide an experience to the entrepreneurs or corporate teams that would make them believe that we are part of their teams and on the same journey with them.
4. Describe the services that you offer to your customers and in what way they are unique?
Applify is a technology company that enables startups, small businesses, and enterprise teams to achieve success via the design and development efforts we offer. We are here to help/support entrepreneurs get idea-stage funding ready with design + product strategy services. We also have pre-packaged apps that are helpful for small businesses, engineering teams, startups, and enterprises.
Applify has partnered with Tech platforms like Google, IBM, Stripe, Mixpanel, etc. to offer perks to our clients worth US$ 100K+ (It’s money into their pockets, literally) and startup communities to connect our startups to the right resources. In times like these, we want to offer as much assistance and ease to our clients as possible. We are working with global startups right from idea validation to product launch and growth.
5. What difficulties which you have faced or you are facing?
For us, the pandemic has been heavy but it also made us realise our true potential. During the pandemic, our approach has changed from a development agency to an accelerator & digital transformation enabler. Our Business offerings have changed and the company vision is very different from what it was pre-COVID
Apart from this, there have been times when some of our team members felt that they were not contributing enough. We always advise our team to set their personal goals in addition to the work goals and strive to learn to stay ahead. It is critical to have your own goals, it adds a different dimension to your career growth.
6. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I believe in work life inclusion especially in the current scenario but I know when to stop working. I take my work very seriously, at the same time, I set days when I don’t work and I don’t check emails or messages on those days.
I can deal with all the problems when I start my next work day, my personal time off doesn’t include any work. This has helped me in remaining consistent towards my work.
7. How do you market your business?
We aim to deliver great products and experiences to our customers so they become our brand ambassadors and attract more business for us. We got the best of our customers through word of mouth and referrals. We also do a mix of inbound and outbound marketing which is an industry standard.
8. How many hours a day do you work on average & can you describe/outline your typical day?
These days, I typically work for not more than 10 hours a day. However, when I was travelling (before COVID) it was way more than that. I limit it at 10 to invest my time on my personal development and experimenting new ways to improve. I read, and engage with people in my network to help them grow their products/businesses.
On a typical day, 50% of my time goes into meeting with different teams, 20% of my time goes into people/culture related planning and activities and the remaining 30% goes into planning and executing organizational growth/development related activities.
9. In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Running a business seems like a daunting task and trust me, it really gets challenging but over the period we learn as entrepreneurs. We learn from our mistakes and sometimes from others’ mistakes too. We have to be able to persist, make informed decisions, and hustle through tough times.
10. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
- If you have an idea, understand that you don’t know all, seek expert advice, and validate your idea. Find a company that can help you validate the idea. Building a business is like building a house, if you have a professional architect layout the correct blueprints. At Applify, we have the right team that can help you start on the right foot.
- Find a co-founder. A startup with 2 co-founders is the best team size investors look for. Look for someone who does have experience and can contribute to your company success by handling a department.
- Do not be in two ships. Focus is everything. Quit your job, burn the bridges and get 100% into it. Building a business requires a high level of commitment.
- Learn Product Management, you can take some online courses. It will give you an idea as to how a product works – will take you from 0 – 50% knowledge. Investors also are attracted to founders who know how things work in their business.
Connect Here,
Website: https://www.applify.co/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojussharma/?originalSubdomain=in