Tech • EducateKaro - Tech & Startup News Updates

Educatekaro Found:

Leaving a job at IIM and moving towards a startup: Sanjeev finished his education at IIM Ahmedabad in 1989, but within a year and a half, he walked away from a lucrative job. Why? Because he dreamed of starting his own venture and doing things his way.

Opportunity seen in the job market: He observed that job ads are read the most in business magazines.
This is where he got the idea of creating India’s first online job portal, which we know today as Naukri.com .

Naukri.com launched with just ₹2000: Naukri.com began in 1997 when Sanjeev used ₹2000 from his personal savings to kickstart the platform.

Growth Strategy – Users first, then money: Initially, they did not charge for job listings. The aim was to get traffic and trust of people. When the website became famous, they started generating revenue from ads and premium services.

Lean and Smart Operations: Sanjeev never believed in wasteful expenditure. Never mind fancy offices or over-hiring, he always focused on cost-saving and innovation.

He also showed wisdom in taking investments: For funding, he chose investors who matched his vision – meaning partnership not just with money, but with long-term thinking.

Invested in giants like Zomato and PolicyBazaar: After the success of Naukri, he invested in many big companies through Info Edge – Zomato, PolicyBazaar, etc. , whose valuation today is in thousands of crores.

Gave importance to customer’s opinion: Sanjeev always says – “The customer teaches us what is right.” He started collecting sales feedback through simple technology like Yahoo Groups – which later turned into powerful product insights.

The real lesson of becoming an entrepreneur: His journey shows that only the right understanding of the market, selection of the right partner, and a customer-first approach can make a startup successful in the long run.

Have you ever noticed that the Micromax mobile, which was once seen in the hands of people on every street corner, has suddenly disappeared? There was a time when Micromax used to be India’s number 1 mobile brand , and today it has become just a forgotten story. But the story behind this decline is as interesting and shocking as its success once was.

In the podcast ‘ Figuring Out with Raj Shamani ‘, Rahul Sharma has shared his entire journey, which includes Startup Advice, Personal Growth Insights and Honest Talks. Let’s know some selected things from his journey.

1. Childhood Dream

Rahul Sharma was interested in sports and wanted to do something different since childhood. He told how he dreamt of doing business instead of a conventional job and his friends also had the same thinking, which changed his mindset.

2. The Beginning of Micromax: From SAP to Smartphones

Micromax started as a software training company. But they changed direction in time and made a strong entry with phones with indigenous innovations like Dual SIM and Long Battery. Doing so was a bold move at that time, and that became the first step towards success.

3. ₹12,000 Crore Earnings and Akshay Kumar’s Branding

Micromax earned ₹12,000 crores in its golden time through aggressive marketing. Brand ambassador like Akshay Kumar and ads targeting the Indian customers made Micromax Relatable Aspirational.

4. The Downfall Started as Soon as the Supply Chain Broke

When other companies started manufacturing in China, Micromax started facing problems in component supply.
This directly affected innovation – and Micromax was not able to evolve at the speed that the market was demanding.

5. Price War and Loss of Brand Loyalty

Chinese brands launched ultra-low price phones — and a price war began .
Consumers’ loyalty level also dropped, and Micromax lost its old hold in marketing.
Rahul explains that as the mood of the market changes, the brand also has to change itself, otherwise the game gets out of hand.

6. Rahul Sharma’s Learnings and New Ventures

Today Rahul Sharma is exploring new ventures in the Electronics and AI space.
His biggest learning?

” Only those who know how to change survive in business. Learning should never stop. “

EducateKaro Insights:

Startup Advice : Right people and right vision are more important than the product
Marketing Matters : Branding is not just glamour, it determines your visibility
Be Adaptable : The market changes rapidly – the entrepreneur has to be as flexible as water
Failure ≠ End : Falling is necessary, but learning from it and moving forward is even more important

The Story Of Hotmail, Rich Lifestyle, Microsoft, Apple & Elon Musk -Sabeer Bhatia | Raj Shamani

Category: Tech

Inspiring journey of Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani – journey to unicorn in just ₹2000!