We invited Deepak Mishra, Founder & CEO of Prodevans Technologies, 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 have been passionate about technology since the day I started my career. The entrepreneurial seed was sown right then. First, it was into training. The training business I built, COSS India, is consistently ranked among the top Red Hat partners in the country since 2003. Then organically, given the base, I startedProdevans Technologies as a technology & services consultancy company in 2015.
I have spent more than 17 years in Technology Management for some of the largest Banks in the world. I can say with some degree of confidence that there is a shortage of skilled personnel in consulting services. That is the biggest opportunity in front of us.
2. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
The freedom to make decisions and to be responsible for the decisions you make are something that only entrepreneurship can afford. But more than that, it was a desire to create something of value – to me and to all those around me – and the strong innate belief that it can be done given the right intentions.
3. What was the vision behind it?
The vision is to create a world-class organization that our customers, partners, and employees can trust. The desire is always to create and unlock value. There’s tremendous scope for it, given the energy, passion & opportunity I see ahead of us. I see technology as an enabler for businesses & people. At the same time, it needs people to overcome challenges – of people, process & technology – to make it happen. I see Prodevans playing the role of a problem solver who can simplify things, cut the fog, and make technology benefit all.
Prodevans Technologies is aiming for >3Million USD turnover in 2021 and increasing the Prodevans managed service business with 100+ staff on Open Source technologies solving customer problems.
4. Describe the services that you offer to your customers and in what way they are unique?
We are a Cloud, DevOps, and Automation company. We help organizations set up the cloud infrastructure, transform applications to be migrated to the cloud, automate the process to harness the benefits of the cloud, manage their environments – all with stringent quality controls and rigorous focus on RoI. We are unique because we propose solutions that do not require any upfront investment. Our solutions always use the existing tooling to bring out the value. We have been a pioneer in deploying cloud solutions in India & ASEAN. We have implemented solutions in some of the BFSI & telecom companies in the region.
Because we are a technology focused company, our track in delivery has been excellent.
5. What difficulties which you have faced or you are facing?
Throughout the industry, the budgets have been shrinking. On the other hand, the technological landscape is changing rapidly. We are at an age where buzzwords like automation and AI are thrown around frivolously and company execs feel the peer pressure to adopt them. This leaves us with a lot of organizations who know where they want to be, but have no idea where to start, and getting that start is the most difficult endeavor. As a consultancy, it takes a lot of persuasions to convince them on the path they need to adopt. Our journeys with these customers are riddled with skepticism and resistance, and it is difficult to convince them otherwise.
But we understand that it is a gradual process, and once we have our foot in the door, we are hardly the kind of people who miss out on any opportunities.
6. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
The biggest stress buster is my family, which includes Prodevans Technologies people, and the close friends circle I am fortunate enough to have. The challenges & disappointments are many, but the moment I am with them, everything seems worthwhile. They have been the fuel that is driving me forward.
7. How do you market your business?
I am a hardcore believer in doing things from the ground up. There is nothing more exciting to me than talking about things I am passionate about, and this has been a boon for me. A lot of my business has ended up coming through word-of-mouth.
Similarly, one more avenue I have found a lot of success on Linkedin. The outreach that can be garnered and the support that I receive is not just a financial net positive, but also keeps the passion ignited.
Lastly, I engage my weekends with meetups, usually with youngsters. I am constantly hunting for new talent and I find that meet ups is the best way to achieve that.
8. How many hours a day do you work on average & can you describe/outline your typical day?
I don’t measure anything in the number of hours. What matters is have we delivered what we set out to do? For me, that’s more important than anything. Sometimes it might take only a few minutes or it might take the entire 24 hours – but my intention is never to let go until it’s done.
My workday starts early when I size up the important tasks for the day ahead. Because of the time zone differences, I might have some calls early in the day. As an organization, the day kicks off with the stand-up call with the entire management. This is a forum where we lay out our plans, discuss problems, collaborate but most importantly challenge ourselves.
Throughout the day, there would be partner calls, customer discussions, document preparations, negotiations, etc. However, I do make it a point to talk to my Prodevans Technologies employees every day to understand their situations so that I can facilitate solutions. By evening, the calls again pick up in volume because we service many clients in the US & Europe
9. In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Time management, people management, and being honest in self-assessment are in my opinion the cornerstone of success. I believe every day to be a learning opportunity. Learning can happen in many ways – but the most important one is the ability to face up to criticisms. If I am being defensive always, I will lose the plot. But by being open to criticism, I am letting go of my insecurities while making course corrections to forge ahead.
10. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Never lose faith in yourself. You have taken this step because you believe in your innate ability. It is not an easy journey. Entrepreneurship will test you to the core. But if you have the right people, and more importantly the right mix of people, you are sure to get there. Don’t miss the woods for the trees. Have along term plan and stick to it no matter what.
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